Not all famous places are worth the hype. The Terracotta Warriors? Kinda lame in person. The Great Wall? S’okay if you can find a quiet day. Hong Kong’s Star Ferry? Made me seasick. But there is one place that is more amazing and more majestic then anywhere I’ve ever been
The Playful and Joyeous Mt Wuyi
The theme of my winter holidays was one word: mountains. I started in Hong Kong and Shenzhen for a week, then I stopped off briefly at home to change my clothes (from warm to cold weather clothes) and then I spent the next week alone hiking mountains. (All pics are mine,
The Most Beautiful High Speed Train in China
Last year my friend who came to Xiamen wanted to go to Mt Wuyi and took a 12 hour train ride to get there. This year, I decided to go to Mt Wuyi and it took a mere 3 hours. That’s because they recently opened a new high speed train
Finishing my Travels on Possibly The Worst Day–Chinese New Years Hassle
It’s really becoming cliche on this blog for me to bitch and moan about Chinese New Year (aka Spring Festival) but really, I cannot stop myself. I wish I could explain the importance of this holiday but it is so hard for anyone outside the country to understand. (Here’s me
Packing my Bags–Winter Holiday Travel Plans
Final exams are done and grades are submitted, so it’s time to pack my bags and hit the road. Although this time, I am reluctantly packing my bags. Why? Well, I just suffered through 8 months of the hottest, hellish weather and I’m leaving right when it gets nice?! Noooo.
*Obligatory Sappy Year End Post*
Look, I can’t dent it. This year was kick ass. Trying to sum it all up is too overwhelming. So instead I think I will do it with pictures. In January I started running with a new gang. Little did I know this gang would lead my down the path
A Good Night for a Walk
Friday night my friends and I all went out to our “local watering hole,” to celebrate the birthday of our friend Adam. Through the shots, loud music and flashing lights I asked my friend Rebecca what she was doing the next day. “I’m walking around Xiamen. It’s 50km,” she told
Poll: Expats in China Don’t Fit in With Locals. But you CAN (and Should) Make Friends.
So InterNations, the largest expat network online, recently polled 14,300 expats in every country. Turns out China, ranked incredibly high in expat satisfaction. (Third behind the USA and Malta). Three out of four expats said they were satisfied with their pay, and there was room to grow in China. The
Kashgar (the Far, Far West of China)
Well, my travels are winding down. I ended my trip in Kashgar, one of the farthest west cities in all of China. Here Han Chinese were few and far between, and most travelers were using this as a gateway to or from Pakistan. Kashgar was amazing. By this point I
The Exotic Bazaars and Markets of Xinjiang
One of the coolest parts of Xinjiang was going to the markets and bazaars. They are quite famous and predictably, some have been commoditized for tourists (Like the one in Urumqi which was super lame.) They aren’t quite the dangerous maze of dark alleyways that I heard they used to