Fake Burger King I was in a fake Burger King in the Nanjing train station. It was hard to tell for sure, and they did a good job at camouflaging. There were some telltale signs though. For example, they didn’t…
After spending about a month in Shanghai, my bones had that familiar aching feeling that meant it was time to hit the road once again. I was too comfortable in the city I now knew well and played things too…
While Guilin gets all the acclaim associated with the Guangxi province in China, Yangshuo is the underappreciated little brother to the south that actually houses the breathtaking mountains and lush rivers that dominate the region. Still, I had a lot…
桂林山水甲天下 (Guìlín shānshuǐ jiǎ tiānxià) Everywhere I went in China, people repeated this phrase to me when I mentioned my intentions to travel to Guilin Yangshuo next. “Guilin’s mountains and water are the best under the heavens”. Guilin and Yangshuo…
This is the final part in my series on hitchiking in China. Start from the beginning here. Let’s jump back to where we left off. I was in Xing’An, having just spent the day with a family who picked me…
This is the second part in my series on hitchiking in China. Start from the beginning here. If you ask me, the phrase “go with the flow” is misleading and should not be one’s personal motto because it implies that if…
When tracing back the origins of the impetus for me to try hitchhiking in China, the seeds of inspiration had been sown over time. There was my old soccer teammate I encountered in Beijing who hitchhiked through the Gobi desert…
More than any other country I’ve visited, China has an abundance of hilarious English translations and all-around bizarre signs. My theory to why China in particular is so affected by this hilarious plight – as opposed to, say, Indonesia, which…
Growing up in the United States, my image of New York was invariably shaped by its portrayal in mass media. Movies like Goodfellas and the canonical macho Frat classic that is the Godfather (take nothing away from its cinematic brilliance)…
On the Westminster Bridge – amidst the heaving, swelling waves of camera-wielding tourists, annoyed commuters, and languid policeman – are a few scattered groups crowding around. At first glance, they draw attention. What are they looking at? Maybe a street performer…