Predictably my Bullet train went very quickly. Guilin station was a nightmare though, thousands of passengers packed like sardines in a hideously overcapacity station. The only slight annoyance on the Bullet Train was the 'little emperor' on the opposite aisle making his fair share of noise. We got up to 330km/h as we raced across 600km of Guangxi and Guangdong in just about 3 hours. Despite the tunnels, I got to see lots of beautiful Karst scenery as well as th...

I spent this morning making sure my visit to Guilin/Guangxi didn't go completely to waste. I was assisted by an earlier than desired wake-up call from the next door school and the loud group of Spaniards who clattered into my dorm at 2am. I hiked around the Diecai Hill Park. The karst scenery here is quite a spectacle, a very unique sight. I'm not really sure, and not terribly interested, in the geography behind it all but it was nice to see some of the scenery...

Am leaving China early. I can't take it anymore. The main reason is the lack of contact with the outside world. It's soo lonely travelling here. I've met hardly any westerners, just some unfriendly Spaniards. My VPN sucks (hence why I'll probably have left China before anyone other than me reads this) and so can't talk any friends or family without incurring roaming charges. But also, China is just a very uninviting place. I took a 6 hour bus ride down the mo...

Am in Fenghuang! Fenghuang is famous throughout China for 2 main reasons. Firstly, its where China's Romeo and Juliet is set. Secondly, it was the last outpost of the Ming Dynasty and beyond here lied the territories of the Zhuang and Miao Peoples. Fenghuang is a touristic town though the crowds are nowhere near as thronging as in Zhangjiajie. It's pretty, but its outskirts really did showcase a poorer side of China. Bus stations have a habit of being in dodgie...

So... my VPN sucks! The Great Firewall of China means I cannot access anything google related which unfortunately because these blogs use google maps means I can't publish blogs until my VPN finally works or am out of China! But anyway... Zhangjiajie! My second day in Zhangjiajie far outclassed the first. There was much less hiking up steep mountain sides (although still a fair bit of it) and yet much more spectacular surreal scenery. I started on the Golden Whi...