I’ve never taken a kung fu class (or karate) and I’ve only seen one Bruce Lee flick yet I have always wanted to go to Shaolin Temple. I’ve read Matthew Polly’s book about training at Shaolin (twice) and even he desribes it as touristy and yet I and have always
Kaifeng's Night Market
Kaifeng has some ancient buildings, historical pagoda’s and astounding sculptures but that the people really come for is the night market. Held in the middle of the city every night the night market is overflowing with skewers of meat, pounded peanut cakes, breads cooked in small charcoal ovens and lots
One Year Later
One year ago today I was getting off a plane in Shanghai to begin my Chinese adventure. One year ago I was waking up only an hour after I fell asleep, feverish and confused in my surroundings due to extreme jetlag. One year ago today I was walking into stores
The Statue with a Thousand Hands and Eyes
In the middle of Kaifeng stands the Temple of the Chief Minister. And in the middle of that temple stands one of the most amazing statues I have ever seen. The Four-Faced Thousand Eyes Thousand Hand Statue of Guanyin. It is an amazing statue, towering at 23 feet and in
Kaifeng: Jason the Rickshaw Driver
In Kaifeng, one of the 7 ancient cities located in Henan Province, our very sketchy hotel offered free breakfast. Much to our disappointment breakfast consisted of a basket of cold, hardening mantou (steamed bread), over boiled eggs and a salad bar with tiny scraps of pickled vegetables. I might have
A Hike up Sacred Tai Shan (Mount Tai)
Got your hiking boots on? Good, you may want to make sure your laces are tied tight because we have quite a ways to go. There are over 6000 steps from the bottom to the top. Why are you looking so pale? Don’t worry, we’ll take the bus to the
We're Back!
We survived 22-hour train rides, bus scams and heat-index temperatures of 120 degrees during our summer travels and have arrived home with tans and bags full of dirty laundry to prove it. It’s good to be back (especially in an air conditioned room) but had a great time seeing some
Photo of the Day: Rooftops
I kept expecting some Kung Fu masters to have an epic battle on the rooftops, but I left disappointed.