Oh, if our passports could talk! A quick look at the numbers and some stories and lessons behind my newly-fattened American passport.
This is it. After this, no more.
– An American embassy employee in Berlin hands back my passport with a third – and undoubtedly final – set of extra pages.
What do you think of when flip through your passport? Countries visited? Number of visas and passport stamps? Possibilities? Continue Reading »
- My Big Fat American Passport
- Protect Thy Passport
Filed Under: Perspectives, Travel by: Audrey Scott
75 Comments | 29 July 2011
While Guizhou Province may not feature the same dramatic bits of nature you’d find in Yunnan or Sichuan Provinces, it does have its share of indigenous markets. And that’s why, when we visited China, we based ourselves in the the provincial capital of Kaili for a week.
In the weekly market in Chong’an, an area inhabited by ethnic Miao and Gejia, a high school girl befriended us early in the day. She’d studied some English and had a nifty electronic Chinese-English dictionary to fall back on when her school-learned vocabulary wasn’t enough. For an afternoon, she showed us all the various nooks and crannies of the market – embroidered cloth for local ethnic dress, vegetables and fruit galore, Chinese medicine practice and street dentistry, gelatinous noodle soup stands, and lots and lots of meat. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Audrey Scott
14 Comments | 27 June 2011
Ear cleaning, mahjong, and ladies gossiping: just another ordinary day at a tea garden in Chengdu, China.
Pick up a tea cup with your favorite type of tea leaves inside, grab a seat at a table and enjoy the scene of life playing out in the tea garden. Men with large copper kettles filled with hot water make the rounds to ensure your cup is never empty. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
7 Comments | 17 September 2010
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be in the middle of an ethnic minority market in China’s Yunnan Province? Even if you haven’t, we’re going to show you anyway. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama, Photography by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
12 Comments | 9 July 2010
As 2008 came to an end, we reflected on our experiences from the passing year. Best experience? It’s impossible to choose just one, so we share a few of the memories that are likely to remain with us through 2009 and beyond.
Some we’ve written about already. The complete story of others are yet to come.
Where 2009 will take us, no one knows (including us). Regardless, we hope your 2009 finds you healthy and takes you to fulfilling places, be they near or far. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 31 December 2008
43 posts and 16 photo sets later, we’ve reached the end of a long road of reflection on China, an on-the-fly addition to our around-the-world journey.
The impetus to change our itinerary occurred while we were in Central Asia. Several seasoned travelers and experts, having just come from China, convinced us to seize the moment and visit before the Olympics. We’re glad we did. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Interactive Maps, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
7 Comments | 18 November 2008
The arc of our travel experience is shaped by the people we meet. Even the most beautiful food and landscape need a human context. With that in mind, we offer a selection of faces – each with a story – that we will recall whenever we reflect on our travels in China.
The following slideshow is our take on China’s ethnic diversity. While these images represent only a fraction of China’s 56 official ethnic groups (there are scores more unofficial ones), we hope they give you a better feel for the various people who call China their home. Continue Reading »
- Disappearing Donkeys: Kashgar on the Edge of a Developing China
- A Tibetan Pilgrimage
- Yuanyang – Sweaty Men, Rice Fields and Beautiful Women
- Xishuangbanna: China’s Deep South
- Guizhou: Market Days in China’s Poorest Province
- Slideshow: The Many Faces of China
Filed Under: China, Photography, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 14 November 2008
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.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Food, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll
4 Comments | 12 November 2008
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.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Food, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll
2 Comments | 12 November 2008
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 »
Filed Under: China, Food, Videos by: Daniel Noll
2 Comments | 8 November 2008
