High Point – Finally arriving in Luang Prabang, Laos to see the remaining members of the Stage 3 crew!
Low Point – All highs today folks!
No point – N/A
On the 2nd Oct and after months of planning it was finally the turn of the Stage 4 team to head to Luang Prabang to begin our stint of Follow that Fire Engine! Read more →
High Points: Zipping through the China and Laos borders in no time at all and the road of many children to Luang Prabang.
Low Points: Goodbyes.
Author’s comments: Today was border day, and through past experiences these need to be had early. With this in mind we departed our hotel in the pitch black at 6.45am, and drove the short distance to the China – Laos border. After watching the impressive flag raising ceremony from the Chinese side we elbowed our way through the melee and Paul and I were out of China within twenty minutes. Steve had the task of bringing Martha out and amazingly thanks to the mountains of paperwork Navo and Sun Ji had prepared they followed shortly behind. The entry into Laos couldn’t have been more comical; it was like stepping into the nursery rhyme Old McDonald had a farm. After a bit of chat and some strange looks, we located the passport stamping zone. Next was the insurance documents for Martha, $10 and a big smile seemed to do the trick, so much so we were awarded with three cans of larger, our first test?
Location : Yuanjiang to Mengla
Ever had a bad day, week or even month at work? Who hasn’t right? Quite possibly you’re in the midst of one now and reading this in an attempt to escape for a few minutes. Wow, I feel for you, things must have got really bad. However let’s put this into context.
Imagine your month was a follows:
You are a good person, hard working and go the extra mile (I’ve probably lost half of you already). You are hired by four 30-somethings from China to hand hold them around the UK for the best part of 4 weeks.
Hello to everyone back home,
Beijing really is a wonderful city with lots to see and do. The crew went off to have some fun and meet up with friends, including Ben, who had left us at UB, whilst I was left in the car park as usual! Still I mustn’t grumble, it was a good opportunity for a bit of Martha time.
Location : Lake Fu Xian to Yuangyang
Low Point : On the day that China launched a lunar probe into space (Chang’e 2), the stage 3 crew had bigger fish to fry : to fully circumnavigate the island in the middle of Lake Xian in a rubber dingy (Challenger 4). This would test our team ethic, physical endurance and mental strength. With confidence high the first hurdle was just to hire the boat. As per normal in China, it takes at least 9 people far too long to perform a task that would warrant just 1 person in normal money. The usual, “no no no no maybe maybe no no no maybe yes” fun and games kicked off until we finally got the sign off for launch. Dominate !!! Let’s take this island doooown
High Point: Being alive is a fantastic feeling.
Low Point: Starring death in the face isn’t a great feeling.
Setting the scene: After a bit of a torrid time navigating out of the hotel car park in Kunming, four very excited lads were looking forward to heading to one of China’s major lakes for some swimming, boating and any other water based sports we could find. Unfortunately our desire to see water came a bit prematurely as the heavens opened a down pour of what could only be described as torrential rain followed. Driving Martha in good conditions is an absolute pleasure, driving her on smashed up roads in Russia is scary, driving her in any form of bad weather is dicey to say the least. Martha does not drive like my fiat punto, with Martha weighing in at just under 7.5 tonnes she has a tendency to get a bit excited on the descents, the trick to managing this has been through a mixture of engine and foot braking.
After 73 days on the road, Ross and I were in need of a bit of a steam, rub down and a couple of hours relaxing. Our guide Sun Ji found a place near where we were staying. Quite a grand looking building, professional looking staff and cheap as chips. Ideal we thought.
After an impromptu and intense game of arcade basketball (Jim – you were lucky!), the day ended sitting in a backpackers bar in Kunming, which is the main hub to South China and the Himalaya. This was entirely accidental as we were following our guide Sun Ji who randomly picked it, what are the chances! Perhaps he was sick and tired of the attention we were getting everywhere we went and was keen to see if this was reciprocated in his favour. Either way despite these “westerners” not being the slightest bit interested in our arrival (philistines!) or indeed Sun Ji (definitely philistines!) we found a table in the corner and listened to Jim Stevens give a debrief of his 2.5 weeks on the expedition. He leaves tomorrow, and will be missed. Read more →
High point: Ross reversing the wrong way round a roundabout
Low point: Ross reversing the wrong way round a roundabout
China has been absorbing, intriguing, tiring and a hell of a lot of fun. Architecturally stimulating however, it hasn’t been. The Chinese advance to economic powerhouse and the legacy of the cultural revolution have left the majority of its towns and cities bereft of the historic buildings, statutes and monuments that you’d expect in a country such as er……China. The country therefore faces a mad scramble to save what it can from its past as it awakes not only to the opportunities of the future but an appreciation of its own long and distinguished past. Unfortunately many towns in China have realised the value of history too late.
From our guide SunGi. A man who goes running in his pants and flip flops.
Today, we visited the biggest sitting Buddha in the world, which is about 71m high and was engraved more than 1000 years ago. This Buddha locates in Leshan city, where three big rivers(Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi) merged together and then flow towards the Yangtze. in ancient times, this area was often suffered flood, a monk sponsored to build this giant Buddha so as to bless local resident avoid any disaster. Today, when facing this world heritage—Leshan giant Buddha, a kind of complex feeling suddenly fulling our mind, several years ago, Taliban destroied two highest standing Buddha sculpture in Afghanistan, the whole world was so shocked by this news. Read more →
