t e m p o r a r y t a t t o o s d a y s

you tend to meet a little bit of everybody on your way around the world.

(written in india/china)

the hipler: this traveller spends their time going to the rarest places. it is difficult to say if they actually enjoy their experience whilst walking a pilgrimage trail and smoking american spirits. nevertheless they will get more legit credit once returning to williamsburg. again amongst their kind, they will listen intensely to any conversation as to get in a "well actually, when i was in this little village in Mzuzu..." as to add legitness to their pretentiousness which unfortunately is legit.

the motorcycle diaries: this traveller has the dream of driving across the south of whereverland on a motorcycle. typically male, this particular traveller has the perfect melange of emotional and adventure like attitude that most women would prefer. contemplating life and admiring picture perfect scenery while gripping the handles of a manly vehicle, would make any man mysterious enough to make any woman think that he could handle gripping the handles of a relationship.

the misled dread: usually found in places of hippy origin, either swaying their bodies while 'oming' to intense rave music or enjoying a vegan milkshake, this traveller will not let anything get in the way of a good party. many of these travellers will never be seen in more than a group of three: either solo, a couple, or family. they are easily recognized by their abundance in tattoos and piercings. most have a goth beach look happening and will not come up short in the dreadlock department.

the lonely plan it: (guest writer) this traveller knows with close to 100% accuracy where she and her uber efficient travel companion will be staying months before she even gets her malaria jabs. lonely plan it types would not be caught dead in any hotel, guest house, bar, shop, restaurant or town, not highly recommended by their guide book. this book worm will also expect prices on the street to be the same as they are in the book. if you as well, plan to be at the train station two hours early, you may be lucky enough to spot them. just look for scenes of mass confusion at the ticket counter. they can also be seen gripping their guide books as they stroll nervously around (enter tourist attraction here).

the 'merica: 'in america', their sentence usually starts. this proud traveller will link almost everything to american or middle eastern politics. they will boast of other countries they have been to about every other sentence (to make sure that you know that they are cultured), comparing it to the country you are currently in. exaggeration is one of their strongest qualities and they tend to be 'know it all' types as well. it is not uncommon to get easily frustrated with this traveller. they love to be competitive which is believed to have originated from the 'reach for the stars' attitude that the usa has implanted into the minds of their young. be wary of the late thirties to early forties in this category, especially if they are from a famous urban capital.

that one black guy: no joke, this traveller is the bell of the ball. he is a rare species among traveller kind. originating from america / canada, this traveller usually that likable black humour that any caucasian person would be too scared not to laugh at. this traveller has no issues when it comes to the ladies. especially in east asia. seriously. like a gumball machine. chew the gum for like 5 minutes until all the flavour is gone, spit it out, stick in a quarter and get a new gumball. they also prefer luxurious places. however, if they are staying in a hostel, it is rare to find them in the dorm, but the private rooms. you can usually spot this traveller in china, hong kong, taiwan, and sometimes south korea.

the dog whistle backpacker: this traveller somehow always looks her best while travelling who knows where. she packs her nicest clothes, and yet somehow they are still appropriate for travel. she carries her self well, and it seems that every guy is hanging on her every word and whim. she says things like, 'a super cute family of rats ate all of my underwear!' >pouts< then laughs and says, 'isn't that SO funny?'

she has that 'i'm a disheveled beached out boho chick, but you still think i am hot. isn't that SO funny?' look.

but seriously, she looks great all the time. how it's fair? i don't know.

xo.

vb.

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!