A candle in Auckland

During every holiday trip, my mom and dad will light a candle in some church they encounter. A few days ago, they lit a candle in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand. To be grateful for our family and everything we have. So why a church? It’s hard to say how religious they (or […]

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Learning Vietnam

My parents usually buy a travel book or borrow one from the library, but I typically read up on Reddit and Google. While Google is all ‘pristine white beaches’, Reddit had me kinda pessimistic about going to Vietnam. Beaches were supposed be littered in plastic, some villages full of Korean or Russian tourists, and traffic […]

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Towards the light

We depart from Los Angeles for a five-hour drive. The desert we’re crossing slowly turns to night — and as we near the city, the glow from Las Vegas draws out the silhouette of the mountains in front of it. We’re driving underneath the stars and among other cars, and it feels like we’re going […]

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A foodie for once

I never made a good foodie, because I feel memories of places or people last longer than those of any meal. When traveling to a new country, it feels like a waste of time to spend it on food — because food isn’t fully tied to a place: you can eat sushi in Shanghai — […]

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Mountains & hikes near Shanghai (update 2025)

I have no ambitions to become a travel advisor or anything, but here I’m sharing some of my experiences of hikes and mountains (or mere hills) around Shanghai. Also the ones I heard about but did not go to yet. I’ve also added some 古道’s: Ancient (Merchant) Roads. These seem to become more & more […]

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The former station

Today we visited the Former Site of Songhu Garrison Command (淞沪警备司令部旧址) — or in the words of Ash who gave the tip “the former police building”. The place is around a hundred years old and recently renovated. There’s a gatehouse, an office, an interrogation/torture room, and places for guards and inmates to sleep. It’s part […]

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Wood carvings and paintings

We parked the car and crossed the river across a narrow stone bridge, and it’s as if we went back a few decades. Mass had just finished in the church, and both outside and inside were ayis and shushus finishing their lunch. A father came to us asking whether we too would like to eat […]

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The empty road around Shaoxing

A good hike is like a good meal, as in that you can still recall most of it, and you’re just grateful you’ve witnessed it. Maling Ancient Road on Tuesday (alone) was like that, and today as well (with Eva). Shangqing Ancient Road in the Keqiao district of Shaoxing (绍兴柯桥区) is a more widely covered […]

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Another village appears

There are dozens of ‘ancient roads’ (古道’s) scattered across the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. The moniker surely has some historic roots for some of these places, but is also romantic marketing aimed at attracting people. Zhejiang alone renovated or built over 1200 kilometers of walking road, installing toilets, bins, and signage — and properly […]

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Tiramisu in Changshu

I have a deep gratitude for each Mandarin teacher who has taught me — and in many cases, I also feel attached to their hometowns, as those are often discussed when practicing new phrases — back and forth. Even more so with Clytie, because she filmed her hometown Changshu (常熟) nearly three years ago. Ever […]

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