Beijing, China (2006)
I’m back in Beijing, the capital of China. I’m getting reacquainted with the city en route to Mongolia & Russia as I embark, I hope, on a Trans-Siberian journey back home to Europe. I had to organise a few things during this my third visit to Beijing...
China-Vietnam Border Crossing || Friendship Pass
After a somewhat uncomfortable 3-and-a-half hour train ride earlier today from Nanning to Pingxiang in southwest China, I made it across the boarder into Vietnam, crossing over at the so-called Friendship Pass....
Detian Waterfall, China-Vietnam Border
A pictorial look at the stunning & remote Detian Waterfall straddling the border with China & Vietnam, the world’s 4th largest cross-border falls.
Guangzhou, Southern China
It’s always weird crossing the ‘border’ from Macau to mainland China. It’s an actual border, separating China from China. And it – the border crossing – is a more impressive sight then it was 12 months ago. Yes, the Chinese have...
Macau, China (2005)
I’m back in Macau, the former Portuguese colony but now a Special Administrative Region of big, bad China. I was here last year. That was my first visit & I was passing through en route to central China. I’m passing through en route this time too,...
Sao Paulo, Macau, China
Part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre of Macau in southern China, the Ruins of Sao Paulo (Saint Paul) is the most famous landmark in the former Portuguese colony, now a Special Administrative Region of China. Once hailed as the greatest Christian monument in Asia,...
Hong Kong, China (2005)
I flew Thai Airways from Seoul, South Korea, to Hong Kong, my present location & where I’ve passed the last few days. The 3-and-a-half hour flight was comfortable, although I was confused over the cabin crew uniforms; they were all different. A strange...
Big Buddha, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
The Tian Tan Buddha, more commonly known as The Big Buddha, is found on Lantau Island, the largest of the islands that form part of Hong Kong’s New Territories. The 34-metre high, 200 tonne statue, depicting a Buddha Amoghasiddhi, was constructed over a three...
Yungang Grottoes, Shanxi Province, China
“The Buddha in grotto 13 is suffering from various levels of decay, as is the colourful plaster on the backing of his cave, most of which is gone – a little to the original is visible in the top right of this image. During carving, the large right arm of the Buddha needed support hence the need to carve a smaller Buddha.”