Tag Archives: china

Hong Kong's Famous Pink Dolphins

Katie and I had been looking forward to this day for a long time. We had signed up, with around a dozen friends, for a boat trip to visit Hong Kong’s famous – and endangered – pink dolphins. Unfortunately, covid had delayed our plans, but eventually the situation had stabilized enough that we were allowed to go.

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Tulou Country


For our last stop on our trip to China, Katie, my mom, and I visited the Hakka tulou region of Fujian province. Tulou (土楼, literally “earthen building”) are the “castles” of the region, fortified to prevent invasion. They were built as either circles or rectangles, and they contain large central courtyards, with housing for up to 800 people.

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Gulang Yu

At the turn of the twentieth century, Gulang Yu (鼓浪嶼 “Drum Wave Islet”) was one of two foreign concessions in China (the other being Shanghai). Because of this, the island is full of European-style mansions and churches. It also has a piano museum and a calligraphic wood carving museum (my personal favorite attraction). Cars and bicycles are banned on the island, so the tourists get to walk around and take it all in.

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A Trip to Kinmen Island

A few weeks ago, my mom made the long flight to Hong Kong to visit Katie and me. After spending a couple days around our home, the three of us went on a trip. Our first stop was Kinmen Island, which sits close to the Chinese mainland and is controlled by Taiwan. It was a fascinating place, rich with history. The vibe was very laid back and the people were quite friendly.

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AtW #81: Alec Hill

Alec Hill is a world traveler who is just getting started on an open-ended trip. In fact, Hong Kong was his first international stop, and I was his second Couchsurfing host. We chatted about how he got here and what lies on the road ahead for him.

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Around the World #63: Ross and Theresa

My guests today are Ross and Theresa. They met several years ago in Beijing, China. They fell in love, traveled the world for two and a half years, got married, and had two kids. Pretty much in that order. During the show we discussed all of this, as well as their love of yoga, and the "Yoganda" project, which teaches widowed women in Uganda to make yoga mat bags.

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Welcome to China

I met up with Brittany Dunn at a French bakery in Beijing, China. She told me the craziest "welcome to China" story I've ever heard, and it was coordinated to some soothing, serendipitous music.

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Building the New with Morgan McKinnon

Morgan McKinnon is on a journey. Last time we talked on this podcast, she was preparing for a skin removal surgery. You can check out that episode here. Since then, she has gotten her surgery done and accepted a new job in Morocco. This episode is full of inspiration. I hope you enjoy it!

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Iron Wall, Silver Mountain

On this week's show, I talked with Paddy Robertson about our two-day bicycle trip from Beijing to the Iron Wall Silver Mountain, AKA the Silver Mountain Pagoda Forest. This is officially recognized by the national government as a AAAA scenic spot, and it was one of the 28 designated tourist destinations during the 2008 Olympics. It's a sacred site of Buddhism, originally built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The current incarnation was built during the Liao Dynasty (907-1125).

Officially, the Silver Pagodas have been closed since 2014, but, as you'll hear during the show, Paddy and I found it easy to get into the park anyway.

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