WELCOME TO MONGOLIA Like in a classic James Bond film, we were riding in style, first class aboard the Trans-Mongolian Railway from Beijing to Ulan Bator. Inside our private sleeper cabin, surrounded by deep red wood paneling and...
1.5 BEIJING CITY CENTRAL YOUTH HOTEL IN CHINA I wouldn't recommend the Beijing City Central Youth Hotel to anyone. Well, maybe a young man looking to test himself before shipping off to BUD/S where you might actually be a little more comfortable. How...
4.1 XIANGZIMEN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HOSTEL IN XI’AN We might have spent more time relaxing in the comfortable atmosphere of the Xiangzimen International Youth Hostel in Xi'an than we did out exploring the city and I'm not ashamed to admit it. The day we...
BEST OF CHINESE STREET FOOD When I first arrived in China, I thought the food was going to be like this: Or like this: Apart from the Donghuamen night market in Beijing and the occasional chicken feet and squid tentacles seen at...
BEIJING PHOTO GALLERY A short but eventful visit to Beijing that included stops at the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and a wonderful hike along the steep steps of the Great Wall of China. Photos taken with a Canon 5D Mark...
TRAVELING BY TRAIN IN CHINA Traveling by train is a great way to see China and cover a lot of ground on a smaller budget. In our month in China we took six different trains with the majority of them being overnight trips. And while a...
XI’AN PHOTO GALLERY 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....
I’M A TOURIST 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...
CHENGDU PHOTO GALLERY 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,...
3.8 HELLO CHENGDU INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HOSTEL IN CHINA 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...
VISIT CHENGDU 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...
3.8 CLIMBERS’ INN IN YANGSHUO 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'...
FIRST SCOOTER RIDE IN CHINA No one drove in their lane in Yangshuo. In fact, they frequently drove on the wrong side of the road. At the roundabouts it was a strange harmony of cars, buses, scooters and bicycles weaving in and out...