By Stephen Bugno Despite inflation and inflated expenses for travelers, Laos is still an inexpensive place to travel. I started this series with: What it costs to travel in Malaysia. I wanted to give independent travelers an idea of the costs associated with traveling in individual countries because it can be extremely helpful during the […]
What it Costs: A Day of Travel in Laos Read More »
Some specialties of Guangxi Province China is a foodie’s utopia—the regional diversity of offerings is outstanding. Although it can’t compete with the powerhouse food regions like Sichuan, Beijing, or Guangdong, Guangxi Province still had some interesting food culture to investigate. Guangxi Province is located in southern China, west of Hong Kong and Macau. It’s most
Eating in Guangxi China Read More »
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
Photo of the Week: Jianshui's Confucian Academy Read More »
I started a series last year to try to describe to readers what it’s actually like in selected cities worldwide. Too often travel writers highlight points of touristic interest or glamorize a destination only to elevate it beyond its reality. That is their job: to sell destinations. I wanted to go beyond that and tell
What it’s like in: Luang Prabrang, Laos Read More »
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
Photo of the Week: Yuanyang Rice Terraces, Yunnan, China Read More »
Sites like the Jianshui Twin Dragon Bridge are becoming rarer every year. This is the type of place that you have to take the local mini-bus to get to and then show its name written in Chinese to the driver. When he stops to let you off, he needs to point you in the right
Jianshui Twin Dragon Bridge Read More »
View of the Yulong River from Dragon Bridge By Stephen Bugno The karst surrounding Guilin in southern China is famous throughout the world. These limestone mountains have been immortalized in Chinese scroll painting and on the back of the 20 Yuan bank note (used by one-fifth of humanity). Many travelers and tourists prefer to base
Visiting Yangshuo China Read More »
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 1st, 2012 requires a 118 RMB (US $19) fee which includes a spot on a four-seat bamboo raft.
Photo of the Week: Rafting on the Li River near Yangshuo Read More »
The shops are all closed up. There’s hardly any foot traffic or cars on the streets. Red lanterns hung around the city add to the atmosphere. But the most noticeable way to tell it’s the Eve of Chinese New Year is by the excessive and near constant explosions of firecrackers. Children light them off. So
Celebrating Chinese New Year in China Read More »
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
Photo of the Week: Different Sides of Macau Read More »
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