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

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

There were only a couple of problems with the apartment. The first was, though it had a kitchen, it lacked … More

We had been so proud of ourselves, Maya, Ezra and I, when we haggled a taxi driver all the way … More

There was a gap in the wall behind my bed. You couldn’t see into the other room, but every sound … More

The biggest attraction in Shangri-La was probably the Sumtseling (or Songzanlin) Monastery just outside town. You can pay $25 to … More

One of the advantages of traveling in a group of five is you can hire a taxi-van to take you … More

One of the most eviscerating, all-out, no-holds-barred duels to the death I had encountered on wikitravel.org described the path to … More

Going down seems like it would be easier than up. That’s the hope that keeps you going up in the … More