It seems apt that last week’s multipitch was called Penhouse Platforms. Due to our extended stay in Yangshou and desire to stay at this fabulous hostel, The Climbers’ Inn, we chose to upgrade to the last room available; the family suite on top of the building, complete with balcony and childrens’ room. A snip at…

The climbing in Yangshou has been a real treat. There is something for everyone here; overhanging roof thuggery, delicate crimpy wall climbing, huge multipitch adventures, and friendly single pitch scenes. The rock varies wildly from polished and highly-trafficked orange limestone to sharper and esoteric grey limestone – and everything in between. October and November are…

We woke up with serious climbing-related aches and pains, which were definitely nothing to do with middle age or rice wine. So, instead of cragging, we went on an adventure on our scooters to find out more about the geography of the area. Yangshuo’s extraordinary hills were made in much the same way as the…

Yangshuo is China’s premiere rock climbing destination; a region gifted with a multitude of limestone cliffs that offer climbing at all grades. The region is off the tourist route for Westerners and more a holiday destination for the Chinese and also European dirtbag crag monkeys. As we headed down towards the tropics, the weather stabilised,…

It has taken almost two weeks to not feel overwhelmed by the alien systems here; to not get shafted by inconsistent prices including the inevitable ‘tourist tax’, to consider the incessant surveillance a comfort rather than a threat, and to take advantage of the order and efficiency when there is so much chaos. Firstly, the…

Northern China is experiencing its fair share of rainfall this week, and this morning’s trip up Tianeman Mountain (‘Heaven’s Gate’ Mountain) was, by all accounts, a bit of a washout. Rainfall is higher than average for this time of year. It is lucky then that there is a vendor selling shoe sheaths and plastic raincoats…

After the intensity of visiting two of northern China’s mega-cities (exceeding 10 million inhabitants), we were elated to find ourselves back in our natural habitat. We breathed a sigh of relief as we drove up the mountains, surrounded by vegetation, altitude, and our kindred primate spirits. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is a national treasure, hosting almost…

Our travels continued down to Zhangjiajie (pronounced Jang-jar-juh) to visit a world-famous national park that you may recognise from the Avatar franchise. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is comprised of dense forests, deep ravines and canyons, unusual peaks, caves, and pillar-like formations. More on that later! To avoid a 12-hour multi-public transport challenge, we flew straight…

Huashan is one of China’s five great Taoist mountains. Her five granite peaks were formed by huge granite intrusions (volcanic activity) about 100 to 220 million years ago, with the tallest peak reaching over 2000m. We spent the day summitting all of the peaks and exploring the temples, which incredibly were built on precipitous and…

Xi’an is one of China’s oldest cities with a history spanning over 3,000 years. The city was the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, served as the Chinese capital for 13 dynasties, and is also famous for being the location of the Terracotta Army.  The city walls, which started construction in 194BC and were reconstructed in their present…