Estonia: Two Days, Two Perspectives

Upon our second visit to Estonia since Audrey concluded her Peace Corps stint in 2000, we wondered what we would find. Continue Reading »

Upon our second visit to Estonia since Audrey concluded her Peace Corps stint in 2000, we wondered what we would find. Continue Reading »
A checklist: four days, three ethnic village markets, stacks of smoked dogs, and one testicle stand. Guizhou Province exuded tradition; it was China at its most authentic and at times its most eye-popping. Continue Reading »
I sat down today to sift through our video footage from China with the intent of making a Chinese market video; I barely made it past the town of Kashgar (Xinjiang). What an incredible place.
Buried in the footage, I laughed my way through a procession of wooly camels, stubborn donkeys, cowboys and sheep at the old world Sunday livestock market. Continue Reading »
Can (wo)man live on dumplings alone? The answer in China: Yes!
Steamed, fried or boiled; round, crescent, or amorphous; meat or veg; thin-skinned or thick, dumplings in China form a universe all their own.
By no means are we experts in Chinese dumplings. That’s a life’s work. But we can offer a brief primer and the best of our dumpling experiences in China. Continue Reading »
China and the Internet. It’s a long story (and yes, we realize it’s not as exciting as colorful ethnic markets). But it’s one that affects everyone living, studying and traveling in China. Continue Reading »
Two days of roller-coaster travel on unpaved roads and in old buses cramped with members of the Chinese Olympic Spitting Team; it was a long road to Xishuangbanna.
Tucked in the deep south of China’s Yunnan Province, the Xishuangbanna region conjured images of thatched huts, tropical jungle, and a rainbow of ethnic minorities. But when we arrived in Jinghong, the regional capital, our hearts sank. We got the impression that we had arrived too late. Continue Reading »
Just another reason to love autumn in Vilnius, Lithuania. Continue Reading »
Clinging to the theme of sweaty, shirtless men, we bring you our reflections on hot pot in China.
Women, don’t be repulsed. Men, don’t toss your shirts just yet. Continue Reading »
When a jovial, inebriated, shirtless man boarded our bus with a meter-long pipe (think Cheech and Chong go to China), we figured we were slipping even further off China’s organized tourist trail. Continue Reading »