Recent Posts

China, Travel Words

An Hour in the Air

For unreasonable reasons, I decided to fly back to Urumqi on my way out of the country.  If it weren’t for Shanghai Airlines, I wouldn’t have been around Hotan long enough to this amused: So, perhaps Uigher/ Chinese race relations are still not so hot?  As I wait for 5 […]

China, Photo Blogs

Sale at the Hotan Bazaar

As I wandered around the Big Bazaar in Hotan, Xinjiang province a couple of street (storefront?) musicians were gracious enough to give me the go ahead to film them playing. If I had known my flight would take off a day late, I probably would have stayed around to watch […]

China, Photo Blogs

Xinjiang Food

In so many places, new and exciting foods are some of the most tangibly exotic parts of being in a new culture.  Xinjiang is no exception to this, and this time around I’ve managed to photograph some of the more exciting elements.  Unfortunately, I apparently failed to get a picture […]

China, Travel Words

Train to Kashgar

Though I normally spring for hard sleeper beds when I have a choice, occasionally train travel in China is so popular that by the time I get to the ticket window to buy a departure a day or two away, I end up with a “hard seat” ticket.  For relatively […]

China, Travel Words

Around Dunhuang

While Dunhuang is surrounded by beautiful natural and historical sights, many of them are quite far away from anything that I’d be comfortable calling a town or, at times, a road.  So, I let myself be talked into taking a minivan tour to most of these sights on the second […]

China, Travel Words

Langmusi

Much like Jiuzhaigou, the draw to Langmusi was a combination of Tibetan culture and natural beauty. Two large Tibetan temples sit above the town, and beyond both lie opportunities for hiking through distinctly different environments. Just past the Sichuan monastery lies Namo Gorge, a valley enclosed by rocks and a […]