You know how when you live in a place you never go to the interesting tourist destinations? Well that’s me and Thousand Island Lake. It’s a huge, sparkling clean lake with, you guessed it, lots and lots of islands. More than a thousand actually. And I have been hearing about
The World's Largest Tea Museum
Ever the tea lover, when I found out the world’s largest tea museum was located outside of Taipei I knew it was a can’t-miss site. Located in Pinlin, a short bus ride from the city, the whole town is dedicated entirely to tea. The street lamps are shaped like tea
Long Time, No See 好久不见
Did you know the English phrase “Long time, no see,” actually comes from a Chinese phrase? It’s true. But it has been a long time, no see, my dear readers. Probably thought I was off doing something cool, eh? Alas that is not the case. Well, not quite. I mean,
Walking the Dead Home
During Spring Festival I went to my best friend Color’s house. His hometown is in a small town, located near Wenzhou, and most of the holiday was spent in his grandparents village, a teeny, tiny place that has one street running through the middle and where everyone is related. Surrounded
Want a Picasso? Special Price Just for You!
Ever wanted an oil painting of your dog? Or one of Dumbledore? Or some traditional calligraphy written by a master? How about a hand painted Vermeer? You can get all of that, and much, much more at the Da Fen Oil Painting Village in Shenzhen, China. Covering several blocks in
Bad China Day
I know I’m pretty positive about living in China and for the most part I really do love it. But there is a thing that every foreigners has to deal with, and it’s called a Bad China Day. It’s a day that starts off normal enough, but one thing sets
Global Times or The Onion?
On the airplane I was given a copy of China’s Global Times to read. Within minutes I was giggling in my seat like a crazy person due to the total hilarity of the articles. About half of them easily would have worked in any Onion. These are some of the
Year of the Snake, Bye Bye Dragon!
Happy year of the snake! Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year, the biggest and craziest holiday in China. I’m spending time in my best friends small village (pics to come) and I’m probably being driven crazy by non-stop fireworks but nothing can keep the smile off
Hot Pot–Perfect for a Cold Chilly Night
Here in Southern China, wintertime temps regularly get to the zeros. It wouldn’t be a problem, my hometown in America gets much colder than that, but things here are aren’t heated. Classrooms, restaurants and most public building don’t have heat. And even worse they like to open the windows or
KTV — A Users Guide
I want to talk about a big part of Chinese nightlife culture: KTV. The chinese word for Karaoke. These places aren’t bars or a silly thing to do ironically, but a huge business and the place to celebrate any special event like a birthday, graduation or just for fun on