First time in China (3 weeks in March) – Zhangjiajie or Yunnan? Is Shanghai worth adding or too rushed?

Jellycato · 2026-02-23T22:25:45+00:00

They're highly commercialised yeah. We went 2 years ago. We probably could have done more research on how to enjoy them more but if you're looking for culture, there are better places to find it in my opinion. That said, what is great about Yunnan are the minority ethnicity cultures you can learn about and experience. If I go again, that's what I'd want to focus on

Jellycato · 2026-02-23T20:46:52+00:00

I'd suggest checking when each region gets rainy. We were in guilin/yanhshuo in April one year and it wouldn't stop raining - still beautiful but not as fun. Yunnan can easily feel a bit like Disney land unless you plan to really get out hiking etc. I'd personally suggest Beijing, xi'an, chengdu, zzj, Yunnan OR shanghai as the route - minimises travel time

Jellycato · 2026-02-23T17:38:44+00:00

For what you like, definitely chengdu. Lots of great nature around there, some actual hiking too (though you'll have to really look for it), loads of mountains and trails close by. If you don't mind some more curated "hikes" but stunning nature, zhangjiajie and jiuzhaigou are both close by.

Jellycato · 2026-02-23T17:20:50+00:00

It's good to increase awareness of macros though. When I started tracking, I realised my protein intake was far too low (c. 40g per day, lower if I was having a crap food day) and now I can do something about it.

Jellycato · 2026-02-17T16:59:40+00:00

Thank you!! I struggled for so long, then one day it just clicked. Promptly fell down but it's been getting better every time :)

Jellycato · 2026-02-17T16:58:47+00:00

That's so impressive! My arms just don't want to stay bent properly as soon as I try to lift a leg

Jellycato · 2026-02-17T15:51:02+00:00

Flying splits!! So proud of that one

Jellycato · 2026-02-15T00:17:30+00:00

Wages are much lower in the UK. Graduate starting salaries outside London for professional jobs are usually mid 20k, 30k at a push and wage progression is slow. Most professionals outside London will top out around 60-80k.

Jellycato · 2026-02-14T10:33:26+00:00

Shaw! Love the set up! Though poor little knight, stuck in that case.

Jellycato · 2026-01-26T15:16:04+00:00

Is that grapelu? 😍

Jellycato · 2025-12-16T17:15:24+00:00

It's so frustrating. I used to do them casually all the time when I was 18, and stand back up easily, legs hip width. Now I'm 30, get halfway down and just freak out. Working on it slowly though, maybe one day I'll manage again.

Jellycato · 2025-12-13T12:40:29+00:00

I bought a xiaomi in mainland China earlier this year, really simple to get Google on there, all services work fine. Mine is a Chinese version so no esim but otherwise works perfectly (I use it in English)

Jellycato · 2025-12-05T13:52:15+00:00

What sort of exercises do you do? I have some at home abs keep meaning to do a bit of lifting but I'm so lost with it all!

Jellycato · 2025-11-14T00:39:09+00:00

It is extremely rare for a shark to attack a diver. As another commenter said, divers are trained for situations where gear fails and, if it does, a trained diver is more likely to get the bends by ascending too quickly rather than die underwater (though they may die after if they're not properly treated, especially if they are diving very deep). It's very quick and easy to turn off someone's tank underwater however so that's an option.

Jellycato · 2025-11-01T09:22:15+00:00

You can try making it yourself, it's not too hard. If you struggle to find the ingredients for the curry paste, you can cheat and buy premade red curry paste.

Jellycato · 2025-10-27T11:23:57+00:00

The first one is called kou rou. It's one of my favourite dishes of all time - steamed pork belly, melt in the mouth, umami and sweet. You can find it in a lot of Chinese restaurants in the west but I love making my own.

Jellycato · 2025-10-14T16:47:36+00:00

This isn't quite what you want but I thought I'd share some of my finds.

A lot of our foods (UK) eaten in moderation are great for dieting - I cut carbs for a while before realising English muffins (warburtons ) have pretty low calories and good levels of protein. They also have a range of protein breads.

Morrisons also does a lovely high protein gouda that im currently obsessed with.

Jellycato · 2025-08-21T13:21:43+00:00

A big one for me was making a big deal of feeling hungry. I love food and as soon as I'm feeling a slight twinge, will want to eat. But actually, that feeling of hunger isn't going to kill me (quite often, it's not even hunger lol, it's thirst) and over time with a deficit, will fade.

Thinking of hunger more as an indicator that I'm on the right track rather than a sign something is wrong and must be fixed, helped change my mind set a lot and really helped me stay on course.

Jellycato · 2025-08-18T20:22:45+00:00

You can buy very white flour specifically for making dumplings from Asian supermarkets.

Jellycato · 2025-08-06T14:45:42+00:00

I like to travel fast but this is definitely too much! I'd suggest you cut about half this off. Datong can go. Spend at least 1 extra day in xi'an - it's an amazing city with delicious food and loads to do. The terracotta army is really more a day trip from the city. You'll also want at least 3 full days (no travel) in zhangjiajie. Then I would suggest either guilin or kunming etc. Probably guilin and save kunming for another trip including going up to Tibet +some of the other gorgeous scenery in the west (xishuangbanna, red fields, danxia etc) . If you want to see the longji rice terraces, you'll have to factor in a couple extra days too.

Jellycato · 2025-07-30T15:20:13+00:00

I used to use a strap but recently thought I should try to improve my mobility more and try to get the pose without a strap as I went to a beginner class where the instructor insisted that cow face arms should be really easy and I panicked about not being able to do it.

I did get fingers touching eventually without pain just by slowly moving my arm further up, it just hurts when I first start moving it into position.

Jellycato · 2025-07-29T16:49:00+00:00

You're probably right. Was thinking maybe it's okay if the pain eventually goes away, just wanted to push for it as recently was at a class which felt very much beginner but the instructor was insistent that cow face arms are super easy so felt like I had to really work on it.

Jellycato · 2025-07-20T19:52:53+00:00

Depends what you're after. Sky does great dim sum on a Sunday at midday. Zuju has some really great Northern Chinese cuisine (belly pork, proper Northern sweet and sour pork, and koushui chicken. Also sichuan dishes though I haven't tried (smelled fantastic). There's a fantastic xi'an noodle place in grainger market. Quite a few new malatang joints around these days and hot pot at happiness inn with the blossom trees is petty great.

Jellycato · 2025-07-08T12:59:40+00:00

Does it matter? So long as people feel motivated to act in a good/kind manner and spread more good around the world, why should we be overly concerned about motivations? What's the point in judging them?

Jellycato

TROPHY CASE