[slideshow] Stretching more than 6,000km and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Wall of China is indeed great. The iconic fortification, built more than 2,000 years ago to protect China from invasion (rather unsuccessfully at times), is an incredible feat of engineering that is as impressive to look at as it is…
[slideshow] Whilst travelling I have lived by the rule that I would try anything once, maybe not a second time, but I would at least give it a go. However, I broke my own rule instantly at the Donghuamen night market in Beijing, with snacks on offer to turn even the sturdiest of stomachs… Everyday from…
[slideshow] Following a 6am start to catch the 7.15am train from Ulan Bataar to Beijing and an interesting border crossing and bogie change interlude we arrived in Beijing the following day at 2.15pm, with mixed feelings about where we had been and what lay ahead. The last leg of the journey was the plushest train yet…LED…
[slideshow] Travelling from one country to another by train is a strange experience compared to other forms of transport. When you reach a new country via plane, boat or car, it is obvious when you have arrived – you join the endless immigration queue, the signs have changed to a new language and the people often…
[slideshow] Reading through my last couple of posts, I’m not sure I gave Mongolia its dues as a place to visit. Although it is hard to find many people who have travelled here, the handful that have seem to have spent months in Mongolia and found many things to keep them occupied. Plus, a the…
The food came as a bit of a surprise – it wasn’t included in the trip and we were told we didn’t need to bring supplies, so we did pay over the odds for a range of meat and lard dishes in various guises. The descriptively titled first meal of ‘meat noodle soup’ was revolting…
[slideshow] Following a day of sightseeing in Ulanbataar (which is all you really need to get a general feel for the place) and an overnight stay in the comedy hotel, we took a 50km bus trip into the Outer Mongolian countryside to stay at the Terelj National Park Reserve. The scenery was spectacular and for…
After two days travelling on the Trans Mongolian railway from Irkustsk to Mongolia – complete with an eight hour, toilet free customs stop at the border – we rolled into freezing Ulanbaatar very early in the morning. Still dark, we were greeted by our two guides Batar and Bata (pronounced the same but never were…
The ritual of the Russian “Banya” was something I thought I could live without. However, I was persuaded otherwise. Following a motivational talking to and a pep talk to get over my bathing suit body issues from a very kind, yet matter of fact Bristolian buddy, I donned the ill-fitting cozzie, hiking boots and a…
[slideshow]Heading down the icy stretch from the Guesthouse to the roadside it was impossible to not be in impressed by the view of the worlds’ deepest lake (up to 1637m deep in fact). Lined with a mixture of soviet style tower blocks and capitalist condominiums interspersed with wooden chalets and shacks, the road to the Lake…