Aaron's Worldwide Adventures
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 […]
Buddhism in China is a funny thing. It certainly doesn’t manifest itself in the same way as it does in Southeast Asia or even in Tibet. In fact, in many parts, you wouldn’t even know that Buddhism really existed in China (though remember two words that contributed greatly to that…Cultural Revolution). That’s not to say […]
2010 was quite the travel year for me! 8 countries, 10 U.S. states, 37 bus journeys, 16 flights and 2 train rides. Somewhere in those figures are a whole lot of weird experiences. Here are some of my favorites: The Temple of the Divine Madman A walk through Bhutan’s “Village of Phalluses” gives way to […]
You’ve heard of Chengdu, right? No? Well it’s the capital of a Chinese province famed for its firey cuisine! Yes, I speak of the Sichuan province, though you probably know it by an alternate spelling often found throughout Chinese Restaurants in the U.S…Szechuan. (In fact the pronounciation is closer to Suh-Chwan). Sichuan Province borders Tibet. […]
Hospitals are supposed to be impeccably clean and highly organized, right? Unfortunately, this was not what I found when, much to my surprise, I ended up at one last night! You see, I have asthma. I’ve always had asthma and it’s never a problem for me unless I’m sick with a respiratory infection, much like […]
Greetings from Shangri-La. No, really. I’m actually in a city called Shangri-La! That name seems to illicit the same response from people unfamiliar with this part of China, one that cannot believe that there’s actually a place called Shangri-La. “Shangri-La” is, of course, a fictional place from James Hilton’s fictional novel “Lost Horizon.” So how is […]
You know, last time I checked, intercity buses did not come with 4-Wheel Drive… Though after two days on (in the eloquent words of Lonely Planet), “ass killing roads” on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, I suggest that the Chinese government may want to work on developing them! My journey began yesterday in Litang, where I had a free […]
Behold, the striking view that I see out of the window of my cozy, yet chilly room. This is Litang (pronounced lee-tawng), a relatively small and incredibly Tibetan town in the western portion of China’s famed Sichuan province. With its surrounding valley and high altitude of 4,014 meters (13,169 feet…which, I might add, is even […]