The next morning, we hopped on a bus and headed up toward the most active of Mount Aso's craters. We were dropped off at the bottom of a rope way, from where we could either walk the rest of the way to the crater or pay 1000 yen for a roundtrip ticket and ride up. I'm sure you can guess which option we chose and before you decide to write us off as lazy, keep reading. Once … [Read more...]
Exploring the Tibetan Villages of Zhonglu and Suopo
Last week, I wrote about our first afternoon and evening in Danba, which we spent getting a hotel room, arranging a car and driver for the next morning, eating an average meal, and buying fresh fruit and a giant bag of peanuts to supplement that meal. I created quite a little mountain of empty peanut shells before going to bed that night, but barely managed to put a dent in my … [Read more...]
Braving the Jungles of Koh Phangan to Discover a Secluded Beach
Koh Phangan in Thailand is famous mainly for the full moon party and by extension Haad Rin, the beach on the southern tip of the island where the party takes place every month. And justifiably so. The party is huge and chaotic and well worth a trip to the island on its own. It's not all Koh Phangan has to offer though and if you're looking for some peace and quiet after the … [Read more...]
Nature Sucks, But I Can Help
Traveling around China, I noticed something: in a country filled with spectacular natural scenery, domestic tourists have found numerous methods to limit their exposure to the abundance of nature. They had to, really. Can you imagine if they simply accepted nature as it is? Neither can I—the prospect is simply too horrible to fathom. It is not surprising that nature … [Read more...]