GoBackpackingGoBackpackingJoin me on a solo trip around the world! I will write about the planning and saving process, logistics, and my personal hopes and fears. Once the trip begins, I'll be posting updates and photos from New Zealand to Brazil. Articles
My First And Last Ba Guan Treatment
2008-04-15 04:17:00 After an afternoon sightseeing at DuFu’s cottage, prior home of a famous Chinese poet, I decided to check out a Chinese Tibetan spa near Charlie’s apartment building. I only knew it was a spa because I had asked him about the prayer flags over the front entrance a few days earlier. I took the ... More About: Treatment
I?m Back
2008-04-13 08:27:00 I’ve come down from the mountains in the Annapurna region of Nepal after a 10-day trek. It was by far the hardest physical experience of my life, and required quite a bit of mental stamina too. I accomplished my goal of having a fun time trekking around the highest mountain range in ... More About: Back
You Can?t Always Get What You Want
2008-04-05 08:35:00 Through the travel desk at Sim’s Guest House, I received a 90% refund on my airfare from Lasa to Katmandu from Air China, though I later read the airline was offering 100% refunds given China closed Tibet to foreigners as a result of the violent protests. Seeking a refund on the train ticket ...
Are You A True Playa?
2008-04-03 08:14:00 On our way home from the foot massage place, Charlie got a phone call from his friend Eli who was at the Playa Club. He said it was the opening/closing party for the venue which had only be around a few weeks. We had previously talked about the place (and not in a good way), ... More About: True
The Art Of Foot Massages In China
2008-04-01 07:38:00 Signs advertising foot massages were all over the streets in Hong Kong, and I remember the Austrian man telling me they were cheaper in China , a hint to hold off at the time. Charlie suggested we get one so we made our way through the rain, across the campus of Sichuan University, to ... More About: Foot , Massages
Street Food And The Hemp House
2008-03-30 07:36:00 Charlie makes his living as a DJ which allows him to have a more flexible schedule than your average suit. As a result, he’s a big time night owl, staying up until 3…4…5am and not rising the next day until around 4pm. I tend to adapt the habits of the people I’m ... More About: House , Food , Street , Hemp
Chow Time: Pig?s Tail And Chicken Gizzards
2008-03-28 06:18:00 I walked down Jinli Lu, which was lined with souvenir and tea shops, restaurants and bars. Despite the tourist trap feel of the new construction and design, the street’s history dated back to the Han Dynasty. I came across Carol’s Restaurant ?where East meets West? and grabbed a seat facing the street through ... More About: Time , Chicken , Chow , Tail
A Program Note
2008-03-27 18:19:00 Dear readers, You may have picked up that I schedule posts (about a week) ahead of time. This allows me to enter a new country and get acclimated (financially, physically, emotionally, etc.) before sitting down at a computer. I’ve fallen a bit behind, and am a few days from leaving on a 10-14 day trek in the ... More About: Nepal , Blogging , Note , Program
Little Tibet
2008-03-27 08:19:00 Chengdu’s Tibet an neighborhood is located near WuHou Temple, southwest of the city’s center. Despite my plans to head toward Tibet itself, I felt a neighborhood visit would serve as a nice appetizer for the main course. After the taxi dropped me off, and I got my bearings, I began to explore ...
Spa Life, Giant Pandas, And Movie Night
2008-03-25 18:04:00 Chinese Spa Around 1am Charlie, Jody and I arrived at a 24-hour spa. We spent the next four hours swimming around in four pools of varying sizes and temperatures, playing ping-pong in the provided pajamas (which gave us the distinct look we were in an insane asylum), and sweating out the toxins in steam and ... More About: Movie , Life , Night , Giant , Movie Night
Wenshu Monastery and Tibet Preparations
2008-03-24 06:57:00 With my train arrangements in order, I joined a couple of British girls at the restaurant in Sim’s for lunch. They were in the first week of a 6-month trip. Meeting people at the start of their trip always reminds me of how I felt at that time, now almost 4 months ... More About: Tibet
Mission Impossible: Obtain Chengdu-Lhasa Train Ticket
2008-03-23 06:55:00 ?To repeat ? ad infinitum ? though train tickets are a lot easier to land these days, don’t expect next-day middle-berth hard sleeper miracles for the most popular routes. To wit: expect everyone and their dog to be trying to get on the Chengdu-Lhasa train.? —- Lonely Planet ... More About: Tibet , Train , Mission , Impossible , Ticket
Plotting My Next Move
2008-03-22 19:48:00 By my fourth night in Chengdu I realized the days were flittering by and I had yet to begin arrangements for my Tibet Tourist Permit (necessary for all visitors) or my train ticket to Lhasa. The former was easy to obtain if you have the time (usually a week), while the latter could be ... More About: Move
Rain, Tea, And WiFi At Texas Pete?s
2008-03-22 06:41:00 I awoke from my slumber around noon’ish. Charlie’s couch was quite comfortable, and his sleeping bag kept me sufficiently warm. As Charlie had to fly somewhere for a DJ gig Saturday night, his girlfriend Jody (Chinese) offered to take me out. Our first priority was food ? pork dumplings! ... More About: Rain , Wifi , Texas , Pete
Friday Night Lasers
2008-03-21 06:28:00 After the bus ride from the airport, we walked to a favorite restaurant of Charlie’s which served pork dumplings. A big bowl arrived for each of us, with the dumplings sitting in a pool of red oil. At home, I’d be horrified of such a sight, thinking it was a sign ... More About: Lasers , Night , Friday
Rendezvous With Charlie
2008-03-20 06:22:00 Upon arrival back in Hong Kong, I booked a one-way flight from Shenzhen to Chengdu online for $80 (tax included). Thank you China Southern Airlines! I left Adam to his own devices and took the easy route by hiring a taxi to the airport instead of taking the metro to an airport shuttle ... More About: Charlie , Rendezvous
Shenzhen Sights And Snooker
2008-03-18 19:29:00 I managed another Skype call to Michelle and set up a time to meet her outside a metro stop in her neighborhood. I invited Adam to join us for the day’s excursion. The metro was easy to navigate as there is only one full line operating. Shenzhen has gone from ... More About: Sights , Snooker
Crossing Into Mainland China
2008-03-18 06:27:00 The logistics of taking the train from Hong Kong to the mainland China border (adjacent to the city of Shenzhen) could not have been easier. We passed through immigration almost too quickly, and stepped out of the administrative building to a massive city with practically no signs in English. The Lonely Planet does ... More About: Crossing
Final Thoughts: Macau
2008-03-17 19:10:00 Highlights - walking around town taking in the sights, sounds, and smells meeting and hanging out with John from Turkey touring the casinos: The Wynn (my favorite), Grand Lisboa, MGM Grand and The Sands winning a few dollars at Sic Bo and War meeting the friendly guys from Nepal Discoveries - just because The Lonely Planet says room rates are ... More About: Thoughts , Macau , Final
Farewell Macau
2008-03-17 16:34:00 Our last day in Macau was rather low key. We ran into some Nepali guys who were vacationing in China. They were quite friendly, and spoke fairly good English between them all. I exchanged e-mails with one of them, hoping a little insider help could benefit me in ... More About: Hong Kong , Farewell
Turtle Casserole
2008-03-17 00:03:00 Sleeping late almost every day is one of my favorite aspects of vacation. Even when my bed is as hard as a rock, the ability to schedule one’s day around sleep is wonderful. John had to wake up early to attend to his visa and Adam was still out like ... More About: Turtle , Macau , Casserole
Uprisings In Tibet
2008-03-15 13:10:00 In light of recent events, I am jumping ahead for a moment… Saturday, March 15, 2008 @ 3:15pm I’m sitting on a deck, watching the rain, the sound of electric saws buzzing below at Sim’s Cozy Guest House break the silence. Earlier in the afternoon, upon checking my e-mail, I read a disturbing message from The International Campaign ... More About: Tibet
Lazy By Day, High Rollers By Night
2008-03-15 06:00:00 We all slept until at least noon on Sunday. I got up first because my bed had the consistency of concrete. I couldn’t figure out how to heat up the water for the shower so I skipped one for the first time in weeks. I grabbed a pork dumpling lunch at a ... More About: Night , Macau , High , Lazy
Visiting Macau ? The Las Vegas Of The East
2008-03-14 06:57:00 I passed up several opportunities to visit Las Vegas with friends as I saved for this trip, so I decided to check out the East ern version, Macau , an hour’s ferry ride southwest of Hong Kong with Adam. The side trip would also allow me to earn another stamp in my passport. I’m not big on ...
Final Thoughts: Hong Kong
2008-03-13 06:40:00 If Kuta in Bali felt like a culture shock at first, then Hong Kong felt like a culture A-bomb. After a day or two, I started to feel comfortable. If you’ve been to a few big cities (NYC, London, Paris, Rome, etc) then it’s not too hard to get the hang of finding ... More About: Thoughts , Final
Indian Visa And Last Night In Hong Kong
2008-03-12 19:38:00 I returned to the Indian consulate Friday morning to pay my Visa fee and drop off my passport. It was brought to my attention that I could only obtain a 3-month (versus 6-month) Visa abroad which went into effect immediately, thus limiting my time in India until May 29. I was offered the ... More About: Hong Kong , Night , Hong
World?s Largest Outdoor Seated Bronze Buddha
2008-03-12 06:32:00 Day 5 in Hong Kong was dedicated to taking the MTR to Lantau Island, home of Po Lin, a Buddhist monastery containing Tian Tan Buddha statue, the world’s largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha (apparently there is a bigger one indoors somewhere). Adam and I took the MTR to Lantau Island, and then waited in a 2-hour ... More About: World , Bronze , Outdoor
Escalators, Victoria Peak, Dance Mania, And A Light Show
2008-03-11 06:20:00 After our shopping spree the previous day, Adam and I headed to Hong Kong Island for some touristy sightseeing. First on my list was the Mid-Levels Escalator, the world’s longest, transporting people 800 meters uphill past restaurants, bars and shops in the SoHo district. After 20 minutes of riding the series of escalators, we were ... More About: Dance , Show , Victoria , Light
Electronics Shopping At The Golden Computer Center
2008-03-10 06:16:00 Adam had offered to help me find and buy an Asus laptop, so we headed north on Nathan Road in a taxi to The Golden Computer Center , a giant collection of electronics shops. The lower floor was dedicated to video games, while the upper contained computers and TV’s. The Center was not the place to go ... More About: Shopping , Electronics , Hong Kong
Contemplating My Nepal Trek
More articles from this author:2008-03-09 06:14:00 Buying a new toy was only one of the thoughts on my mind during my time in Hong Kong. Reaching mainland Asia meant I needed to start thinking about what I was going to do for a trek in Nepal . April, the second best time to go in terms of weather, was quickly approaching. Initially, I ... More About: Trek 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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