Summers in China are horrible. They're hot and humid and anyone who sets foot outside is instantly soaked in sweat. When I lived in Shanghai, I escaped to Kashgar in the far west of China for the summer. The temperatures are even higher there, but the complete lack of moisture makes life much more pleasant. When living in Shenzhen, I stupidly decided to stay put. I figured I … [Read more...]
Inle’s Floating Gardens and some Buddhist Hypocrisy
After visiting the temple, we got back on our boat and headed into another floating village. This one was even more photogenic than the first and I shot another 200 photos. By now the sun was at its hottest, but I still had no interest in holding an umbrella while trying to shoot photos. I'm pretty shocked I didn't come away from this outing with a horrible sunburn. Outside the … [Read more...]
Village Life on Inle Lake…Yes, it Includes Souvenir Shops
After puttering down the lake for a while, we eventually arrived at the village of Ywama to visit a local market. Our driver parked our boat and dropped us off at a long, covered walkway lined with makeshift stalls manned by local vendors. The vendors might have been local, but the market was not. It clearly existed almost solely for our benefit. Luckily, you could continue … [Read more...]
Real and Fake Leg Rowing Fishermen on Inle Lake
"Skip it. It's too touristy." If you've done any traveling, you've probably heard this phrase. Some travelers shun any destination or activity seen as popular and will even go so far as to berate others for not doing the same. They don't seem to understand that places become touristy for one simple reason: they offer something worth seeing or doing. If you skip them, you miss … [Read more...]
Pisang to Ngawal: A Hard Climb to Beautiful Views
We woke up the next morning dreading the day ahead. Trekkers have two options on the Pisang to Manang section of the Annapurna circuit: the lower route along the valley floor or the upper route 400 or so meters above. We knew the lower trail would be faster and easier, but we'd heard multiple times that the upper has some of the best views of the whole trek. The promise of … [Read more...]