Author Archives: Dan Perry

About Dan Perry

Dan created this blog to document his South America trip, which covered every country on the continent and lasted over two years. He currently lives in Madison, WI.

Zhouzhuang Water Town: An Accidental Visit

Oh, I hate these Zhouzhuang traffic jams.

The area around Shanghai and Suzhou, China is famous for its water towns. There are at least eight different villages within a few hours of the cities, each with its own special character. These villages are perhaps the best way to get a glimpse of the old way of life in central China.

When my mom visited me last November, we decided to go to Tongli, one of the quieter towns. There was only one problem: after riding the subway to the outskirts of Shanghai and then taking several more buses, we ended up in the wrong Tongli! This version of Tongli had some farm fields and animals, but a “Venice of the East” it was certainly not. We walked until the road ended at a river, took a ferry across, and continued walking toward Shanghai. Just when we were cursing our bad luck, a girl offered us a ride back to the subway. She wasn't sure where there was a water town called Tongli, but she did know how to get to Zhouzhuang. She dropped us off and wished us better luck.

Zhouzhuang (周庄) is meant to be the most touristy and overcrowded water town of them all. But it was too late to start over in our search for Tongli, so we decided to just go for it. As it turned out, Zhouzhuang wasn't so bad. It did have a lot of “Ye Olde” shops set up for tourism, but a few people actually lived there. Some of them didn't even try to sell us stuff. We just had to walk away from the main streets to get a more authentic experience.

Here are some of my photos from the village. It's not Venice, but at least it was easy to get to. And sometimes in China, accessibility trumps authenticity.

Many of the old homes are well preserved.

One more of the village's old doorways.

The ivy tells you that it's at least a few years old.

The village is known for its lanterns.

Another interesting lantern.

The red lanterns provide a cool contrast to the white buildings.

Here are some of the boats you can ride around the village.

The canal water is nice and calm.

A ghostly gondolier, looking for passengers.

A boat passes under one of many bridges in the village.

A friendly gondolier.

You can stop for a drink during your gondola trip.

Zhouzhuang is famous for its bridges.

The gazebos have decorative ceilings.

Riding a motorcycle sure is tiring.

This is the biggest pagoda in town.

Chengxu Temple (澄虚道院) is a Taoist temple built in 1086.

Incense burns at the temple.

Bamboo graffiti.

Aw man, I was totally looking forward to swimming here.

Yes, it's China's Number One Water Town! Want proof? Just look at all of the A's!

More photos from Zhouzhuang water town

External Websites:
More info about visiting Zhouzuang
More info about all of the water towns around Shanghai

Shanghai, China's City of Infinite Shopping

Shanghai's fabulous Pudong district has only been developed for 25 years.

Shanghai, population 24 million, is the biggest city in China. By some measurements, it's the biggest city in the world. I live in Beijing, with “only” 21 million people. So it's probably not a surprise that when I research travel destinations, an even bigger city isn't very high on my list.

Nevertheless, I've visited Shanghai three times since moving to China, two years ago. The city feels really different than Beijing. Whereas Beijing is full of temples, museums and emperors' playgrounds, Shanghai is all business. The Pudong district, on the far side of the Huangpu River, is full of skyscrapers, including the Shanghai Tower, the second-tallest building in the world. The French Concession has beautiful broad avenues and boutique shops. Even in “old” places such as the Yuyuan gardens, shopping is the name of the game.

Shanghai isn't my favorite place in China, but I've managed to have fun with each visit. If you're planning a trip to China, I think it's worth checking out Shanghai, even if you're not into shopping. If nothing else, you'll be dazzled by the tall buildings, and you'll get a first-hand look at how 24 million people can call the same place home.

Katie admires the Pudong.

A friendly officer guards the Huangpu River.

Friends take a stroll on the Bund.

This girl was practicing her violin skills on the Bund.

Many sanitary workers are employed to keep the Bund clean.

Delicious fruit smoothies for sale at an outdoor market.

The Yuyuan (豫园) bazaar is a popular garden and shopping district. At night it really comes alive.

The buildings in Yuyuan have a traditional style, with modern lighting.

Another traditional building.

No elephants allowed.

Bamboo is everywhere in the city. Here, in a disgusting display of cannibalism, they use bamboo to hold up bamboo.

Here's a typical old street in Shanghai.

At the City of God temple, they still use an abacus. It's a Taoist temple built 700 years ago during the Ming Dynasty.

Damn kids and their iPhones!

Burning incense.

On the outskirts of the city, the buildings are encroaching on the farm fields.

Soon, maybe this will be a new housing compound.

Katie relaxes with a micro brew after a long day of sightseeing.

Here is my full set of photos from Shanghai.

Winter Fun on the Wild Great Wall

We made it to the Great Wall!

The world-famous Great Wall of China sees millions of visitors every year. The vast majority of tourists visit the restored sections, such as Badaling and Mutianyu. However, there are also many long stretches of the Great Wall that receive almost no visitors. During winter, it would be a rare occasion indeed to see another living soul in these parts.

When I went to the Great Wall with my mom, we weren't expecting snow. It was early November, and the weather was rather warm in Beijing. But as we ascended into the mountains, the temperature dropped. By the time we got to a village at the base of the Wall, it was snowing.

The snow continued throughout the night, leaving the Wall with a coat of fresh powder the next morning. We scrambled our way to the top and explored. While the snow prevented us from hiking as far as we had hoped, this was still an experience of a lifetime.

What do you think?

The trail leading up to the wall is arduous, but once you get there, what a treat!

In many places, the wall was built straight over the tops of mountains.

There is a guard tower every few hundred meters.

Approaching the guard tower for a bit of shelter from the snow.

Looking out the window.

Here's the entrance to the guard tower. I loved the light and the symmetry, broken up by some fallen bricks.

Occasionally, it's possible to climb to the top of a tower.

I put on my happy face.

We were the only people on the wall that day.

Here are the rest of my photos from this trip to the Great Wall.

AtW Podcast, Episode 16: Ryan Campeau

Katie and Ryan getting grilled lamb at a street-side restaurant.

My guest this week is Ryan Campeau. We sat on my balcony in Beijing for a lengthy discussion about travel, specifically in China, Europe, and the good old US of A. Along the way, we did quite a bit of story-telling. I hope you enjoy our chat. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Download this Episode (right-click and choose “save as”)

One of the places we mentioned was the panda center in Chengdu. Here's a photo and video from my trip:

It could totally be a guy in a panda suit.

We also discussed a few other parts of China...

Jiuzhaigou National Park

Harbin Ice Festival: The Kremlin

Harbin Ice Festival: Ice Slides

Harbin Ice Festival: A Chinese Temple

Show Notes:

Ryan blogged about her thoughts when she first moved to China at alachinoise.wordpress.com.
There are no longer any Chinese cities among the ten most polluted cities in the world. In fact, the most polluted Chinese city (according to this list) is Lanzhou, at number 36.
There are 1864 giant pandas living in the wild in China. and around 250 living in captivity worldwide. Of these, 83 are in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

The Fabulous Forbidden City

The emperor could ride a boat from here to the Summer Palace.

For many visitors, the Forbidden City (紫禁城) is the highlight of China. It was the Imperial Palace of the Chinese emperor from 1420 until 1912. Today, it's known as the “Palace Musuem” (故宫博物院) because it houses a large number of ancient Chinese artifacts. It has 980 rooms, and the buildings exemplify China's ancient architecture. The compound was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. With 14 million annual visitors, it is the most visited museum in the world. Will you be among them?

Come, join my tour group!

The Forbidden City can get crowded. Luckily it's full of large pavilions.

The city is in the center of Beijing.

One of the temples inside the city. Remember, gold roofs are for emperors only.

Sometimes rock stars show up at the Forbidden City. Don't believe me? Just look at all of the paparazzi!

Forbidden City – Picture of Dragon Turtle.

Dragon Turtle, Dragon Turtle, does whatever a turtle can.

An elaborate carved staircase.

The Forbidden City is also a museum, full of ancient artifacts.

There's a large clock room with timekeeping devices from around the world.

Everywhere you look, there are intricate carvings and paintings.

There are many statues in the Imperial Garden, including this elephant with backwards elbows.

Just north of the Forbidden City is Jingshan Park.

A moat surrounds the Forbidden City. This is the “First Ring” of Beijing.

Want more photos of the Forbidden City?

More photos from my first trip
Photos from my second trip

Beijing's Lama and Confucius Temples

Beijing's Yong He Lama Temple (雍和宫) is constantly beckoning. We live a short bike ride from it, and it's visible from our apartment's balcony. Whenever we have guests, we take them to the Lama Temple. They're never disappointed.

The compound has over 300 years of history, with many prayer halls and works of art to enjoy. The highlight of the Temple is the giant Buddha statue, carved from a single piece of sandalwood.

Before entering the temple, you get to walk down this long garden path.

Worshippers at the main entrance to the Lama Temple.

The signs are written in four languages: Manchu, Tibetan, Chinese and Mongolian.

Incense burning.

The Lama Temple has many buildings with cool rooftop designs.

A girl throws incense into a censer.

Another of the temple's many buildings.

Many gods are represented at the Lama Temple.

A Tibetan prayer wheel.

Katie admires the overlapping roofs.

An 18-meter Buddha, carved from a single piece of Sandalwood.

Across the road from the Lama Temple is the Confucius Temple (孔庙). It's is older than the Lama Temple, and it's not quite as touristy. I've only visited once, with my mom and Katie. We got lucky when we were treated to a lovely dance performance, and we got to see kids working on their calligraphy skills.

Confucius say: When called an idiot, better to be quiet than open mouth and remove all doubt.

Inside the main hall.

A live dance performance.

Kids practicing their calligraphy.

If you come to Beijing, you should add a visit to the Lama and Confucius Temples to your itinerary. You'll only need a couple hours to see both, so they're well-worth a visit.

You can see more of my photos from the temples here, here and here.

AtW Podcast, Episode 15: Honey Sherma

Dan and Honey

My guest for this episode is Honey Sherma, from Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. He has traveled to every continent except Antarctica on cargo vessels. We discussed his life, both on the high seas, and in small towns in India. A large part of our conversation was focused on dhabas, those wonderful shops/guesthouses that always seem to pop up in the middle of nowhere in India. I like the concept of the dhaba, and the conversations that take place in them, so much that I even considered changing the name of this podcast to “Chai and Chat with Dan”.

Download this Episode (right-click and choose “save as”)

Here's Moomoo with her mommie outside of our hotel room.

Second-highest pass in the world.

A dhaba on the way to Leh.

Inside a dhaba.

Honey has a website called Manali Pass, from which you can get exclusive offers on attractions in and around Manali, India.

Show Notes:

The south slope of Cayambe crosses the equator at 4690 meters (15,387 feet). This is the only point on the equator with snow cover. Here's some more info about Cayambe.
Here's a link to the Captain Phillips movie that Honey mentioned. Now I have something new to watch.
The new Panama Canal expansion just opened in June. Construction cost $5 billion and took a decade to complete.
The status of the proposed Nicaragua Canal is in doubt. Construction has yet to begin.

Beijing's Jingshan and Beihai Parks

From the center of Beijing.

Almost everyone who comes to Beijing visits the Forbidden City, one of China's highlights. Afterward, most people go back to their hotel, or at least to a different part of the city. But if you cross the road to the north, you can visit lovely Jingshan Park (景山公园), in the exact center of Beijing. Not only is the park beautiful, with great views of the city and mountains, but is has some interesting history, as well. This is where Congzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, fled after Beijing fell in 1644. Out of options, the emperor hung himself from a tree near the park's entrance.

Looking up at Jing Shan Park.

One of the buildings on the way to the top.

If you go on a clear day, you'll be rewarded with a view of the mountains to the west.

This temple is at the top of the hill in the middle of the park.

From the top you can get a great view of the Forbidden City.

Looking north, you can see the Bell and Drum Towers. Olympic Park is on the horizon.

Leaving Jingshan Park, walk a block to the west and you'll see Beihai Park (北海公园), easily recognizable from its iconic White Tower (白塔) pagoda. This is another beautiful park that sees few visitors, at least when compared with the Forbidden City.

Beihai Park is a block from Jingshan.

Lions guard the entrance.

The iconic white dagoba is in the middle of the park. It was built in 1651 to honor the fifth Dalai Lama.

The tiled roofs in Beihai Park are typical of Beijing's ancient architecture.

You can rent one of these paddle boats to cruise around Beihai Lake.

The buildings provide a peaceful atmosphere for walking.

Beihai might be the least popular lake in Beijing. That makes for some tranquil sunsets.

If you're coming to Beijing, Jingshan and Beihai Parks are both worth checking out. Try to visit them on a clear day!

More photos from Jingshan Park
More photos from Beihai Park

AtW Podcast, Episode 14: Ben

Ben and I at high altitude.

For this episode of the podcast, I sat down to talk with Ben Ochner from Germany. We were huddled in a tarp-covered shelter called a dhaba on a cold and rainy day in the remote outpost of Chhatru, India, population 120. Just to mix things up, Ben decided to interview me for this podcast, so we get a little more insight into my life and why I chose to travel.

Download this Episode (right-click and choose “save as”)

Here's the dhaba, with the mountain we were attempting to climb in the background.

We spent most of our time huddled around the stove, waiting out the storm.

But we did get to do some climbing. Here were are near the top of the couloir next to our project.

And of course, because we talked about my book, here's a link to get it on Amazon:

1000 Days Between on Amazon

If you want more info, including the first twelve chapters for free, Here you go.

Shui Dong Gou

Well, hello there. Would you like to ride my mule?

While traveling through the Ningxia semi-autonomous region in north-central China, I had the opportunity to check out a unique site. Shui Dong Gou (水洞沟) is one of the oldest Paleolithic excavations in all of China. It features ancient skulls and tools, as well as some models of old houses. But mostly, Shui Dong Gou has become a tourist haven, with nonstop fun for everyone. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was original and what was a recreation, but Shui Dong Gou still made for an interesting day away from the big city. Did I mention there were tractor rides?

Here are a few of my photos from Shui Dong Gou: