Witness Terracotta Soldiers in Xi’an
November 26, 2013
One of the most impressive aspects of my trip to Xi’an was witnessing the Terra-Cotta soldiers. I was quite mesmerized by this experience, and thought it deserves a separate post. Most people who’ve seen it says the experience is somewhat overrated, and I certainly can see why this may be. Nevertheless, I found the ancient relics to be most fascinating.…
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Xi’an Wanderings
November 24, 2013
Last weekend, I took my first overnight train in China to the ancient city of Xi’an. My friend Aly, who has lived in China for 4 years now, is a huge fan of train travel. It was her birthday weekend, and her only request was to take an overnight train somewhere for 14 hours. I happily tagged along. As someone…
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Halloweekend in Moganshan
November 3, 2013
Every now and again, a weekend trip is necessary for a Shanghai dweller to get some fresh air, to switch up daily routine, and obtain some fuel for the soul. This weekend, I was invited to a trip to Moganshan (莫干山), a popular getaway destination just 3 hours of drive from Shanghai. A girl whom I met recently invited me,…
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Danba, China: The Valley of Happiness
October 21, 2013
Life of a globetrotter can be strangely disorienting. One minute, you are in the Tibetan village sharing roads with goats, the next, you are in Shanghai, sharing roads with cars and motorbike drivers who possess severe road rage. We live in the world where we can wake up in one setting and go to sleep in the next. Our minds…
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Muddy Road to Heaven: Hiking in Sichuan
October 13, 2013
Back in my Peace Corps days, I had the nickname of Posh Corps. Somehow, despite living in a village amidst the mountains of Cameroon, I managed a rather posh life (relatively speaking – Internet connection in a house without running water is pretty posh, no?). It didn’t take me long to acquire a personal moto driver who would come pick…
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Lantern Festival at Yuyuan
March 17, 2013
Lantern Festival was a few weeks ago, but the event was such an interesting part of my China experience thus far, I figured writing about it is a better late than never endeavor. Lantern Festival (元宵节) is something that I vaguely remember celebrating as a child. Mostly, my mother would make delicious 汤圆 (glutton rice balls) and we watched some…
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Don’t ask me to lie China
November 26, 2012
When living in a foreign country, there is a fine line between integrating into a culture, and forgoing one’s integrity. In Cameroon, my rule was to never to pay a bribe, no matter what. After just one month in China, my rule is definitely going to be – never lying to a client, or helping them lie, no matter what.…
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Getting Lost in Jing’an
November 13, 2012
One of my favorite ways to travel is to walk around aimlessly in a city, alone, without a map, without a destination. But simply being in that place in time and soaking in what the city has to offer. No stress of finding the next monument or restaurant. Just going with the flow. When I get tired, I sit down…
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Beijing: A Chinese Metropolis
November 11, 2012
Last week, I ventured up to Beijing. My sister has told me that Beijing is much less “livable” than Shanghai, and I was thus eager to find out for myself. Five days later, I was very much glad to be back in Shanghai. Beijing is gigantic, and not for the faint-hearted. I never thought I’d find a city “too big”…
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Beijing Bound
November 1, 2012
I’ve barely gotten over my jet lag, and I boarded the high-speed rail to Beijing. I arrived in China just in time to attend China’s First Social Investment Forum. Through my LinkedIn network, I was offered a ticket to attend. So, off I go. I took the subway to Shanghai’s Hong-Qiao Station (虹桥车站). There are apparently three major rail stations…
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