Destination: China

Photos: Old Beijing on a bicycle

Mon, 3 May 2010 | By becci_hodge | Photo Gallery

Day trip to Er Yuan

Sun, 2 May 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [1622]

The festival was an interesting distraction for a while, but now it is a huge impediment. I long to see something other than crowds of Chinese rubbernecking as they stroll past the booths selling….crap. It’s amazing how many forms crap can take: trinkets;... Read more >

The tightwad's guide to travel in the Yunnan

Sat, 1 May 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [517]

I can see the famous three pagodas from the top of my guesthouse while I am doing T’ai Chi in the morning. I have taken photos of it from this distance and they are less than impressive. So this morning I decided to skip my exercises and head towards ... Read more >

Bargaining 101 in the Dali Market

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [573]

Lessons I learned about bargaining today: 1) When you approach an item that you are interested in, don’t show your interest at all. 2) Even if you like an item it is good to curl your lip and shake your head as though you find fault with it. 3) ... Read more >

Foshan

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 | By lha | Views [297]

Last weekend I ventured to Foshan, about 2 hours from my school.  I was not impressed with this city but did like the look of Nanhai. Where I actually stayed was about 30 minutes from Foshan and the reason for going was to meet up with a former student ... Read more >

Tags: on the road again......

Photos: Foshan

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 | By lha | Photo Gallery

The mob descends on Dali

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [498]

And then the crowds came. How they have flocked to Dali for the big festival. I arrived too late for the opening ceremony, but I was told that you couldn’t get near it anyway. The stands were packed for the horse races and good luck trying to move up ... Read more >

Cangshan- a walk in the clouds

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [678]

I was very lazy this morning and didn’t get up until after 9:00am. I regretted it once I saw the azure sky over Cangshan. I dressed quickly for a hiking and went down for a quick bite to eat. I was already in a tizzy over my late start, but Sarah made ... Read more >

A sneak peek at the "real" China

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [590]

I got out of Dali today and went to a market in a nearby village. I’m still a bit burnt out on the whole tourist thing, but today I was tagging along with someone else and that made it more interesting. I met Sarah the first night I was here. She is ... Read more >

Hello Dali!

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [515]

I left Kunming to get out of the dorm and ended up in a bunk situation on the overnight train to Dali. I figured I could put up with it for one more night. There were no heavy snorers in my section of the train, but I did have the interesting situation ... Read more >

Mountains, I hate Mountains

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 | By joshuapatterson23 | Views [835] | Comments [4]

Wow! For all of you that have subscribed to by RSS feed you are probably excited by the fact that there is finally a new story. Of course there are also a bunch of new photos, like 170 to be exact. Also just for my own aggrandizement I have finally ... Read more >

Photos: Mt. Wudang

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 | By joshuapatterson23 | Photo Gallery

Anyone in Kunming looking for an English teacher?

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [475]

There was a heavy, pounding rain last night in Kunming and I am told that it is rare for that to happen this time of year. I think that the unseasonable weather brought out the craziness in some people because there was a ruckus that was going on at ... Read more >

Kunming--my kind of town

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [571]

I survived my first night in the dorm and awoke to a beautiful day in the City of Eternal Spring. It wasn’t so bad being in the mixed dorm. There were comings and goings at all hours and a guy who needs some serious help for his snoring problem, but ... Read more >

China or bust!

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 | By melissa_k | Views [746]

The power was restored last night, but it went off again early this morning. I am so glad that I dug out my headlamp because using the bathroom at 4:00am would have been difficult. By 6:00am there was enough light in the sky so that I could pack my ... Read more >