One of my personal highlights from Tibet was the Sera Monastery . In the mountains just outside of Lhasa and admittedly touristy, it was still a nice experience to be in a Tibetan Monastery at the heart of Tibet watching robed monks debate each other in Tibetan. Certain groups were […]
East Asia
Potala Palace
No photos allowed inside but, here, two exterior shots of Lhasa’s Potala Palace. The inside of beautiful and ornate and bejeweled, and brings to mind a lot of questions about the ideals of asceticism in practicality.
Realities of Traveling in Tibet
I’ll readily admit that I had this whole fantasy built around the idea of Tibet, the way so many liberal-leaning Westerners seem to. I had also been living in China for nearly a year before I went to Tibet, so I had a pretty realistic view of the Chinese position […]
Tibet Prayer Flags
Tibetan Prayer Flags Prayer flags just like these fly all over Tibetan Buddhist areas throughout China. Because these are blessed, every time they wind catches these flags and casuses them to blow a little bit of positive Karma goes towards the person who hung them. With the number of these […]
Himeji Castle
You know what’s almost as good as the 14th century World-Heritage castle at Himeiji? Ninjas! Unfortunately, airport security took my ninja stars when I tried to board my flight to Hong Kong with them. What’s next, Japan, no samurai swords in public?!
Deerest Nara
Nara has several large temples, cool sake bars, and decent hiking. But its mostly known for its deer. This leads to many different scenes. Some pretty stereotypically Japanese. Some that might be described as adorable. And some particularly carnivorous. Who’s in the mood for venison?
Hey there! I'm Stephen, this is my travel blog, and that's me in the poofy hat.
I'm a photographer / writer traveling since 2008, and I've been doing my best to visit amazing places.
My current focus is Central Asia, because for a hiking and camping enthusiast it's as good as it gets.