Xi’an and Beijing

Xi’an: Terracotta Warriors and Street Food

Our last day in Chendgu happened to also be Mark’s birthday so we elected for a chill out day by having some tea and people watching in the ‘Peoples park’, situated an easy stroll from our hostel, before making our way down for what would be our first bullet train in China. 4 hours later, and some window shade wars with the people behind us wanting them down and us wanting to see the vista roll past, we were in Xi’an.

Sichuan: Chongqing and Chengdu

Chongqing: The City of Mountains (and Hotpot)

Yay! We were on our way after six weeks of sort of planning. As it eventuated, Tianjin airline’s food wasn’t half bad and the entertainment was better than the reviews would have us believe. The first thing to notice upon exiting the airport was the heat, leaving a Melbourne winter had left us somewhat under prepared for the sudden rush of heat. Chongqing is a sub-tropical climate, so it gets very hot and muggy at this time of year. It’s also huge, with a population hovering around 30 million it was slightly embarrassing we’d never heard of it.

What to Pack For a Long Trip

There a lot of things to think about when you up-root yourself to travel for a year. Route plans, resigning, getting out of your apartment, all the goodbyes, whats the best platform on which to placate my sports addiction while I’m on the road? But paramount among these and other questions are, what size pack will I use and what can I fit. Here is the of what we take, in our His Packing List and Her Packing List, which is in no way a one size fits all, but perhaps some food for thought on your next backpacking adventure.