We were exploring Qufu (曲阜, Qūfù), the hometown of Confucius, when a giant glass display packed with bright pink cats stopped Dad and Elaine in our tracks. We went inside to investigate. Elaine came out with Meow — and somehow our Shandong traveling family had just grown. 🐱 Wait… Why Are There So Many Pink Cats in Qufu? Qufu. Confucius. Ancient courtyards. Traditional architecture. Chinese history everywhere. Dad thought he had a...
COME WITH US. Follow Our Stories. We took a slow walk through Sheung Wan (上環), where Dad and Elaine found breakfast shops, old storefronts, markets, trams, noodles, neighborhood cats — and the everyday Hong Kong that doesn’t need an admission ticket. Hong Kong (香港). Most first-time travelers arrive with a list. Victoria Peak. Victoria Harbour (維多利亞港). Markets. Dim sum. Shopping. Maybe Disneyland. Dad understands. We have our lists too. 😂 But one...
We woke up in Mong Kok (旺角), Kowloon (九龍), Hong Kong. Our hotel was in Hong Kong. Our plan for the day? GO TO SHENZHEN. 😂 Not by plane. Not by long-distance coach. Not even by high-speed rail. We were simply going to take Hong Kong’s MTR (港鐵) toward the border… and walk across. For an international traveler looking at Hong Kong and Shenzhen on a map, that can sound slightly unbelievable....
😂 WELCOME TO MACAU. Crowds. Chinese signs. Portuguese-style paving. Pastry shops. Souvenir shops. Food everywhere. And Elaine walking straight into the middle of it. We were on Rua de São Paulo (大三巴街), heading toward the Ruins of St. Paul’s (大三巴牌坊). Then Elaine stopped. A vendor cut her a piece of bakkwa — sweet dried meat jerky. Sample accepted. Taste test completed. Elaine smiled. And off we went again. 😂 Somewhere ahead was...
There are two ways to experience Hong Kong (香港). You can wake up, leave your hotel and travel across the city before your sightseeing begins. Or you can wake up… walk downstairs… and discover that Hong Kong (香港) has already started around you. That was one of Dad’s favorite things about staying with Elaine in Mong Kok (旺角). We stayed at iclub Mong Kok Hotel (旺角薈賢居), in a mature Kowloon (九龍) neighborhood...
Dad didn’t choose Mong Kok (旺角) simply because we needed another hotel. He chose Mong Kok (旺角) because Dad wanted Elaine to experience another Hong Kong. We had already stayed in Sheung Wan (上環) on Hong Kong Island (香港島), where Dad deliberately chose a base that allowed us to walk west toward Sai Ying Pun (西營盤), east toward Central (中環) and uphill into older streets and neighborhoods. We Stayed in Sheung Wan...
Where We Stayed in Hong Kong: Dad & Elaine stayed at ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan — good value, a relatively spacious room by Hong Kong standards, convenient airport and MTR connections, and everyday local Hong Kong just outside the door. Some hotels become favorites because they’re luxurious. Others become favorites because everything just works. For Dad, ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan is firmly in the second group. Good value. A surprisingly spacious room....
What We Experienced in Xi’an: An Evening Stroll Through 回民街 — Street Food, Sour Plum Drink and a Different Side of the Ancient City Xi’an felt different after dark. During the day, Dad and Elaine had been surrounded by the enormous stories of this ancient city. City walls. Emperors. Terracotta soldiers. Museums. Dynasties stretching back thousands of years. But that evening, we weren’t looking for another monument. We went for a walk....
What We Experienced: Our green-train journey from Yuncheng in Shanxi Province to Hancheng in Shaanxi Province required a three-hour transit in Houma. Instead of sitting in the station, Dad and Elaine went exploring, found a little local restaurant for lunch — then continued through the countryside toward another ChinaTravelBUG rabbit hole. Sometimes the inconvenient route turns out to be the more interesting one. We were leaving Yuncheng (运城, Yùnchéng) in Shanxi Province...
Back in Xi’an: How China’s Ancient Capital Became Our Gateway to Beyond Xi’an
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