Tag Archives: travel
The icons of Svaneti are Sumerian and I can prove it (sort of)
If I were to pick anywhere in the world to hide Sumerian art in plain sight, I would choose Svaneti. Svaneti, the Republic of Georgia’s mountainous northwest region, is so remote that it was often used as a kind of safe house for art during times of conflict. Back in 2016, after two flights, an […]
I’m just here for the gift shops in the Aztec pyramid: a visit to Disney’s Epcot
A few nights ago I was in Norway, eavesdropping on a guy looking for a place to smoke. The attendant told him “You can’t smoke here but there’s an approved area over by Italy.” I was at Disney’s Epcot Park, which costs $114 a day to visit. But hey, that price includes the whole world […]
Money belt monoboob and other travel complaints
You’re lucky if you have the chance to travel, so going around complaining is pretty lame. That said, nothing brings people together like shared whining. So, in the spirit of solidarity, I give you my travel complaints: Glass coffee tables. Being able to rent an apartment for a few nights is an affordable luxury. The […]
Big Goose Pagoda is just a backdrop for the sexy dancing seniors of Xi’an
When HOB and I got on a bus in Xi’an we were unclear about when we should get off. “Just look for a big pagoda” I said—this seemed logical since we were on our way to see something called the Big Goose Pagoda. And that turned out to be a good idea—-we saw this out […]
The gods at Shuanglin temple are caged panthers
Before visiting someplace I’ve never been, I need to first project myself there in my imagination. I do this by picturing one essential cultural experience. It could be seeing an artwork, walking through a cathedral or listening to a particular sort of music. Without this initial mind-travel, I can’t conceptualize doing something so strange as, […]
Pingyao: a dozen boring museums and one magical city
Pingyao, in the Shanxi province of Northern China, combines two of my favorite things: a walled city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Normally we don’t go walking around on city walls because HOB has a fear of heights. However, Pingyao’s wall, which was built in 1370 during the Ming Dynasty, is low with a […]
Not sure what happened at the Peking Opera but it involved stage combat, butterfly feelers and intrusive ushers
Any of you have a work spouse? I’ve had one for 20 years; I call him the International Man of Mystery. Now you’d think after 20 years I’d know a lot about IMOM, but he is one seriously cagey dude. Try asking IMOM a question like “How was your weekend?” and you’re going to get […]
Bracket envy and an introduction to traditional Chinese wooden architecture at Pingyao’s Zhenguo Temple
1000 years ago, back when Europe was clawing its way out of the dark ages, China already had a well established system of building standards. The Chinese consulted manuals to standardize the building process and did so with remarkable success considering the enormous size of the country. The basis of their traditional architecture was modular: […]
The Terracotta Warriors and Tiananmen Square: how to bury a people
It’s the artists I keep thinking about. There at least 6000 terracotta warrior sculptures, perhaps many more (their burial site hasn’t been fully excavated.) These warriors were created during the Qin dynasty, 2200 years ago, when China was sparsely populated. So how did the emperor Qin Shi Huang find and mobilize so many artists in […]
The mosque is a temple and the soup is bread crumbs in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter
Oh look, a cute little pagoda: Yeah, cute alright, but it’s a minaret, not a pagoda. And this pretty Chinese arch inside a garden. This isn’t a garden, it’s a mosque. Or maybe it’s better to call it a mosque complex. Anyway, the Great Mosque of Xi’an has been around almost since the beginning of […]
