After ditching the Russian Steppes and the wilds of Mongolia the group will cross into China, pick up their “tour guide”- a requirement for those wishing to drive through the country – and pass by the Great Wall on their journey south. China can boast the longest continuously-used written language, as well being the birthplace of many of the world’s greatest inventions. Four of them that come to mind are paper, gunpowder, printing, and the compass (oh yeah, and ice cream). Hopefully all but the second will come in handy as the team heads south through this vast land.
Stopping in Beijing to become re-accustomed to the feel of a metropolis, its time to enjoy a Starbucks coffee in the Forbidden City, then it’s off to Tiananmen Square.
Driving to Xi’an, the team will pay a visit to the famed Terracotta Soldiers followed by a little downtime in the karst surrounded backpacker town of Yangshou, the equivalent to our truckstop.
One month in China will put the group on the south border with Lao, where, dropping of their newfound “friend” and $8500 in bureaucratic charges lighter, the team will wave goodbye to one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
