International Travel, Itineraries & Trip Planning

What I Packed for 5 Months in Asia, from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia

When I left on my funemployment trip through Asia, the only plans I had was to start in Manchuria and work my way south as the weather got colder and to meet my boyfriend in southern Thailand for Thanksgiving. So I packed mostly warm weather clothes and a few layers for autumn in China, all rolled… Read More What I Packed for 5 Months in Asia, from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia

International Travel, Itineraries & Trip Planning, Travel Photography

This is the Largest Waterfall in Asia

This is Huangguoshu Waterfall, the largest waterfall in Asia. Located in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou, Huangguoshu (Yellow Fruit Tree) Waterfall is this poor province’s pride and joy, its key tourist attraction. To get there, you’ll first need to get to the city of Anshun, roughly 90 kilometers or an 80-minute drive from the… Read More This is the Largest Waterfall in Asia

International Travel, Reflections

Does Cultural Tourism Help or Hurt Ethnic Minorities?

Growing up, I don’t think I had a conscious awareness of race until we moved to Florida, where the ugly legacy of slavery and Jim Crow made race something that was much more obvious. But while race wasn’t on my mind, I had always been fascinated with ethnicity. Not race or nationality, but ethnicity. China’s… Read More Does Cultural Tourism Help or Hurt Ethnic Minorities?

International Travel, Itineraries & Trip Planning, Travel Photography

What to Do in Yangshuo in 2 Days

It’s completely catered to tourists, especially westerners, I was told. Great, exactly the type of place I dislike, I thought as I made my way to the southern Chinese city of Yangshuo. It turned out to be true that Yangshuo’s downtown does cater extensively to western tourists, but there’s so much more to the city… Read More What to Do in Yangshuo in 2 Days

International Travel, Itineraries & Trip Planning, Travel Photography

Skip Guilin, Go to Yangshuo and Longsheng Instead

After spending roughly a week in northeastern China in September and then roadtripping through northwestern China in October, I turned my sights south, specifically to the south central autonomous region of Guangxi and the southwestern province of Guizhou. For me, the largest draw for Guangxi was initially Guilin. I had long heard of the beauty of… Read More Skip Guilin, Go to Yangshuo and Longsheng Instead

International Travel, Itineraries & Trip Planning

5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Northwestern China, and How to Do It

Most people only think of eastern seaboard cities such as Beijing and Shanghai when they think of China. But if you’ve been following my Instagram the past couple of months, you know that there’s much more to the Middle Kingdom. One of my favorite parts of my two-month stay in China this fall was a road… Read More 5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Northwestern China, and How to Do It