Travel Journal - 28 Days in China in August 2026
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Travel Journal - 28 Days in China in August 2026

by Vilabel

in Between trips › Travel journals

Translated into English.

Original post
VI
Vilabel
Regular418 posts
Hi everyone,

I’m sharing a little recap of this new 4-week trip to China—nothing fancy, just my experience.

We’re taking advantage of the extended visa exemption to return to China for the 4th time. I loved last summer’s trip so much that I’m a bit worried about being disappointed this year. Plus, I’ve had a few hiccups before this departure: my WeChat account got blocked, and I couldn’t recover it (luckily, Alipay still works fine); I couldn’t verify my 12306 account for weeks; Trip.com failed to book our second train; and I’ve got an injury that’ll slow me down during the trip... Ugh, I hate starting a trip with these kinds of issues. Then, oh surprise! Just before leaving, my 12306 account got verified! Super easy to use from that point on—I could book a few train tickets without fees.

We’re sticking with Free’s e-SIMs, which work great in China.

August 2–3

Anyway, on the morning of August 2nd, we took the RER to CDG. As usual, we couldn’t check in online. It’s always a bit frustrating, especially since we didn’t have any checked luggage. We flew with Air China. We arrived at the check-in counter at 9:50 AM, 2 hours and 40 minutes before the flight. The line for our check-in stretched 300 meters across the airport in both directions. What a joke!! We spent 1 hour and 45 minutes in that line just to reach the counter and get our boarding passes. By then, it was 11:35 AM, and boarding had already started at 11:20 AM. The screens showed a 25-minute walk to our gate—on the other side of the airport, of course—plus we had to go through passport control and security... Long story short, the plane didn’t leave without us 🙂 We boarded among the last passengers, and we took off at 12:30 PM. We’d flown Air China four times before, but this time, it felt *really* low-cost. The check-in chaos, the cramped seats (12 seats per row), no music by artists known outside China, mediocre food, and a boarding area at Beijing Airport with only 10 seats—worthy of Ryanair or EasyJet. And yet, the price was sky-high. Again, D.’s vacation requests were denied outside of July and August, so we’re traveling from August 2nd to 30th. We couldn’t have picked a worse time for inflated prices, and with the situation in Iran, we got hit with a 390 € fuel surcharge. I’ve never paid so much for flights—I felt like I’d bought business class, but nope, far from it!!

We landed in Beijing around 4:15 AM. It was 28°C with thick fog. We drove and drove and drove for 20 minutes, as usual in Beijing. Then we went through a first check, a second check, a third check, and waited for our connecting flight at 6:40 AM. A small Airbus A320, but way more space than in the Boeing 777 from the first flight. We landed in Kunming, Yunnan, around 10:15 AM in the rain.

We headed to the subway. You can’t pay at the machines with Alipay here either, so we set up the transport QR code directly in Alipay to scan at the subway gates. The process is a bit long the first time if you haven’t entered your info before, but once it’s done, it’s *so* much easier! We took Line 6 to the terminus for 6 yuan each.

We’d booked a hotel nearby, on the 16th floor. It’s actually studios on different floors of a huge residential building. The view’s pretty nice from here. We settled in quickly—back to those wooden beds, or rather, mattresses as hard as wood, which we *hadn’t* missed... Then we went out for our first bowl of noodles of the trip and wandered through the shopping streets of the old town.



It was crowded, and the weather was cool—around 19–20°C. We tried a local specialty: milk skin, thick, dried, then grilled with rose jam. Yeah... we won’t be having that again. The taste and texture of the milk skin... no thanks.



We saw a lot of wild mushroom hotpot too. It’s on our list for later. We also passed through the Jinma and Biji gates, where I played with reflections in puddles. I *love* doing that 🙂



At the end of the day, we headed to a temple advertised as open 24/7 on Amap. Of course, when we got there, it was closed. We’ll go back tomorrow. That was the first of many disappointments with Amap this trip—I hadn’t had that issue on previous visits.

We were exhausted after that sleepless flight. Night was falling, and we decided to grab a quick bite without much appetite. We shared a delicious vegetable fried rice for 12 yuan—we even left half of it. The portions are *huge*.

After a couple of small purchases, we headed back at 9 PM, wiped out, after walking 17 km between the airports and these first steps in Kunming. I expected to see quite a few Western travelers here, but we didn’t spot a single one. Instead, we met lots of curious Chinese people, many of them super friendly and helpful—almost *too* eager, like when they’d run to serve us as fast as possible. It’s a bit much, but it’s great to be back!
VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 4

I actually slept really well on my wooden mattress. Woke up super early anyway, thanks to the 6-hour time difference. We lounged in bed until 9:30 AM, then headed out to visit the Zhenqing Temple, which was closed last night. It’s only 800 meters from the hotel. On the way, we bought rose-filled pastries, a Yunnan specialty. I love the taste, but D. isn’t a fan. I’m just a little bothered by the puff pastry.



The temple is actually a complex of several temples—really beautiful and peaceful, a little bubble of serenity despite the intense traffic (8 lanes + 2 for scooters) and constant honking all around. Inside the site, I didn’t hear any of that. A woman was playing a traditional Chinese instrument I don’t know the name of—kind of like a violin—and it added that little extra touch that made the moment super nice.



Next, we headed toward Green Lake, the Emerald Lake. It’s mild today—just a T-shirt is enough. On the way, we stopped at a mall, then ate at a small restaurant that didn’t look like much but where they make their own hand-pulled noodles. We weren’t very hungry, so we just got a flaky green onion pancake and a roujiamo—a round flatbread stuffed with meat, onions, peppers, and lots of spices. Really flavorful and generously filled—18 yuan for everything, including glasses of a yellow drink that looked like chamomile to me, but there were big pits at the bottom of the vat, so...

We wanted to visit the Confucius Temple before going to Green Lake, but we were already fighting fatigue. We sat down on a terrace with jasmine tea to recharge and try something a little different.

Refreshed, we visited the Confucius Temple in under 10 minutes, I think. It’s very old, founded in 1274, restored and partially rebuilt since, but it doesn’t have the charm or tranquility of this morning’s temples.

We continued toward Green Lake. It was packed with people. There were tons of lotuses with big pink flowers—really pretty. There’s also a temple right in the middle of the site, but it was closed and under construction, looking almost destroyed except for the roof. We also walked through a small bamboo forest, which was nice.



After that, we made our way to Yuantong Temple. The entrance fee is 6 yuan. It’s a Buddhist temple, the largest in Kunming, dating back to 1320. According to legend, it was built to stop a dragon plague. It’s constructed following the natural terrain, and the entrance gate is higher than the main hall, which is pretty rare. It’s really beautiful—several halls and pavilions, a pond with arched bridges. At the back, a path leads up a cliff to another place of worship at the top of the hill, but the gate was locked. On the map, I see there’s also a zoo up there.



We left at 5 PM and thought we’d finish the afternoon at Daguan Park by the lake, further south. It would’ve taken an hour and a half by bus, so we ordered a Didi and got there in 25 minutes. The place was... how do I put it... I’m not sure what to think. Wooden walkways over water in a pretty wild space, then art installations—Easter Island-style statues—then an empty amusement park/fairground with a Ferris wheel that wasn’t turning, then a commercial area with little electric boats for lake tours, small ferries to go further out, and ponds covered in lotuses. It was kind of nice, but I don’t have the words to describe the place. It felt a little all over the place, without much coherence, but still enjoyable.





We took the bus back: 1 yuan for a regular bus, 2 yuan for an air-conditioned one—fixed price no matter the distance. We got off at Jinbi Square. Night had already fallen, and the area was brightly lit and packed with people. We walked back up the main pedestrian street, then ate at a food court: a bowl of noodles that looked a lot like Guilin noodles, with peanuts, meat, tofu, and sauce at the bottom of the bowl—but D. said they weren’t as good; a big plate of local mushrooms with garlic and peppers for me; and fried mochi stuffed with brown sugar for dessert—74 yuan total. Mushrooms are expensive even though they’re everywhere. You can even find wild mushroom ice cream.



Then we headed back quietly. 19 km today.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 5

Does melatonin work for you? It doesn’t for me. I fell asleep around 4:30 AM, so it was tough waking up this morning. We left the room at 9:30 AM, heading to metro line 6 toward East Coach Station, the eastern bus terminal, which we reached in about twenty minutes. The bus station is right across from the metro stop. We went to the ticket counter to buy tickets for Shilin Stone Forest: 30 yuan each. I think we took the last two seats on the bus leaving immediately at 10:30 AM. When we arrived near Shilin, we had to change buses. I thought the driver would tell us whether to get off or stay since they’re usually pretty helpful with foreign tourists, but not at all. I had to show him my ticket again before he told me to switch buses, like about half the people did. We finished the last 15 kilometers with the second bus, which dropped us off at the long-distance bus terminal for the stone forest. We bought our park tickets at a completely deserted ticket office near the terminal: 130 yuan per person plus 25 yuan for the shuttles. On the map, the shuttles didn’t seem necessary, but the woman told us it’s really big—at least 6 or 7 km. Yeah, sure... And that we’d have to walk 4 km to the entrance if we didn’t take the shuttles. Okay, we took the shuttles—we’re not that fussed about 6 €.

But we’re not really sure we’ll use them after the ones that take us to the entrance.

I’ll tell you right now, we didn’t understand this shuttle system at all. First, from our ticket office to the first shuttle, it’s a ten-minute walk. Then, the first shuttle drops us at the park entrance, but there’s another ten-minute walk to get to the second shuttle circuit. There’s no connection between them. So we thought we’d just take the shuttle to the farthest point and walk back through the park. We got to the Lion Pond stop, which weirdly has one line for the Lion Pond direction and another for Qunfeng Diecui. In the end, when the shuttle arrived, everyone ran to board, no matter which line they were in. We took it easy, and just like in Zhangjiajie, we passed the first stop without even slowing down. Same for the second and third stops. When we got to the next one, I waved at the driver, who looked at me in his mirror and kept going. 😏 We laughed, thinking we’d made the same mistake as in Zhangjiajie by not telling the driver where we wanted to go, but eventually, he stopped at the sixth stop, where we finally got off.

We started getting lost on the little paths. There’s no one around—it’s super quiet. Some rock formations are really impressive. It feels pretty surreal and surprising. Every now and then, there are direction signs, but none of the names match what I have on Maps.me. Sometimes, we’d run into groups with their guides talking into microphones—so loud—and we’d head back to smaller paths with no one around. Everyone crowds into the same spot, as usual.



Can you see the elephant there?



We hiked up to a viewpoint—nice spot but packed with people. We ate some fruit since there wasn’t much food around; otherwise, we’d have to go back near the Lion Pond shuttle stop, and we couldn’t be bothered. Even there, there wasn’t much. We wandered around a bit, then decided to try the shuttle again, but once more, it didn’t stop at the first few stops—only at the last one. It’s baffling, but it actually made us laugh. We explored the area a bit, then decided to walk back to the first stop where no shuttles ever stopped. It wasn’t far—the shuttle zone isn’t very big. Their route is only 2.4 km.





We decided to head back around 5 PM, with the last bus to Kunming supposedly at 6 PM. So we retraced our steps from this morning, took a bus at 5:30 PM, and just like this afternoon, it dropped us off on the side of the road for another bus that took us back to East Coach Station at 7 PM. We went back to the hotel to put on warmer clothes. With the bus and metro AC, the little breeze outside, and the fatigue, I was freezing.

We went out toward the night market and stopped at several stalls: stinky tofu with century eggs, yam cake, big fried squid balls, and finally, D got a bowl of tangyuan with four flavors in tea: the first was rose, which he really didn’t like; the second was great—a mix of sesame and peanut; the third was a mix of nuts and dried fruit. And to finish in style, a magnificent sardine flavor for the fourth! Even worse, the place was full of sardine blood! 😕 On the way back, we looked up what the flavors might be and saw it could be "Yunnan ham" instead of "sardine blood." But it wasn’t good either way—super surprising in tangyuan.



We got back to the hotel around 11 PM after only covering 15 km. What did we think of the park? I liked it, but I didn’t find it amazing. I didn’t understand their organization at all. I think it’s expensive compared to other sites. Plus, there were 4 hours of transport, almost as much as the time spent in the park. Maybe we should’ve arrived earlier and gone beyond the shuttle zone? D also thought the park was poorly designed, the rocks impressive but not as great as he expected (oh no, are we getting completely jaded?). We also noticed some really gross toilets—horrible smell, no paper, no soap. With such a high entrance fee, we always find that annoying, but hey, it’s a detail.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 6

Woke up at 9:20 AM to the sound of fire or police sirens—you could hear them clearly even on the 16th floor. We repacked our bags and took metro line 2 right outside the hotel. It’s weird, but line 2, the blue one, turns into line 1, the red one, after South Ring Road station. I thought we’d have to transfer, but nope—you just stay on the train and the line changes automatically! The next stop is Kunming Railway Station. It’s packed when we exit the metro and inside the station, but as usual, everything moves super fast. So we had plenty of time to grab some food for the train. Every shop sells the same stuff. For me, it’s a big bowl of dehydrated noodles and some large buckwheat cakes filled with red bean paste—a Yunnan specialty with really rich flavors.

At 12:50 PM, the train leaves and drops us off in Jianshui 2 hours and 17 minutes later. At the station, we take bus 919, 2 yuan each (it’s air-conditioned), which takes us to the old town. From the first steps into this neighborhood, a smile spreads across my face—I love this place! D gets a huge cup of lemon/jasmine juice along the way. I end up drinking half of it. It’s really good.

We arrive at our hotel in just a few steps. A family is taking photos in front of the entrance. It’s true—it’s really beautiful, and even more so inside with a small courtyard, lanterns, lots of greenery... and a friendly welcome.





We drop off our stuff and head out to explore Lin’an Road, a 1.3 km-long pedestrian street in the old town. We visit the beautiful Tianjun Temple and enjoy the statues depicting scenes of daily life.







We save the lake and Confucius Temple Park for tomorrow. The sky is pitch black behind us, then the wind picks up, and it starts pouring. A shopkeeper offers us chairs to wait out the rain in his store, where we end up staying for a while. Once the rain calms down, we head back to dry off and go out to eat around 8:00 PM. It feels a little late for here. We get grilled tofu, which they cook on a grill in the middle of the table, a huge delicious cucumber salad, a giant shredded potato pancake, and a bowl of rice, plus a really good complimentary tea: 46 yuan. It’s still raining when we leave and until we go to bed.



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DE Dennis2 Regular ·
Hello, great travel journal of lesser-visited spots!

Question: How do you manage taking buses when everything is written in Chinese?
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
Hi there,

Taking the bus in China isn't any more complicated than in France. With Amap, you know which line to take and where. To pay for the bus, it's super simple: either you put 1 or 2 yuan in the cash box (no change given), or you pay with your QR code. The route is mapped out on the app, so you know when you've arrived. No need to translate anything, and if you really had to, Google Translate instantly translates everything with the camera mode. Sure, sometimes the translation seems a little off, but generally, it's effective.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 7

No alarm this morning—we’re on vacation too. But at 10:30, *bang bang bang* at the door. Apparently, it’s room cleaning time, which seems a tad early if you ask me! We got up at our own pace, and I used the free time to wash our clothes in the hotel machine. After hanging them up, we headed out to eat: a delicious pot of rice with eggplant, peppers, and onions for me, plus a ton of xia long bao, and fried rice with dried beef and veggies for D, along with a pot of tea—all for 34 yuan.



Next, we made our way to the Confucius Temple. It’s the second-largest in China, founded in 1285. The entry fee is a bit "steep"—48 yuan per person. The site is pretty big, with a series of gates, courtyards, pavilions, and a lake.





People were feeding the fish—thousands of them thrashing around by the lake’s edge. The place was nice, but we weren’t exactly blown away, which seems to be the case with Confucian temples more often than not.





We left via the far end of the lake, onto the long Lin’an street from yesterday. Speaking of which, we’re actually in the city of Lin’an. Jianshui is the name of the district and the touristy name for the destination, but the old town where we’re staying is definitely Lin’an.

We walked up the street toward the city’s second highlight: the Zhu Family Garden. Entry was 42 yuan per person. The site is also quite large, but it’s much more recent—late 19th century—and isn’t a religious site, just the former home of a wealthy merchant family. It has 42 courtyards and over 200 rooms, plus ponds... It’s gorgeous but packed with people.









We wrapped up around 5:30 PM and left the old town to head toward a commercial and street food area about 2.5 km north, near a lake. We found what we were looking for but walked through the entire street food zone without buying anything—which is rare enough to mention! We took the bus back to the north gate of the old town, picked up a few more things, then stopped to eat just a stone’s throw from our hotel. D finished with ice cream a little farther down, and we headed back a bit earlier than usual after covering just under 12 km today.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 8

What a great night’s sleep! Woke up at 10:50 after sleeping straight through. We got ready quickly and ordered a Didi to Tuanshan village, about fifteen kilometers away. We ate at a little restaurant right after getting out of the Didi.

The village is said to have been founded in the late 14th century and really thrived in the 19th and 20th centuries, thanks to trade and tin mining. It’s an interesting place to see traditional Yunnan houses from the Ming and Qing periods, and the vibe is super calm and zen.





Entry to the historic village costs 35 yuan. After that, the houses open to the public are marked in red. People really live there, but since everything’s become commercial, most sell trinkets or drinks. One grandma was really proud to show us her collection of Indochina coins, which she had for sale. The houses are gorgeous, always with an inner courtyard and carved wooden doors... There’s also a Buddhist temple at the top of the village.





We spent 2 hours in the village, not counting mealtime, then took bus 19 to Shuanglongqiao, the Double Dragon Bridge or the 17-Arch Bridge. I was expecting to see lots of rice fields along the way, but nope—mostly corn and sunflowers. The bridge dates back to the 18th century but originally only had three arches. Later, the two rivers merged, and the bridge had to be expanded to span the new riverbed. It’s now 148 meters long, all stone, with three wooden pavilions. It’s a really beautiful spot, with the mountains in the background. The upper left corner of the water gives a great viewpoint. At sunset, it must be amazing, but for us, it’s only 5:17 p.m.





We crossed the bridge, and what do I see on the way down? Rice fields! And a big drone spraying something—I’m guessing pesticides. There are paths to walk through the rice fields, but the further we went, the more we could smell the spray, so we turned back.



We ordered a Didi to go back: 3.5 yuan for 4.7 km. That’s an insanely low price. We got dropped off in front of a bookstore so D could keep researching. Then we headed back to the old town, and since it was already past 8 p.m., we ate near the hotel. I ordered rice noodles with mushrooms, and D got crispy duck and rice. We ended up with a soup bowl big enough to feed the whole restaurant and a whole duck. I was expecting stir-fried noodles, so I was a little disappointed to get soup, but oh well—lesson learned for not being specific. We paid for utensils for the first time on this trip (even though they were plastic!). Total for the meal: 69 yuan.

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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 9

Woke up at 6 AM this morning—ouch! We left calmly around 7:30 and walked until we passed through the old city gate.



We ordered a Didi that arrived in about 15 minutes and dropped us off at the train station in 20 minutes. Originally, we were supposed to go to the Yuanyang rice terraces, but the more I looked into it, the more time-consuming that stop seemed. I went through several versions of the itinerary and eventually decided to skip it, thinking I’d go another season—maybe combined with a trip to northern Vietnam, which I’d love to revisit. Anyway, we arrived at the small Jianshui train station, which had no shops, and at 8:40 AM, check-in opened for our 9 AM train back to Kunming. We wanted the 11:11 AM train, but it was fully booked, so we’ll have a 3.5-hour layover instead of 1 hour and 15 minutes. No big deal.

We got to Kunming at 11:30 AM and walked a little away from the station. We settled into a small restaurant where I ordered stir-fried noodles with eggs and vegetables—it wasn’t on the menu, but they made it for me without any issue for 10 yuan. That’s what I wanted to eat last night, but I’d had a huge bowl of soup instead. D ordered a bowl of rice with dried Dali pork and mild green peppers. We also had unlimited broth, unlimited rice, and a big pot of green tea: 26 yuan... that’s like $3.50!



Then we headed back to the station for our 2:50 PM train to Dali, which took about 2 hours and 15 minutes. I didn’t see any of the trip—I passed out as soon as I sat down. When we got off the train, we took bus number 8, but we couldn’t pay with Alipay. We just hadn’t planned ahead—you have to switch cities on Alipay and download the corresponding transit card. Anyway, the driver left even though, up until then, they’d waited for all passengers to pay before starting. I ended up putting a 10-yuan bill in the cash box (3 yuan per person). Since the ride was long, we had time to set up Alipay for next time.

I was pretty disappointed with the road—I hadn’t imagined this area like this. And it’s totally jammed... The bus dropped us off on the main road after a good hour, and we crossed as best we could to head toward the old town where we’d booked our hotel. In my mind, "old town" means, well, an old town: no traffic, no noise. But nope! 😏 It’s like Fenghuang at night, but I’d forgotten that detail. It’s packed with people, the streets are swarming with pedestrians, scooters, and cars, horns blaring non-stop, plus music or loudspeakers from the shops, and neon lights everywhere.

(Here it’s quiet!)

We found our hotel in a quiet alley, thankfully. We dropped off our stuff. The room wasn’t really clean, and the bathroom clearly hadn’t been cleaned. The disposable slippers were already used and repackaged. That’s outrageous—I hope they don’t do the same with the sheets and towels! 🤪

We went back out into the chaos—it’s really packed all along Renmin Road, a street over a kilometer long. Yu’er Road, parallel to it, is the same. I really wasn’t expecting this. We finally found a quieter, much cheaper little restaurant away from those streets, then headed back to the hotel. We’ll see tomorrow if it’s just as lively during the day.

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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 10

I slept so well. The bed was super comfy, the duvet soft and warm, and not a single noise. Around 10:30 AM, I went up to the top floor to do our laundry. There was a woman who takes care of the hotel’s laundry, and she helped me start the machine. I set my timer for 1 hour so I could pick up the laundry as soon as it was done and start our sightseeing. When I went back up, the machine had stopped, but the laundry was soaking in soapy water. The woman pointed to another machine that was finishing, then she took out my laundry, emptied the other machine, put my clothes in it, and restarted it for another hour! That really threw off my schedule for the day...

We decided to visit the Puxian Temple while we waited, since it wasn’t far from where we were staying. Just then, it started pouring. We grabbed our umbrellas and headed out. It was a Buddhist temple, but not very interesting—we were in and out in a few minutes.

We went back to pick up and hang the laundry. Ugh, the machine had an error code with 9 minutes left. Plus, all the water drains were on the floor, making it a real mess to get near the machines. I managed to restart mine and left with my laundry to hang in the room.

We rushed off toward the Three Pagodas—Chongsheng Temple. On the way, we stopped at a small restaurant where I had spicy rice and tofu, and D had xiaolongbao and sausage rice: 44 yuan. It was really good. The rain stopped just as we finished eating.



We got back on the road and thought we’d start with the Reflection of the Three Pagodas Park, which apparently offers a great view of the pagodas. When we arrived at the entrance, the park attendant told us it was paid. I asked him using the translator if it was the same ticket as for the pagodas, and he said yes. Since we weren’t sure if there were different types of tickets, we decided to go straight to the Three Pagodas site and come back to the park later in the day. When we arrived, we saw that tickets were 75 yuan and that you could pay extra for shuttles to get around the site. It’s true that the site is large, but we didn’t need the shuttles.



We found the site really beautiful and not too crowded. As time passed, the sky cleared up, and the mountains became more visible. The view of the pagodas from the small body of water was amazing.



After that, it was a series of temples separated by a lot of steps. We went all the way to the last one—about 1,000 steps in total, including climbing the temple levels for panoramic views.





Near the last temples, we could see almost the entire Erhai Lake.



We really liked the site and spent 3 hours there. At 6 PM, we left to go back to the Reflection of the Three Pagodas Park. We hurried to get there quickly since it closes at 6:30 PM. We arrived at 6:10 PM, and the guy yelled at us that it was closed. A minute later, he locked the door and left in his car. Well, that was disappointing... We made up for it by eating "August fruits," the fruits of the akubie. I really like the taste, but you have to spit out all the seeds, and it’s *full* of them!



We headed toward the Confucius Temple. The closer we got, the more crowded the streets became. The temple site is quite large and pleasant, but it’s pretty simple.



When we left, we looked for a restaurant to have barbecue. We got the cheapest two-person menu for 98 yuan, with beef, pork, chicken, tofu, mushrooms, potatoes, zucchini, red onions, and quail eggs, plus a plate of cucumber and salad, and tea. It was okay—not amazing, and way less memorable than the Chongqing hot pot we loved, for example. But it was nice.



Afterward, we wandered through the packed, lively, and noisy streets looking for dessert. We found those corn pancakes we’d spotted yesterday and got 5 for 10 yuan. I thought they were delicious. D wasn’t as enthusiastic.



Then we headed back quietly. We walked about 16 km today.

During the day, I thought the old town was really beautiful and classy. The hotels are nice—it feels upscale. At night, it becomes a different city, but when the streets are empty during the day, especially in the rain, I found it had an aesthetic I’ve never seen anywhere else in China. Really nice.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 11

Yesterday, we asked the hotel if we could rent "bikes" today, and yes, no problem. It was a service listed in the hotel’s description on Trip, so we thought it’d be fine. A little later, a staff member asked us to add her on WeChat so we could message her if we needed anything. Last night, we chatted on WeChat and specified "bicycles" this time. She told us it was 50 yuan and that they only had electric ones. This morning—well, noon—we went to see her and said we wanted to rent "bicycles." She called someone and told us, "Well, just go over there." Okay, so the service the hotel advertised didn’t even exist. I asked her to show me on Amap where to go, but eventually, she walked us there. Thirty meters later, she stopped in front of a shop and seemed surprised it wasn’t a rental place. She asked a guy passing by, who apparently told her rentals were everywhere. I showed her a photo of a bike, and then she said no one rents bikes and just walked off...

We decided to check out scooter rental shops and ask if they had bikes. The first one also misunderstood "bikes" as "scooters" and quoted us 40 yuan for the day. The second one said she had bikes for 40 yuan each, plus a 200 yuan deposit per bike. Alright, deal—we took them. D got on a scooter with the rental owner’s dad to pick up the bikes from their place a little farther away, then came back with two really nice, high-quality mountain bikes in perfect condition.

At 12:30 PM, we headed toward Erhai Lake, a little over 3 km away. We rode through aromatic herb plantations and orchards. It smelled amazing, it was so peaceful, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was just the right kind of warm. When we got to the lake, it was packed with people. Luckily, this road was off-limits to cars and fast scooters. But pedestrians, bikes, dog-shaped scooters, other scooters, carts, and shuttles all shared the two-way lane—well, really, it was every direction at once.



We slathered on SPF 50+ sunscreen because the sun was beating down hard today. We rode a little farther looking for a quiet little restaurant. We found one a few kilometers away: stir-fried noodles, fried rice, and thick rice cakes cut into big chunks, fried with chili. Everything was delicious, and the lady was super nice. 35 yuan.



We got back on the bikes and continued along the lake. There were amazing viewpoints—it was so beautiful. On the other side, the 4,000-meter mountains were perfectly clear behind the old town. Gorgeous.





We stopped a little farther down for drinks, sitting by the lake to enjoy the view. There were tons of people every time we reached a village—we could barely move. Between villages, it was okay, even though it was still crowded. The problem was that most Chinese people don’t really know how to ride scooters or bikes. They brake with their feet, even on scooters, zigzag like crazy on bikes, stop in the middle of the road, or suddenly turn to cross it. Basically, you’d better be comfortable on two wheels to handle this, and make sure your horn works.

We rode until we passed the village of Bei Panxi. Panxi was the worst in terms of crowds. We stopped by the lake on a shady pebble beach.



Then we turned back, taking breaks every 3 km or so to get off the main path and head toward the shore.



At 7 PM, after covering 36 km, we were back where we’d rented the bikes at noon—but the rental lady was gone, and the street food stalls had taken over all the spots...



D found the way back to the rental lady’s home, where we knocked on the door, and she appeared. She paid me the 400 yuan deposit, which went straight into my Alipay balance. She didn’t refund the 400 yuan—she made a payment, which isn’t the same thing. I wasn’t sure if I could transfer that amount back to my bank account (apparently yes), but when we paid for dinner tonight—veggie mapo tofu and fried rice—at checkout, I saw I could choose between my bank card or the balance. So no problem using the balance!



It was a really beautiful day, super sunny, in a stunning setting. I had a bad first impression when we arrived in this city the day before yesterday, but yesterday and today made up for it all :)
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 12

Woke up at 9:30 AM, left the hotel at 11:20 AM, and walked to the main road to take bus number 8. A lot of people were waiting with big suitcases. We thought we wouldn’t be able to get on the bus. Eventually, it moved forward, I got on, the driver yelled and shut the door behind me, leaving D outside. I yelled "no, no, no" while pointing at D. He reopened the doors, D got on, and the bus left. It took a really long time to get to the station—plan for an hour. That’s how long it took us on the way there too, but at least we were sitting then. On the way back, we were standing the whole time.

When we arrived, we settled into a restaurant,



then headed to the station to catch our train, which dropped us off in Weishan, about 50 km away. On the train, a young boy, around twelve years old, was really surprised to see us. He spent the entire 20-minute trip sitting across from us, staring and trying to say, "Where do you come from?" Toward the end of the ride, he called his mom so she could ask us where we were from and where we were going. He gave us two small bags of snacks we never would’ve bought ourselves. When translated, they’re called "vegetarian hairy tripe in sesame sauce." I wasn’t thrilled 😕, but after a short Didi ride (1.9 km) to the hotel, I tried it and really liked it. It’s konjac with chili oil, sesame paste, peanut butter, and a little sugar.



We dropped our stuff off at the hotel in the old town and went out for a walk. The old town of Weishan is really beautiful and, most of all, super quiet. No honking, very little traffic, almost no one around. We were surprised to see that the shops near us, around Gongchen, were almost exclusively drink shops. We walked down the long, super pleasant and quiet pedestrian street. The weather was still really nice today, and this old town is just gorgeous. The only thing that surprised us was not seeing any restaurants.





We took a big loop, then headed into the pedestrian zone around North Street but still didn’t find anything to eat. We left that area and, out of desperation, grabbed some fried rice at the first restaurant we found. We figured we’d get a little dessert in North Street, which must be the street food street. Well, nothing!



It’s really beautiful at night—the whole long street is lit up in orange, with several quiet cafés/bars where someone’s sometimes playing the guitar peacefully. I love this place, and it’s such a nice change after Dali.





Since we didn’t find any dessert, we found a convenience store where I grabbed two small bagged snacks—one was vegetarian hairy tripe like the one the boy gave us, but not as good, and some shiitake mushrooms, which were really tasty. I’d never bought these little 1 yuan snacks before, but I think I’ll be coming back for more. We got back around 10 PM after walking about 13 km. So happy to be here—I really love this old town.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 13

We take off late again this morning. We stop just steps from the hotel to buy a big corn crepe like in Dali, but much larger, and another "pass under the bridge" crepe with unidentified ingredients. That’ll be our breakfast, but it’s already noon...

We order a Didi, which drops us off at the entrance to the Weibaoshan site. Entry is paid, 40 yuan per person. It’s one of China’s sacred Taoist mountains. The path is set through the forest and leads to the summit at over 2,500 meters in altitude.



There are 25 temples along the way. Some date back about 500 years, and the vast majority are very well preserved. There aren’t many people. The path is short—2.5 km to the farthest temple—with 320 meters of elevation gain and 86 meters of descent. But it’s a succession of steps, like 2,000 of them, counting the ones inside the temples. It’s exhausting.





The weather is stormy, and a few brief showers fall. Since we’re in the forest the whole time, we don’t really get wet. After a few visits, we arrive at a beautiful temple where a tai chi or qigong class—or something like that—is happening with a young man. The other visitors, including me, stay back but still mimic the movements.



In another temple, there’s a private religious ceremony. After the second-to-last temple at the mountain’s summit, we head back down toward the last site—600 steps we’ll have to climb back up... We finish our route after about 3 hours, having visited all the temples and taken a break in nearly every one.





It’s 4 p.m., and we decide to go back down the same way. We could’ve continued and made a loop with another temple halfway, but we prefer to retrace our steps. We’ve been completely alone for a while now. It reminds us of part of Zhangjiajie Park, where we were also alone and almost got eaten by a feline 😉. Halfway down, we find a little shortcut that saves us a few hundred meters.

We arrive at the bottom around 5:10 p.m. The sky is completely blue now, and the mountains are totally clear. We hang out with the cats for a bit. There are a few food stalls at the entrance. We’d originally planned to eat there at lunchtime, but our breakfast crepes filled us up. We walk calmly toward the parking lot, and shuttle No. 1 arrives. Several people were waiting, and the shuttle is tiny. They all pile in, pushing. We see it’s the last one of the day, leaving at 5:30 p.m. While waiting, we check if we can grab a Didi—at least we’d be seated. Nothing! There are taxis in the parking lot, but we finally decide to stay on the shuttle, sitting on the doorstep. 8 yuan per person, 30 minutes to the end of our hotel’s street.

We go back to relax a bit—we’re wiped out. I caught another virus; I hope I get rid of it faster than last year’s, which lasted two months. Around 8 p.m., we go out for dumplings. We couldn’t have gone any closer—the restaurant is right next to our place. We got scallion/egg, pork/shrimp, and beef/pork/green onion. 24 dumplings made to order: 30 yuan.

(That’s a photo from the next day at noon, in broad daylight!)

Straight back to the room—no little walk in this city I love, no sweet treat. Nothing. Bedtime. Too exhausted.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 14

This morning, for once, I head out early to buy some corn pancakes. Everything’s closed 😐. It’s 10:30, even the little convenience store at the end of the street is closed. Oh well, I’m not going any farther. We check out of the room and go back to eat dumplings right next door. This place is really clean, and the staff is super friendly. We put our backpacks on and take one last little stroll around Gongchen Tower Square. Then we order a Didi to the train station. We’re back in Dali in 20 minutes by train and walk to our hotel.



We’re staying in the modern part of the city tonight. I’d booked a suite with a mahjong table—I was so proud of myself for finding it! (We’re mahjong players.) Even though it’s a four-player game, we would’ve found a way to play a little as a duo, but when we got to the room, it wasn’t at all what I’d booked. I go back downstairs to tell them. Their response: "Sorry, the suite isn’t available, so I gave you a room with a king-size bed." Okay, fine, I go back up a little disappointed, but the door won’t close. So I go back downstairs and come back up with the guy, who seems to be discovering that the door won’t shut. No big deal, he gives us the same room next door. There’s no one here—all the rooms are available except the suite I booked... Anyway, just on principle, I report to Trip that I’ve been downgraded, and they immediately credit me Trip points. It’s not about the tiny price difference, but it was the first time I’d booked a suite... Oh well, the room is clean and quiet, so that’s what matters.

We drop off our stuff and head out to take a bus to look for the bookstores D spotted for his purchases. Then we take a second bus to switch areas. We’d barely gotten off the bus when a huge storm breaks out—it had been really nice up until then. The temperature drops suddenly. We always keep our jackets in our little bags because after 7 PM, it gets too chilly to be comfortable in just a T-shirt. Anyway, we’re back to checking out the shops. We come across these arcade-like machines, but for catching fish—*actual* live fish! We’d never seen anything like it before! I don’t know if you actually leave with the fish you catch?



Then we head back by Didi. We get dropped off on a street near the hotel where there are only restaurants. Right away, we can tell we’re not in a touristy area—the menus aren’t the same. It takes us a while to decide on a place, but we finally settle into one. I order jasmine shrimp. I start eating and find a big fried bug in my plate. I set it aside and start carefully sorting through the rest. I find a second one, then a little snail. When the waitress brings us another dish, I show her my critters, and she exclaims, "Oh my God, I’m sorryyy!" She goes to get the cook, who looks and says through the translator, "It’s a Yunnan bee. It’s really good," and brings us a whole plate of insects that have nothing to do with my bugs, offering them to us to eat. We’ll pass. Then we head back to the hotel with a stop at the supermarket for breakfast and the bus tomorrow, since we’re expecting a long travel day.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 15

This morning, check-out at 10 AM and we ordered a Didi, which dropped us off at Dali’s north bus station at 10:30. We bought tickets to Jianchuan: 28 yuan per person. The next bus leaves at 11 AM. It’s already there, so we hop on and meet a Swiss guy who’s also heading to Shaxi, like us, as his final destination. But he’s not sure how to get there from Jianchuan. I tell him I saw there were minibuses, so it should be easy. We arrive in Jianchuan at 1:40 PM and head straight to the ticket counter to buy our tickets to Shaxi. The girl writes on her phone, “take a taxi,” and moves on. The Swiss guy asks her too. She takes forever to tell him there are no more buses to Shaxi. We offer to share a Didi with him. We book a ride for 50 yuan. When the Didi arrives, the driver asks for an extra 35 yuan for the highway. The Swiss guy asks him to avoid the highway, but the driver refuses. The Swiss guy starts getting annoyed and tells him the fare is set by the app and the highway doesn’t cost 35 yuan. Time’s ticking—we know we only have 5 minutes to get in the car after it arrives, or we’ll get penalized. We ask the driver to cancel the ride. He refuses, tells us to cancel it ourselves, and says he’ll take us via the highway for 70 yuan. I don’t feel like negotiating over 1 or 2 €, so it’s fine, we get in the car and head to Shaxi. He drops us near our hotel, which we struggle to find because they all look like the photos on Trip. We end up walking into two wrong hotels before finding ours—a really nice one with a beautiful inner courtyard.

We drop off our stuff and head out to grab a bite since it’s 4 PM and we’ve only had breakfast on the bus. We stop at a lounge café and order a platter with tea, fruit, biscuits, dried fruit, and sunflower seeds, plus a cheesecake. The fruit has no taste at all...



Then we wander through the alleys of Shaxi’s old town. It’s really pretty and quiet. There are people around, but it’s not too crowded. The old town is small, so we explore it quickly.







We take a walk by the river, where there’s a pretty bridge with mountains in the background. The vibe is different by the water, but there are more people.





By 7 PM, we’re already seated. I ordered a bowl of noodles with stinky tofu. Normally, they make it with minced meat, but I used the first Chinese phrase I learned, which comes in handy a lot: "wo bu chi rou"—I don’t eat meat. They always understand. So the guy adjusted his recipe and was proud to tell me through the translator that he’d made me a veggie dish, with no animal fat or meat. We also got rice cakes stuffed with brown sugar, sesame, peanuts, and rose. So good. We paid 60 yuan total, including fried rice with sausages and veggies.





After that, we head back out for a little walk to the main square of the village, which we’d already passed through this afternoon. It still has the layout of an old caravan market, with its stalls, temple, theater, and shopping alleys. It’s so beautiful! And so ancient—the temple dates back to 1415, and the theater to around 1800.



The streets aren’t lit at night, so there’s not much point in staying out since you can’t see much. We head back to the hotel using our phone flashlights. I would’ve liked to do laundry since it’s not too late, but there’s no button on the machine! How do you turn it on? A mystery to solve tomorrow!
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 16

Breakfast is included with this booking, so I start the day leisurely in the hotel courtyard with a Chinese breakfast: corn, sweet potato, hard-boiled egg, pickles, steamed bun, and rice porridge.



After that, it’s a free morning: shampoo, laundry... Oh, laundry here is quite the story! There are buttons on the machine, but since it’s kept outside, they’re hidden under a shelf. The machine has two drums. On the left, the one for washing. One of the buttons lets you set the wash time for a maximum of 15 minutes. Okay, I start it. The clothes spin dry. I see a faucet with a hose and realize I have to add the water myself—cold water, of course. Fifteen minutes later, I go back to see the next step. A woman shows me a big basin and a low faucet. I get that I have to rinse by hand in the basin...🙂 The second drum is for spinning. When I see their super modern cars, I can’t believe they still use this kind of washing machine! Anyway, I hang up my laundry, and the morning is already over.

We head out around 1 PM toward the tourist office. It starts pouring. We ask about visiting the Shizhongshan Caves and the buses to Lijiang. She directs us to a QR code, which leads to a WeChat mini-program, but you need a Chinese phone number to use it. She tells us to check with our hotel. I thought she could’ve made the reservation herself, but oh well...

We go to eat, but the rain is so heavy we have to take shelter. Not all restaurants are open, or they’re full, so we end up at the same place as last night—they’re happy to see us again. We order fried rice again. I’d love some vegetable dishes at least, but there aren’t any. That said, my fried rice with porcini mushrooms is really good.

As we leave, we enjoy a 5-minute break in the rain.



But it doesn’t last... We stop at Mixue for some tea, then stumble upon a very typical market with meat displayed on tables like that, along with vegetables and unknown roots. We manage to chat with a young woman to find out a bit about what they are, but the older ladies don’t want to use the translator.

Then we visit the Xingjiao Temple, on the village’s main square—very beautiful, very old, very stylish. There’s a photo exhibit inside the temple grounds, also really nice.



It’s still raining, so we head to a second temple, which was closed yesterday and is still closed today. The rain is heavy, so we take shelter for a while, then decide to head to other temples farther out, well beyond the old town. The paths are flooded, so we have to turn back and take a big detour. The first temple is closed and probably abandoned. The second is closed too. We turn back after walking 3 km in the rain. We take the shortest route back, 2 km. The clouds are very low over the mountains. We pass through fields of tobacco, corn, rice, and sunflowers.



We stop not far from the hotel to buy some small stuffed cakes—rose for me, red beans for D. The ladies prepare the cakes in front of us, cooking them over a wood fire. They do this all day; there must be quite a turnover.

Then we head back to the hotel to warm up. I look for someone from the staff. It’s 6:30 PM, and there’s 24/7 reception, but apart from the breakfast lady this morning, we haven’t seen anyone else. After searching everywhere, an elderly couple emerges from a room. I think they’re the managers, but when we arrived yesterday, a young woman was there for check-in. Haven’t seen her since. Using the translator, I tell them I need help from the hotel to book a bus. The answer: "at 9 AM." And they go back to their room. We message the WeChat number available at reception. No reply. So we’ll see tomorrow at 9 AM.

We go out to eat around 8 PM. What a pleasure to put our feet back into wet shoes! We stop at a nearby restaurant. We order eggs with flowers or tree leaves—we’re not sure which tree. These flowers/leaves look more like seaweed and don’t have much taste. With a bowl of rice, it’s enough for tonight, and we head straight back to the hotel to turn on the heating in the room to warm up and finish drying the laundry, which is really struggling with the humidity.
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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 17

At breakfast this morning, it was a bowl of dry noodles with fried egg, tomatoes, potatoes, pickles, chickpeas, and minced meat. When the lady brings me the bowl, I tell her: "wo bu chi rou." She replies, a bit loudly, but obviously, I don’t understand. I pull out the translator and see that I’m getting scolded: "You don’t eat meat at this price?" A moment later, she brings me a bowl without meat and with a smile. I take the opportunity to ask if she can buy our bus tickets for us. She goes to find a lady who speaks English very well and who makes the reservation on her phone without any problem. We get the QR codes and reimburse her via Alipay.



The weather is really nice today, the sky is completely blue, and it’s pleasant. We head to the tourist office around 11:15 AM to get our tickets for Shibaoshan and the 12 PM shuttle. The lady tells us there are no more spots for noon and that we’ll have to take the 2:30 PM shuttle. But since the return is at 5:30 PM and the site is very large, she points out that we won’t have enough time there. She also says we’ll have a hard time finding a taxi but that she can call one for us, or we can come back tomorrow at 9 AM. We ask if we can just buy the return ticket for the 5:30 PM shuttle. She tells us, "You’ll see when you get there, and if there are no more spots, you can take a taxi."

Honestly, I don’t know why we bothered going through them this time. Anyway, we order a Didi, which arrives in less than fifteen minutes and takes us to the site entrance for 32 yuan. We arrive at 12:10 PM, buy our tickets (45 yuan) plus the internal shuttle (40 yuan per person).

There’s almost no one here. We get on the internal shuttle, and it feels like we’re back in Shilin or Zhangjiajie . The driver passes the stop for the temples without even slowing down and heads straight to the cave site. It makes us laugh now—it’s so typical . When we arrive at the cave parking lot, we stop at a small bar with a view so D can eat some fried rice. I’m still full from breakfast. Then we head to the Shizhongshan caves. It’s another series of steps, and with the altitude, we’re starting to get out of breath. That said, we still get to the caves quickly from the parking lot. I was expecting more to see, but the site is nice, and the view is beautiful. There are very few of us, so it’s peaceful. The caves are divided into three zones and consist of 16 caves and 139 statues with a history of over 1,000 years, built during the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdom periods (732–1253).







We finish the loop that brings us back to the parking lot and get back on a shuttle that takes us to the temple site. There are lots of monkeys and several food stalls where the ladies rush over to show us their menus, but we don’t feel like having a meal—just grabbing a little something. And just then, I see a lady cooking pancakes that look like the corn ones I really liked. We get one from her, and I put the bag in my backpack to avoid problems with the monkeys.



We start climbing hundreds of steps. We dip our hands into the bag from time to time to grab a piece of pancake. It doesn’t taste the same as usual—I don’t know what this one’s made of. We’re at 2,600 meters, and we’re already short of breath.

We arrive at the first temple, Baoxiang, and wow, what a sight! It’s so beautiful! A small waterfall on the left, a temple down in the middle, two large Buddhas in the rock, and two other small temples carved into the rock on the right and left of the Buddhas. So stunning! We stay there for a while, really soaking in the place. There’s almost no one around.







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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 17th continued

We then decide to head toward the higher temples. Maps.me estimates 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach the last temple, with another 210 meters of elevation gain. That seems like a lot given the time. We keep going, and when it gets too late or too tough, we’ll turn back. There’s absolutely no one else around. We reach the second temple, which turns out to be just a place of reflection—no actual temple, not much at all, just a sort of niche in the rock. We keep climbing slowly. There are monkeys in the trees, a frog on the path, a squirrel... D has a bad feeling, but I negotiate to keep going until the next temple. We press on until we come across a big monkey sitting in the middle of the path, mouth wide open. Well, that’s our cue to turn back—too bad about the last temples! I hope we didn’t miss something even more beautiful than the first one.

We descend back to the parking lot, completely alone. As we pass the vendors again, I ask the woman what her galettes are made of—they’re very orange but don’t taste like corn: buckwheat crepes.

As soon as we reach the shuttles, the drivers ask if we want to head to the exit. We get in and leave immediately for the ticket office, arriving a little before 5 PM. A guy approaches us, offering to take us back to Shaxi for 80 yuan. We decline—we paid 32 yuan to get here. We ask the ticket office if we can buy seats for the 5:30 PM shuttle to Shaxi (8 yuan), but the guy starts talking to them. Suddenly, I have to wait to see if there’s space on the shuttle (the place is deserted...). We wait, and—surprise—there’s no room left on the shuttle; we have to take a taxi! There are no taxis in the parking lot, just this guy with his old car offering the ride for 80 yuan. We order a Didi. One arrives in a few minutes, but then cancels the trip. Another guy comes over, laughing with the ticket office ladies while looking at us. We decide to step outside and wait farther away.

We think we could head back up to the shuttle drop-off point—maybe the minibus there is the Shaxi shuttle, and we’d see if it’s really full. We start walking back up the road, but a Didi accepts our ride request at that moment. We go back to sit near the guy who was laughing at us. He comes over to check our phone, sees the Didi is arriving, and asks how much it’s costing us. We tell him: 40 yuan. He stops laughing. Neither do we, by the way—we didn’t really like this little setup.

Back in Shaxi, we make a few purchases on the way back to the hotel, then head out for one last stroll through the old town. We figure there must be a few streets we haven’t explored yet. And sure enough, we discover one or two more!



We stop to eat: braised eggplant, taro hairong, and rice. The taro dish with the green stems isn’t amazing, but the eggplant is delicious with a rich ginger sauce and big pieces of fresh, tasty mushrooms. For dessert, on the way back, we finally try the famous Yunnan yogurt pot we’ve seen everywhere since Kunming—artisanal, long-fermented yogurt. It’s really good but also pretty expensive for yogurt: 15 yuan.





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VI Vilabel Regular ·
August 18

This morning, same breakfast as the day before yesterday—really filling. We left around 10:45 AM. We weren’t sure where to catch the bus. Apparently, it’s in front of the tourist office, but we weren’t certain. We asked at the office, and no, it’s not here—it’s at the parking lot near our hotel. We turned back and found a bus in the lot, but it didn’t have the number listed on our reservations. We confirmed it was the right one and boarded. It left around 11:20 AM and arrived at the first stop in Lijiang around 1 PM, near the north gate of the old town.

I thought the old town was paid entry, but the turnstiles were open and unmonitored. The streets are all made of large, slightly slippery stones, all uneven in height. You’ve got to watch where you step! We reached our hotel after a few minutes in this maze of alleys. I saw in the photos of the reserved room that this one was supposed to have a mahjong table too. Nope, missed it again! But it’s fully smart-home equipped, and that’s cool. We dropped off our stuff and set off to get lost. D got a beef pastry, while I was still full from breakfast. The shops are pretty much the same from one street to the next, but the town is nice. I hadn’t imagined it like this at all, though.





It was sunny and hot. We sat down in a tea house with a special selection of three teas: a fizzy iced tea, a pu'er, and I think the other was a latte-style pu'er with thick foam. We didn’t like them.



Next, we went to Lion Hill. Entry is 35 yuan. The park offers great views of the city rooftops with the mountains in the background.



From there, we climbed to the top of the pagoda.



To the south, the sky was perfectly blue, and Wenbi Peak, at 3,500 meters, was stunning. But to the north, we saw heavy rain in the distance and zero visibility on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is 5,600 meters high. We didn’t think of it at the time, but we should’ve come in the early or mid-afternoon when the weather was really nice. They’re forecasting lots of rain for the coming days—no idea if we’ll see that mountain. We still stayed up at the pagoda for a while, thinking that once the rain stopped, the sky would clear. It never did—it reached us and soaked us. Still, we got a beautiful show with the sunset and the rays breaking between two mountains, casting an incredible light while a rainbow formed to the east.







We headed back down a little before 8 PM and went to eat: Naxi fish, green onion omelet, and *baba*, a local specialty—a flaky pastry filled with brown sugar and honey. There’s also a savory version. 87 yuan for the meal. The fish was good, with firm flesh. Meanwhile, it was pouring outside. We waited for it to calm down a bit before leaving. The steps in the street turned into a little stream, and the next street was flooded. The small canal had become a raging torrent. So glad I was in sandals instead of sneakers!



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JL Jlponty ·
I’m jumping into this travel journal midway—it’s amazing and so well written. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip with us!

Yunnan is on our "likely" list for summer 2027, so I’m following along with even more interest.

Looking forward to reading more! !
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GE
GeorgesOZ 7 hours ago
14 Days in Japan – September-October 2026
I had to leave Thailand as my 60-day visa was coming to an end, and this time I opted for a 14-day visit to Japan. I’d already spent 3 days in Tokyo a few years ago on a business trip, which left me with a great impression. Y, my Thai partner, had never been there. That’s why we chose a fairly classic itinerary, including a few castles and Kyoto among other things.

Before diving into the details of our trip, I’d like to recap the expenses we incurred. This will be useful for some of you, and it’ll help us prepare for our next trip to Japan.

I’ve categorized our expenses into 5 groups: - Hotels: 1150 € (breakfast included) - Transportation: 278 € (trains, buses) - Big expenses: 487 € (souvenirs and a few necessary items) - Excursions: 116 € (museum visits, temples, castles) - Daily expenses: 1125 € (meals, small purchases) Total = 3194 €, or 228 € per day on average. I’m excluding flights, as those depend on everyone’s arrangements (departure location, travel dates, etc.).

Jpeg below: apologies for “hotel” without a circumflex—my software isn’t French!



For hotels, we always chose decent but not luxurious places, well-located to let us walk to and from transportation hubs. We systematically avoided taxis, which are notoriously expensive in Japan. We’ve also gotten into the habit over several trips of traveling with minimal luggage: one duffel bag each (7-8 kg) plus the small carry-on allowed on planes (2-3 kg). This lets us travel with three sets of clothes (what we’re wearing plus two changes). We add a checked bag for the return trip to accommodate the things we buy along the way.

‘Transportation’ and ‘Big expenses’: I’ll give more details in the day-by-day account.

We didn’t do any extravagant excursions, like safaris or sports activities.

Meals and food make up the bulk of our daily expenses. We often ate at izakayas, which offer great value—between 2000 and 6000 yen for two (about 11-12 to 33-34 € for two, usually around 20-25 €). We didn’t hold back, but we also didn’t go to high-end restaurants.

More to come while I gather my photos: General Remarks.
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RIC73 yesterday
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Hello, Following our trip on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route this summer, we’re sharing our experience in this travel journal. We’re Richard and Bernadette, both 64 years old, and we’re gravel bike-packing cyclists. We’ve completed several gravel bike trips in France and neighboring countries, and Richard has also done some in South America. We left on July 22, 2026, from Geneva to Calgary via Frankfurt with our bikes carefully packed in boxes, and we returned on October 8 from El Paso to Geneva via Chicago and Frankfurt.

The GDMBR is a mountain route that closely follows the Pacific/Atlantic continental divide, starting in Banff, Canada, and ending at the Mexican border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. This crossing of the American West is one of the longest mountain biking routes in the world, winding through wild valleys, mountain ranges, and desert plateaus. It stretches about 4,400 km with a total elevation gain of around 60,000 m. The average altitude is 2,000 m, and the highest point reaches 3,600 m. The route is 80% off-pavement (gravel roads, dirt, and a few trail segments). It’s also known for the annual Tour Divide race, which brings together the best riders in the discipline every June and follows roughly the same route.

We prepared for this trip over several months, using a few websites and an older guidebook (the 2013 English edition).



With this, we were able to organize our journey with as much information as possible, a GPS track, and gear suited to the weather conditions, terrain, and sparse resupply points in remote areas.

Once we arrived in Banff, we picked up bear spray to handle a particular challenge: the wildlife we weren’t familiar with.



After landing in Calgary, we assembled and equipped our bikes at the airport. That first evening, we were welcomed by Mike, who invited us to his place when we were looking for a spot to pitch our tent. Then we made our way to Banff over two days, taking a fairly quiet road to Canmore and then a bike path.



A visit to Banff, a charming tourist town in the national park. Its famous Fairmont Hotel.



The starting point of the GDMBR at the arch of this hotel complex.



Here we are, immersed in the wilderness—just a few pedal strokes away from the town, the contrast is striking. Powerful rivers, vast landscapes, and our first encounter with a mule deer.



Spray Lake, our first basic campsite: no showers, dry toilets, no water fountain—we filter lake water. Most GDMBR campsites are like this.





We took the west side of the lake—a longer and wilder route. A few fallen trees blocked the path, forcing us to carry our bikes. But the stunning landscapes made it all worth it!



Our first single track through a forest marked by past wildfires.





Most campgrounds have tables and metal fire rings for safe campfires, which makes setting up camp much easier—especially nice after a long, tiring day! During this trip, we mostly slept in our tent, either in established campgrounds or wild bivouacs.

To be continued...
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Patbill yesterday · Nathalie971
A Slightly Less Touristy Japan
Hi everyone, I’m Patrick, 67 years old, a seasoned traveler (already 22 trips outside Europe). In autumn 2025, I took my first 3-week trip to Japan, with stops in Tokyo, Kamakura, Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Koyasan, Tokyo again, and Nikko. I wanted to go back in May 2026 and explore some lesser-known places to complement my first trip. Last year, there were four of us traveling together to discover Japan (a fairly classic itinerary). This time, I’ll be traveling solo for part of the trip and with a couple of French friends for the rest. The weather was gorgeous in May, averaging around 25°C, with two very hot days in Kyoto and only two rainy days. As usual, I organized everything myself, gathering plenty of information from various sites, including this one.

Transportation: An ICOCA card is essential. I got a 5-day Kansai-Hiroshima pass because I took the shinkansen between Hiroshima and Osaka three times, and it paid for itself quickly.

Accommodations: Mostly through Booking. No issues at all. Average cost was 46 € per night.

Meals: For breakfast, I alternated between buying food at a konbini to eat in my room or on the train and grabbing something at local cafés. For lunch and dinner, I tried to vary my meals as much as possible—lots of sashimi, sushi, and ramen. Okonomiyaki in Osaka and Hiroshima. Oysters in every form (raw, grilled, fried) in Onomichi and Hiroshima. A variety of seafood (shrimp, shellfish) in Hiroshima and Matsumoto. Fish whose names often escaped me, but notably mackerel and eel (unagi). Tempura and gyoza. Chicken skewers (yakitori) and one teppanyaki meal. One omakase meal (9 different dishes). In the end, not much meat aside from a few yakitori skewers. No splurges on super expensive wagyu or Kobe beef. Average dinner cost: 4,800 yen, drinks included.

The Itinerary: Day 1: Departure from Brussels Day 2: Arrival in Osaka Day 3: To Himeji, then Kurashiki Day 4: To Fukuyama, then Tomo no Ura, then Onomichi Day 5: Cycling the Shimanami Kaido Day 6: To Takahara, then Hiroshima Day 7: To Kyoto to attend the Aoi Matsuri parade Day 8: To Miyajima Day 9: Hiroshima, then Kyoto Day 10: Southern Kyoto Day 11: Northern Kyoto Day 12: Final day in Kyoto, then to Nagatsugawa Day 13: Start of the Nakasendo Trail (Magome to Tsumago) Day 14: Second day of the trail (Kiso Fukushima) Day 15: Third day of the trail (Narai), then Matsumoto Day 16: To Mt. Fuji (Kawaguchiko) Day 17: To Tokyo Day 18: Excursion to Enoshima and Kamakura Day 19: Flight home, with a 10-hour layover in Hong Kong Day 20: Arrival in Brussels
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Attila yesterday · Kate
Northern Morocco, the kingdom of kif?
My first trip to Morocco dates back to the early 90s.

Four more followed...

I’d never gone further north than Casablanca, Volubilis, or Fez—it was time to fix that!

So I planned a route that would fill in the gaps while revisiting a few places.

This route is pretty classic—if you’re looking for something original, you might want to skip it!

The starting point of the trip: the city of Rabat.

The stops?

Azrou, Fez, Al Hoceïma, Akchour, Tetouan, Tangier, Asilah, and finally Rabat.

Mostly an urban trip, then.

Too much?

We’ll see at the end of the travel journal!

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Nathalie971 yesterday
Japan, five weeks between unknown lands and familiar paths
Japan, five weeks between unknown lands and familiar paths



Hello everyone,

I invite you to follow me on this fifth exploration trip to Japan.

Five weeks or so!

For the itinerary, my usual mix: New discoveries, well-known places, and others less so.

At the heart of the trip, a two-week road trip by car. I wavered for a long time between the San'in region, from Tottori to Yamaguchi, and southern Kyushu. By a narrow margin, southern Kyushu won out.

Waterfalls that seem even more impressive. A more exotic atmosphere. Tea-growing lands to savor... Kagoshima will be the starting point. Then a loop from west to east.

And, of course, the must-see stops... Those little Japanese touches. Gourmet cuisine. Japanese, but not only!

And then, the soul of the trip, I hope: Human connections. Big or small.

Otherwise? Several local festivals. Osaka, unexpected. Miyakojima, between beauty and small disappointments. Tokyo... it's Tokyo!

So, travel with me. The suitcase is waiting, with stories that are sometimes generous, but always driven by the love of travel experienced firsthand.

Yōkoso, Nihon! Welcome to Japan!
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Kate yesterday · Muriel18
Morocco: Four Medinas for One Enchantment
Hello everyone! 🙂

No wonder Tangier has inspired so many artists, writers, painters, and musicians… The "Pearl of the North" will be the first stop on a 12-day journey that will take us through Rabat, Fez, and Meknes.

This is my 15th trip to Morocco, and I’d never been to Tangier before! A round-trip flight from Carcassonne for just 55 € sealed the deal, and here we are, landing two hours later.

Four medinas, four perspectives—an enchantment that remains untouched. Once again, Richard and I will combine our viewpoints in a travel journal, sharing them with you—his through words, mine through images.
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Bibouns51 yesterday
Off to explore Egypt!
February 9 - Day 1

"So, my little wanderers, back at the decks? What’s this mystery destination you’ve got in store for us at the start of the year?"

Yes, the schoolyard bell’s ringing again! We’re hitting the road... or rather, the skies! At first glance, our destination might surprise more than a few. First off, simply because I was here exactly twenty years ago, and I don’t usually like retracing my own footsteps. Secondly, because the name of this place screams mass tourism—basically the opposite of what Flo and I look for.

Despite that, in this land of backsheesh, I’d promised myself I’d come back one day to experience it my way. And since Flo told me, during our wanderer chats, that this destination straddling Africa and the Middle East was in her top 2 travel dreams, the stars aligned for this roots-style trip to quickly make it onto our pharaonic festivities program! Unless you’re totally clueless in general knowledge, you’ve probably guessed by now—we’re off to Egypt! Of course, a few classics will be on our itinerary, but above all, we want to soak up a culture that can’t be appreciated in four-star resorts or on a Nile cruise boat. And let’s be clear, these next two weeks won’t be a walk in the park—neither for our two daughters who are joining us, nor for our bodies!

And that’s clear from the get-go: after our first flight, eight hours of trying (and failing) to sleep on Milan airport’s metal seats, our second flight, landing, passport stamps, our Uber ride, and our first Cairo kilometers, we finally drop our exhaustion at the little guesthouse we booked in Giza. Doesn’t all that energy deserve a little reward?

Oh, absolutely! And here it is: a full-on slap in the face for everyone! But just look at this view from our hotel terrace? For 20 € a night for four, even with this incredible view, I figured the room must be pretty shabby, right? Nope... Is the staff rude, then? Nope... Okay, so what’s the catch? You’re gonna tell me breakfast is included too? Well, yes! Honestly, this Egypt trip is off to a great start.



And the rest of the afternoon, spent rubbing shoulders with locals, only confirmed this vibe. After digesting our pyramid view, we dove into the hustle and bustle of our neighborhood with the goal of exchanging money, eating at street stalls, and testing the hospitality of the locals. Ten out of ten!









Eight little sun breads with baba ganoush and falafel? 80 pounds, or 1.5 €. A dozen Middle Eastern pastries? Same! 80 pounds! Two hawawshis, those little pita breads stuffed with meat and spices? 10 pounds each, or about twenty cents! Not to mention all those smiles and free "welcomes" left and right!!!





What a welcome! We end this first day with a sunset over the three sisters of Giza—where we’ll obviously be gawking tomorrow...







https://voyageforum.com/images/posts/small/1789072399-cCyLDYuFwPLAZTY.jpg
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VP44 2 days ago
A Few Days in Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan
The latest travel journal about Turkmenistan dates back to 2019. Here’s a quick update on this vast desert country, which is now a bit easier to visit than before.

This is my first travel journal. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. The country is slowly opening up, but it’s still possible to visit sites where you’ll be completely alone. In five days, I saw two Hongkongers, a few Germans, and a Chilean at the crater, ten Chinese people in a capital bazaar, and that’s it!

It’s possible to visit Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan. The easiest and most economical way is to take a taxi to the border from Bukhara. The trip takes a little over an hour.

Crossing the border takes quite a while because many Turkmen bring back items bought in Uzbekistan to resell in Turkmenistan. For example, diapers, baby products, or beauty products. It took me over 2.5 hours to cross the border. To visit Turkmenistan, it’s mandatory to have a guide and go through a travel agency. British agencies often offer three-, five-, or seven-day trips for over 1,500 or 2,000 €. But if your budget is more limited, you can contact a few Turkmen agencies directly by email, and they’ll make you an offer between 700 and 1,300 € for three to seven days. I took a five-day trip from Turkmenabat in the northeast of the country to Dashoguz in the north. The goal was to visit the main UNESCO-listed sites, including Merv, and archaeological sites like Nisa or Gonur Tepe.

Your guide will also be your driver. They’ll pick you up at the border. The formalities are very long because customs officers have to stamp multiple documents, and obtaining the visa you previously requested from your travel agency requires several checks. But the process goes relatively smoothly, even if each step takes a while.

Once on the other side, the first surprise is the brand-new highway all the way to Turkmenabat. A very long line of trucks stretches for several kilometers on the Turkmen side to cross the border into Uzbekistan. According to my guide, Turkmen trucks transport gas and cotton (though not this season, since the harvest is in September), but they mainly fill up their tanks because fuel is much cheaper in Turkmenistan. A full tank for a car costs about 3 €, which is unbeatable.



From the Farap border post, the goal is to reach the city of Mary, which is home to the UNESCO-listed site of Merv in its suburbs, about thirty kilometers away. This city is known as a foundation by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC under the name Alexandria of Margiana. Several fortresses are visible.



After more than three hours on the road, we have lunch at a Turkish restaurant called Aladdin. Several quotes from the president are visible along the highway, but the road is in good condition, and we move along easily. This will be by far the best road in the country—things will get much worse later.



Roundabouts are particularly interesting because they feature emblems of Turkmen culture, like the dog, a carpet, the Ahal Teke horse, or Muslim symbols, even though the presence of Islamic artifacts is quite limited.
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Yadin 3 days ago
Slovak travel journal
Hello and welcome aboard this travel journal. We’re heading to Slovakia together! Why this country? After visiting Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, and Poland in recent years, I’ve fallen in love with Eastern European countries. I adore the Slavic soul, its Austro-Hungarian villages, the gentle landscapes, the Carpathian Mountains, and that slightly mysterious atmosphere. Slovakia evokes a certain imagination with its deep forests, medieval castles, and cobbled villages. After seeing photos of the High Tatras—especially Lake Štrbské Pleso and Spiš Castle—I thought, "Let’s do it! We’re going!" So, will Slovakia live up to what I imagine? We’ll find out together. We decided to travel as a group of six (five adults and a six-year-old child), by car (we needed two). Here’s the day-by-day itinerary for this family trip, which started with a 3-day stay in Vienna (see the dedicated travel journal):

The itinerary: Day 1: Drive from Vienna to Banská Štiavnica and visit the town, then drive to Handlová Day 2: Bojnice Castle, the village of Čičmany, and a walk in the treetops at Bojnice, return to Handlová Day 3: Depart for Orava, visit Orava Castle and the Orava Skansen, drive to Veľký Slavkov Day 4: Visit Slovak Paradise—its gorges, lakes, and ice cave—overnight in Veľký Slavkov Day 5: Visit Bardejov, the "Death Road," wooden churches, and Ľubovňa Castle, overnight in Veľký Slavkov Day 6: Walks and hikes in the High Tatras, Lake Štrbské Pleso, Solisko summit, treetop walk in Ždiar, overnight in Veľký Slavkov Day 7: Drive to Košice, visit Spiš Castle, Tokaj wine route in Veľká Trňa, overnight in Košice Day 8: Visit Košice, overnight in Košice Day 9: Drive to Bratislava, stop at the Aragonite Cave in the Slovak Karst, overnight in Bratislava Day 10: Visit Bratislava, overnight stay Day 11 and 12: Return to France

Budget: I’m giving prices for 2 adults / 1 child. Slovakia is more expensive than it seems, and some expenses shouldn’t be underestimated. Transportation: Tolls and gas from France: 500 € round trip Slovak vignette for one month: 17.10 € Gas is fixed at 1.49 € per liter (E10) Parking at sites (all paid by the day, even in the most remote villages, even if you stay for just an hour). Payment is often required in cash upon arrival: total 63 € We didn’t pay at Spiš (we arrived before the cashier) or Ľubovňa (we arrived after the cashier left). Parking at Orava Village was free. In Košice and Bratislava, we parked for free at our accommodations. Public transport in Bratislava and Košice: 1-1.2 € for a bus ticket. Vending machines are available at some stops; otherwise, buy via SMS (Slovak phones only) or official sales points.



Accommodation: We mostly chose houses so we could cook ourselves and save on food. I’ve rated our satisfaction with these accommodations from 1 to 5 stars. Padua: DC Hotel: 1 night, 77 € ***** Handlová: Chata Remata: 2 nights, 120 € ***** Veľký Slavkov: Aplend: 4 nights, 220 € ** Košice: Luxury Old Town Loft 320m²: 2 nights, 120 € ***** Bratislava: Hotel Viktor: 2 nights, 138 € *** Brescia: Hotel Antica Fonte: 1 night, 82 € ***** Total: 757 €

Food: Groceries at Lidl for 5 meals for 3: 100 € (really cheap) Restaurants: 10-15 € per dish, ice cream 1-2.4 € per scoop, crêpes 8-12 €, a glass of wine 6-10 €... total: 500 €

Visits: There are discounts for seniors and children, which is great. We spent nearly 600 € in total, which is a lot. However, it’s a cultural destination with many castles, museums, caves, wine cellars, and nature activities: cable cars, canopy walks, paid hikes (Slovak Paradise gorges)... In the end, this trip to Slovakia cost nearly 2500 € for 3. We also need to add the Vienna portion to that. Now, here’s the day-by-day account of this beautiful journey.
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Bluequark 4 days ago · Nathalie971
Three weeks in Japan with the family
Hi everyone,

Actually, we ended up going to Japan almost by chance. I’d caught glimpses of the country during business trips, and it had been on my “wish list” for a while, but I thought we’d go “when the kids were grown up.”

But this summer (2016), the kids couldn’t agree on a destination—their wishes were completely opposite. Then, realizing that flight tickets weren’t outrageously priced—and having read that Japan wasn’t as expensive as people think—we, the parents, suggested Japan… while warning that it would be scorching hot and humid and that no one should complain. Our eldest (18) was immediately thrilled: “Oh! Mom! I’ve always dreamed of going to Japan!” She convinced her brother (16) that it was the perfect destination. Deal sealed: we’re going to Japan, but no one complains about the heat.

After some forum discussions and family brainstorming, I settled on the following itinerary. One non-negotiable shaped part of our choices: being in Hiroshima on August 6th to attend the lantern floating ceremony. To avoid overloading the trip with extra transport, we skipped Nara, Nikko, and Kamakura.

Day 1 - Arrival at 8:30 AM in Osaka – Kyoto - around the station Day 2 - Kyoto - East - night: Kyoto Day 3 - Kyoto - North and center - night: Kyoto Day 4 - Osaka (stroll with Osaka Safari) - Fushimi Inari -night : Kyoto Day 5 - Train - Naoshima - night: Uno Day 6 - Teshima -night: Uno Day 7 - Naoshima – Hiroshima - night: Hiroshima Day 8 - Hiroshima – Commemorations - night: Hiroshima Day 10 - Miyajima- night: Miyajima Day 10 - Miyajima - Himeji Castle - night: Osaka Day 11 - Osaka - night: Osaka Day 12 - Kyoto - West -night: Osaka Day 13 - Kanazawa to Ainokura - night: Ainokura Day 14 - Shirakawa-go - Takayama - night: Takayama Day 15 - Kamikochi night: Takayama Day 16 - Takayama - return to Kanazawa night: Kanazawa Day 17 - Kanazawa -night: Kanazawa Day 18 - Travel to Tokyo (Shibuya) -night: Tokyo Day 19 - Tokyo (visit with Tokyo Free Guide – Yoyogi Park - Meiji Shrine - Harajuku - Takeshita-dori - Omote Sando - Odaiba) - night: Tokyo Day 20 - Tokyo (with Tokyo Safari) - night: Tokyo Day 21 - Tokyo (Tsukiji, Hama-Rikyu Onshi Teien, Asakusa and Senso-ji, Kappabashi, Ameyoko, and Ueno) - night: Tokyo Day 22 - Tokyo (Shibuya-Yoyogi Park again - Ikebukuro - Shinjuku (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Omoide-yokocho, Golden Gai) - night: Tokyo Day 23 - Tokyo (Yanaka – Ueno – Edo-Tokyo Museum - Takashita-Dori again - back to Shibuya) - departure at 10:50 PM for Paris

(You can access the published days directly by clicking on them).

The itinerary perfectly matched our expectations: a good pace, a wide variety of visits, the must-sees, but also a first taste of rural Japan. If we were to do it again, I’d do exactly the same (except for the back-and-forth between Kyoto and Osaka on Days 4 and 12, which were due to my desire to explore Osaka with Osaka Safari). Of course, we had to skip some sights, especially in Kyoto where we missed a few “highlights,” but that was a deliberate choice—I’d limited our time in the city, which is known for being stifling in summer.

For accommodations, we mixed Airbnb apartments and quadruple rooms in guesthouses and ryokan. It worked out perfectly. The apartments gave us more space and the chance to dine in some evenings, while the guesthouses and ryokan helped us experience Japanese customs.

First, a quick recap: all four of us were enchanted by our trip. Japan is a constant source of wonder, just like the preface of *Tokyo Sanpo* by Florent Chavouet describes—I’ll take this opportunity to plug the book, which I read with great pleasure after our vacation. That’s exactly it: everything is a reason for amazement. Everything is so different from home. I wanted to photograph everything around me constantly. I promise, I won’t say “photograph like a Japanese” anymore—during this trip, *I* was the Japanese. And I better understand the culture shock Japanese travelers experience in Europe.

As a friend of mine put it: “It’s simple—they have ten fingers, so they count in base 10. Otherwise, they do everything differently from us.” Well summarized.

Another thing: everything is easy. Everything seems to have its place and be exactly where it should be. The smallest detail seems to have been thought out to make life easier. Things that come to mind: the incredibly well-designed signage in train stations and the subway, the ubiquitous public toilets, designated smoking areas, those hyper-detailed maps with all the useful information available at every place we visited… These maps are so well done that we got into the habit of picking them up systematically. It’s that simple: I came back to Paris with a complete collection. And when we arrived in Takayama by car, our first stop was at the train station to get THE map. But this order goes beyond all these practical elements. There’s a certain *je ne sais quoi* that makes you feel like everything is exactly where it should be. Even during rush hour, in the crowds, people manage to avoid each other in a smooth, collision-free flow—the opposite of the Paris metro. Anyone who’s experienced certain transfers in Paris at certain times will understand.

The exquisite politeness of the Japanese and their desire to be helpful are another highlight of the trip. Every person we met tried to help us and make our lives easier. It was really great.

Oh! I almost forgot: Japan’s hyper-safe side. I’ve rarely felt as safe as I did in Japan. No need to keep an eye on your belongings—they’re not going anywhere. One example among many: in Tokyo, Japanese women leave their bags open with their smartphones casually placed on top. Even I could’ve taken them without them noticing, let alone a pickpocket… No wonder France is seen as dangerous.

That said, I’m not claiming Japanese society is flawless. The role of women and gender relations are downright shocking and archaic from our European perspective. I also don’t think I could live in such a codified society, where the individual is so dissolved into the collective. But for a vacation, it’s simply delightful. On that note, I recommend *Nââânde?!* by Eriko Nakamura, which I discovered after our trip on the recommendation of our eldest’s friend. It’s the story of a Japanese woman married to a Frenchman living in Paris, recounting her astonishment at French habits and customs. Even though I tried to be careful, I’m sure I made quite a few blunders.

As for the climate, it didn’t stop us from enjoying our trip. Sure, we were hot—*really* hot—but by protecting ourselves from the sun (hat for me, caps for the others, plus umbrellas—Japanese-style parasols) and drinking liters and liters of water, it was manageable and didn’t bother us too much, even if we probably had a slower pace than we would’ve with milder weather. That said, with small children, we would’ve struggled more.

Last point before diving into the trip details: the cost. Despite what I’d read, traveling in Japan is still expensive. I’m not talking about our specific trip, where—using our daughter’s 18th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary as an excuse—I splurged on a few extras that drove up the cost. I was particularly surprised by the price of quadruple rooms, which is roughly the same as two double rooms. So for a family, that’s a significant extra cost. The various paid sites in Kyoto also add up. As for food, it’s generally cheap, but it would be a shame not to budget for a few extras to try some less affordable specialties—like Hida beef in our case.
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Orionide 4 days ago
Exploring Senja Island and the Lofoten Archipelago
Hi everyone,

We traveled to Norway in the summer of 2025, from July 17 to 29, to visit Senja Island and the Lofoten archipelago with a rental car. The common thread of these twelve days was clearly hiking, along with a few visits and experiences, and nights spent in a tent or in the car (which made it possible). We chose Narvik Airport for both arrival and departure for several complementary reasons: the desire to visit nearby Senja Island, slightly more affordable airfare, and finally, the rental price of the vehicle—especially the car model we were looking for. We only made one reservation, for the first campsite, as sleeping in a tent made things much easier. But we had the whole structure of the trip planned, a flexible outline that could adapt to the weather conditions we’d encounter. Senja Island isn’t part of the Lofoten archipelago, and during the early stages of planning this trip, we hadn’t planned to visit it. But its relative proximity to Narvik Airport and, above all, its unique geography definitely made us change our minds. We arrived in Evenes, where Narvik Airport is located, nearly 60 km from the city itself. Our first stop was 40 km further in Bjerkvik on the way to Senja, where there’s a Rema 1000 (a very common supermarket chain in Norway). We needed to buy some food and a gas cartridge for our stove. I’d emailed the store manager beforehand, who told me they didn’t sell them but that the two gas stations in the village were likely to have some in stock.

It was only at the Esso station that I found what I needed, but unfortunately, only one cartridge. Luckily, we quickly realized that most campsites (like in Iceland) have a shared kitchen with hotplates. That single small cartridge was just enough for the few nights we spent outside of campsites... We got our first taste of Norway’s characteristic landscapes:

When we arrived at the Senja campsite, it was already 9:30 PM. A sign announced it was full, but luckily, I’d booked it 10 days earlier. By 10:30 PM, as we settled in to eat, it was still broad daylight, and the thermometer read 25°C—despite being at a latitude of 69° North! We went to bed around midnight, exhausted but under the light of a sun that was still very much present. Thanks to Earth’s tilted axis. We’d anticipated this by buying opaque sleep masks because, yes, at this time of year, it’s daylight all the time.

Friday, July 18:

Today, we planned two hikes on the island and a few stops along the way. The map clearly shows that the deepest fjords are in the north and west. Due to time and accessibility, we focused on the northern part of the island. Our first stop was at the viewing platform in Bergbotn:



Then we headed toward Skaland, the starting point for our first hike. Along the way, we found plenty of reasons to stop—especially since, on this first day of travel, our thirst for Nordic landscapes was far from quenched.



The town of Skaland is very practical: free parking, picnic tables for after the hike, and a Joker convenience store right next door. Our goal was the summit of Husfjellet: 670 m of elevation gain, between 8 and 9 km in length, and an estimated 4 hours and 30 minutes.

This hike offers two major viewpoints. The first overlooks the Bergsoyan islands to the west:



At the summit, the view shifts to the Steinfjorden fjord:



You can even clearly see the "Devil’s Teeth," which we’d see from below later:



In total, the hike took us 4 hours and 30 minutes, including all the breaks. We treated ourselves to an ice cream in Skaland to recharge for the next hike. We hit the road again and stopped at Tungeneset to get a closer look at the Devil’s Teeth:



We continued to Fjordgard, the starting point for our second hike. Fjordgard isn’t very welcoming. There was a time when you could park right at the start of the hike up Mount Segla. Now, everything’s blocked off, and locals have even taken to blocking all possible parking spots nearby. You now have to park outside the town at a paid parking lot (90 NOK for 3 hours), adding an extra 2 km (round trip) of walking. Still, that was just a minor inconvenience because the hike that followed quickly made us forget all about it. The hike is fairly short (2 hours) but still has 520 m of elevation gain. This hike was a stark contrast to the first. This morning, we had sweeping views of the vast landscape. Here, Mount Segla, perched on the edge of the cliff, dominates the foreground:





For those prone to vertigo, it might be best to stay at the foot of the mountain, as the trail climbs right along the cliff edge. And from that point on, you quickly understand what verticality really means...



In total, we took 2 hours and 50 minutes, including breaks and the extra walk to the parking lot. The day was already well underway, and with 1,200 m of cumulative elevation gain, it was time to find a spot to eat and sleep. Since we hadn’t made any reservations, we’d planned to bivouac for the night. We weren’t too picky—just practical—so we decided to sleep in the car at the parking lot for tomorrow morning’s hike, just 5 km from Fjordgard.
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Calisson94 4 days ago
Hiking in Norway: Jotunheimen and Dovrefjell, you’ll adapt to the rain...
In the summer of 2026, we packed our backpacks again to wander around Jotunheimen National Park in Norway.

We hadn’t heard of this park just a few months earlier—it was by following threads online that we discovered it.

Described as the most mountainous park in the country, it really appealed to us after scrapping our initial plan further north.

Unfortunately, it’s also the most crowded, which immediately made it less appealing! The presence of the highest peak in the Scandinavian Alps and the "famous" Bessengen ridge (famous because it’s clearly well-known across the country) probably has a lot to do with that.

Since we managed to avoid the crowds on the Kungsleden trails by camping away from the huts and timing our hike to miss the biggest groups of walkers, we figured we had the recipe down and gave in to the call of the Norwegian mountains.

It’s the most mountainous park, but also quite challenging in terms of progress, as we’d soon discover during the trek. And with uncooperative weather, we got the winning combo of a demanding hike. But I’m getting ahead of myself...

For the end of the trip, we planned a few days in Dovrefjell National Park, since these two parks are easily connected by public transport, to see something different but also (and mostly) to try and spot the musk oxen that live in that park.

Wed 08/04 - Arrival in Oslo Thu 08/05 - Bygdin – Torfinsbu Fri 08/06 - Torfinsbu - Gjendebu Sat 08/07 - Gjendebu - Fondsbu Sun 08/08 - Day hike to Slotafjellet Mon 08/09 - Day hike to Lake Kvitevatnet Tue 08/10 - Fondsbu - Gjendebu Wed 08/11 - Gjendebu - Before the Bessengen ridge Thu 08/12 - Bessengen ridge – Maurvangen campsite Fri 08/13 - Knutshoe ridge Sat 08/14 - Bus transfer to Spiterstulen hut via Lom Sun 08/15 - Day hike to Galdhøpiggen End of the trip and wrap-up
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Jemaflor 4 days ago · Barry23
CARIBBEAN: The island of SAINT-MARTIN, a different perspective
When it comes to the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin, it's customary to praise its coastline and dreamy beaches—and they certainly deserve it. But in this story, I’d like to highlight other memories, aspects, and impressions for a slightly different change of scenery. Enjoy the read—some text and, above all, lots of photos. « Byenveni sou zile Sen Maten! » (Welcome to the island of Saint-Martin)

-- -- Full and luminous To avoid seeming too conventional at the start of this alternative take on Saint-Martin... here’s not a stunning sunrise over the sea but rather a moonrise—a less "typical" choice. And when you get to witness it, it’s a truly unique moment of contemplation. However, three conditions are essential for this spectacle: a full moon phase, a cloud-free horizon, and—most importantly—a moonrise at twilight. That early evening, all the conditions aligned—lucky us! Just above the sea, a strange glow gradually appeared. A huge moon was about to shine against a deep blue night sky.



What’s more, its light sparkled on the water’s surface—gorgeous! But so fleeting. We’re on the east coast of the island, by the wide stretch of light sand at Baie Orientale, Saint-Martin’s own. Now, just because I wanted to start with something a little different doesn’t mean we should overlook the bright sunrises you can see on this bay. They’re far more common than a beautiful full moonrise, but they also require two things: being an early riser and a clear horizon without misty clouds. Views to soak in without restraint...





Other memories of beautiful lights and lovely colors—a morning when the sun had a brief meet-up with the rain, creating a stunning rainbow.



And let’s talk about the moon again... On a clear night, a "blood moon," the result of a lunar eclipse that had turned our familiar satellite red.



-- --

A butterfly with golden wings! In the tropics, swarms of butterflies flutter everywhere, from flower to flower. They sip the sweet nectar from stamens and blooming corollas with delight.



Here, a monarch, one of the great migratory butterflies, taking its time to enjoy the pollen of this Ixora coccinea—or Japanese hydrangea, but let’s stick to Saint-Martin.



This one is an *Agraulis vanillae*, to be precise—and thanks to the internet for the ID. Photographing them isn’t always easy; these fearless butterflies often fly off before you can get a good focus, challenging both the framing eye and the autofocus! But on the island, I noticed some butterflies were much easier to shoot—those decorating a few murals. ;)





One of the graffiti artists behind several Saint-Martin murals has made it his signature. The talented Jimmy Sheik slips a little butterfly into each of his works, even if it’s not the main subject. It’s a nod to his home island, Guadeloupe, whose territory—with Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre—looks uncannily like a giant butterfly. In the photo above, a great initiative: turning this beach bungalow, abandoned after Hurricane Irma’s (2017) devastation, into a mural canvas—it’s a real success. Well done, artist!

To be continued >>>>>>
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Bluequark 5 days ago
Summer 2026 - 3 weeks in the Azores
I love islands...

I love islands. So it’s no surprise that the Azores have been catching my eye for a few years now. The first time I suggested them to my dear partner back in 2021, he preferred the Lofoten Islands—an excellent choice, as it turned out, since we got to visit with hardly any crowds. But for various reasons, the opportunity didn’t come up again in the following years. Until last year, that is. But by then, we’d left it too late—too late for the Azores, I mean—and the accommodation options on Flores and São Jorge were extremely limited. We decided to skip it without even looking at car rentals. So this year, we booked our flights, lodging, and cars *way* in advance (between December of last year and early this year).

The Azores consist of nine islands, so you have to make choices. I quickly ruled out São Miguel, which deserves a week all to itself: from what I’d read on various blogs, some travelers seemed disappointed after visiting the other islands, even feeling it lacked the Azores’ unique charm. True or not, that was reason enough to skip it.

In the end, we wanted to go to Flores for its lush nature (and because it’s reputed to be the most breathtaking), São Jorge for its rural/nature vibe, and Terceira for its cultural side and *impérios* (more on that later). With the time we had, we could add another island without rushing. We like to take our time and wander a bit—whether it’s a viewpoint or a hike, we always spend longer than *everyone* else. Pico won out over Faial thanks to its wine culture. And of course, there’s Corvo, which is usually visited as a day trip from Flores. I thought it’d be nice to spend the night there to experience the atmosphere once most tourists had left. I hesitated between one or two nights but ultimately went with two (so we wouldn’t be rushed by the boat schedule). It was an excellent decision.

Here’s how it all panned out:

August 25: departure for Terceira via Lisbon at 7:40 AM; August 25–29: Terceira; August 29: flight to Corvo. It was supposed to take half a day, and we were meant to arrive in the early afternoon, but between schedule changes and delays, it ended up taking almost the whole day; August 29–31: Corvo; August 31: boat to Flores around 8:30 AM; August 31–September 5: Flores; September 5: flight to Faial in the early afternoon (originally scheduled for the morning, but the times changed)—visit to Horta; September 6: boat to São Jorge around 9:00 AM; September 6–11: São Jorge; September 11: boat to Pico at 11:15 AM; September 11–16: Pico; September 16: flight to Paris via Lisbon from Pico around 10:30 AM.

We had to juggle a bit to optimize the prices of our flight tickets from Paris and the inter-island travel.
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Jojoone1 5 days ago · Songsam
All Over Thailand
You can post your personal photos in the following thread: https://voyageforum.com/forum/quelque-part-en-thailande-d10655574/

This travel journal is therefore intended solely for my photos, to present a consistent style. All the shots were taken with a simple Samsung Galaxy smartphone and with whatever was at hand.

All stays combined, I’ve spent the equivalent of three years at most in Thailand, and I’m not a big expert on the country. However, after many trips, lots of reading on VoyageForum and other sites, and conversations with many locals as well as expats, my view of the country is becoming clearer, though it’s constantly evolving. You never stop discovering and learning.

I guess I wanted to piece together a puzzle, mainly for those who want to get an idea of the country here and for those who miss it. I don’t know if this minimalist sharing will interest anyone, but it’ll do me good to put it together. After so many months without traveling and then these other long months with VF closed, there’s plenty of material available.

There’ll be a mix of places, periods, and subjects, but it might well be intentional.



I suspect many Thais have dogs because they make excellent guards for the home. Nothing better to deter burglars or to signal the presence of a snake. You’ll often see Thais tapping the top of their dog’s head, but don’t be fooled: it’s a sign of affection from them. Judging by the dogs’ reactions, they’re used to it.

Thailand is one of the countries on the planet where rabies is still present, so keep that in mind. It’s not just bites that can be dangerous, so don’t let just any dog lick you. Especially on a wound, of course. Even though dogs often fear humans—this dangerous and unpredictable predator—we still need to stay cautious. Be careful when walking into alleys because the dog will defend its master’s big property, be careful at night, and be careful when they’re in packs. It sometimes crosses our minds that Thailand isn’t really made for walking around, and dogs are one of the reasons. That said, it’s not uncommon to see them chasing bikes or scooters. Cars, though, are much rarer—they’re too big.

It seems Thais prefer to give their dogs freedom by not locking them behind gates. Though sometimes the gate is closed, the little side door is wide open. Oh, and sometimes there’s no gate in front of the property, or it’s been broken for years.

You’ll often see dogs sleeping on the side of the road, sometimes right on the road. When you arrive, they move aside nonchalantly—or not at all. It’s less funny when they suddenly appear from thick vegetation, which reminds visitors not to drive too fast. As a result, you’ll notice that dogs with injuries or missing legs aren’t that rare.

Since they believe in reincarnation and respect for all forms of life, they don’t chase dog packs away too much, and they don’t sterilize them enough. Seeing a small pack roaming freely in the countryside, you might think it’s best not to cross paths with them at the edge of a field. A darker side of this is that euthanasia isn’t often practiced. Twice, we saw dogs at temples on the brink of death, enduring terrible suffering. No one did anything about it. The image (and the smell) of one of them, dying and emitting the stench of death, still comes back to me sometimes.

Some of you may have seen the YouTube vlog of a French woman living in Phuket who was given a little pig by her Thai friends. The well-fed animal quickly became a happy, enormous beast with its own garden. Yet, it didn’t take long for it to fall seriously ill and become incurable. In her video, the French woman described how difficult it was to find a vet willing to perform euthanasia.

You’ll often see bowls by the side of the road. Thais leave food and water in them for stray cats and dogs. Overall, they have a big heart for animals.

If you ever pop into a shopping mall, you might see people pushing their small dogs in strollers. It’s not a gimmick—it’s just that these strollers are provided for customers to put their pets in, otherwise you can’t bring them inside. It looks a bit odd when you expect to see a baby.
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Kate 5 days ago · Aroythai
Trip to Thailand and Laos
Hello! 🙂

January 2026 Here we go again for new adventures and the pleasure of sharing them with you here! First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who helped me with the preparations, even with some last-minute improvisations just days before departure. Thanks to Montagnard74, Jojoone1, Songsam, Attila, Dennis2, NadegerFERM, and the authors whose travel journals about Laos inspired me (Montagnard74, Muriel18, Mavietongs...).

In this story, written by Richard and illustrated by me, we’ll tell you about the journey of four friends: Catherine, Richard, Nathalie, and Bruno. A reinvented but overall successful trip, filled with discoveries and surprises, the scents of spices and frangipani flowers, (too) spicy food, sunsets, and... one big mess.
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Mitch341 6 days ago · Chatounnette
Pont de Gau
Hi everyone!

A quick travel journal entry to tell you about the Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue (13).

A real paradise for flamingos... but also for swarms of mosquitoes that attack in squadrons, without warning and dive-bombing! 🦟😄

And I thought these critters didn’t go for spoiled meat! Clearly, they’re not too picky about freshness! 😵

More seriously, it’s a really nice spot for photography and nature lovers. Kids love it too! If you’re in the area, it’s a great discovery to make.

Here are a few shots from my session yesterday at the end of the day.

675 photos on the counter, currently sorting through them... Still testing the camera body. If I keep about twenty, that’ll already be a win!

Anyway, there’s work to do... and some itching on top of that! 📸🦟😄



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Muriel18 last week
Two weeks under the Puglia sun
After a pretty disastrous weather-wise trip to Gran Canaria, we’re hoping this time the sun will shine in Puglia. It’s not a sure thing, though—the weather’s been awful all over Europe in early May.

For those who’d like to (re)read the story without the digressions, it’s here.

Saturday, May 16: This time we’re flying out of Charleroi (Brussels South): the ticket prices, flight times, and proximity all worked for us. The airport (Ryanair) was recently renovated... but it’s still not very well organized. There are hardly any seats in the boarding areas, and... the restrooms cost money!!! The flight goes smoothly, though, and we land in Bari a little late.

We quickly pick up our rental car, a very local-looking Pandina (even more so than the Fiat 500 in this region), and hit the Italian roads... and their unique driving quirks (like the fact that the countless road signs along the streets and in towns are purely decorative 😏, and that Italian cars don’t have turn signals 😮... except for rental cars).

About an hour later, we arrive at our first accommodation, right in the middle of the countryside near Monopoli. The owner isn’t there, but they’ve left us a ton of info via messages and even turned on the space heater, which is a nice touch. We explore the property:



And the next morning before breakfast, its immediate surroundings:





Sunday, May 17: After our "seaside" experience in Gran Canaria last weekend (packed with people and locals), we decide to start inland. After a hearty breakfast,



we head toward Alberobello, a super touristy village famous for its trulli—those stone houses with conical roofs. We easily find a free parking spot on a street near the Aia Piccola district, where some trulli are still lived in year-round.





We almost immediately come across the Trullo Sovrano (the only two-story one), which you can visit (but we skip it—it’s opening time, and there’s already a line).



From there, we head down toward the Basilica of Cosma e Damiano... but we don’t go in because there’s a mass.



Now we’re on the main Piazza del Popolo, which connects the two districts of Alberobello: Rione Aia Piccola and Rione Monti, the more touristy one.
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Larri 2 weeks ago · Mitch341
From Amman to Jerusalem
I’m reposting here a travel journal originally published on the Routard forum in 2022 during VoyageForum’s hiatus. Without altering its content, I’ll try to streamline it. The few comments on the political situation reflect my feelings at the time and don’t account for events since then! I’d rather avoid debates on the topic. The photos are nothing fancy—just illustrative.

The context: we’re coming out of COVID. We’re looking for a not-too-distant destination, and Jordan has been catching our eye for a while. After some thought, we wonder if we shouldn’t take advantage of the geography to hop over to Israel. After all, Jerusalem is less than 100 km from Amman. Plus, Transavia lets you combine both destinations.

To plan our trip (February 19 to March 4, 2022), we contacted three French-speaking agencies in Amman. Their itinerary proposals were pretty similar, but the prices varied significantly. Given the many positive reviews we read on travel forums and a very attractive rate compared to competitors, we quickly settled on Ahmad Ababseh’s agency. Still, deep down, we had a slight worry—so many glowing reviews seemed a bit over the top, but we took the chance.

During the preparation, which happened in a very short timeframe (less than 10 days), Ahmad didn’t provide detailed roadbooks, and we made do with brief email or phone exchanges. Few details were shared either. We discussed hotels, with Ahmad preferring the ones he knew. We picked our hotel for our arrival in Amman, but before agreeing, Ahmad insisted on inspecting the rooms.

For payment, Ahmad only asked for a 500 € deposit and trusted our word for the balance, which we paid upon arrival. He also committed in writing to refund the full deposit if our trip was canceled due to COVID.

Finally, for the Israeli part, Ahmad contacted an agency in Jerusalem to handle the logistics. He didn’t take a commission.
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Pinacoladada 2 weeks ago
Road Trip - Canadian West
After exploring Dawson City, the final stop on our incredible road trip to the Yukon (see travel journal), it was time to head back to Quebec.

Instead of returning directly, we took advantage of this cross-country drive to make several stops in British Columbia and Alberta.

This part of the trip allowed us to discover some of the most beautiful attractions in Western Canada, from breathtaking landscapes to iconic natural sites that are must-sees in Canada.

Between majestic mountains, turquoise lakes, and jaw-dropping panoramas, every stop added a memorable touch to this already exceptional adventure.

A wonderful way to wrap up this journey across Canada while fully enjoying the richness and diversity of its vast landscapes.

In the upcoming posts, you’ll discover the highlights that marked our journey through Western Canada.

I invite you to watch the associated videos to fully experience the atmosphere, landscapes, and attractions we were lucky enough to explore.

To navigate to a specific post, here are the appropriate links:

Adventure on the Alaska Highway: Bald Eagles, Bison & Moose Adventure on the Alaska Highway: Bison, Caribou & Bears Yellowhead Highway (Alberta): Roche Miette, Jasper Lake & Emerald Pond Maligne Lake Road (Jasper) | Moose and Elk Exploring Mount Robson Provincial Park (BC) Must-Sees on the Icefields Parkway - Alberta David Thompson Highway11 (AB): A Stunning Scenic Route What to See in Yoho National Park (BC) Johnston Canyon: Hike to the Lower & Upper Falls Iconic Sites of East Kootenay, BC Lundbreck Falls - A Spectacular Waterfall in Southern Alberta Trails of Red Rock Canyon & Blakiston Falls - Waterton Waterton Village Under the Snow - A Unique Place Writing-on-Stone: A Park Famous for Its Hoodoos Red Rock Coulee Natural Area Alberta – A Supernatural Landscape Dinosaur Provincial Park Alberta - Mysterious Badlands Drumheller: Dinos, Hoodoos & Badlands Interpretive Trail Hike at Horsethief Canyon | Drumheller Badlands Red Deer: Public Art & Murals Downtown Calgary | Public Art, Skyline & Iconic Spots Medicine Hat | Public Art & Iconic Spots
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Mitch341 2 weeks ago
Southwest USA Road Trip Part II
Here we go with this second travel journal dedicated to the American West! It’s a must when you love it! 😊

We had left off in the charming town of Bisbee, which once thrived thanks to its copper mines. Today, mining is a thing of the past, and the town seems a bit sleepy.

Unfortunately, I didn’t dig deep enough on-site to answer all the questions my observations raised. Guess I’ll have to *dig* into the subject a bit more... no pun intended! 😊

Let’s hop back in the car and head a little further south to check out the esplanade that offers a view—if you can call it that—of the impressive open-pit mine. Then, it’s off to the Lowell neighborhood.

Preserved almost exactly as it was, this area must’ve been bustling in its heyday. The vintage cars are still around, storefronts and signs look like they’re straight out of another era, and the whole place has a pretty amazing vibe. You’d almost think you were on Route 66!

Here, we’re not just discovering an old neighborhood—it’s a little slice of American history. And, a detail that’s great for my physical health: the area isn’t too spread out. Lucky me! 😊

I won’t post too many photos here since I think I can turn them into a future photo exhibit. Between these and some shots from Route 66, I should have more than enough material! So, let’s keep a few under wraps... to preserve the surprise. 😊

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Fabhyène 2 weeks ago · Cinefil67
3 weeks in Laos, stress-free
Come along, I'm taking you to this country where it's so nice to wander and slow down...

This trip was in 2023, but when I wanted to write my travel journal, VF was still closed to contributions... So, now that I've just finished my Japan travel journal here, I figured it was high time to honor this destination we came back from so enchanted. Disclaimer 1: This is a written travel journal. There’ll be text! Too much, for some! Disclaimer 2: This is an illustrated travel journal. There’ll be photos! Too many, for some!

I have to say, every time I try to discipline myself, to keep it shorter, to include fewer photos... I end up adding more. It feels like my dear Aunt Nicole, who exhausted us with her slide-show evenings in the 70s/80s, decided to take her revenge. The upside for you, readers, is that you can slip away anytime without offending Aunt Nicole. I won’t even notice!

Anyway, since I love maps, here’s one to give you an idea of where I’m taking you. As you can see, we only saw a tiny part of Laos (the areas circled in red); we only had 3 weeks for ourselves (my husband’s newly retired, I still work), and we prefer taking our time over rushing around like crazy.



In broad strokes, it was very classic:

First, we “settled in” at Luang Prabang (8 days), because we wanted and needed to. From there, we took three days to venture a little further north—not far in kilometers, but as we know, distances aren’t just about km! Then we flew south to Paksé, letting ourselves drift down to the 4,000 Islands while stopping by the pre-Angkorian archaeological sites. We wrapped up with the Bolaven Plateau.

A few practical notes: We arrived via Bangkok, then took a Bangkok-Luang Prabang flight, having picked up our luggage in Bangkok to check it in for Luang Prabang. No issues—the Bangkok airport, which many of you know, is very well organized. We got our visas on arrival in Luang Prabang. Quick, but to be fair, we were on a “small” plane, and the big flights had arrived earlier, so we weren’t too crowded in line! At the end of our trip, we didn’t fly out of Paksé but from the nearby airport in Thailand, Ubon Ratchathani (a 2.5-hour drive from Paksé), then Bangkok and Paris. You’ll notice we skipped Vientiane to stay longer in Luang Prabang. That said, there’s now a high-speed train between Vientiane and Luang Prabang—good to know—and soon the (Chinese) train will go all the way to Bangkok and even Kuala Lumpur!

With that intro out of the way, let’s dive into the heart of the matter. To be continued: Slowing down the pace... in Luang Prabang
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Bibouns51 3 weeks ago · ChrisEtLolo
Off to explore Lithuania!
December 13 - Day 1

"How about a Christmas market this year, huh? A little romantic weekend getaway... - Yes! That’d be cool! Strasbourg? Colmar? - Feels a bit déjà vu, doesn’t it? Plus, slim chance of snow there... And I’d love something a bit more exotic with a touch of originality..."

"Okay, Google, give me the list of the five most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe. - In fifth place, the Christmas market in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. - Save your breath! Lithuania, here we come!"



We wanted cold, and cold is exactly what we got the moment we set foot in this new, unknown land. As for landscapes, forests and lakes stretch as far as the eye can see across this vast plain, its vegetation scorched by the frost of a winter that’s clearly already well underway here.



Lakes, in fact, set the scene for our first visit to Trakai Castle, whose brick-red towers and walls rise proudly against the azure sky of our first day. Lakes, because this castle was built on an island and is only accessible on foot via a series of walkways spanning half-frozen lake offshoots. I couldn’t have picked a better spot to build my castle! Translation: We’re totally sold! Proof is we spend two hours hiking around the area, alternating between forests, reeds, and cozy houses tastefully decorated for Christmas.















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Phil64 3 weeks ago
Live from India - Act III (on the way to the Himalayas)
Namaste! Here I am live from Delhi, past midnight, at least 30 degrees.... I wanted to post the start of this France travel journal but couldn’t find the time, so here it is live! Off we go for a third trip, but this time for double the duration—6 weeks with the goal of discovering Ladakh and Spiti, starting with a detour to Varanasi to meet up with Babeli and her family.

Phir milenge for the rest of the adventures...
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Bibouns51 3 weeks ago
Off on an adventure in Uzbekistan!
April 5 - Day 1

After as many weeks as I have fingers on my right hand, we're hitting the road again, fully recovered from our pharaonic adventure. Back in France to drop off our daughters (sorry, girls!), this time it's just the two of us, ready to be welcomed by a new destination. They say it offers one of the richest cultural heritages in the world for those willing to put in the effort. It's the land of the ancient Silk Road, where we'll follow a journey steeped in history and discoveries straight out of *One Thousand and One Nights*. A former Soviet bloc region independent only since 1991, we'll be walking in the footsteps of Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Alexander the Great, Marco Polo...

Another fun fact about this country: it's strictly forbidden to import porn on your phone. True story. The same goes for painkillers! Unless it's about sodomy—though the two don’t seem connected, that’s just how it is. Don’t ask me why! Anyway, I’m getting off track. Here’s the big question: Where do you think we’ve just landed?... To give you a hint, the locals are known for being incredibly welcoming. No sooner said than done—our first taxi driver, proud to transport French travelers, refused to let us pay for the ride. Great vibes for these two weeks ahead. So, any guesses? Uzbekistan!!!
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Viovio2 3 weeks ago · Gwenbis
15-day itinerary in southern Morocco
Last October, we landed in Marrakech to spend a few days with family exploring Morocco’s roads. Transport: a rented Dacia. Accommodations: small guesthouses.

Our first stop was just a few kilometers from Marrakech, at a lovely house perfect for relaxing and recharging before continuing. It’s called Bleu House, a little paradise on the outskirts of Marrakech. The welcome was very warm, with a beautiful pool and a lovely garden.

Next, we headed toward the Tichka Pass. The road has really improved in recent years—it’s much easier to drive now. No more getting stuck behind trucks, and today, the construction is practically finished.

Morocco has turned green after the recent rains. It’s a joy for the herds and shepherds.
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Pagaljavab 3 weeks ago · Djalma
16 days with family in La Gomera (Canary Islands)
Preamble: Why La Gomera?

When we started looking for a summer destination a few months ago, our first criterion was to avoid extreme heat and heatwaves. We had already been to Norway two years ago and are considering going back in the future for other occasions. So, we had some fun asking ChatGPT which destinations enjoyed a mild climate during the summer without going too far. Among the list provided by the AI were the Canary Islands... The idea of a place we wouldn’t have thought of first, both not too far away and exotic enough, appealed to us: “Hmm, why not?”

This destination had never really attracted me, though Magali was a bit more interested. Five years earlier, COVID had caused a short break in my professional activity, and I had planned a trip because the flight price was attractive, and I was looking for a destination different from what usually appeals to me, more than out of deep interest. From a distance and with a social judgment I acknowledge (it’s not great, but it’s not completely wrong), I had the image of a destination for party-goers enjoying the sun without the slightest interest in local culture, with concrete coastlines and denatured landscapes—everything I detest the most. Still, I had done some quick research on the different islands and spotted Lanzarote for its beautiful volcanic landscapes, hiking trails, beaches, and the impression of a good balance between activity and fewer crowds than Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Then I dropped the idea of going, without ever reconsidering traveling to the Canaries...

Until now! Because we started researching the different islands of the archipelago to see which ones might appeal to us the most. It was La Gomera, the third smallest island of the archipelago, more praised for its hiking trails and preserved nature than for its beaches, away from mass tourism (fifty times fewer tourists than Tenerife) but still a bit more developed than its wild neighbor El Hierro, that caught our attention. Contrary to what might be suggested later, I’m not at all addicted to AI, but I use it from time to time to synthesize quick research or simply for experimentation. Since ChatGPT had started anticipating my tastes lately as if it had become my buddy (often successfully, sometimes off the mark), I asked which Canary Island would suit me best for a trip with my family. The tool answered first with... La Gomera. So, I tested it and teased it a bit to see if this suggestion was well-founded, as the method sometimes makes it contradict itself. But no luck: “You’d appreciate the wild nature of El Hierro, but with family, you’ll find little activity for the kids. You won’t like the touristy vibe of the big islands like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. You could consider La Palma, but it’s really La Gomera that will suit you best, based on your interests and the criteria given.” So, we dug deeper into our research and were convinced without a shadow of a doubt that this island was the one waiting for us.

Without knowing it, we had Canarians in our circle who revealed their origins when they heard about our travel plans. One from Tenerife insisted we’d be better off choosing Tenerife (obviously...) because it also has preserved spots and that La Gomera, “you can explore it in two or three days, you’ll get bored quickly...” The other, a colleague from Gran Canaria who had never visited La Gomera, still recommended it without hesitation because it turned out her parents had just gone there on vacation: they loved it and had encountered few tourists. She also tended to think this destination was usually the subject of short stays, but according to what her parents told her, taking your time there was also a great idea. However, in our research, the idea that La Gomera is an island you can explore in three or four days max kept coming up. So, we considered combining its visit with La Palma or El Hierro, the other two that caught our eye. But hopping between islands by ferry represents a significant budget for non-Canarians, even more so for a family of four. Then, scrutinizing Google Maps, it seemed obvious that two weeks were too short to discover two islands as they deserve, and that there seemed to be plenty to see in La Gomera, given its very unique culture. After all, we read that some people spend several months a year there, others never even leave... Finally, these landscapes and this atmosphere, which seemed to us a mix of Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, tempted us. So, it would be two weeks in La Gomera, deal!

La Gomera is therefore the second... well, the third smallest island of the Canaries since La Graciosa was recently recognized as a fully inhabited island. It has the shape of a rough circle about 20 to 25 kilometers in diameter and has just over 20,000 inhabitants, half of them in its capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera, the only real town. Like its Canarian sisters, La Gomera is a volcanic formation that rose about 10 million years ago. The island is very mountainous and rugged, covered with red and black rocky landscapes. Geological activity has shaped, between the sprawling massifs that end in steep cliffs in the ocean, six coastal valleys with tropical vegetation that have favored human settlement. They divide the island like slices of a cake; from the north clockwise: the agricultural Vallehermoso, the rustic Agulo, the green, humid, and fertile Hermigua, the sunny capital San Sebastián de la Gomera, the southern and isolated Alajeró-Santiago, and the seaside Valle Gran Rey. They constitute the six municipalities (more like cantons to our French understanding) of the territory. The large solidified magma massifs that shape the heart of the island have created a large depression more protected from the sun at its center, allowing the growth of a vast laurel forest, today grouped within the Garajonay National Park, La Gomera’s green lung, which has earned it the status of a World Biosphere Reserve. Its completely European appearance contrasts sharply with the rocky and tropical landscapes of the rest of the island. Thus, the climate varies greatly from one point to another on the island: in summer, you can quickly go from a dry and sunny valley at 35°C to a humid forest area at altitude at 18°C.

La Gomera was populated late. As with the rest of the Canaries, human presence is thought to have begun about 2,000 years ago. Groups of animist Berbers, probably fleeing persecution, gradually populated the archipelago, especially the western islands and La Gomera, becoming its small aboriginal population: the Guanches (or later Gomeros). The animist and pastoral civilization of the Guanches thrived until the Spanish takeover in the 15th century, which, after a short period of harmony and mixing with the indigenous people, suddenly ended in bloodshed... La Gomera later became the “Columbus Island” after Christopher Columbus’s stopover, increasing the blending of populations. In the 20th century, many Gomeros emigrated to Cuba and other Latin American countries in search of a better life, bringing back a mix of cultures and traits quite palpable in today’s Gomeran culture. It is, however, in La Gomera that the vestiges of Guanche culture seem to have left the most traces, in the language, gastronomy, social practices... Moreover, most Gomeros, especially in remote villages, have a particular identifiable type and proudly claim their ancestral roots, even making La Gomera a bit exotic in the eyes of other Canarians.

Perhaps that’s why it has never really wanted to develop its tourist infrastructure too much. If we set aside the tourists who visit for the day by bus or boat from Tenerife on a marked itinerary (and whom we ultimately rarely encounter), La Gomera has remained a hidden gem, a destination focused on nature discovery that attracts hikers, nature-loving divers, and scientists for its fauna and flora, and to a lesser extent, beachgoers who don’t seek overly developed coastlines. Tourist activity is therefore limited. Roughly speaking, you’ll find a majority of Spaniards, including a substantial number of residents from other Canary Islands, many Germans who have a particular fondness for La Gomera and spend long stays there or own second homes, to the point that the German cultural footprint is clearly noticeable in some places (it’s said to be Angela Merkel’s favorite holiday spot), and still quite a few French. The presence of other nationalities seemed negligible to us. Most travelers come mainly for hiking, but it’s also a prime spot for whale watching. Additionally, the seaside resorts of La Gomera—San Sebastián, Santiago, and especially Valle Gran Rey—are well-known destinations for hippies, especially German ones, ranging from chic boho hippies to old-school hippies who’ve been there for decades, quite similar to those you’d meet in India in Goa, Rishikesh, or Paharganj. Thus, practices like naturism, vegetarianism, and local organic production are quite well established in some areas.

Some practical info: - The round-trip flight from Paris to Tenerife cost us 365 € per person (outbound with Transavia, return with EasyJet), including checked luggage and three seats reserved side by side. - We chose two bases to explore the island: one week in Valle Gran Rey, reputed to be the most pleasant of the three seaside resorts, and one week in Hermigua, more mountainous and close to the natural park. We booked two houses with balconies and views: the first at 120 € per night, the second at 99 €. - The round-trip ferry between Tenerife and La Gomera cost us 270 € with the company Baleària Canarias, including discounts for children aged 4 and 12, but I don’t have the exact details. It was a bit cheaper than with the other company, Fred Olsen. - Finally, we rented a car through the agency Cicar for 360 € for 16 days, which comes to 22.50 € per day. - Apart from that, we didn’t plan anything and decided the day before or even the morning of what we wanted to do. We didn’t invest in any paper guide on the Canaries, as information on La Gomera was scarce, but we used the very comprehensive site La Gomera Travel, a travel guide published by the Canary Islands Tourism Council, a real goldmine of almost exhaustive information on the island.

Alright, off we go for 16 days of adventure discovering La Gomera!



And we start the trip with music!

We start the trip with music!
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Montagnard74 3 weeks ago · Djalma
Turkey 2026: Riviera, Antalya, and Cappadocia
Hi everyone!

If you're looking for great tips and offbeat spots, if you love exploring uncharted parts of a country, if the exotic is your adrenaline, then move along!

Our 15 days in early May in this part of Turkey (a country I first discovered during a city trip to Istanbul in 2017) will only tread well-worn paths and revisit popular routes. Simply because I kept hoping until the very end that our flight to Jordan wouldn’t be canceled. Events in the Gulf proved me wrong, so we left with: Zero preparation. Not a single hotel booked (well, except the first one), no visits planned, just a flight ticket bought three weeks earlier. No guidebook, no app—just the desire to explore southern Turkey and Cappadocia, whose images and the chance to stretch our legs had caught my eye.

Oh, wait—I did bring along a new guide: Gemini! Yes, my friends, generative AI was my chief advisor throughout the trip for sites to visit, accommodations, routes, and even restaurants! An experiment I wanted to try to form my own opinion on using this new technology. And what better way to test it than a Turkish getaway?

The verdict? You’ll have to wait for the trip recap to find out!

The main idea of the trip is also relaxation.

So, the plan is Antalya for a few days, the Turkish Riviera for a few more, Cappadocia as the highlight, and a return via Antalya to wrap up the trip. And it was all planned by AI!

So, if you're ready, fasten your seatbelts—cabin crew, doors to automatic and cross check—boarding for Turkey now!

A little sneak peek?
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Attila 3 weeks ago
Breathtaking Kyrgyzstan!
This trip had been on my mind for about fifteen years.

But the discomfort of overnight stays, the difficulty of communication, and the prices of the few car rental options kept making me postpone the project.

And then, everything suddenly fell into place—I told myself, it’s time!

The preparations took longer than usual; the destination is still far from mainstream.

A bit of Kazakhstan? Not in the end.

The south or not the south? Yes, in the end.

Pre-book or go with the flow? Only two stops were a leap into the unknown.

To help me find the ideal route, I made great use of this forum (thanks to everyone for patiently answering my questions!), pored over travel journals and blogs (Christian, Jeff), zoomed in on Google Maps and Yandex, and bought the guide published by OunTravela about this destination (the guide has been updated since).

---/---

You’ve got your passport, international driver’s license, bank cards, and euros?

Off we go to Lyon—just one night left before our early morning flight.

Tomorrow night, we’ll be sleeping in Bishkek! (Steak for my partner’s mischievous nephews...)



You’ll find here a post with some practical information.

And here, the version of the travel journal without comments.

---/---

As a supplement, the route track. Not necessarily ultra-accurate since Google has serious gaps for this destination...

From Bishkek to Karakol:



From Karakol to Kochkor:



From Kochkor to Baetov:



From Baetov to Kara-Köl:



From Kara-Köl to Bishkek:



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