11/01/13 - 11/05/13 Luck is a funny thing. You never know when things are going to turn out good for you or if something bad or inconvenient is going to happen. I have a belief that most things will turn out ok, though it might not always be the way that you imagine. And for the most part, on this trip, I have been pretty fortunate, as things do seem to work out pretty well. However, I have had my share of bad luck, but the funny thing is that so...

10/26/13 - 10/31/13 Shanghai is not all shopping, skyscrapers, fashion and beautiful people, as it has it's seedier side as well. Scams happen all over the world, and I have ran into many of them and may have been scammed once or twice, but for some reason they seemed to be more denser in Shanghai. I ran into more scams and got offered so many massages (ie: sex), that I stopped counting after a day and a half. At this point, it was up to over two do...

10/21/13 - 10/31/13 After Chengdu, I headed to Wanzhou to get on a hydrofoil to see the famous Three Gorges on the Yangtze River. I splurged a little in Wanzhou and stayed in a Hilton, which was amazing. It had all the usual amenities of a high-end Hilton hotel, but it only cost $75 a night! And it was the best night of sleep that I have had since I started my trip! I can't spend that much every night, but it was definitely worth it this time, as it did ...

10/17/13 - 10/19/13 The problem with long-term travel is that after awhile it becomes less of a vacation and more of a lifestyle. And just like any other lifestyle, you can get stuck in doing the same things over and over again. You move from place to place, staying in hostels or hotels, seeing temples, museums, historical monuments/places and doing a lot of touristy things. You eat at a lot of restaurants, trying the local food or if you're adventurous or on...

Fabled Xi'an, formerly the capital of several Chinese Dynasties up to the 10th century and as the terminus of the famed Silk Road, is now a very modern city. The city walls are still intact, but, like most modern walled cities, only encloses a part of the city. You can actually go up on top of the walls, rent out a bicycle and circumnavigate the city, which I did one evening and had a great time! Due to the it's Silk Road past, Xi'an has a thriving Muslim po...