If you are looking for a good escape up away from a bustling city, then just 4-5 hours out of Shanghai in LinAn of the Zhejiang province is a perfect escape for a 2-3 day weekend. Surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers, this place is a hidden gem for anyone living in China and will…

从 Before we get to the 1933 Slaughterhouse, the walk from the metro is amazing!!!! You go through a lovely little neighborhood that is remnants of what Shanghai used to be in times past……these neighborhoods unfortunately are disappearing at a rapid rate with the gentrification and modernization of Shanghai:

Yu Gardens was built in the 1500’s by the Ming Dynasty. Located in the central part of Shanghai, it is one of the major tourist attractions in the city, with people lined up early to get a glimpse of this beautiful place. Being about 5 acres big, you will need a couple of hours to…

The country of New Zealand known for Rugby (The All Blacks), Sheep, and the ever so famous Haka Dance, is a country that boasts so much more and should be proud of it.  As it is way DOWN UNDER, located below Australia, it is separated by North and South Islands.  As I have talked to…

The famed land down under is a place I have always wanted to go to but has always been one of those places that is to far out of the way. Living in China I decided this may be the closest I may get in the near future to get down there. Plane flights straight…

Zhejiang Province with Photography Club             Before I leave China, I have always wanted to go to see the Graffiti Village which has street art on the buildings in this small quaint village. I decided to take some members of my photography club there on a weekend excursion in which we stayed in an old small…

Terracotta Warriors and the best street food in China Xian is one of the bucket list places that people visit while they are in China along with the Great Wall and Beijing sites, Shanghai, and Chengdu (among just a few major places. Among the sites to visit here are of course the Terracotta Warriors and…

As Shanghai is a pretty international city, you can find almost anything to do here on any given day at any given hour. Tianzifang is always an area of the French Concession I have wanted to go to, but just have never made it, however on a rainy Friday, I decided to go down there…

Minghe Ancient Watertown has over 1200 years of history, though most of it was built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.  Walking around here gives you a sense of traveling back in time with its narrow streets and Buddhist Temples.  Sure enough it is not a huge tourist attraction to westerners as it is about…

    People have talked about Hong Kong for ages.  From the gleaming skyline of big buildings to part of the city that is old but quickly transforming, no wonder why this place is a photographers paradise.  As compared to other big financial centers in Asia (Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore), this city is definitely…

As this neighborhood is disappearing into the city scape of Shanghai, it will not be long until nothing is left but modern buildings in this area. I decided to take my photography club at school there along with 6 parents in order to do a photo walk.  I first noticed that it had already begin…

I have always said if you like a place, then there is not anything you wouldn’t do in order to return to it.  This is my third time on Goqui Island and while this small place may get boring from some people, I am completely happy here with the ambiance and the relaxing atmosphere.  It…

The Bund When people around the world think of Shanghai, usually images of the Bund pop up in their heads or on google images.  The Bund is the place that separates Puxi from Pudong which is East and West of the River.  You can go there on any given day and thousands of people will…

In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the busy city of Shanghai, there is an park that offers many people an oasis to the busy city.  Fuxing Park is located in the French Concession area and is a popular park for people to take their kids, practice yoga or Tai Chi, dance, or…

Its always good to get out of the city for a week and get to somewhere with fresh cool air, as there are many places within driving distance of Shanghai to do this. The place I have always wanted to go was Wuyi County to do camping on platformed tents at the top of a…

对 Laoximen is an area of Shanghai that shows what Shanghai probably used to look like before the mass development that has engulfed the city and parts of China.  Walking down the streets and narrow alleyways, you can get a sense of what it was like to be in Shanghai many years ago.  As you…

Since I rarely take photos of myself for obvious reasons, I am putting these up that my friend I traveled with in Asia, Daniel Cruz took.  ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

Penang Georgetown is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang.  A section of the city is inscribed as a UNESCO site fro 2008.  With its fabulous English Colonial architecture, a fusion of Indian and Chinese culture (from the trading), street art, and some of the best street food in the world, it is…

Santubong River Cruise- The rare Irrawaddy Dolphin and intro to “Big Nose” Monkey The intro into Borneo was nice and easy.  A wildlife Cruise down the river at the Santubong Peninsula to see if we can see any wildlife.  This turned into a fantastic time with great scenery…. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]   As…

Orangutans and Longhouse Villages Longhouses are what the native people uses(d) to live in.  It is a huge house set up on different planks in which families live and probably share responsibilities.  Some longhouses are a few hundred feet long and offer the a tight knit community a place to stay.  It was interesting to…