Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you had a fantastic celebration and are looking forward to the next decade as much as I am!
December was a fast paced month even by my often over the top pace of travel. I have always moved too quickly and even when I try to slow down I find another dozen places I want to fit in on my way to my next region.
I booked my return flight to the UK for Christmas months ago, so with only 2 weeks left in China the time became a checklist of where I needed to see most before leaving.
- Step 1 – A return to Guilin, Yangshuo and Xingping. This area was supposed to be a true highlight of China but the February weather and illness had ruined my first visit. This time the company was incredible and the weather was impossibly perfect. I couldn’t have planned a better visit!
- Step 2 – Nanchang for a long overdue catch up with a friend
- Step 3 – Huangshan, another stop ruined by bad weather this ended up being one of the most spectacular mountain regions in the whole of China, fully living up to its reputation
- Step 4 – Suzhou, the capital of the Chinese silk industry for some Christmas shopping
- Step 5 – Longmen grottoes, a stunning Buddhist area that I had been within 50 miles of last year without even realising it existed
- Step 6 – my flight out from Xi’an
If anyone reading this either knows China or has looked at a map they may have realised that these places are not remotely close together! Hence why it felt like such a fast paced end to the trip.
I’ve always enjoyed the returning to the UK for Christmas and this year’s return worked perfectly. A week of catch ups and drinking in London then a week of family time, and my dad’s cooking, in Bristol then straight back on the road again.
I long ago decided that I wanted a change of pace and some sunshine for this winter so I decided to do it properly. I have just spent 3 days in New Jersey and celebrated New Year in glorious party in Puerto Rico and now have 6 weeks to explore the Caribbean!
See below for some of my favourite photos and all the new content I have managed to add to the website this month
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This Month’s Stats
Days on the Road – 18/31
Countries Visited – China, UK, USA
Length of Current Trip – 169 days & 5 days
Total Time Travelling – 549 days
Best Food – My Dad’s Christmas cooking, some things can’t be beaten no matter how far you travel
Longest Journey – Suzhou to Luoyang, 9hr45 train, 1048km
Worst Moments – My 12hr30 flight back to the UK. Highly delayed, terrible entertainment, bad food and turbulence the entire journey.
Best Memory – Finding a place to stay at the summit of Huangshan and the glorious sunset and sunrise
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