To get an idea of how big Chinese New Years you need to roll Christmas and Thanksgiving together. Add a pinch of Valentine’s Day (as they are on the same day this year) and multiply by 1.5 billion people. Then, replace each and every pine needle from the average numbers
Train Travel in China: Part Two
In the first part of train travel I talked about things you should know before getting on the train. In this part I’ll talk about the different sections and what it is like actually being on the train. Classes of Seats: There are 4 classes of seats on a Chinese
Cooking Class in Yangshuo, China
Yangshuo is well known for its courses. That is, classes you can take after you’ve enjoyed all the beautiful scenery. There are calligraphy course, language courses, tai chi courses and cooking courses. Guess which one us little piggies took. Despite not ever cooking at our apartment (it is cheaper to
Chinglish Signs: Food Edition
It’s time for more funny chinglish signs. What I don’t get is the bigger a tourist attraction is, the worse the English translation is. I would think they would actually be able to find SOME native English speaker to ask them for their opinion before they finished making the sign,
My Unfair Analysis of Lijiang, China
Let’s get this straight. I was sick the whole time we were in Lijiang. The old city is an amazing place, a winding maze of tiny cobbled streets, little shops, locals markets, a tourist section with many choices of western food. But it is also at a high altitude and
Train Travel in China: Part One
Trains are one of the easiest and most common ways to get around in China and we’ve been on them a lot throughout this trip. But like everything else, it operates just a little bit differently so I thought I would describe it. The whole thing turned out pretty long
Chinglish Signs: Park Edition
We saw a lot of hilarious chinglish signs while on our trip. Here are the funniest ones we saw in public parks…
Tibetan Butter Tea
I have always been curious about Tibetan butter tea. I knew that many people said it was hard to drink and an acquired taste, but it’s just a sort of milk tea, right? How bad could that be? While in Yunnan Province I had my chance. Yunnan borders Tibet and
"Smoka Ganga?" Our Time in Dali
Dali, China is a small walled city in Yunnan province. The streets are cobbled and cozy, the air is crisp and clear, and the city is sandwiched between a giant crystal blue lake on one side and looming green mountains on the other. It was love at first sight. Dali
Kunming and the Great Chinese Parks
The single greatest thing about Kunming is the weather. It is called the ‘spiring city’ and it was easy for us to see why. In the dead of winter the weather was warm and sunny and gave us a chance to avoid our winter coats for a few days. The