A growing proportion of the human population are living in cities or urban areas. Currently 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. Up from 34% in 1960, and it is expected that even in less developed countries, the majority of the global population…
Lists from Asia
First Published 13 Aug 2012 3 things we do not like in China Since of these things have been mentioned previously. Two star hotels The lack of toilet paper The smells – the chemical/traffic fumes smells in particular First Published 2 Aug 2012 8 things we didn’t expect in Japan 1. For them to drive…
52000words #9 – Love
Love, a topic that I postponed during this writing challenge a few years back. I was heartbroken. I didn’t want to cry any more and I couldn’t think of a good word to say.
5 August – the Kunming adventure … nightmare
First Published 9 August 2012 At 4am, on the hell-train, they turned on the lights. We arrived at 5.10. It is now 5.35 and we’re sheltering in the Chinese equivalent of KFC, named Dicko’s. It’s a bit of a joke, but we’re here and last nights sleeper wasn’t as terrible as the first one. I…
Rant #3 – Chinese toilets
Having been in Japan where they wash their bum after every toilet stop and have fake water sounds to cover up your business noise, coming to China was expected to be a bit of a culture shock.
4 August – Black Dragon Pool and Driving to Dali
Later start today, but woken early by the normal mass exodus of tourists off on their coaches. I braved breakfast on the roof. It was the same hotel in Lijiang as last time. The roof breakfast set up was really quite strange. Small table and chairs as if we were at primary school. Then at…
Rant #2 – Cha Hua Hotel, Dali
Yuck. We just checked into our hotel in Dali, China and it is horrible. It is our first night in accommodation whilst on this tour organised by a travel agent. The room is really dirty. The toilet doesn’t flush. The bathroom is disgusting. The shower is a joke. They have provided us with around 8…
Linz’s First blog
We found WiFi tonight in a bar in Shangri-La old town. We’re now at the end of our 3rd day on the tour in rural-ish China. The countryside is amazing, particularly today, but even these small ‘towns’ are more like cities-probably bigger than Leeds, just made very recently in the ‘old style’ to attract tourists-mostly…
3 August – Shangri La and sunburn
Shangri La, on the tibetan plateau at a height of 3500m above sea level. Highest I’ve ever slept. Pretty cool. Strange dreams though. Early start woken by some one knocking on the door at 6.30am. Presume they were on another tour, or they were annoyed at being woken to get on their bus so decided…
2 August – Tiger Leaping gorge, the Yangtze and Shangri La
Up early for an 8am leave and Linz has a cold shower, which I decided to skip. Then she goes to breakfast, on the roof, in the rain, which I also miss as my tummy is still playing up. Instead I spend time trying to make it look like I have had a shower when…
1 August – One week left
Today it mostly rained. But it was OK. We drove from Dali to Lijiang and then visited the old town which we both really liked. Then we were taken to a lake, and asked to pay a lot of money to either walk near the lake, ride horses or go on boats. We said no to…
30 July – my first sleeper train
So. Hmmmm. Well. We are on a tour organised by a travel agent. Stage one of the tour involves an over night train to Dali from Kunming. I’ve never been on a sleeper train and I was naively very excited. Turns out it’s a bit like that nuclear bunker in Switzerland that we “slept” in that…
EasterlyMoves 