Author: bamboocompass
Cooking Classes and Schools Complement the Other Activities That Thailand Offers
If you’re planning to visit Thailand, the first thing you’ll learn is how many areas it has that provide tons of activities for people with all different interests. Cooking classes are extremely popular there, and with good reason. After all, what better place to learn to cook Asian food than a place such as Thailand?…
Vacations at the Beach Offer Much More Than Just Swimming
Taking a beach vacation is often considered the ultimate vacation, in part because locations close to the beach usually come with other water sports, including fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, and diving, not to mention beach volleyball and various excursions on a boat. If you’re at a beach that has crystal-clear water, the trip can be even…
China Travel Photo of the Day: Love is in the Air
This one’s for all you lovers out there! It’s Valentine’s Day so this photo entitled “Romance” really ought to get the attention it deserves. A beautiful shot by photographer Vincent Tandijo Saputro of Beijing’s Summer Palace… the lake, the hazy light, the couple walking hand in hand along the water. It’s enough to make a…
Shanghai Markets: Fake Markets, Fabric Markets & Antique Markets
If you’re heading to Shanghai, no doubt you’re going to want to check out some of Shanghai’s markets. The secret to shopping for bargains in China is that it all comes down to patience. Though the days of old Xiangyang market’s crowded stalls and grasping hands are long gone and a megalithic glass and concrete…
Win Your Dream Vacation! Blogger Caroline Berg offers up some China travel inspiration
Caroline Berg to get some more ideas of what to see and do in China when the possibilities are just endless. Check out more of Caroline’s China tales on her blog, The Great Wall is an obvious must. I recommend spending a day on the Beijing border in Hebei Province. I have been twice and…
The bejeweled lakes of Jiuzhaigou: Mind-altering bus ride no longer required
Jiuzhaigou is now a carefully managed tourist attraction that, during the high season, sees over ten thousand visitors a day. It wasn’t always that way and as Sascha Matuszak reminisces about his first visit there a decade ago, that’s not necessarily such a bad thing. Read on for his story plus useful travel tips on…
How to: Buying a Sword in Wudang Mountain
Ever since the phenomenal success of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, awareness of both China’s wuxia genre of films (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) and of Wudang Mountain (Wudang Shan) itself have increased significantly. And each year, the amount of tourists visiting Wudang Shan increases by about 200,000, and with them come dreams of…
China Gay Guide: Gay Life, Gay Bars, Gay Travel
China Gay Guide: Glamorous & Grey When discussing being gay in China, many Westerners have no idea what to imagine when they think of China, let alone what it’s like being gay in China. The media has made the world aware of how tough it is to be homosexual in the Middle East, especially in…
Jump Aboard the Chungking Express—If You Dare
The notorious Chungking Mansions and neighboring Mirador Mansions in Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui, can be intimidating at first sight, especially as a solo female traveler. Full of aggressive touts and frequented mainly by African and South Asian men who gather round the entrances, there’s barely a woman to be seen here. But they also offer…
3 Essential Shanghai Weekend Getaways
China’s a big country. Given its scale and scope, even if you’ve lived here for five-plus years, there’s no way you would be able to see every worthwhile sight and city in the country. For those of you in Shanghai that are stuck in your metropolitan bubble, train travel is the answer to see the…
