Travel diaries: Asian adventures 26 Articles

by Tom Sykes

The figures grew fainter as clouds like Rorschach tests stained the sun. I couldn't stop looking at the two men down there on the river edges, one of them shitting into the scummy green water, the other washing his face in...read more

by Dave Terry

We see a Tibetan temple, a totem pole, monks with cowboy hats, and cows with long fur. Where are we anyway? I thought we went to China. We are in Maoniuping, which in Chinese literally means: Hairy Cow Flat, you know, Y...read more

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by Tom Carter

As a veteran backpacker of both hemispheres currently traveling extensively throughout all 32 provinces of the People's Republic of China, this writer has come to depend heavily on hostels. Without them I could not financi...read more

by Chris Deary

Japan may be further east on the map than China, but in every other sense it's far more western. I took a week's holiday in Tokyo last year (I was living in China at the time) and from the moment we set foot off the plane ...read more

by Teri Gnaedinger

As the door slowly opens, I hesitantly saunter inside. Two bowing Chinese women, hands respectfully clasped in front of them in prayer position, greet me with soft voices. A discreet entry from the Chinese mall hides a ...read more

by Joy Hoeffler

"Chairman Mao vs. Yao Ming" I walked into the sweltering hot classroom panting and out of breath from the six flights of stairs I had just climbed. I was a few minutes early, but the classroom was already full. Sunligh...read more

by Amber Bloom

In Taiwan, finding a place to eat is always an adventure. So you end up eating at the same five places that you know you like, until the mere thought of them makes you want to vomit. Then you need to set out on another a...read more

by Erin Watkins

I am not a world traveler, I am not even an American traveler. The farthest I have ever been from home (Texas) is North Carolina to the east and Utah to the west. I have been to Mexico once, just across the border to Jua...read more

by Malloy

As a general rule, Japan is a country and culture of excessive cleanliness. Even today, it is customary to shower before you take a bath. Neither my husband nor I know entirely for sure, but we postulate that this comes ...read more

by John Graham

WAITING FOR ASIA Traveling consists largely of waiting: the waiting rooms I have loved! We were a delegation of Americans due to leave Moscow for lands to the east. The Aeroflot flight was late, but on this trip we had ...read more

by Marilyn De Angelis Pennell

From my Travel Blog: Beijing China My Three Ladies or My Black Nose I am walking by a department store in a mall at Wangfuji, the ultramodern upscale shopping area in Beijing, when a pretty young Chinese woman pulls me...read more

by Calista Stevens

The mullah's eyes are milky with cataracts, set in a brown face lined with crevasses of time and experience. He can't hear much, anymore. His ears are full of the noise of rushing water; it permits other voices in faintl...read more

by Yusuf Ashour

Walking up to the bus station in Busan, South Korea, I was hardly prepared for the most insightful, yet tiring two days of my life. I came to Korea from the United States for a new experience, and had already experienced s...read more

by Susie Mowers

The subtraction of stereotypes in any cultural scenario leaves you with nothing but sincerity. And the only way to fully understand a culture is to spend some time on the outside, looking in. After two months spent in Seou...read more

by Murong Yang

A Trip to the Orient If one would have asked me if I'd be going to China prior to January 1, 2001 I would have not believed it. China is truly a beautiful country and I have only seen a little part of i...read more

by Rikesh Shah

Part I Dear Bombay, You smell. From the moment I landed I realized you hadn't cured your affliction for having the following odors smack all denizens entering your space. I'll try to define it as notes of incense, or...read more

by Ron Sumners

"Why can't I take a photo of the gates of Tiananmen Square?", I pondered silently to myself during a recent tourist excursion to Beijing, China. A police officer lacking any personality and devoid of emotion approached me ...read more

by Jaclyn Beck

So I lived in South East Asia for nearly seven months. It was a road to self understanding, an epic journey, on my part, to reignite my passion for life, essentially. This might sound incredibly broad, vague, and frankly, ...read more

by Art Ellis

Spend LessHave More Fun! Travel writer Rick Steves recommends approaching Europe through the "back door" for the best warm, relaxed, and personable cultural experiences. In doing so, you are recognized as a friendn...read more

by Diane Sparks

Although I had a lot of trouble in Asia, and sometimes just wanted to go home, I really enjoyed myself most of the time. There is this "thing" about going to a country, where you don't know anybody and don't know much of ...read more