Ross and Wyn Davies Travel Blog

Confessions of a Blimmin Useless Blogger

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Ross

OK then. Sorry again …. Big lapse in concentration and energy. Still alive and well. Been working in big lumps with busy spells in between. Hardly picked up the big camera. I’m going to make an effort to post more regularly which shouldn’t be too hard given this latest irregularity. Plus it’s almost time to take some photos. Starting the day after tomorrow …

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…And All That Day You’ll Have Good Luck

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Ross

Meanwhile back in New Zealand we have been working at motels in Blenheim and hanging out here and there. Tuesday was a day for getting stuff done, including COF and WOF. Somehow both our truck Certificate of Fitness and our car Warrant of Fitness come round at the same time. It was late morning when we headed off to the testing station with Suzi truck. There were so many cars they were parking them backwards in the truck queue. Continue reading →

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Visiting 100 Chicken Temple in Shangrila in Yunnan China

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Ross

There were things we could have done around Shangrila, and things we might have done. But we didn’t. We ended up a bit lethargic. Maybe the altitude didn’t help. Maybe we were just a bit lethargic. There are not a lot of sightseeing options in the city itself, and one stood out; Baiji Temple aka 100 Chicken Temple. Continue reading →

Posted in China travel 2014, Daily log | Tagged China, Shangrila, Yunnan | 1 Comment

Shangrila By Night, Yunnan China

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Ross

In Shangrila we stayed at Kevin’s Trekkers Inn, a wonderful little guesthouse near enough to the old town, but far enough not to have been involved in the fire in January this year which destroyed 260 homes over 10 hours and displaced 2,600 people. Nobody was killed but it has been a big set-back for Shangrila. There is a big hole in the middle of the old town where there is nothing. Continue reading →

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Visit to a Monastery in Shangrila Yunnan

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Ross

Continuing our travels in Yunnan province of China brought us to a small city variously called Shangrila, Shangri-La, Zhongdian, Jiantang or Gyaitang! And the airport is called Diquing. There are ethnic reasons for this surplus of names but it does make travel more stressful, trying to be sure we were heading in the right direction. In the early part of this century the name was changed to Shangrila in the hope of boosting tourism. Continue reading →

Posted in China travel 2014, Daily log | Tagged China, Shangrila, Yunnan | 3 Comments

To Tiger Leaping Gorge To Look – Yunnan China

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Ross

From Lijiang we were heading north to Shangrila. In between is the Tiger Leaping Gorge and it would be wrong to not stop there for a walk or a look. There is a high hiking trail which sounded energetic and maybe not for us. Instead we hoped an overnight stop in the middle of the gorge would give us enough adventure Continue reading →

Posted in China travel 2014, Daily log | Tagged China, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan | 2 Comments

The Retrospective Tourists in Baisha China

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Ross

I’d harboured hopes of a trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain up the valley from Lijiang but the cloudy weather ruled that out. There is a gondola or chair lift or something up to 4,500m and then you can walk up another 200m to see some snow and ice. But it was expensive and all we’d have seen was the inside of a cloud. Continue reading →

Posted in China travel 2014, Daily log | Tagged Baisha, China, Lijiang, Yunnan | 1 Comment

Lots of Tourists in Lijiang China

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Ross

Lijiang Old Town is one of the big tourist draw-cards in Yunnan Province and one of the must-see places in China. Lijiang city is a small city of 150,000 people at 2,400m above sea level. We had chosen to stay away from the old town area, a taxi ride away on the edge of the city near Shuhe Old Town. We always booked on location, sometimes aiming for the middle of things and other times Continue reading →

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The Interesting Surprises of Travel – Jianchuan

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Ross

Some of the best things about travel are surprises. Some days are unknowns, especially for we who organise ourselves. Some days are travel days, getting from somewhere to somewhere else; maybe with transfers and changes along the way. Our day getting from Sideng village in Shaxi to Lijiang Continue reading →

Posted in China travel 2014, Daily log | Tagged China, Jianchuan, Yunnan | 1 Comment

Market Day in Shaxi China

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Ross

Our last day in Sideng village (in the Shaxi valley of Yunnan province in China) was market day. So we were keen to make the most of it. It turns out there are two markets, one for produce and one for livestock. And neither is in the market square Continue reading →

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Templing at Shibao Mountain – Shaxi

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Ross

The day after our cycling expedition we went in search of some mountain temples to the north of Sideng village in Shaxi. As with most of our outings in China, we didn’t know much about it before we started Continue reading →

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Cycle Search for the White Dragon Pool – Shaxi

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Ross

“Just a minute, it’s stopped raining; guys are swimming, guys are sailing…” So goes a song from the Sunday morning Children’s Request Session on the radio way back in the olden days. It often plays in my head when the weather lets up and it’s OK to go out and do something. In Sideng village Continue reading →

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Showers in Shaxi and The Trouble With Tourists

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Ross

We had hoped to get on some bikes on our first full day in Sideng village in Shaxi, Yunnan province. Except we woke to rain which wasn’t in the plan. We had fun having Cato’s Inn breakfast – sort of a buffet – and lovely. Later we went wandering around the town Continue reading →

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Heading Up The Highway – To Sideng Village Shaxi

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Ross

Time to confess. We are travelers who follow Lonely Planet guidebooks. We realise that Real Travellers look down on us, faithfully following the words as writ, clutching our chunky little books as we try to navigate our foreign adventures. We don’t take every recommendation as gospel but we do turn up at places Continue reading →

Posted in China travel 2014, Daily log | Tagged China, Shaxi, Sideng, Yunnan | 2 Comments

Flying (Sort Of) Up Mt Cangshan – Dali

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Ross

We had known that Dali in Yunnan province in China was near a lake, Erhai Lake to be exact. But we hadn’t appreciated that it was underneath a sizeable mountain range called Mt Cangshan. Faced with a choice of lake or mountain sightseeing we decided a day in the hills would be good for us. Continue reading →