Posts by Ericdu38

Hi Aline, I’m planning a trip to Tanzania this autumn and thought I’d tap into your experience :-) Is October still the dry season? If not, what time would you recommend? I’d love to do a 10- to 15-day itinerary with a safari, a visit to Zanzibar, and other tourist spots... I’d really appreciate your tips, local contacts, and accommodation recommendations... Thanks so much. Jean-Luc

Hi there,

We went with them:

www.animauxtanzaniasafaris.com/

They speak French. For Zanzibar, book things yourself—flights and hotels are super easy to reserve.

We’re buddies with him (Cosmas), he speaks French. Look him up online. Animals Tanzania, Safari Ltd

Hi Aline, did you manage to finalize your plans for last summer? We’re trying to look into next summer, but the prices still seem crazy. Several local agencies are quoting us at least $3,000 for our family (2 adults, 2 kids) for a 3-day safari in Selous... Thanks!

hi, I’m jumping in on this thread. On YouTube, there are tons of videos about China’s pharaonic infrastructure projects—mega-airports, high-speed trains, and so on... There’s a high-speed train project planned to reach 450 km/h. Ms. Chinevoyages can confirm or deny. Thanks for the replies

Sorry, but this has nothing to do with the topic

Hi,

For us, it was the opposite—we loved China! I didn’t have great memories from over 20 years ago, so I decided to go back for a month, and wow, it was amazing. The landscapes, the super affordable and modern transportation, the delicious and cheap food, the incredibly welcoming and curious locals, and the hotels—so inexpensive for 3- and 4-star quality. So, we’re heading back for another month at the end of October. It’s so vast that I think we’ll return several times. After visiting Chongqing, Guiyang, Zhenyuan, Guilin, Liuzhou, and Nanning—a mix of cities and old towns—we’re planning to see Chengdu, Wuhan, the beaches of Xiamen, and Yunnan next.

Do you have any Chinese contacts around Nanning or Guilin?

Does this have anything to do with the topic?

Where did you buy your Defender? And is it easy to cross borders into China’s neighboring countries?

I know a guy who left France and is now in Afghanistan. He got chased and spent a few days in jail in Iran—he was in a sensitive area. And this happened recently

Back in the 80s, there were no mobile phones. I might have to stop regularly along the way to fire up the translator 🤔🤔. It reminds me that I wrote to the Chinese embassy twice a few months ago and I’m still waiting!!!

After a little stint in jail, it could be part of the travel experience 😄

"I wouldn’t go back for any other reason, but largely because of the tourism development aimed at Chinese visitors—I imagine too many crowds, queues, and especially feeling 'forced' to go to the 'must-see' spots instead of where I really want to go."

Well, turns out I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to return somewhere! But after thinking it over, I think I *will* go back to China—just not on an organized trip, and probably far from the big cities. I haven’t decided anything yet. I’m also considering traveling from Hong Kong to northern Vietnam by bike, naturally passing through China. Two different projects.

Regarding Ericdu’s comments. His position is incomprehensible to me. I’ve spent a month in China three times—once in Tibet, with the southern minorities, and around Beijing. Never in tourist hotels! Always in charming or private hotels, welcomed like royalty. My memories with the minorities, their hospitality, and sharing their last bowl of rice… Incredible. And I did the entire Silk Road all the way to the Torugart Pass. With my Defender, alone from Switzerland to Mongolia, via Uzbekistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan. I never had any problems. Traveling in Europe, the welcome in Eastern European countries isn’t the same. I’ve had more safety issues in Europe (often traveling solo). There you go. I know some excellent Chinese guides. One of my Mongolian guides was even a minister! I’m planning, in principle, one last trip to China in 2026–27 to do the Silk Road from Kashgar to Xi’an. The rest I’ve already done! Crossing Xinjiang by road is very expensive for a foreigner. If I do go back to China, I’ll let you know! Take care. John

Why is it incomprehensible? Everyone has their own feelings and experiences 😊

The things you mentioned in your first post really struck me as fascinating. It’s hard to say whether I agree or not. Even though I live in China and work in the tourism sector, I find your writing very talented. Your story had me laughing the whole way through. As a Chinese person who’s spent a few years in France, I see things differently. Life and people’s personalities here are not the same as in France. Actually, the experiences you had don’t happen everywhere or to everyone. I’m sorry you kept such a memory of China. If you ever decide to come back in a few years, don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help—for example, I can help translate your questions to hotel staff over the phone. 🙂

When it comes to food, it’s possible that the typical style of each province didn’t suit you. As for people’s personalities, it’s hard to comment because it really depends on the person and the place you visit. Sure, there can be situations like the ones you described, especially at the Terracotta Army. Your image of a bowl of rice and hundreds of "gugus" is so vivid, especially during holidays and school breaks. Kudos for noticing that! Regarding communication, I’m convinced that cutting-edge technology will improve things by 2025 and beyond. If the staff don’t understand you, ask for their manager to come. That sometimes works. As for the rare self-service laundromats and the high cost of hotel laundry services, that’s true. Most hotels don’t offer free washing. You pay per item, which can get expensive fast. I’d recommend staying in a serviced apartment instead—some offer laundry services. In China, laundromats are rare. You might want to bring portable hangers. In the north, clothes dry quickly—bonus physics! 😛 For airline services, I won’t comment on the service itself, but the food is terrible. They say it might be due to competition from other transport options, so costs have been cut. Personally, a visit to China isn’t always that bad. 🙂 By the way, the phrase "a bowl of rice and hundreds of gugus" is brilliant, but I’m curious—what are "gugus"? Have a great day.

Hi,

Things may have changed since then. My opinion is very personal. Still, I might go back to do a bike trip from Hong Kong to northern Vietnam.

We can chat via PM if you’d like.

Thanks,

hence my question, dear Eric: does travel have meaning? 😛 Sorry for the "pompous" rhetoric.

Of course, giving advice, tips, etc. is constructive—it adds something to the discussion... but if you recount your day down to the hour, I’m not a fan 🧳

I don’t have any examples to give—there are tons of them. The travel journal that sums up the trip day by day, down to the last cent, meals, last-minute changes, even the time they had to pee or poop

It’s obvious there’s nothing transcendent in what you’re listing... Doesn’t that just express the lack of meaning and the emptiness of our ways of living? Paradoxically, obsessing over life’s little details is what gives some members a sense of purpose.

I didn’t say the opposite. To each their own. Doesn’t do anything for me.

Hello,

In my opinion, your comment doesn’t belong in this thread.

Oh yes, it does—it perfectly shows why so many people don’t want to come back!

So in a thread about cars, you’re going to talk about boats and spam everyone? Got it!

In my opinion, your comment doesn’t belong in this thread. It has nothing to do with the topic. Why not message the person directly instead of going off-topic?

Long discussions on intersecting themes, tangents, and informal public exchanges are kind of VF’s DNA. In forum de discussion, there’s discussion.

Michel

From what I recall, it’s “«But where are they and what are they doing?»”! Not about whether you liked what someone posted or not! Oh well, do as you please—I won’t linger any longer. Have a nice day or evening; for me, it’ll be evening—I’m in Cambodia

Hello,

But jumping into a discussion where someone says they’re not interested in the topic—it doesn’t hit me (a bit strong of a verb, no?), but I find it amusing.

Glad I could entertain you; it’s so rare these days.

I went on MyAtlas to read a few bits from your travel journals, just to be sure I knew what we were talking about. I browsed Russia, the Baltics, Germany... Truth is, I’m not at all interested in the kind of travel you do, and therefore even less in reading about it in journal form. What I could tell you about the Faroe Islands would only disappoint you.

Michel

To me, your comment doesn’t belong in this thread. It has nothing to do with the topic. Why not message the person privately instead of going off-topic?

Hello,

Could you elaborate or give examples of what you consider "pretentious"?

I don’t have specific examples to give—there are plenty of them. That travel journal summarizing the trip day by day, listing prices down to the cent, meals, last-minute changes, the time they went pee or poo, whether they had a stomachache, if they slept well... all of it, with or without photos of the meal from every angle. Do you want me to go on?

It’s incredibly disorienting and unsettling. In a word, it’s real travel.

"Disorienting and unsettling, real travel"

That’s what I took away after 17 years of complete self-imposed isolation in this country of a thousand languages. Arrived in summer 2004, left in winter 2019.

And I’m going back this autumn... China fascinates me...

China fascinates you, the country is no doubt appealing. As for me, it’s the Chinese people who drive me crazy. I’m currently in Cambodia and I still see the same "characters" shouting, respecting nothing and no one... it’s infuriating

But that’s just my opinion—there are quite a few stories that feel a bit overblown... I steer clear 😄

Couldn’t we just show a little respect for the effort and investment put in by their authors? It’d go a long way in keeping the conversations on VF going. ;) Things aren’t looking great right now...

I said, "that’s just my opinion"