When I was living in Madrid, I decided not to do much for New Year's Eve. I made that decision partly because all of my friends had left for the holidays, but largely because all the clubs in the city were charging entrance fees upwards of 100 Euros when the standard 15 to 20 Euros was already a huge rip-off. Instead ringing in the new year at a crowded club, I grabbed my … [Read more...]
A Good Day in Hsipaw Spent With Kids, Cows and Trash
If you spend a reasonable amount of time in any country, visiting that country's top tourist attraction will never be the most memorable thing you do while there and in many cases, it will actually be quite disappointing. Instead, the best moments are unplanned and generally come when you least expect them. Knowing this, I've actually started skipping the main attractions in … [Read more...]
Don’t Let China Into Your Home!
The concepts of manners and personal hygiene are viewed very differently in China. In my two years in the country, I saw people clipping their toenails at their restaurant table, grown men defecating by the side of the road, a pretty violent brawl between two old men on a bus and virtually everybody smoking everywhere all the time. Luckily, it's always possible to retreat to … [Read more...]
Hurry Up and Eat Your Squid Before it Dies!
I know you're not supposed to play with your food, but in this case, our food seemed to be playing with us. The two squid lying on the pile of ice before us pulsated and changed from a translucent white to a dark red with every heartbeat. Dark pupils jumped around in large eyes. Whenever our chopsticks were in range, a tentacle grabbed hold and almost seemed to be engaging in a … [Read more...]
Karakul Lake in Xinjiang Province: Escaping China’s Tourist Hordes
Regular readers will know that I really enjoy traveling in China, despite the numerous frustrations and so far, I've written more posts on this blog about the Middle Kingdom than any other country. I have not yet written anything about China's westernmost province, the Xianjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, though. That needs to change, since it was my favorite area in the whole … [Read more...]