What would you do if your high ranking 'in-the-know' Chinese friends were able to get your visa extended right up to the 6th of August 2008 - just two days before the ever controversial Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony - and free of charge at that? Would you a) spend time traveling around China's gorgeous southwestern provinces? b) get one of your best friends to come visit you from nearby thailand and travel together? c) invent job opportunities for yourself as an english speaking camp counselor in China's Northern Heilongjiang province? or d) pack everything you own in a box - [View Full Entry]

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There are 10 Ligers in the world. An animal of unnatural breeding... The result of a copulation between an African Male lion and a female tiger... Mythical creatures, one might think upon hearing their name. However, while on an excurision to the local Yabuli Dongbe Tiger Rehabilitation/ Preservation Park in the middle of nowhere... after feeding a live chicken to some hunger-ravenged tigers, 5 of my mandarin speaking older male Chinese colleagues and I were privileged to meet one of these rare fairytale creatures. A spotted head and a striped back... a science experiment gone right... and [View Full Entry]

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After some wild flower picking, and a quick jaunt around the “resort” grounds on a brand spankin new red pimp daddy of a mountain bike (owned by the Sun Mountain’s director, Mr. Yue Gong), I am ready to tell you all about Yabuli Moutai and drinking from teapots, eating fresh spring frogs, the value of fish eyeballs, how to say good morning in Russian, what a multi-billionaire looks like (when surrounded by 20 models and a golden shovel), and what it feels like to take a 3 day road trip with a bunch of Chinese people. Trying to Keep Up First [View Full Entry]

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The last time I ventured out of our Park Avenue apartment to see more of this vast country, I wound up a few borders away, and on a bus to Nowheresville, Philippines. With a new adventure ahead, and a semi-understanding of the unpredictability of the inner-workings of my brain, this made it very hard to pack my suitcase. (Or should I bring a duffel bag? Perhaps a backpack?) I ended up with a bag of 10% papers and pens, 20% clothes, 30% movies, and 50% Ayn Rand styled novels, and my new blue guitar - for I heard rumour that Yabuli [View Full Entry]

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Usually when my nose picks up an odd scent, I reach for my scarf or tug my shirt up to my face to protect my body from breathing in the odd, non-descript, often toxic stench. For example, the other day I sat outside a quaint cafe drinking wine with my friend M and her mate, Damien, talking about health and hospitals, when suddenly the conversation erupted in laughter and giggles seemed to escape from the inside and spill all over the table. Health isn't usually such a funny topic, but we noticed that our brains had been temporarily poisoned by the [View Full Entry]

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And there I was. Not on a white sandy beach. Not in a funky Filipino hostel. Not prepping to dive the coast of Palawan in the morning. But instead, sitting on the faded blue seatcover of a lazy old couch in the living room of this Filipino family in the town of Pola. 3 Hours from Puerto Galera, my intended destination, with the sun long gone behind me, and the sound of tropical insects buzzing outside the screen door. Kathy's mother was extremely surprised to see her daughter hop out of the tricycle with a large white girl in tow, but [View Full Entry]

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If I had been able to call my mother at that point, she would have been very very glad to hear I had met some other travellers. In honesty, I was really glad too. I had been feeling a little silly about leaving the safety and comfort of the Chunking Mansion and was happy to meet some more people who made me feel just as cozy. hah! But I guess theres just something inside me that doesn't really like that safe and secure feeling. Something inside that says no! go forth and find adventure! path less taken! path of most resistance! [View Full Entry]

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yes yes... hong kong was very nice. met some locals, ate some razor clams, met some canadians, had some pre-st. pat's strongbow at an irish bar, saw a beauuuutiful fishing village and fell in love! (with the village... ), witnessed one of the great monuments of the world on a very quiet day for said tourist attraction... island hopped, coffee shopped, shopped in general... but i couldn't stand to go back to beijing after such a short journey. hong kong has an enourmous international airport and it would be a shame if i didn't visit it at least once! right? With [View Full Entry]

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sharing with you - some big-sitting-buddha-inspired writings from my day on Lantau Island - She glanced up at the hills that gave shape to the sky above... she notices it in the distance, in a mountain crevass. she was on a buss to see it, but witnessing him sitting there came as a shock. she felt belittled, a bit frightened, and somewhat intimidated. This view was not meant for her. She did not and would never understand its full beauty and wisdom. She was a girl from a small town on an island oceans away. She was not catholic, buddhist, or [View Full Entry]

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The 24 hour through train arrived at the Hung Hom Train Station about 1pm Wednesday the 15th of March. A new city! Alice and Iris introduced me to the Octopus card, the prepaid debit card of sorts that you can use for ferries, subways, buses, tram lines, and even at 7-11, and sent me on my way. We planned to meet later that night after I got settled into my new place, which sounded brilliant: The Chunking Mansions, located right in the heart of the action on Nathan Street in Tsim Sha Tsui, shopping capital of Hong Kong! This place sounded [View Full Entry]

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