As I mentioned in an earlier post, I submitted my September 17th blog post "It's the Economy and Foreign Policy Stupid!" (with a few minor changes) to the editor of the Lansing State Journal. It was published on September 22, 2008 under a different title, "World worried over our election nonsense: Can candidates, voters engage [...]
MSU Football on the Road
I have pretty much ignored US sports since I have been on the road. It is just too difficult to find it showing in other countries or the time zone differences don’t make it feasible. The only thing I was able to watch was a few of the MSU Basketball team’s [...]
I read a number of books over the years to help keep me motivated about my journey. One of my favorites was "100 Things To Do Before You Die" by Neil Teplica and Dave Freeman. It listed a number of festivals that I had on my worldlist and after reading it my list ended up [...]
I made it to Hong Kong after four plus weeks in China and it was a
culture shock. It was very western. More than I anticipated. I wonder
what will happen when I head back to the states. At least I have a six
months to worry about that issue. After spending so much time in China
and [...]
How do you ask for BoRics in Mandarin?
The funny thing about travel is that often the most mundane things
can be an adventure within itself. It had been six weeks since my
last haircut and I was getting a little bit shaggy. I was little bit
nervous because of the language barrier but I figured they couldn't
screw my [...]
My last tourist stop in China was in the city of Leshan, which is famous for the Giant Buddha statue that is carved into the cliff. It was a quick hour bus ride from Mt Emei. My tired muscles from the three day hike needed a break and this was the perfect one.
Along with the [...]
The past nine months of traveling around the world have given me an interesting perspective on the upcoming presidential election. The primaries of both parties, though filled with plenty of rhetoric, dealt with many substantial issues such as foreign policy, energy policy and the economy. Since the conventions, the candidates and the media have lost [...]
The second day's hike was less intense than the first day because I only had to hike 17 kilometers to reach the peak. The hike was mostly an ascent with a few monasteries along the way. I didn't leave with my group in the morning because I was finishing my book but caught up to [...]
After my time in Chengdu, I took a two hour bus over to the Teddy Bear Hostel at the base of Mt. Emei in the Sichuan
province. The Teddy Bear hostel is run by a great local couple and is
the starting base for many hikers. Since it is highly recommended by
hikers and the guidebooks, I [...]
After my trip to Xi'an, I took a cheap flight to Chengdu in the Sichuan Province. I organized my first day in Chengdu so I could go the the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center. The Research Center is a great facility and is doing incredible working in trying to increase the numbers of pandas [...]
