Destinations

  On the afternoon of March 22, I decided to revisit the Tibetan neighborhood in Chengdu. I was overdue for a Tibetan meal with butter tea, and was wondering what …

After a fun day at People’s Park, I returned back to Charlie’s apartment. In the evening, I joined him and his girlfriend for some errands. We went to Nanuna again. …

  I picked up my e-ticket to Kathmandu at Sim’s Guest House travel desk and grabbed a taxi to the People’s Park in central Chengdu. The Lonely Planet spoke highly …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

Chengdu’s Tibetan 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 …

Chinese Spa Around 1 am 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, …

    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 …

  ” 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 …

  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) …

        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 …

    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 …

    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 …

  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 …