My final day in Yangshuo was perhaps my favorite day of the trip. That morning, I rented a bike from my hotel and explored the entire area on my own.
All posts tagged travels
Seduced by the Li River: Part II
After waiting for a rainstorm to end, I headed to Yangshuo’s Silver Cave. Through a series of strange events, I found myself in a massive group with about 40 Chinese tourists.
Seduced by the Li River: Part I
Yours truly at the Li River
Back in July, I visited the small town of Yangshuo in China’s Guangxi province. Despite the fact that Shenzhen is quite close to this popular tourist destination, I never took advantage of it while I was living there. But because Lonely Planet lists it as one of the Top 5 things to do in China, I knew I needed to see it before I leave.
The trip started off nightmarishly. Having traveled a lot to various Chinese cities recently, I foolishly decided to make all of my plans last minute. I didn’t book a hostel until the night before, and it seemed all the popular ones were completely booked. Then, because I packed an hour before I had to leave for the airport and got stuck in traffic, I missed my flight. I was able to book another one, but it took off 5 hours later, cutting off precious time from the three short days I had there.
Lush Island
- Qingdao. Home of Tsingtao Beer.
Last month I took a little weekend trip to Qingdao, a coastal city in China’s Shandong province. I used the high-speed train to get there, which shortened my trip from about nine hours to five.
The name Qingdao (pinyin: “Qīngdǎo”, characters: 青岛) translates to “lush” or “green” island. “Lush Island” is a fitting name in more ways than one — the city also happens to be home of Tsingtao, China’s biggest brand-name beer. (Har har, get it?!)
Beijing pollution, as seen from above
Taken on my way to Shanghai, September 4, 2010.
PS: More about the aforementioned trip to Shanghai coming soon!
A year in Asia
Exactly one year ago today, I boarded a plane bound for Beijing, China. And what a year it’s been.
Christmas in July
Oh, hey.
Say hello to my new Nikon D90—my first DSLR. I ventured over to the Beijing Wukesong Camera Market earlier today to buy it, and believe me when I say I was as giddy as a five-year-old on Christmas morning upon arrival.
Ever since I dabbled with photography at my Poynter fellowship last year, I’ve been wanting to explore advanced digital photography. I’ve taken a lot of photos during my travels around Asia but have become increasingly frustrated by the limitations of my little Kodak point-and-shoot. I suppose anyone who was given Canon Mark III to play around with for two weeks would feel that way too. (Point-and-shoot, it’s not you. It’s me. But we can still be friends!)
I’ve still got a lot to learn with this baby, but I’m already getting the hang of—and enjoying—it.
If only I had the D90 when I went to go see the temples of Angkor Wat …
Vietnam [Photos]
Two days ago: Thailand. Yesterday: Cambodia. Today: Vietnam.
Unfortunately, the last leg of our Southeast Asia trip got cut short because of Tet, the Vietnamese version of Chinese New Year. Essentially, everything in the country shuts down during this holiday, including most forms of transportation. Our original plan for Vietnam was to take a train from Ho Chi Minh City northwards, taking stops in Nha Trang and Hoi An until we hit Hanoi. But because of the holiday, we would have been stuck in Nha Trang for over a week. On top of that, train ticket prices for the week after Tet were astronomically high. Having to leave early was upsetting, because I desperately wanted to see Halong Bay.
Anyway, enjoy!
Cambodia [Photos]
Yesterday I posted my Thailand photos. Today I’m posting my Cambodia photos. I was in the land of Angkor Wat from February 1 to 6 as part of my Chinese New Year break. During the trip, my group traveled to Siem Reap and saw the famous Angkor temples. We also ventured out to Phnom Penh to learn about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime. Some of the most powerful photos, towards the end, were taken at the infamous S-21 prison.
Update: Here’s a separate slideshow for just Angkor Wat photos (all of which can be found in the Cambodia slideshow):
About
Bridget O'Donnell, 24, is a designer for the Shanghai Daily. She previously worked for the China Daily and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009. More »