David – Yunnan travel advisor at China Roads
Portrait of David in video
A few questions for David – his story, his advice and his favorites
What is your connection with China?
My first trip to China was in the late 1990s. This discovery took me to Beijing under the first snowflakes of November covering Tian’anmen Square. I was blown away by the grandiose landscapes that unfold from the Great Wall, and the smoke from the chimneys sweeping the blue sky of Chengde, the former summer residence of the emperors, where it was very cold that day. A night train then took me to bustling Shanghai and its Bund, a promenade along the Huangpu River offering a striking view of the shimmering colors of the skyscrapers.
For 7 years, I have been your Laos Roads travel advisor, therefore the Asian Roads representative for your trips to Laos. Laos borders the Chinese province of Yunnan. Only 1 hour 20 minutes of flight separates the Laotian capital Vientiane from the city of Kunming! This proximity allowed me to expand my professional experience by opening the doors to this immense territory that is China, full of riches all capable of strengthening my area of expertise. A whole month spent in Yunnan in the heart of unsuspected natural wonders got the better of my emotions: my professional life then turned towards this region in particular, then gradually towards other provinces of China. I am now your advisor for your next trip to Yunnan, with possible extensions to other regions such as Guangxi, Sichuan, Xi’an, Beijing, Shanghai, or even Tibet.
Where do you currently live?
My life is in Vientiane, the quiet little capital of Laos, lulled by the tranquility of the Mekong! I’ve been living there permanently since March 2007, after many trips back and forth from Paris in 2006.
What is your favorite destination in China?
That’s a difficult question. China has many attractions. Each region is a journey in its own right! Let’s just say I have a soft spot for the Tiger Leaping Gorge in Northern Yunnan. I could spend days and nights there, either hiking or simply sitting on the terrace of a guesthouse, gazing at the high peaks of the Jade Dragon (5,600 meters!) disappearing into the clouds at sunset, with the only background noise being the thundering Yangste River below, particularly agitated and powerful, strangled in this canyon that winds between two high mountains. I could go back there to settle down without any time constraints, disconnected, savoring the passing of time.
But it is also with great nostalgia that I recall crossing the frozen Songhua River in Harbin on foot one icy winter…
When to go to China?
Let’s keep it short! With nearly 10 million km2 for this continent-state and a territory that extends between 18 and 54° North latitude, there is room for everyone at any time of the year depending on the region and the profile of each traveler. Some of you will be more sensitive to the heat, others to the cold, some will favor waterlogged rice paddies, others when they are bright green under a leaden gray sky offering a striking contrast of colors. Photographers will appreciate the expanses of yellow rapeseed fields of Luoping in Yunnan during the month of February. We understand, let us know your desires, and we will then provide you with useful advice that will help better design your route and define the most favorable period for this beautiful travel project.
An experiment to do?
Spontaneously, go, let’s say, watch your dishes being prepared in a small street restaurant before settling down with local friends at one of the few tables in the shack to share a few cold beers mixed with bursts of laughter. A truly convivial moment of sharing. Simple pleasures in life.
A favorite hotel?
A real favorite is Timeless Inn in Shangri La, in North Yunnan. A simple, warm, and cozy Tibetan inn, where you feel right at home. The owners (a Chinese-Tibetan couple) are attentive and speak perfect English. The house dog is adorable! You’ll want to sit in the breakfast room by the stove, planning your day before a good, comfortable night’s sleep lulled by the heated mattresses!
What travel destinations do you recommend?
I don’t have a clear answer. China is a multitude of different journeys depending on the region and the time of year. Each stage is a new adventure. Every traveler profile is different and everyone will be satisfied. We are here to listen to you and guide you according to your desires, your priorities, and your constraints. The thirst for discovery in China can be insatiable as the opportunities are multiplied tenfold. Personally, I dreamed a lot in Russia in February 2017 during a train trip from Vladivostok to Saint Petersburg. 10,000 km in Siberian cold, following the Sino-Russian border for several days. I particularly remember a stop in Khabarovsk where I said to myself: “What is it like on the other side of the Amur River, a few hundred meters away, in China?” The unknown. The desire to cross the border, to find myself on the Chinese side and to go on an adventure, without any specific objective, in these regions with little or no tourist traffic which must have enormous potential to offer and share, social approaches and encounters of rare authenticity.
A book or film to discover before traveling to China?
To continue dreaming, to better understand China and its age-old traditions, and also to better find oneself and plan ahead before taking off, why not let yourself be tempted by “The Mountain of the Soul,” a book by Gao Xingjian, Nobel Prize winner for literature in 2000.
A restaurant or dish that you love?
To make people smile and answer as simply as possible: I am a real potato fan, and for that, China can only satisfy me! The potato here is available in hundreds of recipes, each one as appetizing as the next. Oil, onions, garlic, spicy or hot sauces, in water, fried, grated, mashed with dozens of different herbs. A feast of flavors! In Yunnan, you will even have the opportunity to try the local fries, so to speak raw!
A souvenir to bring back from China?
The territory is so vast and the approaches so diverse and rich in contrasts; each city, each town, each region will call for you to take away in your suitcases a modest souvenir of your visit. Sincerely, get to the essential: keep in mind and digitally all these magnificent images and scenes of life that will have marked you and will remain anchored. You will then have only one desire, that of returning to explore other corners of the immense Empire of the Middle, other facets of Chinese culture, from the chaotic markets of Kashgar to the green steppes of Inner Mongolia…
Any last advice for our travelers?
The language barrier is a false problem. If some of you are rightfully worried about it, then rest assured. The Chinese are often very patient and will be the first to pull out their smartphones equipped with multiple translation apps! They will warmly welcome you to provide information and guidance, perhaps with a smile, over a hot cup of tea.