Ci Qi Kou The Porcelain Village Situated on a tributary to the Jialing River west of Chongqing, this historic neighborhood has become, like many ‘old towns’ in China, packed with shops and restaurants and is packed with shoppers and sightseers day and night. Almost a square mile in size, the area is filled with buildingsRead more
Day Trip to Dazu Signed up for the wrong tour. I thought I was going to some park with a gorge and waterfalls. Turned out to be to the UNESCO World Heritage site (two sites, actually) in Dazu. We stopped in some small tourist setup, Some “antique” old-town style buildings. Read more
Good morning, Chongqing! The view from the hotel: A little smoggy out. Turns out the hotel is in a pretty neat commerce district. A lot of shoppers…. …. and a lot of food. About 100 people were lined up to get these spicy noodles. Not bad! Spicy lambRead more
Last Morning in Lijiang Old Town One of the beautiful daily sights in the old town is how locals and visitors will gather up in the square and folk dance to region folk music. Everyone is welcome to join, and there are plenty of seats for spectators. It’s really fun to watch. Read more
A beautiful morning in Lijiang old town. This is the view from the hotel. Looking down on the courtyard of the hotel. This is where the owners play cards all night and keep me awake. The street in front of the hotel. Heading into old town This canal comes from theRead more
Leaping Tiger Gorge Tour – Part 2 Finally we make it into the gorge, with the driver refusing to slow down. Don’t worry though, the occasional 6cm tall cement block will prevent us from a deadly plummet. The guide points out the “old” trail on the other side. This was used up through theRead more
Leaping Tiger Gorge Tour – Part 1 A hastily-purchased tour pass in the Old Town led to an early morning pork bun breakfast around the corner while waiting for a group bus. My expectations were a casual stroll up the paved path of this renowned gorge. Video: waiting for early morning pickup. TheRead more
Morning in Dali Old Town before train to Lijiang A snack some sauce-covered flap of something on a stick. Not bad. Streets right outside the old town have some good bargains. I bought a traditional Dali Blue tie-dye cloth here. Killing some time in a temple in the oldRead more
Starting the day with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. Local noodle dish and some eggs. The hotel is located near the old town in on the Southwest shore of Lake Erhai, in a revitalized area. A lot of indie businesses, art shops, bars, restaurants, and boutique hotels. This map outlines what attractions andRead more
Took a flight into Dali, Yunnan. It was a silk road stop. I don’t really need to get into the importance and history of the Silk Road here. It’s pretty isolated up in the mountains, with a single Noth/South valley leading to other communities along the range. Dali Wood Carving and Marble are what theRead more
Day Two Plan: With the weather seeming pleasant, so I was looking forward to heading to Mount Emei, the highest of the 4 sacred Buddhist mountains of China. Once there, I would explore the giant gold elephant-styled temple, and probably come back with an amazing pics like this one to the right (not my pic). Meanwhile, I would enjoyRead more
Day One Plan Head to the Panda Base and walk around take photos. The weather is very hot and humid and certainly pandas will be just hanging in the shade, but it’s a very nice park and near the hotel. After that, food and shopping in Chengdu’s Jinli Ancient Street. First meal in china: SichuanRead more
I had a green JR rail pass, which allowed me unlimited travel on trains, including the shinkansen (high speed) trains. I took one to Osaka to meet up with another penpal. Osaka is about an hour way by high speed rail. The ride is comfortable, smooth, and blazing fast. The scenery just flows by. IfRead more
In the morning I did a small amount of shopping in Akihabara I checked out a few Halloween shops This shop is stacked with busty girl PVC figurines. These Monster Hunter figures seemed to be popular. I met up with a pen pal at a restaurant at Akihabara Station. Edameme beans.Read more
I decided to go to Shinjuku today, but to kill time before the train I stopped in into an Akihabara bookstore to check it out. first time seeing anything Star War related in Japan. the Shop had quite a bit, I guess because of the new movie. Not out of the ordinary to have generalRead more
Woke up at a decent hour each day due to some construction outside the window. After the war Akihabara became a center for resale of military surplus, specifically electronics parts. To this day it’s the go-to place to buy electronics. While the pop culture establishments and department stores dominate, you can still find a lotRead more
Having always read about Japan, corresponding with several pen pals that live there, and reading about it since I was a child, when I had the opportunity to go, I took the chance. Originally planning to travel with an old high school friend, I hastily booked the flight, only to find out that I wouldRead more
Chengdu Panda Rescue Base For my last day in China, I head to the panda park with Jing. Fuzzy panda butt Watching pandas eat is highly enjoyable. When they aren’t eating, they are sleeping Red Pandas are always doing something cute, that isRead more
Out for a stole one day in Chengdu, I came upon an art class in session Near Jing’s apartment, this businessman claims to do it all: bike repair, locksmith, welding, mechanical work, etc. This guy sells water. It’s amazing how packed the the streets are with small businesses in China. Walmart andRead more
The Fuqin Comprehensive Market is located in the northwest side of Chengdu. Often referred to as a “Open Air Market,” or more frequently, a “Wet Market” it features both wet and dry goods from all around the region. A handful of butchers sell out of the market. Not theRead more
We visit the Lian Hua Xiaoqu Open Air Market, which I featured on Scenes from a Public Market. Often called Wet Markets recently, these are more commonly referred to around the world as “Open Air Markets.” This particular one, open daily, is a mix of wet and dry goods, much of which comes from Sichuanese farmers,Read more
Most of the week I went for walks, not even bothering to bring my SLR. Many of these photos are from a pocket camera. I did a lot of eating. Not much to show here as far as adventures. Just daily life in Chengdu, China. The first morning back in Chengdu, we head to theRead more
My remaining hours in Old Lijiang were spent hopping from shop to shop, snacking and buying some last-minute gifts. I can see why, through all the Chinese people I have met over the years, why Lijiang Old Town is often mentioned as a favorite travel spot. Its endless maze of unique and character-rich shops, streetsRead more
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山 The dominant feature of the Lijiang Valley, is actually a massif (range) of which the highest peak reaches 18,360 ft. Although easily seen from all corners of the city of Lijiang, I had no idea how massive it really was until we hired a driver to take us to it.Read more
Every cab driver we spoke to suggested we head to some lake… one of the few that still had water in it during the dry season. “it’s so beautiful.” “You must see the lake.” “Have you been on the lake?” So we decided to go. It turns out… there are several lakes in the valley.Read more
Another full day in Lijiang broguht me the realization that I could spend weeks photographing here. Every twist and turn uncovered a mix of multiple cultures, their art, their lifestyles, languages, and their welcoming to this village. I could have snapped megapixels of everything I saw while I was there, everything that astounded me, butRead more
Along with fresh produce and homemade goods, the market also features meats: preserved, fresh, and living. Smoked and preserved meat like this were being sold outside of the shed along the alley. The butcher shed, a pavilion of about 60 vendors selling fresh meats. Not a freezer or pair of rubber gloves in sight, thisRead more
I don’t recall what this is… It’s the design above the doorway of a restaurant, I think. My first experience with the “Open Air Market” (Ancient City Zhongyi Market) in Lijiang was frustrating. I couldn’t find my hotel, and I wandered into the opening of an alley from which market vendors expanded out fromRead more
I had originally flew into Lijiang, but immediately took a bus to Shangri-La and I didn’t get much of a chance to see Lijiang until the evening I returned. Surrounded by granite mountains, deep gorges, and red clay hills, Lijiang lies within a 8,000 ft high level plain crossroads of established trade routes and minority cultures. The developedRead more
The next morning we wake up early to visit the temple and then eat before our flight back to Lijiang. It seems as though in the Tibetan plateau, things get off to a late start. 9 am and many things are closed. People are just starting their day. Before entering, we circle clockwise 3 times. TheyRead more