t e m p o r a r y t a t t o o s d a y s: super china.

a sigh of relief, and a large surprise. when i landed in china only 2 hours after leaving calcutta, i felt amazing. refreshed. ready to adventure across this new country. it was so clean and i felt like i had landed in civilization. the food was a change. no one could speak english. people wanted to genuinely help you. transportation was convenient. this was going to be different.

kunming

the capital of the yunnan province, you would never know what lay around this wonderfully clean metropolis. i only spent a day here. but it was great nonetheless.

first meal in china. i threw it in the garbage.

kunming. where the air is clean and so are the streets.

i got a haircut for 20 quay. these boys were in love with me. i'm only assuming that because that was the only thing they could say in english.

ahh so much better.

cute little bird...for dinner. ha.

dali

a backpackers haven. this little place seemed more authentically chinese and less authentic then the last city. though it had beautiful lakes and beautiful scenery. a more relaxed mentality. i could see why many travellers stop here for a night.

lake er hai. named this because the lake is in the shape of an ear.

from chai to green.

yes chinese veggies.

taoism.

the temple.

more flowers.

how i got to the temple.

the man that brought me there.

the friend that came with me.

lilies.

lijiang

heading farther north, lijiang is filled with chinese tourist head to toe. though it was beautiful city through and through. you can try yak and see how delicious walnut cakes are made. they are famous for their skill in looming and traditional yunnan dance. here i also experienced my first chinese massage. and let's just say, never get a massage in china.

walnut pastries in the making.

looming.

buddha's face.

old yuan.

i heart vintage china.

wishes.

because they can't get enough of their own sterotype.

oh YEAH. dumplings.

night time, they were filming a korean movie.

my good 'ol guitar from india.

so cute.

tiger leaping gorge

legend has it that a tiger was being chased by a hunter along these canyons. there was a point where the gorge was so thin that the tiger jumped across, thus escaping the hunter. haha. oh chinese tales. y u so silly?

though this was a definite sight to see. you can see the clouds pass by and sheets of rain fall for ages. our little hotel faced the gorge and had delicious yak meat pizza. sipping green tea and playing a game of cards. it was truly breath taking and relaxing at the same time.

so high.

don't look down.

perspective.

my norwegian boys.

runch.

i don't know who took these pictures, but good job.

shangri-la (zhongdian)

described as mythical and beautiful, you would think with a name like this you should expect a lot. shangri-la was nice, but nothing like you would imagine. and darn cold too.

what i imagine malaysia would look like.

oh john.

tractor.

dead yak.

awwwwww! so fluffy!

just a plain day on the plains.

where be the nimbus?

chengdu

probably my favourite city in china. i felt comfortable here and enjoyed the company that i met. i enjoyed it so much that i went back for a second time. heh. here you can see the giant mao statue, visit the panda conservatory (which i didn't) and shop till your hearts content.

this is disgusting...ly delicious.

one of my favs.

mmm asian pears.

heritage. these be mah pepoh.

shoppppinnng.

under reign.

tofu so good.

emei shan

only a few hours from chengdu. one of the four sacred mountains of buddhism, i can see why buddhists would come here to stay and meditate. though was no nirvanic journey. the language barrier got me on this one. i ended carrying all my things up the mountain. eight grueling hours of stairs. i thought this was the physical challenge that i needed. but i was so wrong. i hate physical activity and i should have known. but it was beautiful and now i can say that i did it. so now if i ever meet a buddhist monk i can be all like, ' emei shan?' and he'll be all like 'totes.'

stairs stairs stairs all the way.

wildlife.

haha so chinese.

duh!

so worth the climb.

ancient times.

wish me luck elephant.

locks of love, philosophy and dragon cauldrons.

what is this narnia or something?

a temple on the way.

pilgrimage to the four holy mountains of buddha.

i can't read this.

leshan

i spent about 6 hours in this city. again with all my luggage. just a quick stop off to see the giant buddha. though i will say it was worth my quay.

the biggest carved buddha in the world. or so i'm told.

more luck being burned.

do not disturb.

light me a wish.

xi'an

i can't say this was the best city that i went to. it was unique in the sense that it still had its original walls. them chinese be good at preservation. here you can see the terracotta warriors. which i refused to see, because it was so darn expensive to go. though now that i think about it, i kind of regret not going. there is also a famous muslim quarter and mosque. the islamic and chinese fusion was indeed very delicious.

the bell tower.

the famous muslim mosque.

ping yao

i am racking up all these UNESCO world heritage sites i tell ya. ping yao is an ancient imperial city, that is infused with tourism. but mainly chinese tourists. quaint and the chinese experience that any traveller would want.

all lit up.

speak, hear, see.

getcherricehere!

the inner city gate.

can someone explain what this is? besides encouragement for interracial dating?

seeds.

beijing

an overwhelming city. beijing offered so much to do and see. the food was amazing. though i couldn't afford the famous peking duck. i still had my fair share of deliciousness. from tiananmen square to the great wall, i wish i had more time in this great city.

crazy tats. perhaps the mafia?

mmm. steamed buns.

magic hands.

give me some of that soup made of organs you are stirring up there sir.

swank.

muitanyu.

i saw a starbucks. so guess where i'm going?

798 art district.

creepy and cool.

extra extra hear all about it.

what my heart feels like.

just hangin' out.

because apparently artists are very rich in china.

guangzhou

the home city of my father and the manufacturing capital of china; here you will greet many a business man, walk the ocean promenade, and eat delicious sea food and not to mention dim sum. here you can also see a huge british influence in the architecture. though i can say i did not take enough pictures to prove what i just said.

don't eat me!