We are explorers, wanderers, travelers, nomads. We strive to project the authenticity of places we visit through honest words and visuals. Enjoy!
All in Round the World
If you visit the Kilimanjaro area of Tanzania, you will spend your days with the singing, fun-loving Chaggas, who have inhabited the hills of this region for hundreds of years. Travel Is Zen spent the afternoon learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee…
I completely underestimated what it takes to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Every preconception I had about the world’s tallest freestanding mountain was proved a misconception. Truth be told, I got my ass kicked on that mountain, but I learned a lot!
While in Mumbai, we stayed in the Bandra area, along the Arabian Sea coast. We joined a walking tour to learn more about Portuguese and British influence in this neighborhood…
It’s called a slum, but through sheer grit and determination, Dharavi in Mumbai has a $650 million annual micro-economy. India is a Russian doll: there’s always someone worse off…
Janta Mantar — a huge astrological observatory in Jaipur — is for science geeks! Through well-detailed written descriptions on every instrument, we received quite a new astronomy vocabulary…
Architecture in India reached its apex under the reign of the Mughals in the 1500’s, when monuments such as the Taj Mahal and Akbar’s Tomb were built…
Around the time Jesus was preaching in the Middle East, religious ascetics in Maharashtra province of India began painting and sculpting devotional masterpieces…
A breeze gathered strength, pushing fog tendrils up and over the cliff ridge. We had waited all day for Old Man Mountain’s big reveal. He did not disappoint. This is Huangshan, China.
Xidi and Hongcun are excellent examples of Chinese villages that are beautiful (great for photography) but also adhere to Fengshui and functional design principles. The architecture of Hui villages evolved to protect women, children and goods in the absence of men…
The food in Wuhan stole our hearts! Hubu Alley is a famous food street with cuisine unique to Wuhan. Two foods in particular will haunt our dreams and have us drooling in our sleep for years to come..
Zhangjiajie National Park is one of China’s most popular tourist areas. There are some terrific hiking trails in the park, if you know how to get there and where to find them. In this post, we provide a three day hiking itinerary, maps, and some tips to avoid the crowds.
When clouds gather along the river valley in China’s Zhangjiajie National Park, the free standing karst peaks can look as if they are floating. We spent three days hiking in the area that inspired Pandora in the movie Avatar...
In preparation for our trip around the world, I read many travel blogs. I was struck by how many long-term travelers were vegetarian. I wondered, do vegetarians travel more? Or was there something about global travel that made people become vegetarian?
Guangxi Province is considered the "wild west" in China, an open expanse of mountainous karst-jungle terrain that remains largely untamed to this day. Tourists flock here for all kinds of outdoor activities…
Featured on the back of the Chinese 20 yuan banknote is Yellow Cloth Shoal, a karst landscape scene along the riverbank in Xingping. By the time you read this, Xingping will have already grown exponentially…
The jungle trail was a complete surprise: dark and mysterious, secluded. Above the crowds, behind the cable car station and costumed tourists, we walked among thick-stalked bamboo and tall pines…
Guilin was our home base in Guangxi Province. Our apartment had a wok and a lively farmers’ market was just steps away. I had time to perfect my own healthy version of Eggplant with Garlic Sauce…
Yunnan in Chinese means "southern clouds". The clouds in Yunnan Province certainly make an impression! The cities in Yunnan Province -- like Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri La -- sit at an elevation higher than Boulder, Colorado…
Traipsing about China alone (gasp!) is both possible and immensely liberating. From our initial base in Kunming, we took an overnight train to Dali to begin our 10 day tour of western Yunnan Province, including Dali, Lijiang, Shangri La and a 3-day trek at Tiger Leaping Gorge. Gorgeous!
There is a lot of outdated information on the 'Net about hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge in China's southwestern Yunnan Province. From prices and homestay accommodations, to trail conditions and route, this area is changing fast…
