One of the most popular ways to soak up the scenery of Guangxi Province is to take a bamboo raft down the Li River.  Yangdi is the preferred starting place and the new fee structure starting January 1^st, 2012 requires a 118 RMB (US $19) fee which includes a spot on a four-seat bamboo raft. Disappointingly, most of the bamboo rafts have been replaced with bamboo-shaped plastic tubing. Alternatively, one could hike the whole 16 km to Xingping, but there’s no discount on the ticket.

When I visited in early January, most of the hiking trail was closed for repair, but I was able to walk the last six kilometers. Visibility was also poor this time of year, as you can see from my photos. This stretch of the Li River is said to be the most beautiful. It is here that you can see the view of the mountains on the back of the 20 Yuan note.

Another route to take is the bigger river boat all the way from Guilin to Yangshuo. This is more expensive and takes about 4-5 hours.

Cycling around Yangshuo is also a popular way to see the stunning landscape.

A few years back I had a week’s layover in the UK and bee lined it directly to Wales. It was the only country of the United Kingdom that I hadn’t already visited. After a couple days in Swansea I boarded the famous Heart of Wales Rail Line. After about three hours I had arrived in the spa town of Llandrindod Wells, in the heart of Mid Wales.

I was fortunate to find a couchsurfing host who lived in a very old stone house a few miles outside of town on a narrow road halfway up a hill. As a female couchsurfer living alone, she normally didn’t host male couchsurfers. Because her friends and family were visiting, she decided to host me. It turned out to be one of my best couchsurfing experiences ever.

Walking opportunities abound in this part of the country. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions of Britain. There is lots of agriculture in the form of raising sheep, which you’ll most likely see on any walk. We also got a chance to visit Caban Coch Dam which is part of the Elan Valley Reservoirs and dams: a series of reservoirs, aqueducts and dam built over a hundred years ago.

There are plenty of options for accommodation in Wales from cheap hotels in Cardiff to B&B’s in the countryside spa towns of Mid-Wales. No matter where you base yourself, you are sure to lose yourself in the splendor of Wales.

Text and photos by Stephen Bugno

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To many people, Macau means one thing: casinos. This little special administrative region of China that was both the first and last European colony in Asia, makes more money from gambling than Las Vegas. It’s a hot destination for rich mainland Chinese.

To me it was about visiting an anomaly: a territory with a curious history, a city of attractive architectural leftovers, and tasting a cuisine that fuses the best of Portuguese and Southern Chinese.

I got what I came for. Beautiful mosaic-like, pedestrian-only zones leading to churches named Lorenzo, Agostinho, and Domingos. I dined on Portuguese chicken—a Macanese specialty hot pot dish loaded with chicken, potatoes, onions, sausage, and boiled eggs in a mild coconut-based, curry-like sauce. I sat in nighttime squares lit with yellow streetlamps. I sipped good coffee and nibbled Portuguese pastries.

I also examined the other side of Macau tourism. A quick walk through the floor of Wynn Casino gave me the impression of a very serious gambling scene. No drinking—just straight up sobriety, with a little nicotine to fuel the adrenaline. Majority Chinese at baccarat, roulette, poker, and blackjack tables.

There is also today’s Macau, the city that’s 95% Cantonese/Chinese with noisy traffic, bustling markets, and great Cantonese food. A look through Red Market introduced me to dozens of fish and shellfish I couldn’t name in addition to almost every part of pig. Lin Fung Temple, far from the tourist zone in north Macau, was a great place to witness locals lighting insense and making offerings of fruit and hell money. Nearby, Lou Lim Leoc Garden is an exquisite urban sanctuary with ponds, pavilions, miniature trees, and arching bridges. There I saw a woman practicing what looked like Tai Chi with a sword.

St Domingos Church

Detail of Lin Fung Temple

Lighting Insense at Lin Fun Temple

Shellfish at Red Market

Shellfish for sale at Red Market in Macau

Pig’s Blood

A Butcher at Red Market in Macau

A Street Market in Macau

Roasting Pigeons in Macau

A bridge in Lou Lim Leoc Gardens in Macau

Chi Lin Nunnery is an elegant wooden temple built without nails in the Tang style. Adjacent to the temple is the tranquil Nam Lian Gardens, a reconstruction of a Tang-era garden. Stroll on a curving walkway past pavilions, ponds, hills, and sculpted pines. It is a fine example displaying the rich culture of the classical Chinese garden.

The garden is supposed to not only serve as an ideal place to spend leisure time, but to visibly manifest the integration between art and wisdom. The design concept of Nam Lian is focused on a one-way circular touring route intended for quiet contemplation.

All this right in the midst of the great bustle of urban Hong Kong.

If you go:

Nam Lian Gardens and Chi Lin Nunnery is accessible from Diamond Hill MTR station in Kowloon. Use Exit C2 and follow the sign for a 5 min. walk. The Nunnery is open daily 9am-3:30pm and the gardens from 7am-9pm. Both are free.

Text and Photos by Stephen Bugno

One of the iconic images of all of Asia, the Hong Kong skyline is certainly one of the city’s highlights. There are a few ways to go about getting the best view. I’ll give you my top four picks:

4) From the ICC Tower in West Kowloon.

This is the tallest building in Hong Kong and the fourth tallest in the world. It was completed in 2010 and soars to 484 meters above the city. Views look out across the harbor to Hong Kong Island. You could pay $HK 150 ($20 US) to see the view from the Sky100 observation deck or go to the lobby of the Ritz Carlton on the 103^rd floor to see it for free. Guess which I did?

3) From the Peak.

Victoria Peak, rising above the Hong Kong skyline to the south, affords unbeatable views. You can take the tram up for $HK 36 ($4.80 US) or hike 1 ½ hours up the tramway path like I did. The way rises 386 vertical meters. Once at the top I recommend the hour-long Peak Circuit walk, an easy shaded stroll with more extensive views.

2) From the Star Ferry.

$HK 2 ($.26 US) will get you a ride on the legendary Star Ferry (sorry, there’s no avoiding the fee on this one). Board at the terminal near IFC2 Tower and sail the 10 minutes to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. Or take it in reverse.  It’s the best bang for your buck in Hong Kong.

1) From Kowloon during the light show

From the promenade along Victoria Harbour in Kowloon, thousands gather every night to watch the light and laser show on 44 buildings on both sides of the harbor. See neon, beams of light, and occasionally fireworks light up the magnificent cityscape in a presentation known as A Symphony of Lights. It lasts for about 15 minutes and is worth watching at least once. This one’s on the Hong Kong Tourism Board: free admission.

Text and Photos by Stephen Bugno

Stephen Bugno has just set off for 5+ months traveling in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and beyond. Read more about his trip to china on his personal travel blog, Bohemian Traveler.

View of the Star Ferry looking toward Hong Kong Island

View from the 31st floor of the JW Mariott.

View from the 103rd floor of the ICC building

View of Hong Kong skyline from The Peak

Morning in Hong Kong

View of the Hong Kong Skyline at night from Kowloon during the light show

A new junk at night

Walking in Your Footsteps

On the forest floor, little light gets through, even in the middle of the afternoon. There isn’t much underbrush.  The air temperature is cool and a little bit damp. What I notice most is the quietness. Prehistoric quietness.

I am walking through a redwood grove. It is the biggest contiguous old growth redwood forest in the world. Rockefeller Forest in Humboldt Redwoods State Park was created in 1929 with a two million dollar check by whom else: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. himself. Before this it was owned by the Pacific Timber Company.

It’s best to walk through a Redwood grove by yourself, to enjoy the quietness, the stillness, the humility of being such a small and insignificant being among these ancient giants.

Text and Photos by Stephen Bugno

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Quebec City has long been a destination I‘ve wanted to visit. Old Quebec, or Vieux-Québec, has a well-known reputation of rich history being the only city north of Mexico that has retained its fortified city walls.

I would further say that along with Guanajuato, Mexico, Quebec City is the most European of cities in the New World. This was, after all, the capital of New France, founded over 400 years ago.

Although initially settled in 1535 after Jacques Cartier landed, France didn’t establish a permanent city here until 1608, under the auspices of explorer Samuel de Champlain. They called it Kebec, from the Algonquian word meaning ‘the river narrows here’.

We started our tour of Quebec in Place Royale, the Old Lower Town’s main square. There is a huge mural depicting all the major players of Quebec’s history. We also heard a fiddler playing some traditional Quebec music.

After walking thoroughly through the Lower Old Town and Upper Old town, we climbed on top of the ramparts and exited through Porte St. Louis where the handsome Hotel du Parlament, Quebec’s Parliament Building, stands. Grande Alle Est led us to Battlefields Park, a gorgeous green that was once the site of a bloody battle between the English and French.

Close by is the Fine Arts Museum, which is partially located in an old restored prison. Following a look at the outstanding collection of Quebecois and Inuit art we headed over to the bohemian district of Rue St-Jean to try one of the many Quebec micro brews on offer at Bar Le Sacrilege.

We were lucky enough to visit during the Expo Quebec and have excellent couchsurfing hosts that helped us with recommendations and guiding us around the city, as well as teaching us about Quebecois culture and history.

The mural at Place Royale

NotreDame des Victoires

Old Lower Town and funicular

Rue du Petit Champlain

Art Decco Palais Montcalm

Art for sale in Quebec City

Le Chateau Frontenac

Basilica Notre Dame de Quebec

View from the city walls

On the Walls of Quebec City

View of the Hotel du Parlement

Hotel du Parlement

Hotel du Parlement front door

Martello Tower 2

Martello Tower 1 in Battlefield Park

Battlefields Park

Battlefields Park and Martello Tower

A maple tree

Musee National des Beaux Arts du Quebec

A sculpture behind the Musee National des Beaux Arts du Quebec

View of Quebec City from Ile d’ Orleans

Above Old Lower Town

Eating Poutine

See the whole photo set of Quebec City on Flickr.

In March, 2010 I went to Rio de Janeiro for a UN conference. Not without reason this city is so often selected for world meetings. I spent about one week there, staying with a couchsurfer at Jardim Botânico District. The district got its name as it grew around the city’s world-famous Botanical Garden, which is very beautiful as I could see from the bus window. I did not have much time to behave as a real tourist in this city, however I found one day to walk from Jardim Botânico to Copacabana district, which is famous mostly because of its 4 km golden beach. The walk led me around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, known simply as “Lagoa”, and between two of the numerous hills in Rio: Candagalo and Cabritos.

Lagoa is surrounded by high-rise residential buildings and is the area of the upper-middle class. It is very nice walk, where you can see local people jogging, biking, canoeing and just relaxing, sitting on the benches around Lagoa. Cocoa juice vendors are always around to help you if you are thirsty under the hot sun.  However, when you go closer to the Candagalo or Cabritos hills you can notice that on the slope there are some random slum constructions – favelas; nevertheless, in this area of Rio they are not so spread out as in the northern parts of the city.

On the beach, there are always lots of people enjoying the sunny weather and ocean. The water here is so warm but at the same time is wavy; I could not swim far away from the beach as I usually do. There are many sand sculptures. You can pay in order to take a picture of them; however, I did it for free from the distance.

Without doubt, Rio is one of my favorite cities, even if I did not have much time to explore it. I hope to come back soon.

Text and Photos by Nell Rakhimova

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Almost 7,000 years ago, the 12,000-foot-high Mt. Mazama blew its top, caved in on itself, and eventually formed the United States’ deepest lake. Today it is known as Crater Lake, although technically it lies in a caldera. Crater Lake is the crown jewel of the Northwest’s Cascade Range. Its depth of 1,943 ft. (592 meters) absorbs all colors of the spectrum, except for blue and violet, which are reflected back to the sky, giving the spectacular blue appearance of the lake.

The Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902 to protect the unique geology of the lake and its surroundings. Unlike many National Parks in the US, development is minimal at Crater Lake, leaving plenty of uncontaminated views. Numerous hiking trails are accessible from the park’s Rim Drive. I hiked to the top of Mt. Scott, for magnificent views of the lake. There are also boat trips to the cinder cone Wizard Island and cross-country skiing and snow shoeing opportunities in winter.

Visiting Crater Lake was one of the main destinations of my 11,000-plus mile cross-country road trip in 2010.

If you go:

Crater Lake National Park is located about 5 ½ hours south of Portland and 7 ½ hours north of San Francisco. The 33-mile Rim Drive is usually closed mid-October through July due to the massive snow accumulation. The Visitor’s Center, located on the south side of the lake is open year round, 8:30am-4:30pm. The park has 210 campsites and a lodge. Admission is $10 per vehicle.

Text and Photos by Stephen Bugno

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View of Crater Lake from the top of Mt Scott.

The cinder cone, Wizard Island.

Crater lake in the gleaming sun.

View of the forests and mountains surrounding Crater Lake.

On the north side of Crater Lake.

Welcome to Crater Lake sign.

The Cinque Terre or The Five Lands are five villages in the Liguria region of Italy: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. I recently visited two of them, Manarola and Riomaggiore, during a short vacation in Tuscany and Liguria.

These towns are incredible; they have a special atmosphere of small medieval seaside settlements that have kept their historical face because of the surrounding mountain landscape. Over the centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, but cars cannot reach them from the outside. The Cinque Terre is also famous for the vineyards that surround each town which is a source of pride for local people.

Manarola is the oldest and the second smallest town of the Cinque Terre. Here you can easily access the ocean and “have a bath” during the hotter months. In Riomaggiore, there is boat rental service that gives visitors an opportunity to enjoy the sea.

The Via dell’Amore (Path of Love) is a path connecting Riomaggiore to Manarola. The paved walking path was laid over the rocky cliffs along the sea and is a little more than one kilometer. One part of the path has fences where lovers can place a lock as a symbol of their strong feelings. Another small part passes through a tunnel, where the walls are devoted to declarations of love which anyone can write on.

Text and Photos by Nell Rakhimova

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