Nick 
Yubeng is a remote mountain village in the far north of Yunnan province in Southwestern China. Surrounded by sacred mountain peaks, including the towering Meili Snow Mountain, Yubeng is just a stone’s throw from Tibet. On my recent visit to Yunnan province, after visiting Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Shangri-La, Yubeng was as far as …
On a recent trip to Easter Island and northern Chile, my dad and I finished our time in San Pedro de Atacama with a three-day guided tour across the border to Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, in Bolivia. The trip featured truly surreal scenery, but it also came with some challenges worth …
Easter Island (Rapa Nui), with its hundreds of mysterious Moai statues, is one of the world’s most remote, evocative, and bucket-list worthy destinations. My father had wanted to go to Easter Island for over five decades, even since he first read about the Moai in Reader’s Digest as a teenager. So after he retired, we …
Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest in the world – hiking it was an absolute must on my Yunnan itinerary. After spending three days in Shanghai, then flying to Lijiang, where I spent another three days, I did the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek on the way to Shangri-La and Yubeng. Because China is …
If you’ve never used an eSIM before, I’ll be honest: I was initially skeptical of them. I’ve now used eSIMs on multiple trips in Asia and beyond. They have some clear advantages, especially if you don’t want to line up at an airport counter or swap SIM cards every time you cross a border. But …
Kaohsiung is the largest city in Southern Taiwan. It is known for its street art, impressive temples, and port city vibes. It can also be a base for trips to Xiaoliuqiu Island and the beaches of Kenting National Park. Make sure to budget at least 2-3 days of your trip in Kaohsiung. Overall, you’ll find …
Shangri-La is a city in the far north of Yunnan province, sitting at a high elevation where the air feels crisp and the culture shifts to Tibetan. Shangri-La was the next logical stop on my Yunnan trip, after Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge to the south, and just before venturing deeper into the mountains in …
Lijiang is the most iconic of China’s ancient towns. In many ways, it set the standard for China’s modern ancient-town tourism boom. I’ve wanted to go to Lijiang for ages. In 2025, I finally planned a trip to Yunnan and made my dream a reality. After spending three days in Shanghai, with day trip to …
Shanghai has long been a bucket list destination for me. In the last couple decades, I’ve been to China multiple times (read about my visit to Taishan and Qufu) and even taught English there for a while. Somehow I had never made it to Shanghai, so it was time to change that! In my travels, …
When planning my recent trip to China (with stops in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, and remote Yubeng village), one of my biggest worries was staying connected. You pretty much cannot survive in China today without a phone and Internet connection. In China travel forums, I saw the same questions over and over: …
