China – Josie Travels

Ninjas and Buddhas in Luoyang

I was skeptical to visit these after such a wonderful day exploring the Yungang Grottoes, but I had nothing to worry about. In fact, if I had to recommend just…
Visiting the Terracotta Army of Xi’an

Much like the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an are very famous, which means they are very popular with tourists. Sometimes I try to avoid the most…
Finding Shangri-La and climbing Shika Snow Mountain

So, in case you haven’t realised by my sarcastic ranting throughout the blog, China is expensive and it’s almost impossible to have a free adventure anywhere. You can’t even go…
I took a bus to Huanglong National Park and ended up in Narnia…

After two weeks of seeing various Chinese cities I was desperate to get into the mountains of Sichuan. I wanted to visit the rainbow lakes and forests of Jiuzhai Valley…
Climbing the 8000 stairs of Taishan

After riding the Trans Mongolian from Russia to China and only doing one actual day hike I was pretty desperate to climb a mountain… never thought I’d say that. But…
Exploring the Yungang Grottoes in Datong

After just three days in Beijing I was getting pretty sick of temples and crowds, so I decided to leave the city and head to Datong to visit the amazing…
How to see the Great Wall of China without the crowds

The Great Wall of China has to be one of the most famous landmarks in the world. I’ve never met someone who hasn’t heard of it, and most people dream…
Brave the chaos of Beijing

I was pretty nervous about arriving in China… there are few places so utterly different from England, and from most countries I’ve visited! The language, the culture, the food, everything…
How to survive your Trans Mongolian adventure

Depending on your route, time schedule and goals, you could spend anything from a few hours to 7 days on the train. My longest was a 57-hour journey from Vladimir…
How to plan your Trans Mongolian adventure

If you take the train regularly at home you might not even have to think about planning your journeys past choosing your departure time and destination. If only it was…
A step by step guide to your Chinese visa application

If I thought the Russian visa application was difficult, it’s nothing compared to the Chinese visa application. Not only do you need a few more documents, but you also need…