My guidebooks
- I was a guest blogger on Travel Writers Exchange on 10/19/2009/. I wrote about how travel writers could self-publish their own guidebooks, something I've been doing since 1996. All my mini-guides have been on China so far, but I have plans to branch out to other places on the globe.
- Speaking of guidebooks, I am getting really great reviews on the three I published this summer on GuideGecko: DIY Beijing: A guide for the independent traveler, Parents Guide to Beijing: A kid-friendly city, and Cuandixia: An ancient mountian village in China. Cuandixia is an ebook only, but DIY and Parents Guide are available as print books, too. Readers say they like the compact size, which makes it easy to pack around. They also like the directions on how to find things on public transportation.
Suite101
I'm continuing to add to my cache of articles on travel in China on Suite101. Here's some of my recent articles:- Chinese vegetables are more than just bean sprouts and snow peas. How about broccoli, potatoes and cabbage? They're on the list, too.
- I love Chinese papercuts. They're delicate and colorful as pictured above, and don't take up much room in your luggage. Inexpensive, too, which means they make ideal gifts.
- Chinese trains provide efficient transportation around this huge country. I especially like traveling hard-sleeper as it provides a chance to meet average Chinese.
- A visit to Wanping takes you away from the hustle and bustle of central Beijing to a quiet suburb. Wanping is home to the Marco Polo Bridge (Luguoqiao) where Japan fired the first shots in a war against China in 1937. A museum about this war also is located in Wanping. These aren't considered major tourist sites but are well worth the visit.
- Tanzhesi is Beijing's oldest temple located about 45k from central Beijing. It also makes a nice day trip.
