Primary Menu

Skip to content
Menu
  • Blog
  • About
  • Countries
  • Things ▾
    • Recipes
    • Amazing travel tips!
    • Cycle Diaries ▸
      • China Cycle Diaries
      • Taiwan Cycle Diaries
      • Japan Cycle Diaries
    • Motorbike Diaries ▸
      • Laos to Vietnam
      • Northern Thailand
    • Border Crossings
    • Weird
  • Archives
Header Toggle

eggbanana travels

Just looking

China


Hello from China.

We decided that because China is so huge and we only had a limited amount of time due to visa restrictions that we’d better find a good way to travel efficiently. So yeah, we bought bicycles.

Cycling through China (as of this writing) has been fascinating. We had heard the food wasn’t so good here, but that was utter nonsense. Sometimes we’ve struggled to know what to order, but in general we’ve managed to eat extremely well – mostly due to Caroline’s skill at ordering food in different languages – the dumplings, the rice rolls, the claypots, the noodles, the BBQ, did I mention the dumplings?

A misconception that westerners seem to have of China is that it contains rude, disgusting, pushy people. In the places we’ve traveled so far this has not been the case. People are often helpful, forgiving, and very curious. Sure, sticky balls of phlegmmy spit roar from the mouths of passing drivers and the occasional kid will be peeing in the gutter, but I say, “Let he who never spat from a car or peed in a gutter cast the first stone”. The tales of woe spread by media outlets of terrible Chinese tourists doing terrible things in other countries apparently count for an overwhelmingly vast minority of the populace.

ps. The bad internet in China makes maintaining this blog feel a little bit painting a house in the rain with a toothbrush. Remember the days of dial up internet? Yeah. Try adding 30 photos to a blog behind a VPN behind the Great Firewall of China in some hotel where the modem is five floors away.

chinese visa seoul

DIY Getting a Chinese Visa in Seoul

Posted onDecember 7, 2016October 24, 2017

China: Part of the Seoul Visa Trilogy. Read More …

CategoriesChina, South Korea, TravelTagschina, chinese visa, korea, seoul, tips, visa

The ferry from Xiamen to Taiwan

The Quiet Ferry from Xiamen to Taiwan

Posted onJune 3, 2016June 18, 20163 Comments

China is now behind us. Read More …

CategoriesChina, Taiwan, TravelTagsboat, border crossing, china, coordinated process, customs, ferry, keelung, one dragon, taiwan, taiwan strait, tourism, xiamen, 一條龍

One Dozen Cold Chinese Drinks

Posted onMay 31, 2016June 18, 20162 Comments

I present to you an earth-shattering review of some of China’s coldest, most callous beverages. Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagsbeverage, bottles, cans, china, cold drink, drink, tea, tips

Nanjing

The Last Leg: Hukeng to Xiamen

Posted onMay 29, 2016June 18, 20162 Comments

Here lies the final chapter in our cycling tour of China. We traveled from Hukeng to Xiamen, completing two months and over 2000 km of riding. Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagsbicycle, Chinese Cycle Diaries, cycling, fujian province, hukeng, nanjing, touring, xiamen, zhangzhou

Fujian Tulou Kejia Folk Culture Village

A Village of Ancient Earth

Posted onMay 26, 2016June 18, 20166 Comments

We explore the tulou houses of the Fujian province and spend a few days in the relative comfort of a cultural folk village. Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagschina, Fujian, Fujian Tulou Kejia Folk Culture Village, hakka, hukeng, minnan, tulou

Shantou to Hukeng

Meeting Mountains: Cycling from Shantou to Hukeng

Posted onMay 24, 2016January 11, 20175 Comments

This is the fourth diary in our cycling lives. We finally leave the city behind and take the mountainous roads from Shantou to Hukeng Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagsChen Ci Hong, china, Chinese Cycle Diaries, cultural revolution, cycling, Fujian, Fujian Tulou Kejia Folk Culture Village, Gaungdong, hakka, hukeng, pinghe, raoping, Shantou, sunrou, travel, tulou

cycling from zhuhai to shantou

Cycling Inland from Zhuhai to Shantou

Posted onMay 15, 2016June 19, 20163 Comments

The third part of our Chinese cycling tour brought us from Zhuhai to Shantou; two towns on the coast. Of course, we kind of took the long way. Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagschina, Chinese Cycle Diaries, cycling, eggbanana, Fengshun, heyuan, Huizhou, Humen, Jieyang, mountain, Shantou, travel, Wuhua, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Zijin

Sujiawei Hakka Village

Sujiawei Village

Posted onMay 10, 2016June 18, 20163 Comments

Sujiwei is a 600-year-old Hakka village in rural China. We managed to figure out the Chinese public bus system to reach it from Heyuan. Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagsancient, hakka, heyuan, su dongpo, su shi, su tungpo, sujiawei, village

Cycling from Yangshuo to Macau

Posted onApril 23, 2016June 18, 201610 Comments

The second chapter in our new cycling lives takes from from the Guangxi province to Gangdong province; from Yangshuo to Macau. Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagsbicycle, china, Chinese Cycle Diaries, cycling, Deqing, Gaoming, guangdong, guangxi, Jiangmen, macau, mengshan, taiping, touring, travel, wuzhou, xi river, yangshuo, Zhaoqing, Zhuhai

Misunderstandings

Posted onApril 15, 2016June 18, 20162 Comments

Traveling through China has been a wonderful and confusing time. Read More …

CategoriesChina, TravelTagsbicycle touring, china, cycling, dessert, guangxi province, lipu, mengshan, misunderstanding, snow dessert, taiping, wuzhou, 刨冰

Post navigation

← Older posts

Welcome!

You've found a blog about two people who, for 1.3 million minutes, travelled around Asia learning about its peculiarities. The process was a slow one, and this website is by no means comprehensive. We tried to report the good times, bad times, weird times, and interesting times evenly.

BananaFACEBOOK

EggRSS

eggINSTAGRAM

BananaRANDOM

This blog is over now...

But if I ever start a new one, I can email you and let you know.

Top Posts

  • Recipe: Kha Nom Tom (Thai Glutinous Rice Balls)
    Recipe: Kha Nom Tom (Thai Glutinous Rice Balls)
  • Pontianak - West Kalimantan Part 2
    Pontianak - West Kalimantan Part 2
  • The Quiet Ferry from Xiamen to Taiwan
    The Quiet Ferry from Xiamen to Taiwan
  • SStwo Mall: A giant failure
    SStwo Mall: A giant failure
  • Effective Microorganisms, a beaver dam, and other tales
    Effective Microorganisms, a beaver dam, and other tales
  • Crossing the Phsar Prum Border and visiting Pailin
    Crossing the Phsar Prum Border and visiting Pailin
  • Cambodian Visa Run at the Prek Chak Border
    Cambodian Visa Run at the Prek Chak Border
  • Volunteering at the Bamboo Bar
    Volunteering at the Bamboo Bar
  • "One of god's own prototypes"
    "One of god's own prototypes"
  • If you don't build a nice place for the chickens, they will leave
    If you don't build a nice place for the chickens, they will leave

Friends of ours!

The Life of a Kwai Loh
Space, waterfalls, and travel.
Molto Molto
Diaries of Italian & Dutch life.
This N.O.M.A.D. Blog
Poetic tales of Asia.
Asia Roundabout
Cycle diaries through SEA and China.

We're semi-social

The face book.
The instant gram.
Copyright © 2023 eggbanana travels. All Rights Reserved.
Eggbanana by 
Scroll Up
  • Blog
  • About
  • Countries
  • Things ▾
    • Recipes
    • Amazing travel tips!
    • Cycle Diaries ▸
      • China Cycle Diaries
      • Taiwan Cycle Diaries
      • Japan Cycle Diaries
    • Motorbike Diaries ▸
      • Laos to Vietnam
      • Northern Thailand
    • Border Crossings
    • Weird
  • Archives