Lijiang and Shuhe, Yunnan, China (12/19/2011-12/23/2011)

Lijiang and its quieter and lesser-known neighbour, Shuhe, are very picturesque ancient towns representative of the Naxi minority tribe in the northern area of Yunnan province.  Lijiang is incredibly packed with people during peak season and even during my time here was quite full.  Shuhe, on the other hand, was a bit of a ghost town and much more pleasant to stay in.  Both have canals crossing through towns symbolizing the importance of water to the Naxi people. The cobble-stone streets were lined with amazing tea houses, great street food, and restaurants specializing in yak meat.  I used this area as a base for further exploration of Yunnan's natural scenic beauty.

Taipei in Style (12/13/2011 - 12/17/2011)

Having spent nearly half a year in Taipei I felt it was like a second home to me, and I wanted to catch up with a number of my friends while here. That said, I never had the opportunity to experience much of the nicer things that Taipei had to offer.  Given I was only spending a short time here, I decided to indulge a little as I'm a sucker for bright LEDs, modern design, and great food. I'm very lucky to have had wonderful company throughout all of this. It was great seeing you all, and apologies to those I didn't have a chance to meet this time - I will definitely be back.

Camon and Carcassonne, France (06/24/2011-06/26/2011)

So I flew to France for a weekend.... because one of my closest friends was getting married!  While I'll let her post whatever wedding pictures she wishes to share, I also had a chance to drive around the beautiful Pyrenees and enjoy the beautiful French countryside in a modest Peugot.  Two notable stops were Camon (an old village where the wedding was held)  and Carcassonne, a castle-city that has been continuously inhabited (in various forms) for over 5,000 years, but only seen as strategic defence point since Roman times.  While I generally do not like travelling to Western Europe, I really did enjoy this very brief sojourn.

Vegas and the Grand Canyon (04/22/2011-04/24/2011 and 07/16/2011-07-17/2011)

To continue the theme of American weekend destinations, here's a post on the ultimate expression of American consumer culture - Las Vegas.  I had come here first for a close friend's bachelor party (whose privacy I'll respect) and had a chance to tour the various landmarks and see a few establishments for which Vegas is famous for.  The second time was a weekend getaway with a good friend in my industry.

You do not come to Vegas to save money - the whole place is designed to extract as much money from you as possible and for you to enjoy every step of the process. They do this very effectively. Whether it's casinos, shows, pool parties, or day trips into the surrounding desert, Vegas has something for everyone.  Be forewarned, if 'authenticity' is what you seek, be prepared for disappointment.  Aside from the impressive natural scenery (namely, the Grand Canyon), Vegas is a wholly artificial construct. The city itself shouldn't even exist given it is built right on a desert. You can even see attempts of follow-on cities hoping to replicate Vegas' success scattered and abandoned in the desert, indicating just how inhospitable this land is.