Author Mark Johnston

A stop in Xi'an, China, where we rode bikes around the ancient Xi'an City Wall, visited the Terra Cotta Army and ate so much good food in the Muslim quarter. Photos taken with a Canon 5D Mark III....

The past week has been an all out, sight-seeing rampage. Day after day we were hopping buses, waiting in lines, buying steeply priced tickets and sweating the Chinese summer heat. From Chengdu to Xi’an we...

We came to Chengdu for pandas but ended up getting so much more. One day, we'd love to return here as the jump-off point for a trip into Tibet. Keep scrolling, at least until you find the Leshan Giant Buddha,...

Hello Chengdu International Youth Hostel followed the theme of the city itself- clean and friendly, which made for a relaxing and enjoyable stay.  The first thing we noticed was the wonderful oasis this...

We were impressed with Chengdu the moment we stepped off the train. It was by far the cleanest, friendliest and least chaotic city we'd visited since arriving in China. The cab ride from the train station to...

Initially we had booked different reservations for our stay in Yangshuo, but upon a recommendation from another backpacker we switched for a much more affordable and friendly option- The Climbers'...

An adventurous stop in Yangshuo where we hiked to Moon Hill, rock climbed at Twin Gates Mountain, rented bicycles to ride to nearby villages and braved the Chinese traffic on a scooter. Photos taken with...

Our taxi came to an abrupt halt and everyone on board let out a collective groan. Up ahead the Jingbao River, full and flowing fast due to recent heavy rains, had submerged the crossing and our driver refused...

This is one of those destinations that I feel I completely failed in capturing in this gallery. The grandness of the natural wonders of Zhangjiajie just can't be captured in pictures! Photos taken with...

China—it’s growing on me. It was quite a culture shock after arriving here, having just left China’s quiet and conservative neighbor Japan, and maybe I was ignorantly expecting them to be somewhat...

My favorite stop of all in Japan was the beautiful mountaintop town of Koyasan. We attended morning prayers with Buddhist monks, slept in a capsule hotel and visited our first onsen. Then we caught the bullet...

When my alarm woke me at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, I quickly dressed, grabbed my camera and crawled out of my capsule hotel room to meet Britnee. Together we walked to the Okunoin cemetery in Koyasan where we...

Kyoto was incredible! We enjoyed the great company of fellow tourists and explored some of Japan's most stunning historic sites. However, the best highlight of all might have been the find of an amazing little...