The Wandering Chocoholic

Hi from Dunhuang! I’ve arrived in Gansu province, my third province of China so far. We got here this morning after a 23-hour train journey from Xi’an. I did manage a bit more sleep on the train this time, so…

As I write this, I’m on a 23-hour long sleeper train from Xi’an to Dunhuang, in Gansu province. We’re speeding west along the ancient Silk Routes, watching trees and people and towns and farms go by, playing endless card games,…

Hi again from Xi’an! Another hot and smoggy day — is there any other kind here? — spent exploring the city and its sights. Cycling tour of the city walls First stop after breakfast, we headed up to the old…

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, 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…

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…

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…