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The Road Goes Ever On and On... |
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Recent Entries
* The End of the Silk Road
* Chinese Training * Pingyao! * The Great Wall * Last Day in Beijing * The Forbidden City with Roger Moore * Grandeur in Beijing * Arrival in the Capital * More Living, More Learning * Visa in Hand * Back on Victoria Peak * Jetlagged in Hong Kong * Only a Day Away * One Week to Wait * About This Blog * About Me
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February 28, 2004The End of the Silk RoadHe was like a leech with ESP. I hadn't been in Xi'an for more than half a second when he attached himself to me, enthusiastically regaling me with the details of his hostel. I had spent all night dreaming of...Read this update Chinese TrainingChinese trains have four classes: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper. Hard seat is the cheapest, and so it's usually packed to the gills with locals. Soft seat is a rarity. Hard sleeper is the most economical...Read this update February 26, 2004Pingyao!I figured out Pingyao eventually. After my 15-hour train ride southwest from Beijing into the heart of Shanxi province (not to be confused with neighboring Shaanxi province), I felt like I was deep into the Chinese interior. This was the...Read this update The Great WallI spent my last day in Beijing hiking along the Great Wall, which undoubtedly ranks among the coolest hikes I will ever do. It's one of the few famous tourist attractions I've ever seen that lives up to the hype....Read this update February 24, 2004February 23, 2004The Forbidden City with Roger MooreI visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City yesterday, with Roger Moore as my pre-recorded guide. (He really didn't have much of interest to say, unfortunately.) After leaving the Palace, I wandered around to a beautiful little teahouse a stone's...Read this update February 22, 2004Grandeur in BeijingBeijing is a distinctively grand city. Its broad boulevards and stately, imposing buildings give the city an impressive, regal atmosphere that I haven't seen anywhere else. This contrasts with the quaint, decidedly human-scale alleys or hutongs that surround the Forbidden...Read this update Arrival in the CapitalI arrived in Beijing on Saturday afternoon. I was grinning wit excitement to finally be setting foor on the Chinese mainland. I was also totally unprepared by Hong Kong for what was about to happen....Read this update February 20, 2004More Living, More LearningIt "had seemed exactly the sort of thing an experienced solo world traveler would so," to quote Ayun Halliday, and it wasn't a bad idea, just poorly executed. Today's travel lesson is that just because somewhere is warmer than Chicago...Read this update February 19, 2004Visa in HandI just picked up my China visa! A warning to future travelers: don't go to Chinese Consulate in Hong Kong for your visa, like Lonely Planet suggests. It's very expensive, and anything less than five-day processing costs extra. A lot...Read this update Back on Victoria PeakAfter two more days exploring Hong Kong, I'm back on Victoria Peak again to check out the city lights at night. The view is spectacular this time. Hong Kong reminds me of a cross between San Francisco and New York....Read this update February 17, 2004Jetlagged in Hong KongThe thing about flying west is that it makes for very long days. When I landed in Hong Kong yesterday afternoon at about 6:00 pm, I had been awake since 10:30 pm the night before, local time. That left with...Read this update February 15, 2004Only a Day AwayBy this time tomorrow, I'll be halfway to Hong Kong! The pack is packed. Trivial details like finding a place to stay and getting a visa for China can wait until I get there. Just one very long flight between me and my trip.Read this update February 09, 2004One Week to WaitI am exactly one week away from beginning my first solo adventure. On February 16, I'm leaving for a 33-day trip through China....Read this update About This BlogI'll be using this blog to chronicle my travel adventures, big and small....Read this update About MeThe credit for my wanderlust goes to my parents, who were good enough to expose me early and often to exciting new places. Though I grew up in Maryland, just outside Washington, DC, travels with my family took me across...Read this update |
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