So, as I alluded to in my last post, yesterday we arrived in Jiayguan on the sleeper train. Well, “soft” sleeper is very much fanicer than my previous experiences on “hard” sleeper – 4 bunks rather than 6, water provided, lace tablecloth, even a western/sit down toilet. Oh, the luxury. I volunteered for the top…

I am actually writing this in Jiayuguan, having done my first overnight train of the trip, but more on that later… Yesterday, it was another beautiful morning as we left Xiahe, so we stopped to climb a BIG hill (I nearly died) to get a view over Labrang Monestary. This gives you some insight into…

It’s day 5, and we are in Xiahe, and it’s cold – I blame myself for all the whinging about being too hot and sweaty in Xi’an. However, whilst it may be cold, it was actually a beautiful clear day, which was perfect for a visit to the Labrang Monestary. I mentioned in my last…

Having arrived into Lanzhou at 6pm local time, then having driven to the hotel in rush hour traffic, then dinner, then bed and then an 8am departure this morning I cannot say really that I have experienced the delights of Lanzhou. Although it may be famous as being a key crossing point of the Yellow…

The tour begins (properly). Let me start by introducing the participants, we have: Wayne – the sole man and sole Australian; Daliah – an Italian, but been living in the UK for nearly 50 years; Ann and Katie – friends who used to live next door to each other in London; Elizabeth – another London…

Right, day 1 of the tour – although in traditional tour itinerary, day 1 doesn’t actually start until the “welcome meeting” this evening, so more on that later. After not the greatest night’s sleep ever, I breakfasted in the hotel. It was the usual extensive Asian buffet with everything from scambled eggs to chicken nuggets,…

First thing first, exciting announcement – I am writing this from Xi’an. I have arrived! And the blog works! However, I am getting ahead of myself, and perhaps you would like me to actually share something of my journey. Everything did manage to fit in the bag (as demonstrated below) and I set off looking…

I knew that at some point I would be able to complete the beginning of the Silk Road, i.e.. China. The generally agreed starting point for the Silk Road is Xi’an so if we just overlook the part that I am ending at the start, a year later, then I will have completed the whole…

It has been a week since I returned home (well, to my Mum’s) and was reunited with all of my stuff. How do I feel? Like I have an absolutely amazing experience that happened just yesterday, and also a long time ago… Some statistics: Length of trip – 5 months. I left on 23rd August…