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China Travel Tips

How to Experience Tibet Without the Red Tape

Ah, Tibet. Full of mystique and intrigue, Tibet holds a special place in the minds of many travelers. The ancient rituals and traditions. Potala Palace. Everest Base Camp. What’s not to like? Sadly, actually seeing Tibet first hand can be an exercise in frustration. Given its rather tumultuous history under Chinese rule, the government doesn’t […]

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Articles China

China and the Nobel Prize

There is no doubt that China moves to the beat of it’s own drum. Highly publicized state-controlled media and internet censorship. It’s part of what makes modern China, well, China. It’s an accepted fact for any visitor to the Communist state that short of using a Virtual Private Network to access your favorite sites, you […]

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China

China SIM Cards Explained!

In this day and age, there’s really no reason to travel without a cell phone. Prepaid local SIM cards cost so little that they become a worthy investment. After all, how else are you supposed to keep up with all your new friends? Not to mention that coordinating with a CouchSurfing host is extremely difficult […]

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Asia 2010 China

China Wrap-Up: Part II

Behold the “Middle Kingdom.” Zhongguou, more commonly known by its English name of China, is an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with in the world. And now that I’ve had a few weeks to digest my second visit to the world’s most populous nation, I’m ready to write Part II of my wrap-up. In Part […]

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Asia 2010 China

Shanghai

Shanghai. The mere mention of that name evokes images a modern, cosmopolitan city…a far cry from the “traditional” China that so many travelers seek. A walk down Shanghai’s bustling shopping street, Nanjiang Rd or through its business district, Pudong simply reinforces that view. A sprawling example of China’s dramatic growth, Shanghai (pronounced SHAWNG-hai) serves as […]

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Asia 2010 China

World Expo!

The World Expo. That mere phrase has a certain aura surrounding it. In fact it’s a concept that came to me at a young age when I worked on a production of Meet Me in St. Louis, a movie and Broadway based on the excitement surrounding the 1904 World Fair. Now the World Fair certainly has […]

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Asia 2010 China

Social City

Cities certainly have redeeming qualities, even after they’ve chewed you up and spit you back out again! Such was my first experience in Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province, nearly 2 months ago, when I had an amazingly frustrating day trying to figure out how to get out of this place. Then, I did […]

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Asia 2010 China

Old China: Disney-fied

What is it about fame that changes people…or towns for that matter? As if I hadn’t experienced enough of a town gone famous in Lijiang, I’m now getting a full dose of it in Dali (pronounced Daw-lee), another of Yunnan’s “must see” sights. Touristy barely begins to describe this town (and Lijiang, for that matter); […]