Ger, central Mongolia
Photo Friday: Mongolian Steppes
This week we're showing a few more photos from our adventure through Mongolia....
The view from the tower of Pingyao, China
Photo Friday: Pingyao, China
Here are a few photos of our most recent location in Pingyao, China. It's truly an old and fascinating town, so check it out if you happen to be in the area.
Travel Tips for China
After a few weeks in China, we've learned a great deal about this amazing country. Here are a few tips for navigating this behemoth of a nation with so much to see and do.
An overlook on top of Huangshan
China on the Cheap
We arrived in China almost two weeks ago. The country has made a good impression so far. This is actually our second trip to China, our first being five years ago to the south (from Hong Kong to the Yunnan). After five years, this behemoth of a country is advancing in leaps and bounds. Economic growth can be witnessed everywhere. At the same time, ancient culture and personal experiences await around every corner. After arriving in Beijing late in the evening, we found our hotel down one of Beijing’s many Hutong alleyways. These microcosms of Chinese culture, where locals live in close proximity to one another and share a tight-knit neighborhood, are slowly being torn apart and replaced with towering skyscrapers. Beijing as a whole is impressive. It’s huge and modern in some parts, but ancient and cultural in others. We visited Beihai park, where crowds perform Tai Chi in unison along the shore of an ancient lake with a modern skyline as a backdrop.
China: Our Packing List
Now that we’re about one week into our trip to China and Mongolia, we’ve ventured beyond Beijing, our first destination. For this two month trip, we’ve packed as lightly as possible. Instead of each of us taking our normal packs (around 80 liters in size) and also carrying additional smaller packs, we’re only carrying one medium sized pack (about 35 liters) and smaller backpacks. Also, one of the smaller bags is a camera/laptop bag.
Just because I am doing this does not mean that you should, too.
Bad Travel Clichés
Travel clichés abound everywhere, but some are worse than others. And I’m not talking about cliché places to visit, either. The Eiffel Tower, in all sincerity, is definitely worth a visit. Instead, here’s a list of travel clichés that, in my opinion, have come to the end of their journey.
Dogon Masks, Mali
Bargaining Abroad
With summer fast approaching, many will be jet-setting to explore foreign and exotic places. While you may have set your budget and selected the cheapest airfare and hotel, you could get accidently get sucked into a financial hole simply by doing some souvenir shopping. To make sure that you don't get ripped off and spend a small fortune on a matryoshka doll, learn how to bargain like a pro.
Hamer girl, at the Jumping of the Bulls ceremony
Photo Friday: Southern Ethiopia
The theme of this week's Photo Friday is Southern Ethiopia. This is part of my personal effort to convince as many people as possible to visit Africa. After spending several months on the continent, we realized that we had only experienced a drop in the bucket. Africa is so huge and diverse that it would take years to fully understand all of the cultures, history, tragedy, and beauty that this immense land has to offer.
The canals of Amsterdam at night
Photo Friday: Amsterdam
This week's Photo Friday is all about Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. It's full of canals, red lights, history, and charm - and it has something for everyone.
The Towers in Torres del Paine, Patagonia
Hiking Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile
Torres del Paine is a national park in Patagonia, Chile. It is known for some of the most spectacular hiking in the world. I met many people as I hiked the park - people doing it on many different budgets. There was Joe from Chicago who camped and lived on porridge for nine days - surely that’s the cheapest it can be done. There were others who stayed at the Refugios with breakfast, dinner and a box lunch included for the trail. In between there was me: I camped, ate one meal at a Refugio, had drinks at the bar during happy hour (when they were half price) and ate a lot of nuts, dried fruit and other easily portable food.