Why would anyone leave 阳朔?

As I walked through the immigration checkpoint of 白云机场 (White Cloud Airport) in 广州 (Guang Zhou), I looked down on the stamp on my passport that said “departure”, and realized that I was finally heading home. China has been a home away from home for the past 6 weeks, but now I am more than [...]

Making the last days count

The climbing these past few days has been a bust, due to a combination of bad weather and unavailable vehicles. I’ve spent a lot of time resting in my room, watching movies, surfing the Internet, and making up the sleep debt that I’m still working on from college – this one will probably take me [...]

攀岩，吃饭，泡妞 – Climbing, Eating, and Chasing Girls

Three days on, one day off. Climbing this much might be a little excessive, judging by the fact that the temperature has never peaked below 94 degrees once this entire week. I’m normally opposed to climbing shirtless (mostly because I have nothing to show off), but it’s a necessity out here. If I didn’t climb [...]

阳朔攀岩 – Yang Shuo Climbing

Just because you’re climbing in a world-class destination doesn’t make you a world-class climber. I’m getting my ass handed to me in 阳朔 (Yang Shuo), and I’m loving every minute of it. Steep, featured limestone at a 15-30 degree overhang is not a good place to warm up when I haven’t climbed since the 16th [...]

Travel to 阳朔

I’ve left 西安. And thus, I’ve also left the many friends that I made in the past month, friends that I now regard as family. I never thought it would be possible to become so close in just 30 days, but the welcoming spirit and earnest attempts to get to know someone better can do [...]

华山 – Mount Hua, Part 2

In certain areas, the staircases are actually quite dangerous. Only wide enough for single file hiking, iron chains stood as railings for the steepest sections. Some of the steps were only 6 inches wide, promising a quick fall to the bottom if someone up above slipped. The steepest sections felt more like climbing a ladder, [...]

华山 – Mount Hua, Part 1

华山 (Mount Hua) stands as one of the Five Sacred Taoist Mountains. With five main peaks rising over 3000 feet above the plains of inland China, the granite monolith stands as a striking symbol of the beauty that this country’s natural landscapes has to offer. As a peak of Taoist significance, temples stood at the [...]

Language Lessons

My Chinese has been getting a lot of exercise. Coming to 西安, my speaking command of the language was somewhat adequate, though much could be improved with my reading and writing. Having to practice every second of the day has helped my fluency in Mandarin; hopefully it will be a noticeable difference to my Chinese [...]

西安火石攀岩 – I found a climbing gym

I found a gym. The only gym in the city of Xi’an, in fact. In a city of 8 million people, there is exactly one climbing gym: 火石攀岩体育馆, the Firestone Rock Climbing Gym. Located on the 6th floor of a shopping mall, this 25 foot wall is where the dedicated climbing crew of Xi’an trains [...]

The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

秦始皇 (Qin Shi Huang) was the first emperor of a unified China. Beginning in 221 BC, he governed the Seven Warring States of China as a single nation, began construction on the Great Wall, and started the first nation-wide road building project. He also outlawed and burned books, and buried opposing scholars alive to ensure [...]