Flowing Flowing Flown Options for body movement during India’s COVID-19 nationwide lockdown are severely limited in a city of two million. I’ve had more time than ever to offer to the creative and disciplinary sides of my yoga. I feel impelled to share more on my personal journey with yoga, because I recently uploaded my second yoga… Read More
The Most Chinese Things About China: 16 Quirks And Hints From 18 Years Of Visits China. A country requiring travelers to have open-mindedness and resilience like no other. 22 provinces. Five autonomous regions. 56 ethnicities. 302 living languages. 255 national parks. As Lonely Planet puts it, “You’ll see things you’ve never seen before, eat things you’ve never heard of and drink things that could lift a rocket into orbit.” I… Read More
COVID-19: Less Privileged and More Centered In The Universe As COVID-19 swept from my dear China across the globe, my own life suddenly became far more interesting and restricted than I ever could have anticipated when I packed my backpack over two years ago, embarking on a dream to embrace the world. While I do my best not to give this own life of… Read More
Seclusion In Kanas Two months of far flung hitchhikes and train rides through northwestern China had culminated to these precious hours of late September scenery in Kanas National Geopark. The poplar leaves were letting out their last breaths of freshly photosynthesized oxygen before transforming into that famous, lustrous yellow, before wiggling free of their branches and finding their… Read More
From Weed Wacking to Fuji Peaking Nakagomi Orchard was my ultimate reason for beelining for Japan in April 2019, right there and then. I found the Workaway page several years back and fell in love. Obsessive love. Cherries, peaches, grapes, countryside, home-cooked Japanese meals, a well-built dorm with wifi and tatami rooms—could a project be more ideal? Volunteers were promised bike… Read More
Camping Oatmeal Three Ways Some favorite combinations for a wholesome breakfast on the trails. Camping Oatmeal Three Ways Classic Oatmeal Raisin Ingredients 60g (2/3 cup) instant oatmeal 1 spoon chia seeds handful raisins 1 spoon crushed walnuts pinch of cinnamon water Instructions Fill pot with water and heat on stove until boiling. Turn stove off. Combine remaining ingredients… Read More
Blood Intestines, Living Deities, And Other Tibetan Impressions Women sporting thick braids and heavy, droopy earrings. Men suited up every day of the week. Homeless children dancing around a bonfire. Nomads offering cups of fresh yak yogurt. A picnic of assorted lamb intestines at 3,800 meters. Road tripping with a living Buddha. These were some of the fresh memories that stewed in my… Read More
Backpack Qinghai On A Budget Little-known Qinghai teems with ethnic diversity and high altitude landscape. Landlocked into the Northwest of China, this province is a stark contrast to the developed Eastern half of the country. Tibetans and Huis, the predominant ethnic minorities inhabiting Qinghai, practice their religions and culinary skills alongside one another. To brush up against their lifestyles is… Read More
The World’s Best Beef Noodles A wide, steamy bowl of broth. Winter radish and bits of chopped beef blended in. A nest of soft, thin, hand-pulled noodles. A dark puddle of chili oil. Green onion garnish. The World’s Best Beef Noodles 牛肉面 (niú ròu miàn). Beef noodles. A cornerstone dish to the Chinese cuisine, for three straightforward reasons: it’s simple,… Read More
Like A Local: Taking The Train In China It was on the slow trains of China where I fell in love with the country. As my fatigued body was slowly rocked from side to side through thousands of kilometers of countryside, I stared at the vibrant train culture that took place before me. Then, I joined in. Like A Local: Taking… Read More