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Hua Shan

China 2022 / 2023

In January 2022 I went to China to work at a test pilot school. With an 18 month contract and some generous holiday allowance, I had visions of walking the Great Wall, exploring the Gobi Desert, yomping the Silk Road…

The Zero Covid Policy put paid to a lot of that, but I did manage to get out once in a while.

Here I share some photos and reflections of what I was able to see of the mysterious Middle Kingdom.

2023 Tibet

The chance of a lifetime: to see the “roof of the world”, learn about Tibetan Buddhism and try out different types of cucumbers with my cellmates on a 35-hour train journey.

2023 Tianjin

Tianjin is not a city that Westerners tend to know about, but has an interesting, cosmopolitan character and an abundance of cute knitted objects.

2022 Yellow Mountain

The Yellow Mountain area is the quintessential “chocolate box” China with its famous pines and gorgeous views over the sea of clouds

2023 Harbin

January 2023, and a visit to Harbin, in China’s frozen north, to see the snow and ice festival and hunt for a laowai who ghosted my friend.

2023 Luoyang

The ancient city of Luoyang, former capital of China, boasts some ancient Buddhist art, the Shaolin Temple, and some good places to make TikToks while dressed up in Han Fu.

2023 Hua Shan

Hua Shan, not far from Xi’an is a spectacular mountain filled with lush forests, sheer white cliffs and Taoist shrines.

2022 Beijing

China’s famous capital has some sights that you’d kick yourself if you ever came here and didn’t see: The Great Wall, The Forbidden City and its Temple of Heaven.

2022 Xi’an

The ancient city of Xi’an is now a thriving modern metropolis, but carries reminders of its significant history in its Pagodas and the famous Terracotta Army

Buddhist Monk

Asia 2023

After leaving China I managed to explore some of Asia: the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Cambodia. 

Here you can see some of the things I saw on this month-long jolly.

 

2023 Tokyo

A whistlestop tour to Tokyo, where I failed to see Mount Fuji but accidentally managed to glimpse Godzilla.

2023 Siem Reap

The home of Angkor Wat and the floating village of Tonle Sap, in Cambodia. I was lucky enough to visit post-Covid, when tourism hadn’t fully returned, so I was able to enjoy more of its mystical charm…