From China to Thailand
Boarding the plane to Hong Kong and knowing to be back on the road soon felt really good after spending almost 3 months in Germany. Arriving back in Kunming made me instantly feel like coming home. Before I could leave the airport I was held back by the immigration police as the only one, and there had been quite a few westerners with me on the plane. I suspect the visa-extension, I had obtained last year after leaving Tibet, or perhaps they had information stored in their database about the fine and the alien travel permit which I obtained in Ali in West Tibet. After a brief check (more…)
From Yunnan to Guizhou Province
Northwest Yunnan was spectacular with its authentic Tibetan culture, gorgeous views and friendly people. But also, there was a big presence of package tourists, Chinese and international due to relative ease of accessibility of the region. Reaching the town of Zhongdian, better known as Shangri-La, was another milestone: being back to “civilisation”, and the first and best place to obtain the desperately needed visa extension. After I had found the PSB Office, I managed to get another two months on the spot without hassles. I also got my camera repaired. Mr.G, the manager of the place where (more…)
Lhasa to Yunnan
I had planned to stay five days or so but in the end left Lhasa after almost two weeks. I had caught a cold with a strong cough and cycling without being well didn’t sound like a good idea. The cough was persistent, though after a couple of days when I felt fit enough I decided that there was no point in hanging out for another week, so I hit the road hoping it would vanish with some exercise. Lhasa is a great place to hangout and I could have easily stayed for another month or two, but the winter was approaching and my visa was about to expire – and try was no way to (more…)