Hi from Xi’an. This city, the capital of Shaanxi province, is the official eastern starting point of the Silk Road. So I’m officially on this journey now, I guess. Beijing was a bonus. Xi’an is a “small city” by Chinese…
So there’s this wall…
So, I climbed the Great Wall of China today. What did you do? Traffic jam, Chinese-style After breakfast, we packed the bags into our private van to head out of the city towards the Great Wall. After yesterday’s thunderstorm, today…
Big, hot, hazy and crowded
This morning I woke up fairly well rested and only slightly jetlagged. The day loomed hot, humid, sticky and what the locals call “foggy” — in other words, so smoggy that you can’t see much through the haze. Fairly typical…
And so it begins
Greetings from Beijing, China! I arrived here after a long but mostly uneventful flight. I took off yesterday morning from Montreal. I had a brief layover in Toronto, during which I stopped into the pub for some lunch, and then…
Ready, set…
Well, here we are. Less than 24 hours ’til departure. My flights are checked in. My bags are (mostly) packed, with a little help from Watarimono. My VPN is set up, my Yuan is purchased, I’ve made my lists and…
Meet Watarimono
I’ve long suspected that I secretly have travel ninja skills. That’s how I managed to end up with a personal patch of sunshine in New Zealand, for instance, or get free money from Air France, or find a flight home…
Visas, visas, visas
The biggest hurdle to planning and organizing a trip like this one is, inevitably, getting all those darn visas. Central Asia is known among travellers around the world for being a visa and paperwork nightmare. Each country has its own…
Trip planning Q&As
With just under a month to go until departure, I thought I’d answer a few questions I’ve been getting from some of you about my trip. How will you be getting around? It might be better to ask how I’m…
The original beaten path
Can you really call someplace “off the beaten path” when it spent over a thousand years being used as the ultimate beaten path? The Silk Road evokes a certain mystique even in its name. Not really a road at all,…
Return to winter
I’m home! Back in the cold and snow — erm, freezing rain. Anyone miss me? Free upgrades are awesome My trip home began yesterday evening in Cancun. I got to the airport just after 6, and checked in. When I…