(Im)patiently waiting..

Hello all! 2014 is upon us and by now I should've been in Chicago starting the new adventures, however due to a rare Polar Vortex in America plunging temperatures to -25 (and the rest) and the combination of trying to get my broken tooth sorted from that British Airways bag of nuts on my 2013 flight to China things have been delayed somewhat, however thankfully I now have a departure date of 31st Jan so this Travel blog will soon be a hive of activity. 

In the meantime I found out that I have had an image shortlisted by National Geographic Traveller Magazine under "People" category. It was one of my goals for 2014 to somehow get an image in print in a National Geographic magazine and three weeks into New Year I am glad to announce it will be printed in the April edition along with the other shortlisted entries and the winners. Funny to think this all happened after picking up a random copy of "Traveller" in China last year while passing the time on that cramped train to Tibet. 

Hopefully there will be some other good news on its way before we depart the UK but for now, here is the link to all the National Geographic shortlisted entries, I hope you will agree that there are some superb entires there. 

Click here: National Geographic Traveller online competition shortlist

Chengdu (National Geographic comp entry)

We flew with British Airways and on their new route to Chengdu (and the only International to do so) and descended past the sun, through the clouds and into the smog, welcome to the East.

Chengdu is China's fastest growing city with 14m Inhabitants, the city has all the hustle of London but on steroids, there appears to be no road laws, cars honk all the time, motorbikes ride into oncoming traffic and on pavements and crossing the road is like playing Russian Roulette. Buildings are being built in any space possible, high end shops sit near as next to the traditional markets where you will find tanks full of live crabs, fish and terrapins for dinner and the locals stare, long gasping slack jawed stares of disbelief at you, this is a part of China not used to Western tourism as yet. It is, fascinating, fun and exhausting.

So why Chengdu? Apart from the Panda sanctuary, the spectacular Anshun Bridge at night, the serenity and history of Wuhou Temple this is where you can pick up the highest train trip in the world to the forbidden land: Tibet, which is precisely where we were heading.