When we were traveling to Kaifeng, we had a tough train ride. It was incredibly crowded, hot, and seemed much longer than the 6 hours it took. We arrived late in the day, discombobulated, tired and hungry. We walked out of the train station and waved away a female rickshaw
Chinglish: Bakery Edition
You can’t walk very far in China without coming across a bakery. (Outside the school there are 4 within a 1/2 block radius.) For the most part, the bakeries are delicious and for the sake of my waistline I just keep trying to walk on by. But avoiding buying baked
The God of Wealth
You can’t travel for very long in China without seeing a picture, or statue, of one of the most revered gods. Statues of gods are a dime a dozen here, but everyone, no matter what their religion gives this man his props. Who is he and why is he so
Robbed Again!
About a month ago, our apartment was broken into and the thief got away with our camera (and almost a laptop.) Now, a thief has struck again. The missing goods this time? My bike. Getting your bike stolen in China is almost a rite of passage. I couldn’t find any
Just When You Think You've Seen Everything…
Went to the school store to buy some soap today. Nestled in-between the regular brands (like Safeguard) we found a new option for our buying pleasure. And buy it we did. And just so you know, U.S.A. scent turns out to smell like old ladies. The package was actually pretty
Rolf Potts Traveled the World. What Did You Do?
What seems like just a few weeks ago, I was reading about Rolf Pott’s decision to travel for a long time no luggage. He was preparing to travel the world, the entire world, for 6 weeks with not a stitch of luggage. No backpack, fanny pack or even a plastic
Chinese Graffiti is Cool
When I see a tree with someone’s initial’s carved into it, I get really mad. Carving a tree trunk is a good way to kill a tree, it’s rude, and it looks really stupid and junky. But I don’t mind when I see someone carving words into bamboo. Maybe it
Chinglish: Signs in Parks Edition
Here are some classic signs I’ve seen in parks and other public areas.
Drawing a Crowd
Walking in Hangzhou the other day we noticed a gathered crowd. A crowd in China is nothing to get too excited about, sometimes even we cause a small crowd to gather when we eat dinner outside or go clothes shopping. But when we see a crowd, especially in a park,
The Crazy First Emperor
Quick, name the two most famous tourist sites in China. Yep, you got it, the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors. Believe it or not the two were the mastermind of the same guy: the first emperor. If you’ve seen the movie Hero, then you know who I’m talking about.