I had wanted to visit Halong Bay for years now. It’s one of those destinations that you see a picture of and you promise yourself that you have to go some day. But I recently read some bad press about someone’s experience there: the Bay is polluted; there are too many boats in the bay.

Well, there are plenty of cruise ships docked in the Bay each night, and as we were told by the captain, all boats must anchor in the same part of the Bay each night. So it does seem crowded. But I don’t think that took away from the beauty or unique nature of Halong. And it is beautiful. Especially when we were lucky to get a sunset like this.

Was it polluted? Well I went swimming off the stern of the boat just before sunset. The water was clean and cool and I was refreshed before enjoying the evening meal in the dining room. But know the coast on both sides of the Halong City is full of industry. You’ll see tankers and other large ships cruising in the distance. The Bay is also most likely being over-fished. So it is plagued with issues.

Can one have an enjoyable cruise in Halong Bay? I believe so. Is it overrated as a destination? I think not. It’s worth a few days stop on your visit through Vietnam. Just don’t expect to be the only boat in the bay and know the waters won’t be pristine.

GoMad Nomad Travel Mag partnered with Emeraude Cruises to bring you this post. Check out Emeraude Cruises for fantastic journeys through one of the world’s most dazzling natural wonders. They have offices in Hanoi and Halong City and offer overnight cruises into Halong Bay.

Photos and text by Stephen Bugno

Dali is one of those places that I really hoped I wouldn’t dislike. Its description in the guidebooks made it sound so pleasant a town—except for one thing—the growing number Chinese tourists. Well, there were tons of tourists, but Chinese tourists seem to stick together in group tours and don’t drift very far from the main tourist drag. There is one long pedestrianized street in Dali where the masses appear to meander slowly, stopping and shopping as they go. This street has been architecturally prettied and is crammed with one souvenir shop after another. Turn off this main artery and the city becomes more interesting.

How Dali differs, from say, Lijiang, is that it is actually a city where local people live. In Lijiang, the entire old town population has been pushed out to who-knows-where in favor of tourist stalls, restaurants, and guesthouses.

Dali is a cool place to hang out for a while, and the only town in China that I could foresee myself living. It’s lively without being annoyingly noisy. There is a strong bohemian vibe which has attracted creative types from around China. You’ll find plenty of coffee shops, boutique clothe shops, art galleries, small cafes, live music, and plenty of artists.

Dali is set in an inspiring location. The spiky peaks of the Cang Shan and the stretching Er Hai lake make you want to get up in the morning and create beautiful things. Unlike most of China, the air is pure, the weather favorable, and the climate mild. It sits at about 2000 meters and hikes lead up into the mountains still higher. Inspiration abounds here.

In the surrounding areas on the west side of the lake are towns and villages holding weekly markets. This region is dominated by the Bai ethnic minority. There are great examples of Bai architecture in Xizhou and an interesting Monday market in Shaping.

It’s not easy to navigate the streets of Lijiang’s old town. Timeworn cobbled streets follow steams, bending over ancient stone bridges forming a centuries-old maze. Lijiang is the capital of the Naxi Kingdom, set beneath the spiky Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The Naxi are an ethnic group descended from the Tibetans, settling this region before the 10^th century. Their culture is defined by their shamanistic religion known as Dongba, as well as their strong matriarchal influences.

I had wanted to visit Lijiang for several years now and have to admit, I was quite disappointed. The town’s architecture and setting make it so stunningly beautiful, almost too pretty, that it’s fake. It’s no longer a living town, which was the point most disappointing. Residents have been driven out in favor of souvenir shops, guesthouses, and restaurants. The whole town has been reconstructed and beautified, almost giving us the impression that the place could have been constructed as a cultural theme park.

I’m not suggesting you should skip Lijiang, just be aware that it may be swamped with Chinese tourists when you visit. The crowds may detract from the magic you were expecting from Lijiang. So be warned, Lijiang is the ultimate tourist town. Also it’s bit more expensive than the rest of Yunnan Province. Read further to get an estimate of travel expenses in Yunnan Province.

If flying to China from London, perhaps you’ll find using Gatwick parking a convenient option. Airparks would also be a fine possibility if you have to drive your own vehicle to one of the London airports and need to park it for an extended period.

If you plan on visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge, you might as well stop in Lijiang for a couple days to check it out for yourself. Remember to explore the back streets and smaller alleyways—you may just find the few pleasant un-touristy streets of Lijiang.

Photos and text by Stephen Bugno

Muang Ngoi is a small village on the banks of the Nam Ou River in Northern Laos. It’s a one-street village with no motorized vehicles—the only way to get there is by a one-hour boat ride from Nong Khiaw.

It’s a peaceful place to spend a couple days. There’s only electricity from 6pm to 9pm. Most of your time will probably be spent reading in a hammock with a stellar view of the river and surrounding limestone mountains.

The walking is nice as well—there’s a nearby cave and some villages further out. One called Bana is a settlement of bamboo huts and wooden houses and lots of life about an hour away. It’s definitely worth exploring the area by foot.

Here are some of my photos from four days in Muang Ngoi:

View from the boat to Muang Ngoi

View of the Nam Ou from our bungalow

River Weed Drying

the mountains around Muang Ngoi

fields around the village of Bana

view from Bana village

in Bana village

A house in the Village of Bana

a handicraft in Bana village

on the path to Bana village

Stephen enjoying a Lao coffee at a riverside cafe in Muang Ngoi

Photos and text by Stephen Bugno

A stroll around the Confucian Academy of Jianshui is a serene experience. I visited the day before the Chinese New Year, and the streets of the city were erupting in a constant state of exploding fire crackers. But at the Confucian academy, inside the giant walls that surround this 7.5 hectare complex, a state of serenity reined. I made my way around the large Xue Lake and lilly pond content being sheltered from the outside world.

It is here that worried parents bring their children to kowtow to the statue of Confucius before exams in the summer. The temple here was modeled after the one in Qufu, Confucius’ hometown. Finished in 1285, it’s the third-largest in all of China.

The temple has operated as a school for over 750 years and once held the imperial examinations.

***

Although located slightly off the tourist trail, Jianshui has some outstanding sights and proved to be one of my favorite destinations in all of China due to its plethora of traditional architecture and easy-going inhabitants.

Besides the happenings in and around the beautiful Chaoyang Gate, the Zhu Family Gardens is well worth a look. On the outskirts of town, the Twin Dragon Bridge—one of the ten oldest in China—waits to be explored.

Jianshui is a three-hour bus ride south of Kunming in China’s Yunnan Provice.

Admission to the Confucian Academy is 60 CNY ($9.50 US).

La Rochelle, on the western coast of France, is a lively seaside town. The picturesque and well-preserved Vieux Port (Old Port) give the city a distinctly Mediterranean atmosphere. Most of the buildings are hundreds of years old and very well maintained. The narrow streets and pale stone buildings add to the ambiance. La Rochelle attracts plenty of tourists, but in my mind remains unspoiled.

When visiting the Old Port you’ll see the three defensive towers which guard the harbor. They date back to medieval times when control of the city was contested by both French and English.

La Rochelle harbors the largest marina for pleasure boats in Europe and maintains a rich boat-building industry. Not unsurprisingly, my couchsurfing host there was a professional skipper. La Rochelle, by the way, is the place to head if you are looking to join a yacht for crewing to ports across the Atlantic.

Inside his apartment, world maps and nautical charts pinned to his apartment walls showed penciled-in sea-crossings over the Atlantic. Most of them terminated in Caribbean or South American ports.

“This place…this place is paradise.” He recalled, pointing to Fernando de Noronha, an island some 350 km off the Brazilian coast. That night we drank caipirinhas with a friend he met in Brazil and I heard stories of their days at sea and in the ports of Brazil.

Then he revealed to me that he would be sailing to the Ile de Re the following day for a job. With an empty 46-foot catamaran, there was no reason I couldn’t come along for the ride.

In the morning we cruised into the quays at Saint Martin en Re.

The Il de Re is an agreeable place to spend the day (or several days) and small enough for me to cycle around in an afternoon. This is a quiet island and the sandy beaches here attract mostly families. If you’re looking for ski holidays in France, you are in the entirely wrong area for that.

The waters are cool here, so the summer months are best on the Ile de Re. Cycle tracks crisscross the whole island, and you’ll pass salt farms on your way in between beaches.

Back in La Rochelle, enjoy the dining, bars, and nightlife throughout the Old Port.

Text and photos by Stephen Bugno

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Commercialization has come to the rice terraces in Yunnan, China. There are now entrance charges to the platforms to view the terraces in places where they are most spectacular. One can imagine this will ultimately lead to the Chinese government paying farmers to simply manicure these rice paddies instead of farming them as they have in the past. This form of tourism caters to Chinese tourists from the cities with fancy cameras and tripods.

To avoid the entrance fees and have a more organic experience I decided to walk. I headed out of Chen’s Family Guesthouse with the name of the hamlet ‘Longshuba’ written on a piece of paper in Chinese. Folks along the road guided me down a car-wide track, sometimes dirt, sometimes improved with rough cobblestones. I was passed by locals walking, teenagers three to a motorbike, and rickshaws filed with passengers.

Four kilometers down the road I walked through Longshuba. Soon after, the terraces started to appear on each side of me. In the winter, they are flooded. It is said that this is the most beautiful time of year, when they reflect the sunlight. Farmers can control the water level in each terrace. Some years, a handful of terraces are left fallow.

I continued walking through another hamlet with houses bunched together. Hens and chicks scratched for bugs wherever there was dirt, meat dried on lines tied on rooftops over chili peppers and corn. Kids played on a swing that was built from bamboo, rope, and rubber tires. I wandered just past that where the track narrowed and I met a water buffalo with a bell around its neck. An old man passed me with a bundle of firewood tied to his back. Just beyond this point I found the longest most graceful terraces.

*

Back in Xinjie, I spent the night. The town is well enough equipped to handle the out of town visitors, with a few restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, but not many cheap holiday cottages that I saw.

The next morning I left town on the 7:30am bus. As it rolled along the twisting mountain road, a layer of clouds were visible below us. Along this route we passed many of the viewpoints that charge an entrance fee. Tourists and photographers were out catching the sunrise and morning light.

Greenwich, although today seemingly part of London, was once separate from the city, even a popular resort in the 17th century.

It’s famous for its notable contributions to maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.

Greenwich became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many in the House of Tudor, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

Today Greenwich is visited for three important Museums: The Royal Observatory, The Maritime Museum, and the Queen’s House. The area is also a trendy new place for apartments London. The best part about all these museums is that admission is free.

At the Royal Observatory, you can stand on the Prime Meridian, see the chart of the standard measurements, and take a close look at John Harrison’s prize-winning longitude marine chronometer, H4, and its three predecessors. This important in navigational history because it allowed seaman to determine longitude accurately for celestial navigation

The Cutty Sark, a clipper ship, sits preserved in a dry dock by the river. The town of Greenwich itself is mostly buildings of Georgian and Victorian architecture which spread to the west of the park and Royal Naval College.

In 1997, Maritime Greenwich was added to the list of World Heritage Sites for its concentration and quality of buildings of historic and architectural interest. These are situated in groups  along the riverfront, Greenwich Park and the Georgian and Victorian town center.

If you don’t have the time to get out to the English countryside, a day spent in Greenwich is a good alternative. It’s well connected to central London by Tube, train, and bus routes.

The Sinai Peninsula is the easternmost part of Egypt between the Mediterranean and the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, both forks of the Red Sea. Much of the Sinai is desert and uninhabited, but several Bedouin settlements and tourist attractions mark the eastern coast.

The desert landscape of the Sinai is brutally hot. Most tourists come for the attractions underwater—the Red Sea offers some of the best diving in the world. The region is also important because of its religious history.

Sinai Beaches

North of Nuweiba, on the east coast of the peninsula, lies a crescent-shaped strip of cafes and guesthouses called Tarabin. Soft Beach is a nice spot, which has little bungalows close to the sand for $3 per night, calm water for wading into the sea, and a hut where meals are served any time of day. 

Note that Arabs aren’t running the hospitality businesses in Tarabin, but rather the Bedouin. They have relaxed views in general, will serve beer, and have traditionally catered towards young Israelis on holiday. Tarabin is super laid-back and its location is stunning with the dry craggy mountains in the backdrop

As an alternative to Tarabin, check out Dahab or Sharm el Sheikh holidays.  Although it’s been a definite stop on the backpacker trail for years now, Dahab is still tops for outstanding diving, snorkeling, budget accommodation, and basic traveler needs. Sharm el Sheikh attracts more of a high-end crowd as well as a great deal of package tourist.  

St. Catherine’s Monastery and Mt. Sinai

St. Catherine’s Monastery, located at the foot of Mt. Sinai, it is said to be the oldest continuously functioning Christian monastery in the world and has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site.

Despite its remote desert location, the monastery and mountain hike are extremely popular—both for sunrise and sunset. I started hiking at 2am to be at the peak for sunrise. Down below at St. Catherine’s Monastery, I pushed through the narrow monastery doors a few hours later with busloads of Russian package pilgrims and European and American tourists. This is where the Burning Bush is located.

Photo by Stephen Bugno

Soft Beach at Tarabin, Sinai

Soft Beach, Sinai

Soft Beach Restaurant

Soft Beach bungalows at Tarabin, Sinai, Egypt

Sunrise from Mt Sinai

A photographer on top of Mt. Sinai, Egypt

A View of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt

The Burning Bush, St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai

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.