The GoPro headmount is a great way to capture the reality of a walk along the Great Wall at Jingshangling.

Shanghai has several of the Top 10 world’s highest buildings. Here, on the plexiglass floor of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower one can peer 1000 feet below into the streets of Pudong.

There is a sensation of stepping over thin air.

Shanghai Tower , the world’s second tallest building has just topped out at 2073 feet , 638 meters – 125 Floors !

In addition to our adventurous evening at Donghuamen Night Market we encountered and ate some rather unusual items at traditional restaurants throughout the country. Above – frog viscera – still alive – about to be flash boiled – delicious once cooked.

Snake ( On The Left )

Pheasant

Donkey – Tastes a lot like ” Mongolian Beef ” in Chinese restaurants in the US.

Turtle – Absolutely Delicious !

Snout

A first – a meal so spicy I could not finish it !

Skipped This Entree.

From Shanghai we flew two hours South to Guilin – the main city of GuangXi Autonomous Province. Bordering Vietnam, the area has very hot,humid summers and cool foggy winters. Above ,we journey down the Li RIver towards Yangshuo. The cone shaped karst mountains begin here and are prevalent though Northern Vietnam and into Thailand.

On the banks of the Li River in Guilin.

Guilin, at 3 million people, is considered a large town or small city by Chinese standards.

Yangshuo is considered a village, at 300,000.

The area is very fertile,with rice paddies everywhere.

Rich in all cultures.

Some of the world’s most fantastic views.

A Fish Pedicure.

In a Very Peaceful Temple.

ArcticTropic recently made a trip around the world, The takeoffs and landings are as follows : Miami – Berlin – Barcelona – Valencia – Zurich – Beijing – Ulanbaataar – Guilin – Hong Kong – Tokyo – Dallas – Miami.

On Sunday, June 30th we climbed the Great Wall of China at Jingshangling , about 100 miles ( 160 km) Northwest of Beijing. Though the weather was misty the views were great. The Great Wall was fascinating for my 12 year old son. This area of the wall is unimproved and difficult to access – recommended only for fit and adventurous travelers,

Guanxi Province, South China . We travelled via small bamboo boat from Guilin to Yangshuo on the Li RIver. Being on the river afforded some relief from the 102 degree heat ( 39 C ) .

Karst formations begin in South China and are prevalent in nearby Vietnam, as well as Thailand.

Incredible video will be posted in future updates.

An ancient village untouched by time – except for smartphones.

A terraced tea plantation. Excellent green and black teas were enjoyed.

We have been in Shanghai for the past two days and just now the photo uploading is working properly. Getting here was not easy. Our connecting flight from Beijing was cancelled ( as were all flights to Shanghai ) and we had to take an overnight train. Today we leave for Guilin and the wilds of Guanxi Province,South China. Here are some random photos. ArcticTropic will catch up when we arrive in Hong Kong late next week. We have been shooting beautiful video with the GoPro, but the videos would take hours to upload on slow hotel speeds.

Lamasery Ulanbaatar.

Roadside on the way back to Ulanbataar.

At the Statue of Genghis Khan.

Boom Town Ulanbaatar.

On the Plexiglass floor 1000 feet above Pudong from the Shanghai TV Tower,

At long last ArcticTropic is posting. We have been in a very remote area of Mongolia for the past 5 days,with no internet access, much less electricity. Our Mongolian Adventure , with Tour Mongolia began after an overnight train trip from Beijing. We also have great video which will be posted when there is adequate bandwidth.

Home for two days, with a nomad family. Gers ( yurts) are comfortable houses for the summer, when herding takes place.

The diet is almost entirely meat based. Usually lamb,goat or beef, but on this day Marmot is served !

In the nearby town the summer festival of Naadam was observed.

Horse racing took place all day.

Marmot is a local delicacy.

Camel riding is another form of transport. This brief post will be added to soon, as we are now preparing for a morning trip to Shanghai.

A week from today ArcticTropic boards a flight from Miami to Berlin, then to Barcelona. From Valencia, Spain, where my 12 year old son will join me, we fly via Zurich to Beijing. RIght now working on optimizing the GoPro for amazing video !