Reset search
Nathan LaurieNathan Laurie
SatelliteEdit route
📍 China Read more
  • Our OE
    Day 37

    Mongol Bao (Yurt)

    Yesterday in China ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    After we'd had enough sightseeing, we headed for tonight's accommodation. We were booked to stay in a "Mongol Bao" - literally meaning Mongolian steamed bun, but known to most of us as a Yurt. We approached the spot where we were told to go, and just as we turned to go off road we were stopped by a police car.

    After a bit of discussion, it turns out that none of the yurts in the area are legal due to fire safety and licensing issues. The police told us that they'd shut this particular site down recently, and that even though we could see the Mongol Bao's on the hillside, they were empty. They also warned us against staying in them as there had been cases of theft by local farmers, leaving tourists with no phones and no way of contacting anyone for help.

    Following this discussion, Vela called the person we had booked with, and he said they had moved to another location. He said to come and have a look at the setup if we were concerned about safety. We had a look, and Nathan was very strongly against staying there, feeling that the police wouldn't warn us against it for no reason, however he was out voted 4-1 by the girls, so that was that.

    The site was very pretty, overlooking the lake with the snowy mountains behind. It was pretty cold by this point in the evening, but the fire inside the tent kept everything nice and toasty. However just as we were settling in for the night, the police showed up again. Their intent was to close the site down and kick everyone out as it was not a legal accommodation. Vela did some quick negotiations, saying it was booked through a big travel agency website and how were we to know that it wasn't legal? She also said it was too hard to find other accommodation at this point, and they relented and fortunately allowed us to stay the night. It did put a bit of a negative spin on what otherwise could have been an amazing experience.

    After a chilly nights sleep, we awoke again to an amazing blue sky. So we took advantage of the beautiful location before heading on our way again.    Read more

  • Our OE
    Day 37

    Sayram Lake

    Yesterday in China ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Big day today. We woke up and opened our curtains to see beautiful blue sky. We were very surprised to find that we had a view of the snowy "Sky Mountains" range, especially given it was already 23 degrees outside at 9am.

    After breakfast we set off, and we had endless views of plains all around us on the highway. More of the same cereal crop being farmed and also a cargo train crossing the landscape. A couple of wispy clouds also started to form, providing the sky with a bit of interest.

    After driving for a couple of hours, we could see what looked like a lake in the distance. It turned out to be a solar farm which stretched on and on. We drove for about 10 minutes and still couldn't see the end of it. This was then followed by a big wind farm, with towering turbines dotting the hills and plains. Really cool to see renewable energy sources being built, and the sheer scale of them was very impressive.

    After the wind farm we finally made it to Sayram Lake. The lake was stunning with barely a ripple on it, making for some fun photography with the snow dusted mountains reflecting in the lake's surface. We drove around the lake to an area where the snow came right down to the water. There was a boardwalk heading up through the pine trees so we hiked up the hills a little way. We found a nice little area for a picnic, so we stopped. Today is also Vela's mums (Mei) birthday, and the girls had prepared a couple of little sweet treats to celebrate. On our way back down, we briefly spied what we think was a Bobak Marmot, before it scurried underneath the walkway.

    Afterwards we hiked back down the path to the car and drove to tonight's accommodation.    Read more

  • Our OE
    22
    Day 35–36

    Bai Li Dan Xia (100 miles of canyons)

    May 6 in China ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Flying into Xinjiang was exceptionally scenic. After leaving the typical lush Chinese landscapes behind, we flew over snowy mountains and sandy deserts before landing ahead of time at Urumqi airport. We picked up our rental car, a bright orange "Tank" (Jeep/Hummer lookalike) and went to check in at our hotel.

    Arriving at the hotel we immediately faced a problem, the hotel couldn't cater to foreign guests. China is quite strict when it comes to certain rules, and one of them is they have a system so they know where foreigners are staying at all times. The hotel we had booked was not linked into the system, so if they provided Nathan with a room and the police found out, they risk being completely shut down by the government. Fortunately they offered us a full refund, and Vela quickly worked her magic and found a hotel nearby that could take foreigners.

    We took advantage of the free washing machines and dryer while we waited for Sunny & Clara's planes to arrive. With Sunny and Clara joining our party, we headed to dinner. Being in the very Northeast of China, Xinjiang's food, culture and even the appearance of some of the locals, is quite middle eastern. The cuisine is very lamb heavy, quite different to the many pork based dishes found elsewhere in China. By about 9.30, the sun was starting to set (all of China runs on Beijing time, so being so far east and north means late sunsets) so we decided to play a little Majiang before bed. Nathan managed to be top scorer again, more than making up for the money Vela lost...

    After a good night's sleep, it was time to hit the road. The landscape started out exceptionally flat, with fields of some unknown crop (maybe a grain of stone sort?) for miles and miles. We turned off the main highway, past a little power plant (we think it was nuclear) and headed to the hills. It was incredible how quickly the landscapes changed. Suddenly there were massive hills, rocky cliffs, and deep valleys around us. We stopped for a photo shoot (and bathroom break) before heading higher into the mountains to a viewpoint for more photos. We passed lots of farms with sheep, cows and goats, we even had to wait for a herd of cows using the road.

    We made our way back into civilization and headed to a town called Wusu, where Wusu beer is brewed. It was a bit of a nothing town, with many of the buildings looking abandoned, but we did find a bit of street art. Obviously the artist was a time traveller and knew Vela, Sunny and Clara would be visiting one day.

    We made it into Kuytun in time for dinner, and we had the most delicious meal of lamb any of us has ever tasted (think Nathan's face says it all). The meat was literally falling off the bone, and so full of flavour. Nathan managed to get his hands on the hock bone - very happy boy.

    Back to our hotel in time to watch the late sunset (sorry about the dirty windows), no issues this time!    Read more

  • Our OE
    1
    Day 33

    The "Sea of Tea"

    May 4 in China ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After the crowded market street yesterday, we opted for a more relaxing destination today and headed to Zhongguo Cha Hai (the China Sea of Tea). With plenty of space and fewer people visiting it was great to get out and stretch our legs with a wander around the farm.

    We visited the viewing pagoda in the middle of the farm, and the tea fields stretched as far as we could see. We of course tried some fresh green tea, made from the small new leaves at the very tips of the plants. A couple of small cheese sweet treats went down great with the fresh tea.

    We walked pretty much to the other end of the farm, dodging rain showers, and opted to jump on the shuttle back to the car park. It was then time for lunch with some local noodles.

    We returned back to Yunzi, and spent the rest of the afternoon playing Majiang. Nathan was kind enough to donate back some of his winnings from yesterday, Vela also got into the giving spirit and donated back the rest.. Over the two days we lost about 10nzd, which we would gladly pay again for the hours of fun!

    Driving back to Chongqing tomorrow and then the following day we're off to Xinjiang for a couple of weeks road tripping.    Read more

  • Our OE
    1
    Day 30–32

    Zunyi

    May 1 in China ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    With China's national public holiday upon us, we decided to escape Chongqing - which is a hot spot for Chinese tourists. We jumped in a car with Maggie and Hom (Maggie is one of Vela's friends from middle & high school, and Hom is her husband).

    We battled the traffic and headed into the mountains of Guizhou province, bound for Zunyi. Along the way we stopped at Moutai, a town made famous for producing Baijiu (Chinese rice liquor), in particular the Moutai brand which is the most famous (and loved) Baijiu in China, but there are over 3300 distilleries here. Definitely not to Nathan's taste, but it was still interesting to have a look around the town and a small museum which showcased the history and process of making Baijiu.

    We finally made it to Zunyi, which is a small city by Chinese standards, after about 6 hours driving (normally would only take 4 hours). We went straight to a restaurant for dinner. On the menu was charcoal roasted chicken with a range of dipping sauces and spicy powders which were delicious. It was great to pick up some bones and get stuck in!

    The following day we headed to Yunmentun (a nature reserve area) and took a ferry down the river through a massive archway. It would have been nice to be able to spend more time in the arch area, but the ferry was on a tight schedule and we were hurried back on board. We then had a short hike through the park along the river, seeing some waterfalls and walking through a "Difeng" (literally translates to ground crack). At the end of the hike there was the head of a dragon carved into the cliff face, with the rest of the cliffs curling away into the distance making up its body and tail.

    Nathan unfortunately got a little unwell during this time, but with lots of travel coming up the timing was probably the best we could hope for. So the following day was overall pretty relaxing. Flame grilled noodles for breakfast, called "over the bridge" noodles, because you take the noodles out of the big bowl into a little bowl (with some sauce and flavouring), creating a little bridge. And then a visit to a local market street which was absolutely packed. But the sounds, colours and smells were pretty amazing to take in. We had the worst hotpot we've ever had for lunch, with lots of the meats being fake pressed meat, the sauce had no flavour, and even the quail eggs were fake. Most of the food was left behind... We might be a little snobby when it comes to hotpot...

    And finally in the afternoon we spent a couple of hours playing Majiang. Nathan once again proved he can mix it with the locals, with the below photo of the Hu (hand) being particularly good, netting him about $30NZD.    Read more

  • Our OE
    Day 28–29

    Luzhou

    April 29 in China ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Every time we're in China it's important we also head over to Luzhou to see Vela's Dad and his side of the family. Vela's step mum drove us the 2 hours from Chongqing to Luzhou. It was great to meet up with them and we were shown his new apartment which is still having the interior fitout completed. Very cool to see the differences between NZ and China. There were a couple of items that might not pass a health and safety inspection in NZ (safety sandals and lack of fall protection in the stairwells being the main ones).

    We were then taken to a construction site that his company is the main contractor for; a 5-storey hotel with attached commercial wholesale market totalling about 40,000m2. Just in the early stages of the process with civil works being done for the foundations, and holes being drilled for the piles (up to 2.2m in diameter). The site was impressive and very clean and tidy which was not what we expected. Vela had a quick look over the blueprints for the job (looked to be about 500 pages worth).

    Afterwards we had a family dinner before playing a bit of Majiang. They play a slightly different version of Majiang in Luzhou, with some complexities which we felt made the game a bit more luck based than Chongqing style. The base was still similar, with making sets of matching tiles and then arguing over whose is best, and who pays money to who (see tutorial video). Vela managed to learn quickly and came away with a net positive of 80rmb - about $20.    Read more

  • Our OE
    Day 23–27

    Hanging out in Chongqing

    April 24 in China ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After a busy few days and nights in Beijing and Xiamen, it was nice to get back to Chongqing where we could rest up a little. There was still a lot of catching up with friends, but also some more relaxing activities including; walking to find coffee in the mornings, badminton, lunch/dinner with friends, enjoying the warm settled weather, and family time.

    Nathan was introduced to some foreigners living in Chongqing (some of them up to 12 years) and it was interesting to get their perspective on life in China. They also took him out to a decent bar to sample a couple of hazys. Hazy #2 was the better drop.    Read more

  • Our OE
    Day 21–23

    Xiamen

    April 22 in China ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    After finishing up in Beijing, we jumped on another plane and headed to Xiamen. We spent a couple of nights here and Vela had a big reunion with her University sailing team. This meant a couple of late nights out, starting with dinner and finishing with karaoke.

    We also went for a walk around the Xiamen University. The campus is very famous in China, rated the most beautiful campus, with many tourists trying to visit. However they have gates and only students, staff, and alumni are actually allowed on campus, so a bit of a special treat for us.

    Thoroughly worn out from all the socialising, we're headed back to Chongqing for a few quieter "recovery" days with family and friends before heading off into the wilderness on a hike.    Read more

  • Our OE
    Day 20

    Universal Beijing

    April 21 in China ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Yes we've only just visited Universal Studios in Osaka. No we aren't theme park junkies. But that being said it was a spectacular day with great weather and better company.

    It was interesting comparing the two theme parks, and some of the differences between Chinese & Japanese culture was apparent. The Japanese park and staff definitely leaned more into the acting and role playing compared to the Chinese establishment, however the Beijing park was definitely less crowded which meant we got to ride the transformers themed "Decepticoaster" many times with minimal wait.

    Overall it was a fun day out and we got another dose of adrenaline before a few weeks of exploration and sight seeing around China.    Read more

  • Our OE
    3
    Day 19

    Beijing Summer Palace

    April 20 in China ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After our brief stop in Chongqing for Vela to get her UK and EU visa applications submitted, we flew up to Beijing. Our flight was delayed so we didn't get to our hotel until about 2.30am.

    After a small sleep in, we reunited with Vela's friends, Luffy and Fish. Luffy lives in Beijing and we camped on the Great Wall together 8 years ago. He is a bit of a history aficionado, so we were very lucky to have our own personal tour guide! Because we have already been to the Forbidden City (and we are returning to visit with Nathan's parents in a few weeks), Luffy took us to see the two Summer Palace's which were used previously by Chinese Emperors.

    The first one palace (old palace) we visited was very heavily inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, with lots of stonework, fountains, and ponds. The Chinese flavour shone through in the carvings and with other details including the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. It was once the largest garden in the world, and even in its current state was beautiful to walk around and experience. This palace was ransacked in the 1860s when China was invaded by several western countries - and it remains a great tragedy for the Chinese to this day.

    The second summer palace had more traditional Chinese architecture. The palace roof and many of the details are painted yellow, which was the colour that signified the Imperial Family. On the ends of the roof corners there are small figurines carved, the more of these carved on a building the highest that buildings importance, the Emperors dwelling would have ten! There was an interesting Buddhist temple at the top of the hill, with thousands of Buddha's carved into the walls (and also inside but we weren't allowed in to see it).

    Afterwards we walked (ran) down the hill to the lakeside where we experienced a little bit of the wooden walkway, which was adorned with many detailed paintings of landscapes. We were a little short on time and this area was very crowded so we didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked to really explore this area.

    Luffy, Fish and Vela then dropped Nathan off in a coffee shop while they enjoyed the concert of a very famous (legendary) Chinese singer - Jacky Cheung. They were very lucky to get tickets as they sold out in seconds.

    Afterwards, to cheer Nathan up, we visited a craft beer shop for a couple of local drops. The beers definitely looked pretty, but most tasted like lemonades. Of particular interest was the one on the very left which was a green tea flavour, and tested very much like green tea, more so than the Japanese one we tried previously.    Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English