If you walk down any street in HCMC you will probably find some amazing street food: it basically makes life here worth living. But I say that the best place to eat in Saigon is a local market. We usually track it behind scores of open-air cafes, jam-packed with young locals idly passing time on any Sunday morning. We settle in … Read more
Let’s start with beer. Vietnam’s capital is perhaps the loveliest in all of Asia, IMHO. Even as we approach it something felt particularly good. Air was fairly crisp, the zoom of traffic not to loud and there were mountains of fresh produce piled streetside, chatty people standing beside and enjoying a much. We were in … Read more
At the end of the winding descend from Youngyang we are soaking wet and clad in mud, and my pants bear the proof of a recent tumble.
Bikepacking to the rice terraces of Yuanyang, a World Heritage site and one of the most photographed sights in China.
We leave Shaxi reluctantly, wishing we could just rent a house and stay forever. As we make our way out of the valley and towards Dali, however, we must register that change is coming soon. An express highway is already being built. Soon delicate bridges like this one will stand next to a concrete colossus. I’ve … Read more
A hunter’s home, I’ve known it since Mali, can be a sign of good luck. When we roll into Shaxi valley I realise that I was right. This is the China of my childhood imagination, even though according to most guidebooks and to the 134-word stub from Wikipedia, this pace is not even sure to … Read more
We decide to reach Yangtze River via Baishuitai, Haba and Tiger Leaping Gorge, but first we head to the Shangri-la market. Such mountain passes and dizzying switchbacks require a serious caloric load. The typical Tibetan breakfast can definitely accomplish either that, or give me a heart attack. Jon favours a bawl of yak soup and … Read more
From Litang we stop advancing west and point south towards Shangri La, a place of almost mythical fame among travelers.
We’ve been for days in Dartsendo known as Kangding in Chinese, famous for inspiring the Kangding Love Song
I manage to sleep until 09:30 when I realize how we were able to survive the insane cold, even if Tagong grasslands are already under the grip of winter.