Monthly Archives: June 2011

June 29: We are now slightly more than half way between Beijing and Paris and have a day off in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan only since 1997. Almaty was the capital before that. According to our guide, Alexander, the … Continue reading →

June 27: NOTE: this is being posted by daughter, Lilla since for some reason we cannot access our blog here. We’ve been in Kazakhstan almost three days now.  We are both well and Stewball is too. Crossing the border from … Continue reading →

June 23:  3 thousand miles is at least 1,000 too many. I retract my comments that I made about Chinese food, hotels and rapture. That was Beijing.  People who think they know China after a visit to Beijing are like those … Continue reading →

June 22: Departed Urumqi for Kuytun a short drive on the China Route 66. We have been on the G30 forever and think we follow it all the way to the border which we cross day after tomorrow. Many more ethnic groups … Continue reading →

June 21: Ever wonder who writes the instructions for your electronic devices? Check out these fire safety instructions on the door of a recent hotel. “Please don’t worry if a fire is occurring. Our hotel have owned superior facilities to ensure … Continue reading →

June 19-20:  If part of this adventure was to feel the presence of George Schuster and his crew, today did it. We drove from Dunhaung, a photographer’s delight with the ever-changing light on the Gobi desert sand to Hami, a distance … Continue reading →

June 18: In 1908, When the remaining French team (out of the original 3 that started in NY) arrived in Vladivostok, they sold their car to a Chinese businessman because their financial support was withdrawn. They continued to Paris by train. Today, I stayed behind … Continue reading →

June 17: 2:45 pm. Already in the Silk Road Resort hotel in Dunhuang. A town founded during the Han Dynasty in 111BC. This place makes up for last night-that one was “best available” and  that included a rock-hard bed, cold … Continue reading →

June 15: I would encourage my child to become a civil engineer. Forget the computer software or even hardware, the construction of highways, dams, elevated rail beds (for the high-speed trains China is developing, streets and roads for new apartment buildings are … Continue reading →

June 13:  Left our beautiful hotel in Pingliang. The best stop yet. Lovely property with gardens, fountains, pools, walking paths.Quite new. Wish this had been a 2 night stop but we traveled on to Lanzhou where we will stay an extra … Continue reading →