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Say What?? Travel Photo: Jade?

Did you know that Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is famous for its jade? I didn’t, that is, until I encountered all these stores selling Burmese Jade in the not-so-mythical land of Shangri-La in China. And as such is the trend when you have a bunch of stores selling the same product, naming becomes a […]

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Say What?? Travel Photo: Massage Room

When you arrive in Shangri-La, you’ll notice one thing. You have to do a lot of walking! Much like some other historic “old towns” in China’s Yunnan province (like Lijiang or Dali), Shangri-La’s “old town” is free of vehicular traffic, leaving the cobblestone streets looking quite picturesque! And if the streets aren’t enough, you could […]

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Say What?? Travel Photo: One Room Shop

You’ve heard of Shangri-La, right? You know, that mythical place from James Hilton’s fictional novel, “Lost Horizon?” Well, if you’ve been following my blog for a while, then you probably know that Shangri-La is also a city in China that draws many a tourist thanks to its name! You see, it wasn’t always this way. The […]

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Say What?? Travel Photo: Save the Trees!

All this week, you’ve been seeing signs from Emei Shan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its significance as a Buddhist peak and the historic temples that line its slopes. But today’s sign isn’t about protecting valuables or telling you to like monkeys when you should really fear them; it’s a little saying about nature: […]

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Say What?? Travel Photo: Love the Monkey, Fear the Monkey!

Emei Shan, one of China’s 4 Buddhist peaks, has a whole lot of 3 things: Buddhist Temples. Signs, and Monkeys. While the temples are wonderful. the signs can be a bit hilariously confusing and even, at times, detached from reality. Like, say, this one: So you’re supposed to like the monkeys because they entertain you […]

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Say What?? Travel Photos: Valuables

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 […]

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Say What?? Travel Photo: Shhhh…

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. […]

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Say What?? Travel Photo: Condoms Anyone?

Would you believe me if I told you that there was a restaurant centered around condoms? Now, if I told you that restaurant was in Bangkok, Thailand, you’d probably get all these awful images in your head, right? But this celebrated restaurant isn’t part of the city’s famed seedy underbelly. In fact it’s a classy touristy […]