After an almost disappointingly uneventful passing into France sans visa at 5am, driver Bill and our trusty Panda Mobile got their first taste of driving on the right. Bill immediately took to French driving - quite roads, smooth surfaces and lots of speed. Our first stop was Boulogne-sur-mer. I'd visited here on day trips as a child but had never clocked just how beautiful the old town is. We walked along the ramparts and soaked up the heat. We were pleasan...

Well I couldn't possibly be in Chengdu without visiting my favourite pandas! I'm very pleased to announce that Isaac shares my love for them! He quivered with excitement when he spotted his first panda :) We were really lucky with our panda viewings this time. We saw around 30 pandas and they were active! First we saw a group of 7 playing outside, then they went inside for feeding time where we watched them munch away at the bamboo for a few hours before ...

We spent a day in Hongya visiting some of Bill's never ending Aunties and cousins. One was in a restaurant picking the nails off chicken feet the other had a posh new appartment. We then caught the bus to Gaomiao and Bill's Uncle gave us a lift to the village. On arrival in the village we were greeted by pouring rain and no electricity. At least It meant we didnt have to participate in the traditional tv worshipping - 'havent seen you for years, lets ...

After a very noisy and bumpy flight, we arrived back at the Traffic Inn. Bill's Dad left as early as he could in the morning (without saying goodbye of course). Bill and I spent the day visiting our favourite parts of Chengdu. First stop was the fish feeding park where Isaac was greeted by a chorus of croaking frogs. The park is beautiful. Thankfully the government hasn't started charging entrance fees for the parks yet so they're still the best place...

Have spent a very relaxed last few days in Jinghong. Despite looming development, Jinghong very much remains a laid back jungle town. Unlike the normal giant Chinese metropolises you can walk from one side to the other in less than an hour. Plus the palm trees and peacock/pagoda lamp posts everywhere make it a beautiful city. Peacock Lake is the place to go to see everyday traditional Chinese life in action. Retired men take their birds for a walk and gather to p...