Travel Blog Posts
October 4th 2011
Sitting in the rooftop bar at Jim’s Tibetan Inn in Dali writing what will likely be my final notes from China this trip. Only 3 more days left, most of them mainly travel days. Dali is in the midst of the annual National Day holiday and is one of the more popular destinations for Chinese tourists. The place is a mob scene. I had heard only good things about Dali, but Dali Old Town isn’t as interesting or as nice as the old towns I’ve visited so far this trip. Like those old towns, this one is filled with restaurants and souvenir shops. Unlike those old towns, the quality of handicrafts and souvenirs is poor. The crowds only make it less attractive. Thankfully, I got out of town today on a day trip to some villages ... read more
September 30th 2011
I’ll let the pictures tell most of the story of my 2 day hike into Tiger Leaping Gorge. The Gorge earned this name because, it is told, a tiger once leaped across the narrowest part of the Gorge. It is about a 2 hour trip from Lijiang, but will be faster late next year when a new road will be completed most of the way there. At that point, I fear, the crowds may ruin the place a bit. The hike begins up a fairly steep grade, at one point, with 28 switchbacks. At about 6,000 ft elevation, this got me huffing a bit, but the views once at the top are spectacular. I stayed at the Tea Horse Inn about half way along in the hike. A better place would have been 40 minutes ahead ... read more
September 28th 2011
Am sitting on the small deck of Bruce Chalet, a small hotel just outside of the old town of Shuhe, one of several old, protected towns in this area, the best known and largest of which is Lijiang. I arrived here yesterday on the night train from Kunming -- a good night's sleep in a soft sleeper compartment. There's little of sightseeing value in Kunming proper, so I spent most of my day before boarding the train doing a very long walk from Yuantong, a Buddhist temple north of my hotel, back to my hotel. Along the way, there was the busy pedestrian shopping district, old market, and just the sights of a city new to me. My sleeping compartment companions couldn't speak any English, but we got along fine trading snacks before getting to bed. ... read more
September 26th 2011
I finished my final week of teaching in Wuhan on Friday. The final teaching day was actually Thursday and we combined classes, so I had 2 classes of about 40 students each. Great day of bedlam as I assigned students to various companies that had to make deals with each other, in English. Most students jumped into the game with relish, while others (remember, these were all doctoral candidates) just didn't have a clue. Friday was a thanks and farewell party with much picture taking, gift giving and long goodbyes. You can see some of the many photos taken of the event by one of my students at http://www.flickr.com/photos/67941382@N02/. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get him to edit out the one involving a red dress. While it was difficult to say “goodbye” to my almost 80 students, I ... read more
September 19th 2011
Today marks the end of my first two weeks in China. I’ve returned to teach English at HUST (Huzhong University of Science and Technology), where I taught in July last year. I’m enjoying being back. This is the first time I’ve returned to an international destination so soon after my first visit. I feel very comfortable here. While the campus and Wuhan itself are large and populous, I’ve run into former and current students several times as I’ve biked around campus and at the nearest shopping mall (more on the mall later). The campus itself hasn’t changed much since my last trip here, but being here in September makes it a very different place. First, in July, the campus is fairly deserted. Now, most students have returned to campus for the fall semester. That means it’s ... read more
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