My two favorite things about Hangzhou are the mountains that surround downtown and how easy they are to reach. From Shanghai it takes less than an hour to Hangzhou station and then a short bus ride will get you into some world class hiking. Another nice thing is that even though it can seem like everybody in China is at the West Lake in matching hats, the mountain trails are quite quiet and peaceful.

Some photos from a trip late last year to Dongbaishan in Zhejiang province. Probably one of the stranger mountains I’ve climbed due to the massive wind farm on the peak. After staying on the mountain for a night, we then came down towards Yiwu and stopped in the Small Commodities Market(the largest wholesale market in the world!). Basically anything that can be made in China at some point passes through Yiwu on it’s way to the rest of the world.

Just got back from an awesome couple of days in Vietnam. We were in Ho Chi Minh City for a little bit, but spent most of our time in the Mekong Delta.

I recently spent the some time in Hong Kong over New Year’s. I took the overnight train from Shanghai, which is something I had wanted to do for a while. While down there, I also managed to see a bit of Guangdong, the highlight being seeing some Diaolou houses in Kaiping. It was great to get a second chance to explore Hong Kong and check out bits I hadn’t caught the first time.

These are some photos that I took before I went back to the States last month. Trying to find open space in Shanghai is downright impossible sometimes. I took Line 9 to Sheshan with my folding bike and went past the tourist area and came across an area I that is not yet (for now) overdeveloped.

Usually the first way people in older neighborhoods know their homes are going to be demolished is when the government puts up red banners. The banners often tell people to move quickly out of the neighborhood.

I just recently came back from a trip across America. I flew into LA and made my way to the East Coast by train and bike. I had taken my folding bike with me from China and it was probably the best thing I packed. Above are some photos from LA, AZ, CO, IA, IL, WV, DC, MD and NY.

Some photos from a recent trip Frances and I took on the border between Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. The trail used to be the path merchants took from Anhui to Hanghzhou and now it’s some good hiking near Shanghai. We took an overnight train to get an early start, but it can be reached by bus in under 4 hours. The trail was not overly demanding and there were quite a few guesthouses scattered along. Mix in friendly locals and some beautiful countryside and it was quite the getaway.