Comments for An American in the Far East

Comment on My Last Stop in Xinjiang: Turpan by Josh

Josh — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:36:37 +0000

Great pictures!

It’s a shame you didn’t get to enjoy all the other sites around Turpan. I think that most tourist, like you, don’t get to really experience these places because the Turpan Tourism Board does a horrible job of educating travelers about why these places are so important and interesting.

I suggest you read a book called Foreign Devils on the Silk Road. Coincidentally, I just reviewed it on my website (check it out here) and I think it gives a historical depth to any trip to Xinjiang – whether you’ve already been or you plan to go again.

Glad you at least liked Jiaohe…but what about the Emin Minaret?

Comment on My Last Stop in Xinjiang: Turpan by Alan

Alan — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:11:42 +0000

Wild pictures, Graham! Reminds me of Petra, Jordan.

(keep up the writing!)

Comment on CouchSurfing: How Do I Ensure My Safety? by Graham

Graham — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:30:12 +0000

Yeah I removed my rules a while back. I’m back living at home for the moment so definitely no possibility of hosting surfers. Unfortunately I don’t have a copy of them. It was mostly just to deal with the volume of surfing requests I got.

The general idea was that if you request to surf my couch, show respect to me and other surfers by making sure you actually show up when you say you will. If I agree to host you then I’m probably saying no to one or more other people. And in the event that you don’t show up then not only do you lose out but the other surfers I said no to lose out as well. And that’s not right.

Welcome to CouchSurfing Shawn! I hope you have only good experiences with it. Eventually you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and you can come up with your own rules of conduct. Good luck!

Comment on Weekend Trip: Guiyang by Graham

Graham — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:26:08 +0000

@gabriel: Now that you mention it, I can’t remember ever coming across foreigners in Qingling Park. Or in Guiyang for that matter. It’s a small city (by Chinese standards anyway) so I guess not to many foreigners find their way there.

Comment on Hitting the Travel Wall by Graham

Graham — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:24:21 +0000

@gabriel: I agree completely. Traveling for a reason is soooo much better. I find that if I’m traveling just to see a famous site, look for the little unintended events that can make or break the trip. Like meeting new, interesting people. Or trying new food, etc.

Comment on Return to the US. What’s First? by Graham

Graham — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:22:24 +0000

@Marta: Thank you. You know me, I try. I will definitely miss the gang back in Xi’an. Who will be the party monitor now?

@Edna: Yes I am back in the US. Not sure if it’ll be for good, who knows where I’ll land next? I still have some places to write about, so you can look forward to those while reading through the archives. Thank you so much for your compliments. I don’t know if it really is easy to read, I mostly write stream-of-consciousness and fix it up a bit afterward. I’ll try to keep it up though!

Comment on CouchSurfing: How Do I Ensure My Safety? by Shawn

Shawn — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:41:00 +0000

Thanks for the good essay. I recently joined and I’m hosting my first surfer from Portland tomorrow. I didn’t see your rules on your profile–likely because you’re not available for hosting right now. If you have a second to post them here in the comments, I’d like to read them. Much appreciated, and again thanks for the good content above.

Comment on Weekend Trip: Guiyang by gabriel

gabriel — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:40:52 +0000

I have been to Guiyang and Qingling park too. The great thing is that there are virtually no foreign tourists. In Qingling park I came across precisely no foreigners at all.

Comment on Hitting the Travel Wall by gabriel

gabriel — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:30:41 +0000

I am an experience traveller and I live in China. I certainly agree with you on Chinese temples. They are a bit like churches. Seen one, seen them all.

In general, travelling is fun, but I find I like it more when I am travelling for a reason, or staying with a friend, or something similar. Travelling just for the sake of going to see famous sites bores me nowadays. Plus, there is a limit to how much you’ll understand about a country by just going to see famous places.

Comment on Return to the US. What’s First? by Edna

Edna — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:21:23 +0000

Hi there! I just discovered your blog today…if you’re back in the US for good, that’s a shame, but I look forward to reading through your archives! Of all the China blogs I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a LOT), yours is definitely one of the most interesting and easy to read.

All the best- Edna