China Unknown – 2024. Off we go!…

Do svidanya, Kamchatka; Nǐ hǎo China!…

You’ve had my photographic teaser, aperitif, and hour d’oeuvres already. Now for a photographic preview-overview of the whole trip. So, as the title says – off we go!…

The most beautiful place on earth, in my humble opinion, is Krenitsyn – the “king of all volcanoes” – on the Kuril island of Onekotan. The most beautiful region in the world is Kamchatka, where you can easily count more than a dozen natural objects of the highest category of unusualness and contemplativeness – that is, my “five-K”, or “KKKKK” category. Of course there are other places that are rich in various natural (and sometimes historical) delights and quirks, like New Zealand, Indonesia, Namibia, etc. But the richest country in terms of the sheer quantity, quality and… out-of-this-world-astonishingness of touristic delights is, of course, China. I wouldn’t be surprised if you can count already more than 50 absolutely magical places here that I’d strongly recommend visiting at the first opportunity. I compiled a list of Chinese must-sees back in 2018 as part of my Top-100 series, but today that list looks wholly incomplete…

Cue photo of one such must-see natural masterpiece ->

Now, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: China is incredibly and astonishingly rich in world-class historical and natural treasures. There’s so much to see that one visit is simply not enough to take it all in. Neither time nor your brain’s capacity for impressions and emotions will be sufficient. Two, three, even four trips won’t cut it. That’s why I try to spend a couple of weeks each October exploring China as a tourist. And this October was no exception. We managed to visit around 20 stunningly beautiful and unique places – a mix of natural landscapes and cultural sites.

Why October? Right after the annual “Golden Week” the crowds of tourists in China briefly disappear, making this the perfect time to go: a time when instead of endless lines at the entrances to national parks there’s absolutely no one! Inside the parks too – mostly completely empty except for Yours Truly and his fellow travelers:

It’s worth noting that China hardly advertises its unique spots outside its borders. I guess the domestic tourist flow is more than enough. That’s why you’ll rarely, if ever, see foreigners in the crowds. Almost 100% of the tourists are Chinese. Also, some regions of China are closed to foreigners and require special permits to visit. For example, you’d need one to see these colorful salt lakes:

And here are a few more striking photos to tease your curiosity for the upcoming stories:

Where did we travel this time? We started out almost in the very center of China – in northern Sichuan Province. Then we turned west, explored Qinghai Province, and eventually returned by crossing around half of Gansu Province. All in all, we covered over 5000 kilometers in two weeks ->

Last year, I marveled at China’s high-speed highways. This time, we spent a lot of time driving through sparsely populated and rather desolate areas, where road infrastructure is still under construction. Nevertheless, about half of the journey was on rather comfortable roads:

Mountains and deserts all around, barely any settlements, but the roads are fresh and of this quality:

Sometimes the views of bridges and interchanges were absolutely mind-blowing:

But there were more basic stretches too:

Looks like a monument to the Long March:

Traffic on narrow roads was occasionally overly congested. Once, at the very end of the trip, we got caught up in an eight-hour (!) traffic jam on a mountain pass. Still, mostly the roads – even the narrow ones – were free of traffic. And sometimes just plain beautiful! ->

I’ll talk more about accommodation later. For now, I’ll just say that the level of comfort and service obviously depends on one’s proximity to civilization. The closer you are to cities with more than a million inhabitants, the brighter and larger the five-star signs above the hotel entrances. The further away, the simpler things get – but everywhere was acceptably comfortable…

…And delicious! Yes, I am a big fan of Chinese and Asian cuisine in general. My travel companions are too! ->

If you look at our route, it’s easy to see that we first traveled through “green zones” and then moved into the “yellow” areas of desert and rocky mountains ->

And that’s exactly how it went — starting with mountains and lush landscapes with much greenery (and dotted with colorful lakes) ->

Absolutely stunning visuals! This particular place is called Jiuzhaigou (the Valley of Nine Villages).

You need at least two days to fully explore it. But I’ll tell you more about it later.

These colorful installations are at Huanglong National Park.

And these picturesque waterfalls are from there too:

I’ll share more walks and stories as I sort through the mountain of photos — over 2500 in total! It was a very productive trip. My travel companions say the volume of video material is even greater…

What’s this and where? I’ll tell you later, I promise!

These peculiar sights surprised even me. But this was already the second, “yellow” part of the journey. If you look closely, the mountains in the background are completely bare. That means we’ve left Sichuan’s lush climate and are moving into rocky-desert landscapes…

…Dotted with things like:

We’re now on the border of geographical and ethnic territories that directly adjoin Tibet (been there, seen it, loved it!). It’s plainer and simpler here, but still somehow… electrifying (I can’t think of another word).

Now we’re in the land of rocks, sand, and salt lakes:

The Chaka Salt Lake — specially designed for Instagram TikTok content (Google, Instagram, Facebook, and the like were blocked in China years ago – probably forever) ->

The piano theme will pop up occasionally in this series:

Alas, these structures at Chaka aren’t made of salt but concrete. Still look impressive:

And this… oh my! ->

Unreally fantastic – but it actually is so. No Photoshop! ->

And more photos of China’s salt flats and salt lakes:

Just for fun:

The stone and sand formations in these areas are also off-the-charts in terms of their suitability for meditation-contemplation:

The Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park — the Big Brother of the Kizil-Chin red hills in Altai:

The Binggou Danxia Mountains – around 15km from the “striped Danxia Mountains”:

And plenty of other views along the way…

It’s all so varied!

And sometimes surprising :) ->

Here’s our route: two weeks on the road, over 5000km by bus, visiting 20+ masterpieces of natural and historical significance ->

Even vultures along the way:

Here begins ends the Great Wall of China:

No comment! ->

Piano again! ->

So much, so intense, so overwhelming — and totally exhausting!

But we kept moving forward!

The motto of our trip: “Traveling!”…

… “in good company!” :)

That’s all for now, folks. Meanwhile, I’m getting ready to get stuck into my tales-and-snaps-from-China travelogue series. You should get ready too! One way of doing so – besides checking your popcorn supplies – would be to check out the detailed accounts of our previous trips to China:

2015 — our test drive. To try, feel, understand. The result exceeded all expectations. Pure amazement and total awe. Partially overlaps with the 2024 route.

2017 — our second journey through China’s natural wonders, and featuring the Terracotta Army. Enthralling, tons of photos, another round of falling in love with China.

2018 — our “October in China” became a tradition. Slightly spoiled by bad weather and a broken leg in Kamchatka (which I rehabilitated in China).

2019 — Tibetan autumn. Absolutely stunning. Surreal magic. Highly recommended.

2020 — the year of a regular (once every ~50 years) global virus outbreak, which locked down most countries (including China) with unprecedented strictness. Hence a three-year gap in our China travels (and my China tales).

2023 — back to “China Unknown”, and, oh, what a ride it was!

Coming up, 2024’s China series – made up of almost 20 separate installments. So get ready and warmed up – for it’s all going to be fascinating – I promise!…

The rest of the photos from our China-2024 China trip are here.