http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/ en-us 2004-03-16T15:27:58-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001936.shtml I'd been toying with the idea since Pingyao. It was after watching the sunrise from Huangshan, however, that I knew I was ready for it. So on Monday evening, I showed up on my doorstep in Chicago four days ahead... China David M 2004-03-16T15:27:58-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001912.shtml "This stuff's got a 1000% mark-up," whispered a Canadian expat as the shopkeeper moaned that she was losing money on the item that she was nevertheless packaging for him. Apparently, he was a frequent patron of the Yu Gardens Bazaar,... China David M 2004-03-14T04:39:48-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001910.shtml "In heaven," goes an old Chinese saying, "there is paradise. On earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou." I've now been to both, having spent the day in Suzhou, which is about an hour's train ride northwest of Shanghai. Personally, I think I... China David M 2004-03-13T07:21:35-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001906.shtml Bustling cosmopolitan metropolis though it is, Shanghai doesn't seem to have that much to offer the solo backpacker. Its tourist attractions are relatively few. What makes it stand out from China are precisely the things of least interest to me... China David M 2004-03-12T05:26:11-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001899.shtml So I ended up teaching English in China after all. It wasn't quite how I had originally envisioned it, though. Instead of teaching structured lessons to a classroom of university students, I taught an old man how to say a... China David M 2004-03-11T06:48:49-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001876.shtml After climbing up and down approximately a billion stone steps, I've just come down from Huangshan. I think the Canadian girl that I met in Xi'an summed up the mountain more concisely than I could: "Go!" This is absolutely one... China David M 2004-03-09T02:00:55-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001859.shtml I spent about 12 hours on Chinese buses today. I'll take them over Greyhound any day.... China David M 2004-03-07T03:17:33-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001853.shtml The bad news about the Three Gorges is that they seem to be mostly submerged already. The good news is that they still make for a great boat ride. The two days I spent on the boat between Chongqing and... China David M 2004-03-06T15:35:54-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001811.shtml It wasn't an accident, just a sudden recalculation of priorities. And based on everything I knew at the time, it should have worked out just fine. China David M 2004-03-03T06:58:54-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001799.shtml I haven't really seen many "sights" in Chengdu, but I've been spent a great day and a half relaxing here and hanging out with some fellow travelers. China David M 2004-03-02T05:07:19-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001782.shtml Remember how I said that the Great Wall was one of the few famous attractions that had lived up to its reputation? Well, the terra-cotta warriors do not. On my last day in Xi'an, I went to see them and... China David M 2004-03-01T02:23:03-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001762.shtml He 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... China David M 2004-02-28T03:56:21-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001761.shtml Chinese 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... China David M 2004-02-28T03:37:14-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001732.shtml 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... China David M 2004-02-26T21:05:04-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/dmorrow/archives/001731.shtml I 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.... China David M 2004-02-26T20:59:49-06:00