Several years ago, I took a trip the Davao City in the Philippines. By all accounts, I should not have gone. Davao and Mindanao was considered to be an unsafe place — according to the State Department of the U.S. I think a journalist had been murdered and there was some terrorist activity going on. Whether it was a good or bad decision, I went anyway. I

I have been watching the parade of nations for the opening of these 2008 Olympic games held in Beijing, China. I enjoy the colorful costumes and the realization that Myanmar sent a team, so did North Korea, Vanuatu, Iraq, Afghanistan, and dozens of other countries where politics, finances and facilities make sportsmanship hard to come by. Some nations sent

Some people say Shenzhen has no soul. The mega-city of 10 million sits on the Chinese mainland next to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Before Deng Xiaoping made Shenzhen a Special Economic Zone in 1979, the city was a mere fishing village of a 300,000. The People’s Liberation Army engineering core came to the site of what was to become a Chinese

A worldwide popular vote has been underway to select the New Seven Wonders of the World, sites to be listed alongside the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The 7 winners, out of 77 finalists, were selected today – 7/7/07 (notice the numeric theme going on here). These are the seven receiving the most votes: Chichen Itza, Mexico See the ITKT video on

There are currently over 170 million people studying English in China. However, whether you’re disputing a bill at a downtown fanguan or trying to stop a friend from refilling your beer glass, it seems the Chinese just can’t understand native speakers. Here’s how to get your message across – without resorting to pictograms. Take it

Just before the Los Angeles Times Travel Expo ended, Devin caught up with Xinhong of the China National Tourist Office. Good thing, the Olympics and the World’s Fair is coming to China. Xinhong also has a few recommendations for travelers interested in food and Southern China. For more on South Korea at ITKT. This podcast was produced by Wayfarer Digital

Tai Chi is practiced in English tea gardens. Mah-jong tiles are clunked-down on Las Vegas casino tables. Shaolin Kung Fu is taught in Bolivian martial arts schools. It seems China’s unique cultural traditions have spread the world over. But have they all? Let’s take a look at some obscure Chinese customs that, for one reason or another, have yet to

From the files of what does this have to do with travel comes…”The boar is the 12th animal in the Chinese horoscope. In ancient China, it was believed that people would have the characteristics of the element and the animal that ruled the year of their birth. Just as modern astrogists believe that people born under a certain sign of the zodiac will

In what could be the largest vote ever, the world will soon choose the New Seven Wonders of the World to stand alongside the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World. In January, the New7Wonders committee, chaired by Dr. Federico Mayor, selected 21 finalists out of the 77 nominated sites. You can have a say in the selection of the final seven by casting your vote.

I started out at 10AM taking a pleasant taxi ride through the insane traffic of Beijing, which meandered through bicycles, people, cars and buses to the five-story market across from the Beijing Zoo. Unlike a mall, this is five stories of kiosks and clothing stands of all kinds. At each stand everyone haggles until the right price is agreed upon. The Generation

Today I went to the Great Wall with the Freshman class of Beijing Sports University. We went to the Wall at Badaling, a very touristy area. It was okay, but not amazing. It is strange to stand on one of the Seven Wonders of the World with a few million other people, most of whom are speaking loudly, smoking, spitting, or performing a combination of those acts.

I arrived back in Beijing at the Beijing Sports University exhausted after delayed flights and bad airline “food.” The true delay was that some of my classmates decided to bring much of Tibet back with them in their luggage and so the group had to wait and help with the lugging of luggage. Classes started bright and early this morning, so the short