Skip it unless you want to do laundry or buy some souveniers: you're ten years too late. This is especially the case if you are going to Dali or Shangri-La (aka Zhongdian), both of which are similar, but better. I first entered the old town at night and felt like some naive boy from the provences. Literally tens of thousands of Chinese tourists go from one contrived cultural experience to the next -- like photos with llamas, cowboy hat stands, store after store selling yak meat. Every restaurant is about the same, serving western meals to tourists tapping the table in rhythm to cheesy music performances. We thought for sure that we'd never find a hotel, as we could barely even walk through the streets, but most of the Chinese tourists seem to stay outside the ... read more

The airport in Kunming just opened in June 2012, so it's modern and easy to navigate. The ATM that I found near the exit didn't work for me (nor for my friends), though. There is apparently a train that connects to the new airport, but I walked to the front to buses just outside the main entrance. The helpers / attendants of the buses spoke some English and were able to help me; plus, the tickets themselves were in English and had clear maps as to what all the stops are. I took bus #1 to the city center and followed my directions to walk to the Fairyland Hotel on Beijing Rd (not a bad place -- 28 dollars for a room for 3; see Tripadvisor ratings). Mike and Cindy were waiting for me at the ... read more

I'd heard mixed reactions about Koh Phi Phi Don (pronounced Pee-Pee) from other travelers and foreigners living in Thailand, but I decided to check it out anyway, since there were heavy rains in Chiang Mai and I wanted to see the Andaman Coast. I took a ferry from Koh Pha Ngan back to Surat Thani, and then a 3+ hour bus to Krabi Town. I stayed there for a night, then two nights on Koh Phi Phi, and then, due to flight costs, for two more nights in Krabi before flying back to Bangkok. Krabi Town is 70% Muslim (and has a significant Taoist population as well), so it has a decidedly different atmosphere than the opposite coast and the north. After seeing some of the surrounding areas that are even more touristy, Krabi Town isn't ... read more

I've suffered from information overload when it comes to planning where to go in Koh Samui and the other islands to the north in the Gulf of Thailand. There are hundreds of descriptions of hotels, bars, and restaurants in my guidebook, and it doesn't help that I'm using a Kindle (not recommended for guide books), so it's hard to flip through or bookmark interesting places. Also, since it was the beginning of my trip, I hadn't much of a chance to exchange ideas with other travelers. Since research was overwhelming, I decided to stay at 2 days on each of the three main islands -- Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. It's easy to get to Koh (sometimes spelled Ko) Samui on a short flight or a longer overnight train then bus then ferry from ... read more

My Moscow trip was just a stopover on my way from the U.S. to Thailand. It should be noted first that most travelers visit Moscow in tandem with St. Petersburg, the latter of which is (from everyone I've talked to) unanimously the preferred city to visit. Moscow is sprawling, with no central area of affordable restaurants and pubs, and its sheer size can make it difficult to navigate. The imperial capital / the old Leningrad (St. Petersburg) is an 8-hour slow night train or 4-hour fast train and apparently, you should spend more time there than in Moscow. Also, before booking any tickets, be sure to look up visa requirements for Russia. If you're American, it's an extremely expensive and cumbersome process. I recommend using travelvisapro.com. I arrived at the airport at 7:30 AM, and after ... read more