36 Hours in Montreal

This year's July 4th fell on a Monday and as I sat pondering how to spend this rare long weekend the idea of Montreal popped into my head. This city is unique in that it  provides a "European feel" while still being relatively close to home. The drive up is around 7hrs which was do-able. In addition, with the weaker Canadian dollar everything just became more affordable. It seemed like there was no better time but the present to go.Upon arriving...

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A day in Chengdu

After flying in and out of Chengdu multiple times, I finally have the chance to see the city itself. When foreigners hear of the city the first thing that comes to mind is Pandas, since the city is home to the world's one and only panda breeding center. Unfortunately due to the habit of these creatures in order to see them active you have to go early in the morning when they are feeding. So I arrived at 8am and soon I was watching a group of pandas...

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Beyond Chengdu ... Part Two (Jiuzhaigou/Huang Long)

The next leg of this trip took me to Jiuzhaigou and Huang Long, two of the most beautiful natural landscapes in China. Unfortunately upon arriving weather couldn't have been worse. There was no sun in sight and none to be hope for in the next few days. So a little deflated I proceeded up Huang Long not expecting much. The biggest draw to the park is the thousands of mineral ponds and lakes formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate deposited...

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At the Top of the World....Tibet

By far the most anticipated part of this trip is Lhasa. The longing to see this remote city and the Potala Palace it houses has been even more accentuated after the denial of my visa a few years back in Nepal. After landing in Lhasa we were met by our guide and whisked off to the hotel. At first impression the city was a lot more developed than I'd imagine and resembled a second tiered city in China. The streets were filled with smaller shops and...

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Beyond Chengdu ... Part One (Leshan/Emeishan)

After arriving in Chengdu for a mere one night I woke up early the next day for a tour to Leshan and Emeishan. The biggest attraction at Leshan is of course the giant Buddha carved into the side of the mountain. As I sat anxiously on my tour bus as it made its way through the country side of Sichuan I got a taste of the farmer's way of life.  China like many countries still demonstrates a stark contrast between urban and rural condition, which...

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The Mega City of Taipei

Taiwan has always been one of those places I flew over on my trips to Asia but never actually been. So this time I decided to finally make a stop there, allocating three days for Taipei. However when a Google search of  "must see sights" resulted noting back of interest, I soon began to wonder if a long layover wouldn't have sufficed.  My first day in Taipei started extra early as my red eye landed at 5:30am. Even taking an extra leisurely...

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The Effortless Beauty of Maui

Our third and final island on the trip was Maui. Though the island had little to offer in terms of sights, I felt a trip to Hawaii would be incomplete without a visit there. Luckily it was our last leg as everyone was exhausted and indifferent to another beach. In fact we barely step foot onto a beach. Instead we went whale watching the first day followed by a luau dinner at the old Lahaina Luau.  The weather was beautiful and the water shined...

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The Dynamic Landscape of the Big Island

The difference in the Big Island from Oahu is night and day. The drive from the airport showed nothing but black boulders and dry grassy shrubs on either side. Cars were far and few as I drove down the one lane road towards the hotel in Kona. The first stop on the island was Kealakekua Bay,  where Capital Cook set foot leading to the first extensive contact between Hawaiians and Westerners. The area best know for snorkeling, was beautiful even...

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My First Taste of Hawaii... Oahu

After a long 11hr flight I finally landed in Oahu. This tiny island which house the state's capital Honolulu is home to a little more than 377,000 inhabitants. Expecting to see pristine white sand and crystal blue water as soon as I arrived, I was a little disappointing with the reality that greeted me as I drove to Waikiki from the airport. Aside from a large Asian population, this city was no different than Florida. In fact the outskirts of the...

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