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Snapshot: Longshan Temple

November 12, 2010

Taiwan has turned out to be the perfect destination for someone who is rather “temple-d out,” at least as far as mainland China goes. The architecture and atmosphere of the temples I’ve visited here are completely different from your average Chinese temple. The colorful dragons and fish along the rooflines are more like temples I [...]

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Mishaps & Adventure in Taroko Gorge

November 9, 2010
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Today, I learned an important lesson: When heading out on a 7-hour hike, eat more than 2 slices of toast beforehand. And bring snacks! I spent most of my first week in Taiwan in Taipei, but on Monday morning, my roommate Michael and I hopped on a train to the east coast. We were bound [...]

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Snapshot: These Carp Are Hungry!

November 5, 2010

Doesn’t it look like these carp know that beyond the confines of their pond, Taipei has more to offer their bellies than fish food? I’ve been in Taiwan since Sunday, and the deliciousness of the food is definitely what stands out. Oyster omelettes, garlicky salads, giant hunks of fried chicken… I can’t wait to share [...]

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Dinner Out: Da Gui

November 2, 2010

In my new busy-student lifestyle, any trip downtown must be made the most of! So when we planned to go downtown for an event at a new bar two weeks ago, we knew we wanted to seize the opportunity to have a delicious meal, too. A bit of Internet research led me to Da Gui, [...]

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Snapshot: Amber Fort

October 29, 2010

In honor of last night’s birthday dinner (Indian takeout, since it was also the night before our final), today’s snapshot is from my first trip to India in April 2009. I say first because it just might end up being chosen for my Spring Festival trip next January/February. Every meal of Indian food just increases [...]

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Undercover in a Chinese Tour Group

October 26, 2010
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My recent trip to Chengde, like last month’s excursion to the Marco Polo Bridge, was organized by the intensive Mandarin program where I’m currently studying. They understandably turned to the services of a Chinese travel agency to coordinate the trip, so I finally had a chance to experience a Chinese tour group from the inside. If [...]

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Snapshot: The Summer Mountain Resort

October 22, 2010

As I explained in my previous post on Chengde, the town grew to prominence when the Qing emperors established their summer resort in the mountains here. Naturally, that resort — a World Heritage Site along with the surrounding temples — was a key stop on our two-day itinerary. We lucked out with autumn weather that [...]

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The Potala Palace, in Miniature

October 19, 2010
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No, I didn’t take a surprise trip to Lhasa over the weekend! This replica of the world-famous Potala Palace sits in the hills of Chengde, about four hours northeast of Beijing. Chengde was home to the Qing emperors’ Summer Mountain Resort (which you’ll see in a few days), which meant that the town was also [...]

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Snapshot: Gansu Grasslands

October 15, 2010

After a rough week of homework and a 10-minute speech in Chinese, this photo depicts exactly what I would like to be doing right now. I got this snapshot as part of a batch of photos from my August 2009 trip to Gansu and Qinghai that showed up in my e-mail this week. It was [...]

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Bringing the Traveler’s Mentality Home

October 13, 2010

Whoops! I disappeared for awhile there. Despite the fact that I’ve just moved to one of the largest and most exciting cities in the world, I’ve barely stepped out of my neighborhood to explore it. Which doesn’t give me much to write a travel blog about. Or at least, that’s the excuse that first came [...]

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