The Travel Show: China Special (2015 Week 33)

Summary

This travel show follows a journey through China, guided primarily by a smartphone. The host navigates the challenges of cultural differences, language barriers, and China's Great Firewall while using apps to explore vibrant cities, scenic landscapes, and remote villages. From the bustling streets of Hong Kong to the tranquil mountains of Hunan, and from using WeChat for local guides to tasting authentic Sichuan cuisine, the host experiences both modern and traditional China. The journey highlights how smartphones can enhance travel, bringing unexpected connections and unforgettable experiences.

Takeaways

• 📱 Smartphones are reshaping how people travel in China, offering convenience but also new challenges due to censorship.
• 🌍 China's vast size, cultural differences, and language barriers can make it intimidating for travelers, especially with the Great Firewall restricting access to Western apps.
• 🌐 The Great Firewall blocks access to popular apps like Twitter, Facebook, and Google, forcing travelers to rely on Chinese social media and apps.
• 🐴 The narrator uses apps to explore various locations in China, including a virtual horse-riding experience in Jang X National Forest Park.
• 📲 WeChat is a major tool for travelers in China, blending social media, messaging, and service directories, with over 500 million active users.
• 👥 The narrator finds an English-speaking guide using WeChat, highlighting how social media can connect travelers with locals despite language barriers.
• 🍲 Translation apps can be hit or miss, with some mistranslations leading to funny or confusing moments, but they are useful for food and simple interactions.
• 🏘️ The Dong minority village of Tongan benefits from a Tencent-backed project that provides smartphones to help preserve their culture and enhance communication.
• 🍽️ The narrator experiences authentic Sichuan cuisine, including dishes like pig's brain and rabbit head, discovering the diversity of Chinese food culture.
• 🔒 VPNs are commonly used by foreigners in China to bypass internet censorship and access restricted Western platforms like Facebook and Google.

Q & A

What challenges do travelers face when visiting China according to the script?

Travelers face challenges like language barriers, cultural differences, and the sheer size of the country. Additionally, internet censorship, such as the Great Firewall of China, limits access to common websites like Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

How does the host plan to navigate through China during the travel show?

The host plans to use his smartphone as a tour guide, relying on apps to navigate, communicate, and find local guides and experiences, despite the limitations posed by Chinese internet censorship.

What is the Great Firewall of China, and how does it affect internet usage?

The Great Firewall of China is a system that the Chinese government uses to control and restrict internet access. It blocks popular Western sites like Google, Twitter, and Facebook, significantly impacting how travelers can access information and communicate.

What role does WeChat play in helping the host during his journey?

WeChat, known as Weixin in China, is a versatile app that combines messaging, social media, and service directories. The host uses it to find a local tour guide and communicate with locals, showcasing how integral the app is in Chinese society.

What was the host's experience at the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park?

Although the host was expecting a tranquil getaway, the park was crowded with domestic tourists. However, using shortcuts and a guide, he was able to find quieter areas to appreciate the natural beauty of the park.

How does the host describe his interaction with translation apps in China?

The host finds translation apps like Google Translate somewhat useful for basic communication but acknowledges limitations, especially with voice recognition. However, the apps proved effective for translating food-related terms.

What is the significance of the social media experiment in Tongan village?

In Tongan village, a project by Tencent provided villagers with smartphones and 4G connectivity to help preserve Dong ethnic culture. The phones allow them to share their traditions, stay connected with distant family members, and even sell local products online.

What cultural insights did the host gain from his visit to the Dong minority village?

The host learned that the Dong people take pride in their traditions, and modern technology, like smartphones, is helping them preserve and share their culture. Video calls allow villagers to stay in touch with family members working far away.

What unexpected food items did the host try in Sichuan province, and how did he react?

The host tried unusual dishes such as pig's brain, duck tongue, and rabbit head. He found some items difficult to eat, particularly the pig’s brain, but appreciated the authenticity and unique experience of trying local Sichuan cuisine.

How do VPNs help foreigners in China overcome the Great Firewall?

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) allow users to bypass the Great Firewall by tricking it into thinking they are accessing unblocked websites. Many foreigners in China use VPNs to access restricted websites like Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Exploring China with a Smartphone

The narrator introduces China as a vast country with rich culture, diverse landscapes, and modern technology. Despite its attractions, the size, language, and cultural differences make it challenging for travelers. The narrator plans to navigate China using only his smartphone, leveraging apps to guide him through his journey. He begins in Hong Kong, where he notes the stark difference in internet freedom compared to Mainland China, and prepares to face challenges posed by China's 'Great Firewall.'

05:03

📱 Using WeChat for Travel Assistance

WeChat, a Chinese app similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Yelp, becomes the narrator's main tool for navigating China. After downloading a local SIM card, he uses WeChat to find a local tour guide, Nikki, who helps him explore a popular tourist destination, Hallelujah Mountain. Despite initial crowds, Nikki takes him to quieter, more scenic spots. The app proves helpful for avoiding the tourist rush and finding peace in otherwise crowded areas.

10:04

🍜 Navigating Language Barriers with Translation Apps

The narrator travels to Phoenix Ancient Town and experiments with various translation apps to communicate with locals. Despite some amusing mistranslations, he manages to engage with locals about food and culture. His smartphone proves useful for translating food menus, allowing him to better understand local dishes. However, the limitations of Google Translate in China become apparent, particularly due to the 'Great Firewall' restricting access to many apps and services.

15:06

🌍 A Social Media Experiment in a Remote Village

The narrator visits Tongan, a remote Dong minority village in Guizhou Province, where Tencent has provided villagers with smartphones and 4G connectivity to preserve their culture. He meets villagers who use WeChat to communicate and stay connected with family members living far away. The project, although possibly a PR move by Tencent, is positively impacting the community by improving communication and access to information. The narrator also experiences Dong culture through their traditional songs and craftsmanship.

20:06

🍴 Discovering Sichuan Cuisine with Weibo

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the narrator uses Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, to find a local foodie, Ann, who guides him through an authentic Sichuan dining experience. He tries exotic dishes such as pig’s brain, duck tongue, and rabbit head, pushing his culinary boundaries. Despite initial hesitation, the narrator finds the experience enriching, and appreciates the power of social media in connecting with locals and discovering new cultural experiences.

Keywords

💡Great Firewall of China

The Great Firewall of China refers to the Chinese government's internet censorship system, which restricts access to certain websites and online platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Google. In the video, the presenter experiences this censorship firsthand when he is unable to access popular Western apps and must adapt to Chinese platforms, illustrating the technological divide between China and the rest of the world.

💡Smartphone

A central tool in the video, the smartphone is portrayed as both a guide and a lifeline for the traveler. The narrator uses various apps on his phone to navigate, communicate, and interact with locals, emphasizing the evolving role of mobile technology in modern travel, especially in China, where smartphones have revolutionized how people connect and explore.

💡WeChat

WeChat, also known as 'Wēixìn' in China, is a versatile Chinese app that combines messaging, social media, and mobile payments. The presenter uses WeChat to find a local guide, demonstrating how essential the app is for both social and practical interactions in China. It is a prime example of China's unique digital ecosystem that has emerged due to restrictions on Western apps.

💡VPN

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a tool that allows users to bypass internet censorship by masking their location. The video highlights how VPNs are commonly used by foreigners and some locals in China to access restricted websites like Google and Facebook, despite the Great Firewall. This showcases the tension between global connectivity and local restrictions.

💡Social Media Experiment

This concept refers to Tencent’s project in a Dong minority village where smartphones and internet access were provided to preserve and promote local culture. The video explores how the introduction of technology is changing rural life in China, allowing villagers to share their traditions online while staying connected with family members far away.

💡Censorship

Censorship in China is a recurring theme in the video, particularly through the restrictions placed on internet access. The presenter repeatedly encounters limitations when trying to use Western social media platforms, highlighting how censorship shapes the digital experience for travelers and locals alike in mainland China.

💡Tencent

Tencent is one of China's largest technology companies and the creator of WeChat. In the video, Tencent is also responsible for a social media experiment in rural China, providing smartphones to help preserve local Dong culture. This illustrates the company's broad influence on both urban and rural life in China, as well as its role in shaping digital innovation.

💡Tourism

Tourism is a major theme in the video as the presenter explores popular and off-the-beaten-path locations in China, such as Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Phoenix Ancient Town. His use of mobile technology to navigate, communicate, and avoid large crowds reflects how smartphones are transforming the way people experience travel in a vast and culturally complex country like China.

💡Ethnic Minorities

The video features ethnic minority groups like the Dong and Miao people, focusing on how technology is impacting their traditional ways of life. For example, in Tongan village, smartphones are helping preserve Dong culture through online sharing, highlighting the intersection of modern technology and ancient traditions.

💡Translation Apps

Translation apps, such as Google Translate and other Chinese apps, are essential tools for the presenter as he navigates language barriers. Despite their limitations, such as awkward or incorrect translations, these apps enable basic communication and illustrate the challenges of traveling in a country with a difficult language like Chinese.

Highlights

China offers travelers a diverse experience with its vast cities, 3,000-year-old culture, and landscapes ranging from mountains to deserts.

The Great Firewall of China significantly limits internet access, making platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Google inaccessible for travelers.

The use of smartphones and local apps like WeChat has revolutionized travel in China, allowing tourists to navigate, communicate, and find services.

WeChat, with over 500 million active users, functions as an all-in-one platform for messaging, services, and even finding local tour guides.

Virtual horse-riding tours via apps provide unique ways to explore Chinese national parks, though real-world experiences may differ from digital expectations.

Using WeChat, the narrator finds an English-speaking tour guide in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, showcasing the app’s effectiveness in navigating language barriers.

Social media like WeChat helps travelers find lesser-known, quieter spots in overcrowded tourist locations, providing a more authentic experience.

The narrator attempts to use translation apps like Google Translate and others but faces challenges with offline translations and sketchy voice recognition.

Tencent’s social media experiment in the Dong minority village provides smartphones and 4G access to preserve culture and improve communication.

The introduction of smartphones to rural villages like Tongan enables locals to connect with family, sell goods online, and share cultural information.

Despite the Great Firewall, many in China use VPNs to access restricted websites like Twitter and Facebook, which are essential for foreigners.

The narrator visits a Chengdu restaurant known for its authentic Sichuan cuisine, where unusual dishes like pig's brain and rabbit head are served.

Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, helps the narrator connect with locals in Chengdu, illustrating the power of social media in finding authentic experiences.

The narrator highlights the ease of accessing VPNs in China, which allow travelers to bypass censorship and access global social media platforms.

The journey ends at a party hosted by expats, showing how a smartphone and social media can lead to unexpected connections and adventures in China.

Transcripts

[Music]

China has nearly everything to offer

Travelers has some of the biggest cities

in the world a culture spanning 3,000

years and Landscapes ranging from

towering mountains to endless deserts

but to many all this can seem pretty

impenetrable what with the language

barriers cultural differences or just

simply the sheer size of the place 1.3

billion people call home it can be a

daunting place for

travelers we all know China's got a lot

of people but it's also got a lot more

of these things smartphones than

anywhere else and it's changing the way

people

travel so in this travel show special

we're going to try something different

I'm hoping to make my way through China

with an unusual tour guide my

smartphone I'll be letting my phone tell

me where to go turns out it's not quite

the Tranquil getaway the app originally

suggested I'll test out the apps

designed to help you on your way I can't

believe it for the first time in my life

I understand

Chinese and even find locals through

social media to give me a taste of the

real china W you love brain I can tell

yeah at times it's bound to go horribly

wrong that could be ending up in the

middle of

nowhere and I'm probably going to have

to use this to contact the BBC and get

them to pick me up but whatever happens

it's going to be an adventure

I'm starting my journey in Hong Kong

it's just a few miles from mainland

China but in terms of Internet Freedom

it's another world once I cross the

border I'm planning on using the

internet to meet the locals and to help

me get around so Chinese censorship will

have a very real

impact to find out what challenges await

me I've come to Mok a neon bath shopping

district okay so this is pretty much one

of the loudest brightest and busiest

places I've ever been in my life um I'm

on my way right now to meet a man who's

going to explain to me how all this is

going to work when I get to Mainland

China that man is Professor Jack Chio a

guru in modern Chinese

communication it's a different Universe

okay in Hong Kong compared to Mainland

China it's because of the great firewall

of China in my opinion this great

firewall of China is the worst possible

invention in the history of the internet

in the world the great firewall is

basically how the Chinese government

controls what information citizens can

access on the internet Twitter Facebook

even Google are generally inaccessible

on the mainland so they won't be of much

help when trying to get around to try to

experience the great firewall of China

is definitely a okay punishing process

in in the beginning but once you get

used to it there's some strange fun when

you are no longer disappointed by what

you cannot access you get surprised by

the new things you

found so of pretty much accepted things

are going to get a lot more difficult

once I leave Hong Kong but luckily I

have figured out where I'm going to go

next and that is this place the Jang X

park I think it's pronounced I found an

app that allows me to explore the park

riding a horse which everyone does when

they explore national parks and even

though it's virtual it still looks

incredible so I'm going to go and see

what it looks like in real

life the park is 500 m to the North in

hunam Province but with no direct

flights I've flown into the city of

changa English no no English do you

speak

English no no English I have arrived at

Chang sha train station slightly nervous

heard a lot about Chinese trains so

let's how it

goes ahead of me is the joy of a 6-hour

Night

Train okay good news is I managed to

make it onto the train bad news is it

turns out Jack was right um Twitter

doesn't work Facebook doesn't work and

and even YouTube doesn't work so this

may be the big move to Chinese social

media I was expecting um for now though

it's bedtime so good

[Music]

night the next day and I've made it to

Jang X National Forest

Park but it seems like a lot of other

people have had the exact same

idea turns out it's not quite the

Tranquil getaway the app originally

suggested um it's actually the complete

opposite which is completely rammed with

domestic

tourists but when you take the trip to

the top it's easy to see why they come

[Music]

so I want to go to a few of the quieter

more hidden places and to do that I'm

going to use WeChat which is kind of

like an amalgamation of Facebook

WhatsApp and Yelp to find myself an

English tour

guide WeChat or wayen as it's known in

China is huge here there are over 500

million monthly active users as well as

being used for messaging it's full of

local companies and

services it does use mobile data so I've

bought a local SIM card for the job

a few messages later and I've managed to

track down an English-speaking tour

guide called

Nikki video call

okay hi hello Nikki nice to meet you how

you doing where are you I don't I'm I'm

on a path I'm on a path near the

Hallelujah Mountain you stay there and I

will come to find you okay yeah we CH

Works successfully found me at

we told Nikki that we wanted to film her

arrival but hadn't quite factored in

just how quick she'd be oh my God like

that it's like that oh no I did not

expect you to be standing behind me that

was very terrifying of you thank you for

doing that let's go to see the

Hallelujah Mountain Hallelujah Mountain

very beautiful

[Music]

place our first stop is the 1 km tall

Hallelujah Mountain

this was actually the inspiration for

the floating mountains in the highest

grossing film of all time Avatar so

Avatar gave you a job in a way yes maybe

perhaps and we will go more beautiful

place that's but I found Nikki to help

me escape the crowds so after a few

sneaky shortcuts and some lesser known

paths we finally found ourselves with a

bit of peace and

quiet if you come to Here by yourself oh

this just a ro rock rock rock big rock

small rock but if you have got this is

look like monkey this look like a fairy

M it had been a successful first day in

mainland China it would have been all

too easy to get lost in the huge crowds

here but thanks to the power of social

media and English speaking guide I'd

found a tranquil corner to enjoy the

landscape

[Music]

the next day I'm on my way to Fang Wang

AKA Phoenix ancient

town it's a beautifully preserved

ancient

[Music]

city again I'm hoping to use my

smartphone to get the most out of my

visit but it's time to up the

anti this time I don't have a tour guide

to show me around this crazy place but

what I do have is some translation apps

on my phone that I'm going to try to use

to hold my face comp ation in Chinese

and find out what is good to do in this

place this is going to be

interesting I'm going to start out by

trying Google translate an app that

knows 90 different languages and it

isn't long before I found an

unsuspecting guide from the meow ethnic

minority group to try it out

on let's see how we do so you cannot

speak

English no okay BR it that's cool hello

what is your name

w

w what is your favorite

color red red very nice oh cool that is

that is my favorite color as well okay

brilliant this is working I like your

hat very much um and it has Jingles what

does your hat mean it's changed hat to

heart which is a whole new different

type of

meaning I like your heart very much it

has jingles what does your heart

mean basic translations can be done

offline but your phone will need to

access Google savers for the admittedly

slightly sketchy voice recognition

function Google's generally blocked in

China but as we'll see later in the show

The Great firewall isn't

impenetrable how would you rate this app

is it good is it bad should I now throw

my phone into the

river yes I got a smile

do not cooperate with us very happy okay

okay she says do not cooperate with us

very

happy I'm pretty sure that's not what

you

[Music]

said time to try something else high

five high five no it's just want high

five okay no worries no worries

I have an app on my phone called wo

which allows me in real time to

Translate from Chinese letters to

English letters let's go for an easy one

toilet do we have

toilet beef

ears it just seems to be going crazy

there you go restroom there you go

restroom hygienic all ones Life One

Number all

right not a strong start but actually

there did seem to be one type of

translation the app Excell that food so

I now know they have tofu with rice

pickled radish appetizing pickled

vegetables that's actually amazing it's

definitely good with food it translates

food very quickly which is good cuz I

very

hungry my time in hunam province has

come to an end my smartphone's

definitely made it a fun experience I

would like to buy a ticket to tongren

but there's no denying that the places

I've been to were a bit touristy now

it's time to go off the Beaten Track

coming up I visit a small village that

at the center of a social media

experiment and discover that authentic

Sichuan Cuisine isn't for the

fainthearted fight through the bone like

it's not there okay as well

[Music]

okay I'm trying to travel through China

using my smartphone as a guide

and my next stop is Tongan a village in

guo

[Music]

Province I managed to stumble across

this place on the internet and despite

the fact that I'm pretty much in the

middle of nowhere in China I've come

here because Tongan is the center of

what is a very interesting social media

[Music]

experiment Tongan is a dong minority

Village the dong are one of 56 ethnic

groups groups officially recognized by

China they Fame for their carpentry with

wooden houses and covered

[Music]

bridges I'm in one of the poorest

provinces in China but this is actually

one of the best connected villages in

the

country it's all thanks to a project run

by tensent a Communications

company they've given the villages over

100 smartphones and have even installed

the 4G Mass nearby

why you might ask well tensen claims

it's helping to preserve dong

culture having heard I was going to be

in town tent have sent along the the

beautiful Ling to to show me around

we're currently outside some form of of

factory where some of the ladies I

believe have being given phones yeah

this two on they had mobile phones okay

sorry to interrupt you in your beautiful

garments um what is it that you use your

phone for

here to make phone calls and to use

Rears and especially for some

information we like to share with

artists do you not think that could

potentially make you lose bits of your

culture as you take in bits from

everywhere else from the

internet usually we just um get the

information of our own culture so I

don't think it's a

problem she wants a photo with me so she

can share it on moments which is part of

the wehat app a bit shorter oh stand

shorter stand shorter okay okay I'll try

I'll try I'm not even told

visiting here it's clear that dong

people are extremely proud of their

traditions and it's hoped that by having

these phones this culture can be

strengthened dong produce can be sold

online and information can be shared

with each other including with family

members who live far

away Yang xao Ying works as a cook in

the village so what what do you use your

phone for uh

she told me she uses her phone to video

call her son who works in a factory

hundreds of miles away in Guangdong

Province and as Lu with have it he was

just on his lunch break he's calling

right now should

we so as I would be if I called my mom

and there was a random dude sitting next

to her his son is very confused but H

this this is clearly a good way to keep

in contact with him damn for a moment

seeing his son all that's a bit too much

for young shall

you it's easy to be cynical about the

project 10cent May well have just given

out these phones as a bit of a PR stunt

but it's clearly having a huge impact on

the people who live here and changing

the way this small village interacts

with the vast country around it I was

going to give a h

thank sh

sh it's almost time to leave Tongan but

before I go I can't miss out on a chance

to hear one of the songs that the dong

ethnic group is so famous

[Music]

for who knows what impact the internet

will have on the culture

here but certainly at the moment the

people of Tongan seem happy to be part

of this experiment seeing as I am in a

rural Village there are no hotels to

stay here so amazingly enough I've

managed to find myself a a local home to

stay in and someone who's very ni nice

to put me up for the night so I'm just

on my way there now I think this is the

man hello there nice to meet you how you

doing I'm going to get an early one

tonight tomorrow though I'm heading

north and although I'm not completely

sure what I'm going to do I do have a

plan for now though it's

bedtime changdu is the capital of

Sichuan

Province most tourists know this place

as the place to go and see pandas

but I'm hoping to find something a bit

more off the beaten

path this time I'm using waybo China's

answer to

Twitter and as sichuan's famous for his

food I want to find somebody in shangdu

who can take me to some authentic

Chinese

cuisine webo has got nearly 200 million

monthly active

users most us it to communicating

Mandarin but my little message in

English still got a healthy response

[Music]

it's had over 30 shares over 65 comments

and there's a specific one which looks

very very good from a girl called an H

she's an English undergrad here in

changu which is good because she speaks

fluent English and she's given me like a

specific restaurant and we should go to

a specific food she should eat which

seems very very

[Music]

good let me see if I can pick her out to

a crowd through the power of way B I'd

arranged to meet an and Chang d Anu

square but just to make things a little

harder the local police wouldn't let us

film there come on an before we get

arrested oh here she is here's

an nice to meet you nice meet you nice

to meet you thank you very much thank

you for meeting with me hello okay can

we stand here so the police don't don't

arrest

us an's offered to show me some truly

authentic sitan food she's chosen a

chanan restaurant chanan is basically

all kinds of me meat fruit and veg saved

on

skewers but there are some items on the

menu that I had definitely not seen down

at my local Chinese takeover so what

what is this this is the pig's brain

yeah so I was thinking it may be a brain

because it looks like a brain but I was

hoping it wouldn't be a brain how do you

feel when you see a brain cuz not many

people eat brains I I would just think

how delicious it is yeah okay we are

different people okay okay let's do it

let's eat some

rain it's just the text yeah oh it's

bitter as well oh it's bitter bitter

bitter yeah oh god oh no that that was

very difficult to eat okay at least you

tried and now you know that you can't

handle

this but my trials we it's over oh it

smells

delicious time for a tour of the kitchen

oh wow that looks very scary

tongue of the scary the tongue yeah

tongue the tongue of the dck oh wow that

sounds nice oh just bite it just bite

through the bone like it's not there

okay swow

okay it's very

hard M how do you

feel it's nice this is rabbit head

rabbit head rabbit wow things have just

escalated very quickly up in here I'm

not going to lie I would never usually

eat a duck's Tong or a rabbited but you

know when in when in Sichuan just split

it oh to be honest the process of eating

rabbit's head is quite unnerving there

we go face face delicious nice bit of

face there you go okay

cheers that was actually delicious yeah

tastes a bit like chicken

yeah just a few hours ago I had no idea

what I was going to be doing today oh

you love brain I can tell but thanks to

waybo I've explored the inner wakings of

a Sichuan restaurant and tried some food

that's about as authentic as you're

going to

[Music]

get I've got one more night left on my

journey my smartphone has definitely

shown me another side of China so far

but thanks to sensorship I've mostly

been sticking to Chinese

apps but it's not hard to get access to

something a bit more familiar being

stuck behind the gray firewall of China

can be amazingly frustrating but one

thing you'll quickly learn is that

getting around it is very easy using

something called vpns or virtual private

networks for example there's a Blog here

in changdu called changu living this guy

has Twitter he's got Facebook he's

clearly using a VPN he also lists all

the cool things that are happening in

the city so let's go and meet up with

him and see what's going

on the Blogger is Charlie he's basically

the xack king here hey Jolly how's it

going good how are you nice to you there

are millions of people in China who use

vpns a VPN tricks the Chinese great

firewall into thinking that you are

accessing a different website than

Facebook or a different website from

Google you're accessing some website

that they've never seen

before whilst most Chinese people don't

use them vpns are pretty much a

necessity for any foreigners looking to

keep in touch with the people back

home and it turns out that tonight was

something of a big one for the expats

Here Charlie and some of his friends

were hosting a huge house party and who

doesn't love a good

party the party's got

everything visual artists Live Graffiti

and more DJs than seems completely

necessary so is this a place that

tourists would go to is it just like or

not at all generally not tourists are

welcome obviously but it would be

difficult for a tourist to find out

about this

[Music]

it might not be a tourist spot but many

of the guests here are a long way from

home where are you from I'm from us us

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan I've been to

Kazakhstan I'm from Russia oh nice I

double love tongu and I was like you

know what I have to move

here it's a surprising place to end my

journey surrounded by people from all

over the globe but it's fascinating to

see what's brought them here and to find

find out what they love about their

adopted country I started my travels a

thousand miles away in Hong Kong back

then I had no idea what I was going to

be doing or who I was going to meet I

certainly had no idea I was going to end

up in a random house party in the middle

of China this is the way traveling

should be meeting the locals and

throwing all your plans out the

window on my journey I've seen some

breathtaking Landscapes and started to

unlock a language that's totally alien

to me but it's the people I've met along

the way who who have made this trip

truly Unforgettable yeah so they've

taught me absolutely none of these

moves and I've got one thing to thank

for getting me here something a lot of

people take for granted my

smartphone phones are so often seen as a

distraction making us look down and

ignore the world around us but they

don't have to be come here with an open

mind and a good data package and an

adventure can be just around the corner

[Music]