China

Pop quiz: how long does it take to visit a factory in China? One hour, three hours? Nope! How about 2 full days? Oh, and it included complimentary accommodation, meals, drinks and even a massage. Maybe my visit was an exception to the rule but hey, you don’t hear me complaining. Jump in the passenger’s seat and let me tell about…

Have you ever over-estimated a hiking trail? It happened to me while preparing for the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike near Lijiang (China), which I was told was a 4-day hike. I’m not sure how slow the person telling me was hiking, as I ended up doing it in two days. I had packed cans of tuna,…

Ever wondered how people live in urban China? I’ve spent 3 months traveling from the South West to the North East of China and passed cities in several tier categories. Since China holds around 1/5 of the world’s population, even the smallest tier cities are still huge (more than 5 million people, although there are a couple of exceptions).…

Karaoke bars are intriguing. Drunk tourists get dragged into them, locals visit them after a long night of drinking and dodgy businessmen use them for their shady business. I’ve visited a couple of bars in Germany, Cambodia, South Korea and China. All of them have separate stories but today I will tell you the funniest…

Participating in the Chinese dog-eat-dog society made me seriously consider the (unwritten) rules and faux pas of the west. Why are Chinese people so rude? I know, I know, there is no such thing as “The Chinese”. That would be the same as saying “The Americans” or “The Brazilians”. I spent three months in China…

Hong Kong is a well-known pitstop for travelers heading from and to mainland China, or stopping by to get their Chinese visa renewed. I’m speaking from first-hand experience, as I have traveled through Hong Kong several times going to Macau, Taiwan and even coming from North Korea. Once a visa in Hong Kong is arranged…

While many people apply for a China visa back home, some travelers like to make last-minute decisions. For them there’s the option of getting a China visa in Hong Kong. Although there are several agents that can do the job for you, some people – including me – like to do it themselves. This article will tell…