Guidebooks, as I’ve said before, are a great planning aid when I want to go somewhere specific or just want to browse for travel ideas. But guidebooks, of course, have an inherent limitation: they only describe those places that have already landed on the tourist’s map. In China, this often means that fascinating but difficult … Continue reading The Bridges of Taishun County
The Ghosts of Moganshan
Saturday, November 10: Moganshan is a ghostly place, particularly on a foggy day in early November. We arrived at the top of the mountain late Saturday morning, and after a slow lunch in one of the few restaurants open during the off-season, I set off alone to explore. I followed a newly built set of … Continue reading The Ghosts of Moganshan
On the Road
Saturday, November 10, 8:20 a.m.: The highway cutting across Zhejiang province is smooth and empty, its three lanes containing only a few trucks and tour buses in addition to our own. Just beyond the barricade separating the road from the fields that sit beside it, billboards rise every few hundred feet. Visit Xitang. Buy China … Continue reading On the Road
