Biden’s free bollards and chains The state of Texas, reportedly gaining population at the expense of California, has received another gift by way of the Golden State: a February 15 Texas Tribune dispatch reports that …
February 23, 2022
China: stories & travel reviews
China: stories & travel reviews
Texas gets parts of Trump's border wall from San Diego for free
Shanghai: city in motion
Floating down the Huangpu River on a late spring afternoon as the last gleam of daylight faded away, I watched as the skyscrapers of Shanghai gradually transformed into a multitude of flashing lights. Locals and …
Beijing & the Great Wall explored
Check out Derek's e-book How to Travel On the Cheap (...and Even for Free!): Turn Your Travel Dreams Into Reality, available in the Amazon Kindle store. “We Chinese people eat everything. Everything in the sky …
Beijing: first impressions
I stood in Tiananmen Square (above) on a windswept, sunny morning, and gazed at the locals and tourists milling about under the watchful visage of Chairman Mao’s portrait. Having just arrived in China the previous …
June 5, 2015
Journal from China: Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing
My first trip to China was unforgettable. It was a tumultuous time in my life, with the ending of a long-term relationship and studies that had kept me occupied for four years. I had no …
Macau: more than just the Asian Vegas
Macau has gained a reputation in recent years as a gambling mecca – “the Asian Las Vegas.” However, beneath the glitz and neon is a vibrant Portuguese-Chinese fusion culture and a former trading post with …
Ten days from Cairo to Beijing
Russia is one of the most challenging countries in which to travel on a budget. Oh sure, your ruble might still go a pinto’s puff further out on the street than your yen, but you’ll …
August 27, 2013
A night at the (Chinese) opera
“Tonight we will see living national treasures!” our guide, Bao Chui, announced dramatically while poking his chopsticks around our noodle lunch in Beijing. To the uninitiated, the Beijing Opera can be either a dazzling visual …
June 20, 2013
Magic lives in Kanas
Magic lives in a remote corner of China. In the northwestern corner of the country, where a bony finger of land divides the land from Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, the traveler will find myth, legend …
April 23, 2013
Shanghai's Hidden Garden
Tucked away in Old Shanghai City lies Yuyuan Garden, a five-acre oasis in the midst of an otherwise sprawling metropolis. It's only a short walk from Line 10 of the Shanghai Metro, and you’ll be …
January 29, 2013
Kanas, China: Following Genghis Khan
In the northwestern corner of China, where a pointed finger of land pokes into Russia and separates Kazakhstan from Mongolia, the last physical remains of the army of Genghis Khan stand watch. The area is …
November 29, 2012
Xi'ian's Silent Army
Once in a great while, the simplest of acts, even performed inadvertently, can have far-reaching effects. In Xi'an, China, there is a massive army that has stood in silent formation for more than two-and-a-half thousand …
November 5, 2012
Giving Face in Kashgar
It was my final day in Kashgar, China. I had all the photos I needed and was ready for a good meal before catching my flight out, when I noticed a tiny man sitting outside, …
October 9, 2012
Thirsting for Knowledge in Macau
In the former Portuguese colony of Macau, the tourist office pamphlet promoting the wine museum offered an incredible enticement. Admission with wine tasting costs 15 Macau patacas (U.S. $2), and “of the new wines, about …
September 7, 2012