The Wandering Scot

An occasional travel journal.

Browsing Posts tagged China

Tianjin: The Kiev

I’m in Tianjin, China, visiting the Kiev, a legendary 1970s Soviet aircraft carrier.  Once the pride of the Soviet fleet, it was sold off in 1996 and is now a Chinese Theme Park. 😞 At 45,000 tons and 273m long, it’s a little smaller than the USS Midway, which I visited in San Diego a […]

Tibet: Mount Kailash

Holy Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva, sacred to a billion Hindus, site of holy pilgrimage.  I was only visiting as a tourist, but I saw others making the sacred kora circuit around the mountain.  The Chinese government isn’t issuing visas to Indian citizens this year, but I saw a modest number of non-Indian Hindu […]

Tibet: Everest

We started with a distant view of Everest, from the Pang La pass. The pass is at 5159 meters and offers stunning views on a clear day. And today was clear! The next shot is a (relative) close-up from the Rongbuk Monastery. This now hosts the so-called “Tourist Base Camp” which is as close as […]

Pamir Passes

The Kulma Pass between China and Tajikistan was finally opened to foreigners last year, so I seized the moment and took a road trip through from Kashgar to Murghab, then up through the high passes into Kyrgyzstan. There had been a little early snow, enough to make things scenic, but not enough to block any […]

Xinjiang: Shipton's Arch

This morning I was out at Shipton’s Arch, near Kashgar, Xinjiang, China. It was unknown outside of local lore until British traveler Eric Shipton “discovered” it in the 1940s.  It is probably the tallest natural arch in the world.  It grows out of a mountain slope and then bridges over a deep canyon.  So one […]

Harbin Ice Festival 2016

I’m in Harbin, China, for the annual Ice Festival.  This includes various fine ice sculptures, etc.  But the highlight is the gloriously insane collection of giant ice buildings at the Ice and Snow World.  After dark they are lit from within, to stellar effect. This year the collection included buildings loosely modeled on St Basil’s, […]