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...

So, there I was, riding on the back of a moped with a middle-aged Chinese man, looking for the only ATM in town that would take my debit card. I was running very low on cash, my preferred method of payment while traveling, but all the ATMs in town were rejecting my card. The man was the owner of the hotel I was staying at and he had offered to bring me to the ATM. The night before I had arrived in Pingyao at 1am and the taxi took me to this hotel. I wasn't s...

Riding the rails in China is an experience that I am not quite used too. It is a little different from trains in Europe, where everyone gets a seat or bed and one can usually obtain tickets the day of travel. In China, if you want a sleeping berth, you usually have to get your tickets several days or more in advance, which makes keeping an open itinerary a little difficult at times. There have been a few times where I wasn't able to obtain a ticket on the tra...

I don't know if it is my ruggedly handsome good looks (hah!), my newly regrown beard or just the fact that I am a Westerner in China, but I seem to be somewhat of a pseudo-celebrity here. Several times, Chinese people have secretly taken pictures of me and a few of the brave ones have asked to take a picture with me. The few times I have caught them sneaking a picture of me, I tell them it is alright and I pose with them. Other times, I just smile and ask to s...