Author Archives: haonowshaokao

Central Vietnam

The longest train journey you can take is from the south of Portugal, across Europe and Russia, down through China and all the way to Ho Chi Minh city in the south of Vietnam. I’m not about to attempt it, … Continue reading

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Hanoi

It was a full day’s journey to get from Sapa to Hanoi – the first hour on the back of a motorbike and another 12 sitting on a bench on a very slow train. The carriage was near empty for … Continue reading

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Sapa

Getting from Jinhong (in China) to Sapa (in Vietnam) was a small nightmare. Jinhong is near the Burmese and Laotian borders and people often use it as a first stop in China, or a last stop out of China. Nobody … Continue reading

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Last Night A DJ Killed My Dog #010 – Cats vs Dogs

This time the podcast answers the age-old question: Cats? Or dogs? You decide. Alamo Race Track – Don’t Beat This Dog Cassetteboy – Dogs Dogs Dogs Oh Yeah Dogs The Cabin Fever – Cats Are Cooler Than Dogs David Sedaris … Continue reading

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Xishangbanna

As I left Lijinag Mama Naxi packed me off with a selection of fruit and a bag of lavender and sent me with one of her drivers to the bus station, where I got on the sleeper bus to Jinhong. … Continue reading

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Lijiang

On the advice of Dylan from the hotel in Dali I saved myself a couple of quid by getting the bus to Lijiang from the side of the road instead of booking it through an agency in town. That’s how … Continue reading

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Butterfly Deathcamp Themepark

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Dali

Arriving in Dali I couldn’t help thinking “What a dump.” The dusty dirtiness, the urinal-grey-tiled buildings, the aggressive taxi drivers… All seemed calculated to induce a feeling of weary disgust. Judging a city by its bus station is never really … Continue reading

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Kunming

After leaving Yangshuo I finally got to go somewhere new. The sleeper train was easy and fairly pleasant this time – I shared it with Tabitha from the hostel in Yangshuo, and a few Chinese people, including a local travel … Continue reading

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Yangshuo

The journey to Yangshuo was all too familiar – the same uncomfortable hard-sleeper where they locked all the toilets at midnight, the same unwelcome 7am arrival in Guilin and the all-too-familiar bus to the town itself. Last time I did … Continue reading

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