After a 32 hour train journey (even though it was a luxury train journey with nice beds and flat screens) I was still wondering why I never brought a cheap flight to Chengdu then I remember my other internal flight in China and remember why! They didn’t have the greatest of safety records, and the landing was by no means the best I have encountered, but I was warned! The rough guide actually advises you to take other means of transport over internal flights in China.

Anyway after meeting a Chinese English teacher who desperately wanted to make the most of us English to practice on decided to take us on a tour of Chengdu. For half the day we sat in a Chinese tea garden drinking many cups of tea. I mean free refills all day how can you resist?

And after that we didn’t need any of the Chengdu car hire companies courtesy of our new guide, so off we went round the back streets to get a traditional Chengdu Hotpot.

Yes that is a frog and worse its actually still alive! Chinese like their food fresh! The worst part of this dish was watching our guide dive in with his chopsticks and pull off the frogs head and eat it whole, to then spit the scull out. This is the delicacy. I did eat the frog but didn’t dare try the head on the second frog. The meat wasn’t too bad as you could wash down with a nice beer, but the skin tasted just like 9v battery terminals across your tongue. The actual organs were pretty horrid too.

The hotpot consisted of two half’s, one side for hot & spicy the other sweet & sour in a dish which looked pretty much like the yin yang symbol.

Other tasty ingredients consisted of ducks intestine, ox stomach, cow tongue and some other stuff which our guide couldn’t translate so im still puzzled today. What really worried me was that the two little pots of powder I was sprinkling on consisted of MSG and Opium!

All in all Chengdu was a fantastic trip especially to get to see the Giant Pandas, but due to our Hotel forgetting to book our train journey had a very unpleasant hour arguing with them as we had no where to stay! Everywhere else was fully booked which they found highly amusing.

I have to say I couldn’t wait to get to Shanghai after this!

Hong Kong sits at the south eastern tip of China adjoining the province of Canton also known as Guangdong. Hong Kong is about 1080 km², comprising of Hong Kong Island Kowloon and the New Territories, including 235 smaller islands.

The primary tourist area in Hong Kong is Kowloon, here you can find almost an unlimited amount of electronics shops nestled between clubs, bars and restaurants. Some backpackers/travellers may find this area to be a little tacky, however I found it to be a very good opportunity to get orientated in more familiar surroundings.

There are some sights worth seeing such as Victoria Peak which rises 552m above sea level. This was also my very first trip on a funicular railway, to the top of Victoria Peak which offers excellent views over Hong Kong. There is also a Madame Tussauds wax works and the most cheesiest simulator ride in the world.

I remember a large night market which was on Temple Street which is worth a visit to. Unfortunately as with most markets it has fallen victim to the tourist trade but is still worth a look. There are Zoological & Botanic gardens somewhere near here too, or why not chill out at the beach at Repulse Bay

Also near here is the Hong Kong Space museum featuring an OMNIMAX projector. There was also a Museum of History and of course the Hong Kong Cultural centre which I never went to.

Hong Kong island was even busier than the mainland of Hong Kong. Most backpackers and tourists I met come to see the ships anchored off the port. There are many boat tours in Aberdeen which are very expensive but worth it. Try not to indulge in a meal on one of the tour boats as there are many floating restaurants here. Other attractions include the Central Market and the ancient Man Mo Temple.

Hong Kong, China – Travel Photos