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Year: 2017

post office building front wide view
The Shanghai Post Office Museum

The Shanghai Post Office Museum

The Shanghai Post Office Museum is located on the second floor of the old General Post Office Building that was built around 1924 in a European style. Nowadays the building is a historical landmark.Shanghai was the main hub of China’s postal network during the years of the Republic of China. Later around 1914, China joined the international postal union and Shanghai became the central exchange for international mail. After 2003 the building’s courtyard and second floor space became a public…

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Grilled frogs
Eight Delicious Street Snacks in Shanghai

Eight Delicious Street Snacks in Shanghai

Whoa, yet another listicle of Shanghai food, really? I know, right. There are just so many wonderful street snacks around town I doubt anything less than a thick anthology could capture them all. Of course, there are many books on the subject such as “Glutton Guide Shanghai” which I recommend. However, this blog is about my favorite experiences which I’ll certainly add more as time goes. Most of these are sold at stalls or pop-up stands and are fairly inexpensive….

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Wide shot of sand dunes
The Eastern Steppe of Inner Mongolia

The Eastern Steppe of Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia has been on my bucket list for quite some time and I finally had the opportunity to go. We joined with a tour group through Travelers Society which turned out wonderfully as our guides took care of all the details. We spent a fun day and spent the night in the sandy desert near Baotou city. Kids loved running up and down the large sand dunes. We had BBQ, beer, and a bonfire then slept in our tents…

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local sandwich preparation
Shaanxi Good Eats

Shaanxi Good Eats

From markets to restaurants and in between, we sampled many local favorites during our short visit to Shaanxi, China. Loved all the yummy foods…except for stinky tofu, I don’t like that so much. Here is just a small sample of the eats we had tried. There is so much we either didn’t have time for or even know about to include here. It’s one of the joys of traveling in China; There is so much diversity of foods and every…

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Yangshou Mountains
Guilin, Yangshuo and the Money Shot

Guilin, Yangshuo and the Money Shot

Guilin is a scenic city in North Guangxi, China and very well known tourist destination and starting point for the Li River cruise. Guilin means “Forest of Sweet Osmanthus”, owing to the large number of fragrant sweet osmanthus trees located in the city. We flew into Guilin city and stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel for a couple nights. Afterward we drove to Yangshuo to spend a few nights at Zen Garden Resort. Andy of Yangshuo Private Tours was our driver…

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Town center pano
Thames Town Crazy English Town

Thames Town Crazy English Town

The little town known as Thames Town is in the suburbs of Songjiang district just west of Shanghai. The town is a replica of English style architecture and was completed in 2006. It’s named after the Thames River in London. In the town center there are cobblestone streets, Victorian style buildings, pubs, and shops. The most recognized building is a large church that is directly copied from the Christ Church, Clifton Down in Bristol, England. Other buildings such as a…

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soft tofu snack pano
Chengdu Spicy Sichuan Happy Flavors

Chengdu Spicy Sichuan Happy Flavors

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in China, is probably best known for it’s Panda Research Base. However, it’s arguably better known for the signature flavor of the hot & numbing Sichuan peppers that give Sichuan cuisine its unique taste. The flavor of Sichuan peppercorns is sort of  lemony and most interestingly has a tingling or numbing sensation. The peppers are used for flavor and actually are not really very hot. The intense spice in Sichuan cooking comes instead from…

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Terracotta Army
Xi’an Terracotta Warriors and Villages

Xi’an Terracotta Warriors and Villages

Our journey to Xi’an was with a tour company called Insiders Experience. First day breakfast we stopped for delicious local foods on our way to see the famous Terracotta Army. Afterward we visited an ancient Taoist temple in the Lishan Mountains and then a local lunch. After lunch and the next day we drove around the countryside visiting small villages and exploring rural China. Xi’an Terracotta Warriors The official name for the “museum” is Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor…

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street view pano
A Nice Stroll Around XinChang Ancient Town

A Nice Stroll Around XinChang Ancient Town

XinChang Ancient Town (新场古镇) is a charming water town nearby Shanghai. Take a break from the busy city and enjoy a peaceful lunch next to the canal. That’s what I did. XinChang was also known as Xin Yan Chang which means “New Salt Place”. The town belonged to a salt manufacture that operated nearby the sea. At some point they moved the production to XinChang so it’s called “New Salt Place”. Salt traders would come to the town to do…

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Huangpu river pano
The Joys of Using the Bathroom in Asia

The Joys of Using the Bathroom in Asia

Everybody poops right? But bathroom equipment is not always the same. Most travelers from the US and Europe are familiar with the sit down toilet which is often called a “Western” toilet in Asia. However, around Asia, and much of the world actually, there are some important differences travelers should know about. Top tips: Always carry a little tissue pack with you. Almost no public restrooms have any toilet paper. Get in the habit of carrying tissues all the time….

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