Hanoi Hanoi is a bustling city with streams of motorbikes like a US city would have lines of cars. Crossing the street here is very different from the US. You just start walking from the sidewalk when you see a small gap in traffic and everyone steers around you. Also we observed how the sidewalks are used for an extension of a business’s workspace or as a parking lot for motor bikes. Pedestrians do not have a high priority when it comes to sidewalk access. Unfortunately we were there on a Monday so all of the museums were closed. We also ran out of time so did not see Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum; I would have liked to compare it to Mao’s. However, we did see several interesting sights. First up was a url= http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Vietnam/Thu_Do_Ha_Noi/Hanoi-1481679/Things_To_Do-Hanoi-Water_puppet_show-BR-1.htmlwater puppet ... read more

Tiger Leaping Gorge Tiger Leaping Gorge is well known for its scenic beauty and was what originally drew us to Yunnan Province so we were excited about the opportunity to walk it. TLG was carved by the Yangzi River. On one side are steep slopes rising 1500 feet above the river but the other side is sheer cliffs rising 12,000 feet above the river to snow-capped peaks reminiscent of the Maroon Bells in Colorado. The journey is a one to three day walk along small roads and well defined trails with guest houses every couple of hours for eating and sleeping. In our first experience with Chinese long distance buses, we bought tickets from LiJiang to Qiaotou (pronounced chow-tow). We were prepared in case no English was spoken but they spoke enough to make it easy. ... read more

After a relaxing weekend spent with my cousin and her family, we headed for Hong Kong. Even though Hong Kong was right next to China, it was made a British Colony as part of the treaty that ended the Opium Wars in 1898. The British were given a 99 year lease and built a flourishing colony in the heart of Asia. In 1997, the lease expired and Hong Kong reverted to China. I am uncertain how it is governed, but from our POV Hong Kong is still very much a separate country from China. We had to go through immigration, we need a separate entry on our Chinese visa, they have a separate currency and the newspapers are not censored. Everything is more western because of the British heritage. The trains even say “Mind the Gap”, ... read more

Yang Shuo We have spent the past week and a half in the town of Yang Shuo in Guangxi Province. We decided to settle here for two weeks to volunteer at an English School called Zhou Yue. We participate in their conversation groups called English Corner for two hours four evenings per week and in exchange we get a free place to stay and very cheap meals. Yang Shuo is a touristy city which speaks plenty of English and has lots to do. It is the home to the beautiful Li River and its stunning karst formations called haystack rocks. The students all want to talk with us to practice their English but are also friendly and helpful. Last night, one student very patiently spent 15 minutes trying to teach me the proper way to use ... read more

China! It is the land of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City and the home of 1.3 billion people. Its resourceful people invented the compass, the printing press, paper, fireworks and gunpowder. It is the place where people eat deep fried scorpions and cockroaches (according to our guide, “Chinese people will eat anything.”) It is where you will find spectacular architecture, amazing landscapes and 4000 years of history and smog so thick you can’t see the sky. We are joined in China for the first two weeks by Bob and Meri Jo Bradler and the four of us are on a private tour. It is really nice to have a tour guide meet you and guide you when you can’t even read the language. Our first five days were spent in and around Beijing. The ... read more