Of all the tea in China, green tea is supposed to be the best. And the best green tea comes from the surrounding hillsides of Hangzhou, near a village called Longjing. The combination of soil, mild temperatures and spring fed water makes Hangzhou the Burgundy of Tea.

Monasteries are the learning centres for Buddhism doctrine, also called “dharma”. Monks study the Buddhist texts and sutras in order to achieve the highest level of understanding and must go through a rigorous series of classes, some lasting up to two years each. Studying is composed of understanding the writings of Buddha and also a lot of memorizing. Debating is also an integral part of studying and monks practice this art in daily sessions. This involves groups of two or more where a “defender” sits and a “challenger” stands…

When designing our Silk Road expedition many years ago, I was keen to add a camel experience along the way. Bactrian camels are incredible, they served as pack animals for centuries in Central Asia, have a high tolerance to cold, drought and high altitudes and can go without water for months on end….

Longitude 80 sometimes lead private expeditions retracing parts of the Silk Route across China and Central Asia. Leaving from China’s ancient capital Xian which used to be one of the terminals of the Silk Route, we venture west stopping in oasis towns across the Taklamakan desert and the Tien Shan Mountains. In the 11th and 12th century, the Silk Route not only focused on trade but also stimulated the exchange of ideas, religion, music, languages and of course… food…

I love places where locals hang out. Places where I can sit somewhere in a corner and watch life go by, look at locals, see what they do, how they enjoy their free time, relax. Be it city squares, parks or shopping areas. If you actually sit and watch, you get the feel of the place. In China, tea houses are perfect for this “people watching” activity and whenever I guide, I always make a point to come to a park where locals sit down and hang out. One of my favorite cities in China is Chengdu…

I have seen a few bears over the years. Black bears in Quebec trying to get into our garbage at the cottage. A pissed off grizzly sow standing a full 8 feet tall with her 2 cubs hugging her hind legs as we hovered in a helicopter near a river in Yukon, polar bears on the shore of Hudson Bay. I even saw the very elusive sun bear in a Sri Lankan national park. Each one of these bears made you think “ok, I’m gonna leave you on your own, don’t mind me”. The last thing you want to do is run up to them for a hug…

They are called the three sisters. The Jinsha, the Nujiang and the Lancang, better known as the Salween, the Mekong and the Yangtze. Three rivers who originate in the Tibetan mountain ranges, running north to south, carving their way through an incredible landscape of sheer cliffs, snow caped mountains and green valleys….