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The Year of Living Differently #2: Return of the Backpack- Kunming, China
1: Return of the Backpack
KUNMING, CHINA – 27 April, 2002
“Welcome you to Kunming” [sic] (or similar) was such a sign one sees all over Kunming as soon as you’re out of the airport. However, on the day of my arrival, I wasn’t easily charmed.
For one, I arrived but
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The Year of Living Differently #4: Of Monks and Yak-Men – Zoige to Langmusi, China
3: Of Monks and Yak-Men
ZOIGE to LANGMUSI, CHINA – 21 May, 2002
Zoige was so wonderful we woke up at 4:50am and hastened to the bus station to catch the first bus out. Langmusi was our next destination and when the ticket window was opened, I pushed and shoved against unruly Tibetan monk
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The Year of Living Differently #6: Dial M for Mutton – Kashgar, China
5: Dial M for Mutton
KASHGAR, CHINA – 13 June, 2002
One of the ladies in my cabin on the train to Kashgar was a Chinese local living in Kashgar. As we prepared to get off the train, I enquired about the taxi fare to town, so that I would not be ripped off. This, somehow, spurred her to p
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The Year of Living Differently #5: Desperately Seeking Shade – Dunhuang, China
4: Desperately Seeking Shade
DUNHUANG, CHINA – 1 June, 2002
We arrived in Dunhuang early in the morning, our ears ringing with the dance music from our driver’s favourite tape which he played over and over and over again in the 20-hour journey. I noted with disdain [YO!!…YO!!
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The Year of Living Differently #7: From Beijing with Love – Beijing, China
6: From Beijing with Love
BEIJING, CHINA – 24 June, 2002
Beijing was a blurry, foggy mess when I arrived. I had expected searing-hot 40�C summer temperatures but I guess a cold front came by a few days ago and it had been raining every day since.
I found Jing Hua Hotel without much di
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The Thermal Trip #3: The Trans-Siberia Journey – Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia
The Trans-Siberia Journey
6552 km from Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia
Get there early, it said in my guide book and unfortunately I took this a bit too seriously. Russian train stations are not designed for sitting around in comfort in the winter. Metal chairs suck the warmth from you, so quic
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The Thermal Trip #4: Teaching English in China – China
Teaching English in China
After arriving in China after the Trans-Siberian trip I had only one day in the capital before flying north to Changchun. Here I was contracted to teach English at Aston English School for seven weeks.
Changchun is a bustling city with a population of approximately 7
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The Thermal Trip #5: Beijing to Xian – Beijing to Xian, China
Beijing to Xian
Arriving at Beijing airport I hopped on the shuttle bus to the International Hotel. Then went inside to the travel desk where they arranged free transport to the Far East Youth Hostel. This new service (or at least that’s the impression I got) can be used for any youth ho
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Searching for Something #15: Guangxi Experiences – China
15: Guangxi Experiences
26 May 2002
We’re still in southern China, now over in Guangxi Province, another stunningly beautiful area. Currently, we’re esconsced in the backpacker mecca of Yangshuo set amidst beautiful limestone peaks and winding rivers.
A Visit to the Doctor’s
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Searching for Something #14: Hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge – Yunnan Province, China
14: Hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge
18 May 2002
Since arriving in China’s Yunnan province, I discovered that I should have read up a little more on China earlier, since it’s somewhat chilly here (due to the elevation) and I’d tossed all my cold weather clothes earlier. Oops! Lucki
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Searching for Something #17: Sichuan: Buddhas, Pandas, Gorges, Mountains & More – China
17: Sichuan: Buddhas, Pandas, Gorges, Mountains & More
4 July 2002
We’re back on the road in China again, after much pampering and yummy food at home in Thailand. Using numerous buses, trams, and trains, we went from Hong Kong through Guangzhou (great food, but not much else to see)
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Searching for Something #21: Homeward Bound – Beijing and Xi\’an, China
21: Homeward Bound
16 August 2002
Beijing is our final destination before flying back home to San Francisco tomorrow. From Lhasa, we’d flown to Xi’an and then taken the train onwards to Beijing. After a brief diversion in Mongolia, we’re back in Beijing again. Both Beijing an
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Five Minutes of Fame – China
Five Minutes of Fame
China
One of the many beauties of travel is its transient spontaneity: The way carefully laid plans can be hijacked by the emergence of more intrepid opportunities and left discarded by the wayside on nothing more than a mere whim.
On a gloomy wet morning in Kunming, Sout
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Leo’s Story – Beijing, China
Leo’s Story
Beijing, China
Leo on the Great Wall
Liu Yue Lai (aka “Leo”) manages the backpacker portion of the Sea Star Hotel in decrepit south Beijing. I estimate he has a 10th grade education although he has taught himself English and speaks rather well. A perso
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The Great Wall and The Great Zoo – Beijing, China
The Great Wall and The Great Zoo
Beijing, China
The frigid bite in the September morning air in Beijing made me glad I had brought along a jacket. With the help of the hotel clerk who acted as my interpreter, I hired a taxi to drive me to The Great Wall. I thought that my request was simple eno
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A Stranger in a Strange Territory – Beijing, China
A Stranger in a Strange Territory
Beijing, China
The fall rain blew through nighttime Shanghai like curtains of gray gauze. Behind the veils, the sprawling city shimmered, a sea of twinkling lights and solid neon. My friend dropped me off at the rail station, where the rush of traffic and scurr
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A Trip of Lasting Memories – Shanghai, China
A Trip of Lasting Memories
Shanghai, China
I saw the advertisement in “Connecting.” After taking a look at the website, www.travelbuddiesworldwide.com and emailing Gloria about the trip, I had less than two weeks to make up my mind. I needed to get the deposit in by the en
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A Winter’s Journey to Harbin – Harbin, China
A Winter’s Journey to Harbin
Harbin, China
A ferocious Harbin tiger.
Poring over the map now, as the snow falls on a January Massachusetts morning, I remember our train, the overnight express to Harbin, pulling out of Shen Yang Station, headed north into the cold dark night.
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Healthcare, Zhongdian-Style – Zhongdian, China
Healthcare, Zhongdian-Style
Zhongdian, China
I arrived in Zhongdian with two male companions, a fellow Shanghai teacher and a Welsh backpacker who had decided to join us (travellers attract travelling companions as surely as the bottom of refrigerators breed dustbunnies). Tibetan signs, prayer
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Just In Time – China
Just In Time
China
The big story is that we got there at all. The war talk had been heating up through the winter and it was a question of what would happen first: our plane taking off for China or bombs dropping on Iraq. Those bombs, we knew, would close down our window of opportunity. But the
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