Surviving the Overnight Hard Seat: Xi’an to Pingyao
Xi’an to Pingyao Vowing to never again settle for a “hard seat” on an overnight train (especially the lowest grade, like the one we experienced), we arrived in Pingyao from Xi’an. We had said to ourselves, “How bad could it be?” The reality was pretty terrible. We had seat numbers, which was a good start, […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: The Sign Says
Outstanding topic for the Weekly Photo Challenge! We absolutely love funny signs from around the world. Sometimes the translations are baffling; other times they are downright hilarious. It just goes to show how important the job of translation and interpretation really is. So much can be lost in translation. This sign on the island of […]
Kauai’s Chickens: Charming Mischief Makers
Kauai’s chickens rule. They stop traffic in downtown Lihue and beg like squirrels in local parks. You can find them at the beach, in the forest, and crowing outside your window at all hours. The population of Kauai’s chickens is much higher than that of humans. They survive on fallen fruit and other scraps, […]
My Ever Changing Name
After traveling in Asia for the last 9 months I’ve come up with an observation. I’m not sure if I’m the only person who feels this way or if other travelers share my same bit of humor about it. Here it is. In countries that are not native English speaking there is a common rhythm […]
Never-ending Story
In Sengiggi we had purchased a through ticket from there on the west coast of Lombok all the way to Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores. It was the cheap and local way to do it, and though we would miss out on three days of coastal views, saltwater bucket showers and sleeping on […]
Road to Tagong on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau
8:15 am Danba, high in the mountains of Sichuan Province in southwestern China. We ready our packs, go downstairs to the hostel’s common area and cross the town’s one street to grab some pork and veg-stuffed steamed buns for breakfast. The hostel-owner’s son toddles around the lobby in his blue split-pants, the kind that allow […]
Lost in Translation: Trying to Eat in Qingdao
As we ventured away from the metropolis of Beijing we were very limited on the choice of cities to visit. The reason for this was our neglect in purchasing a train ticket before nearly all destinations were sold out. We thought we might have to pony up for a plane ticket. As it turned […]
Hwaseong Fortress and Suwon
Suwon, which markets itself as the happy city of filial piety, is an easy day trip from Seoul. You can get all the way there on the Seoul metro subway if you ride line #1 almost to the end. It’s far enough to feel like you’re out of the city, but Suwon itself is still […]
Friends and Foes at the Lagoon
A Walk around the Lagoon We made a new friend on our walk around Laguna Nimez just outside of El Calafate, Argentina. She was a pretty black lab with a red collar, and obviously belonged to someone, but she was out for a walk on her own. She accompanied us around the lagoon fetching a […]