Christmas in Dali

Hard to believe it’s been almost a year since my Christmas dinner in Dali. Here’s one I never posted… —– … More

Lei Feng Day, Phase II – Three Pagodas

…cont’d from Lei Feng Day, Phase I Part of the Lei Feng spirit is giving people the benefit of the doubt, … More

Lei Feng Day, Phase I

To make a long story short, Lei Feng was a good-Samaritan back in the early 1960’s whom Chairman Mao and … More

Ancient History – Mao’s Memory Hall and the National History Museum

I met Tsuen at the metro exit of Tiananmen West and we proceeded to the entrance of the National History … More

Afternoon at the Temple of Heaven

I told my friend Ares in Beijing that the one thing I missed on my first trip that I really … More

How Not to Get a Z-Visa

Okay, I didn’t want to go into detail while this was all going on. And I didn’t want to talk … More

If 15,000 pig carcasses in the Huangpu River “meets the national sanitation standards for drinking water,” is it still kosher?

Earlier this month, workers began fishing hundreds of dead pigs out of the Huangpu river. This raised safety concerns about … More

Movin’ on down to the East Side of town

First act of the new year, I moved into a new guesthouse. Used to be I’d put on my backpack … More

Frodo, you’re not in Kansas anymore: Music abroad

One of the scariest things about living abroad is hearing the frightening English-language songs in bars and coffee houses that … More