In case our Chinese market video turned your stomach, we offer something a bit more tasteful.

From the friendly Gansu bread man to the the giggling Qingdao dumpling ladies, China unfolds in a video montage of street food and kitchen scenes.

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Where can you find pig face manicures, dog steaks, gambling novice Buddhist monks, snake oil laxatives, and locals getting their teeth replaced on the street? How about dazzling embroidered traditional clothing, mountains of fresh greens, and meat so fresh that it still moves?

Only in China and only in this video.

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Bearded men, women in headscarves, pulled laghman noodles, pressed pomegranates, a boy who prepares his own vinegar sauce, and two Hoshang dumpling makers doing a dance around a traditional ceramic oven. This is China’s Kashgar night market. 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 »

Welcome to the view inside the Shanghai Maglev (magnetic levitation) train once it reaches its maximum speed of 431 kilometers per hour. No typo there - that’s 268 miles per hour for the conversionally challenged. The trip from the center of Shanghai to the airport takes a cool 8 minutes and costs an even cooler 50 Y ($7.00).

Wonder what 260+ mph looks like in full motion? Check out the short video below and experience the Shanghai Maglev train from the comfort of your own home. This is modern Chinese development at its best. Continue Reading »

“Bogartin’ on Gordi!”

That’s what Russia is doing in Gori, Georgia - at least according to Angelo Moore, the lead singer of the ska-funk band Fishbone. Our conversation with Angelo takes place at the be2gether summer music festival , on the border of Lithuania and Belarus.

Even so, Angelo had a bit of trouble placing Lithuania and Belarus - and Russia and Georgia, too. But who wouldn’t?

Check out the video. It gives a taste of the be2gether festival atmosphere and finishes with Angelo’s take on international affairs. Continue Reading »

Though we are not mountaineers, we have done our share of trekking. Then, just last week, we came off a 15-day trek in the Himalayas in Nepal that looked and felt something like a “best of” of our previous treks. We would like to think that’s saying something, what with journeys in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Burma and bits of the western United States under our hiking belts. Continue Reading »

Wondering where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to? Our recent Twitter updates from the hills of Sikkim were all a facade.

We ran out of money. So Audrey went looking for work in Varanasi, India’s holiest city. And this is what she found.

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When we arrive in a new location, we usually seek out the local market. This is how we orient ourselves. Markets provide an easy way to meet real people in a friendly context. They also offer an insight into local food and culture. Central Asian markets proved no different. We found ourselves frequently sampling local fruits (OK, having fruit heaped upon us by the lapful) and talking with vendors about their products. We decided that the markets, the vendors and the produce in Central Asia deserved a video. Continue Reading »

This is great! I’m getting kisses from random gender benders.

– Audrey, on our 2008 New Year’s Eve night out in Bangkok.

Last night, we found ourselves welcoming in the New Year in true Bangkok style - with a band, a late night street food nosh, and a swamp of kisses from a horde of Bangkok’s third genders. Continue Reading »