Archives by Tag 'China travel'
Slow train to Chongqing
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. April 2015 In China, it always pays to book transport the day before. That’s how I missed out on a comfortable two-hour fast rail journey from Chengdu to Chongqing (350kms), and was forced to wait four hours for a slow train which would take another four and a half […]
Wind and rain bridge
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. April, 2010 Sanjiang is about a five hour journey from Guilin, and a two and a half hour bus-ride from Longsheng near the Dragons Backbone Rice Terraces. It is the last sizable township in the province of Guangxi before entering neighbouring Guizhou and is the centre of the Dong […]
The Tao of travel in rural China
Brian Hennessy. China Australia Consult. February, 2013 You need to have your wits about you when travelling independently across the countryside in China. Having said this, as long as you can speak a little functional Chinese language and have a normal ration of common sense and patience, your journey will be a rewarding one. If […]
Butuo
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. 2009 Butuo. A dangerous small town in southwest China. Alcohol, drugs, violence and orphans. Too many of them. A depressing place. Don’t go there. Butuo ____________________________________________________________ Butuo is the saddest town I have seen in China. It is a couple of hours by local bus from Xichang, the […]
Nujiang Canyon
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. November, 2011 The Nujiang (Nu River) Canyon is a spectacular 315 kilometre long marvel of nature in northwest Yunnan province in southwest China. The Chinese call it the Grand Canyon of the East: a direct comparison with the more famous Grand Canyon in the USA. Go there if you […]
To Yangshuo
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. 2006. Travel agencies around the world display the photos: sensually moulded limestone kharst mountains huddled together – a jumble of softly rounded silhouettes pushing up into a hazy blue south China sky. Iconic stuff. Although it’s a popular tourist destination, don’t let that worry you – it’s a beautiful […]
Litang
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2010 At 4200 metres, Litang is the heart of Khamba culture in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. The centre of the old kingdom of Kham. The inhabitants, although Tibetan, have their own character and history. They are a wild, proud lot. Noted for their […]
Langzhong
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. 2009, 2010, 2011 This 2,300 year old city is the genuine article. Located in the northeast of Sichuan Province in southwest China, Langzhong is a living example of how civilised life could be in ancient China. Unfortunately, it can’t be included in any packaged tour requiring major airports or […]
In Xichang
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. 2007 The first thing I do after arriving in a new town is get my bearings. And as I wander around looking at everything, getting the feel of the place, I often stumble across something really good. In Xichang yesterday, it was the old quarter of town. The original, crowded, […]
Valley: On the Tibetan border
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. Summer The valley’s name is Tsaupa Gu (Chuppa Gully). It is located on the other side of Genie Holy Mountain, and is surrounded by a jagged semicircle of grey, green and brown which dominates the closed eastern end of this little lost world. A giant angular Buddha, topped with […]