I’m now back in Hangzhou, hiding under several layers of clothing and doing absolutely nothing productive in anticipation of my return to work. The adventure through Southwest China was great, but as I sit here in my in quiet apartment I feel a bit relieved that I’ve seen the last of the Chinese tourism machine for a while. I’m all travelled out.
During my travels last winter, I spent many hours fighting with shoddy internet connections in smoke-filled net cafes to keep family and friends updated on my experiences and whereabouts. Hoping to minimize my time in these dives this time around, I thought I’d go old-fashioned: I kept a travel journal. Over the next few days I will transcribe it to this site, along with accompanying photos. You can read all about adventures and misadventures in: Xishuangbanna, Lijiang, Kunming, Chengdu, Leshan, Chongqing and the Chang Jiang river cruise.