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Annoying Trekker Abuses Friendly Guesthouse Owner

Mar 31, 2015 by Daniel McBane 16 Comments

Tilicho Lake basecamp on Annapurna Circuit in Nepal
This entry is part 13 of 13 in the series The Annapurna Circuit Trek

When you travel, you meet a lot of annoying people, but one tops them all: the person who won’t stop bragging about how little they’ve been spending. Now, the bragging itself is annoying, no question, but the way these people go about saving money is far worse. An example could explain this better than I. As luck would [read more…]

Filed Under: Nepal Tagged With: Annapurna, annoying people, annoying tourist, mountains, Nepal, trekking

Trekking On Our Day Off From Trekking in Manang

Dec 3, 2014 by Daniel McBane 18 Comments

Lake near Manang on Annapurna Trek
This entry is part 12 of 13 in the series The Annapurna Circuit Trek

The next morning we ate a leisurely breakfast, content in the knowledge that we didn’t have to set out on a day of hiking. We were taking the day off to help us adjust to the altitude. OK, so we were already completely adjusted thanks to our slow pace and our having taken a day off for ‘altitude acclimatization’ in each [read more…]

Filed Under: Nepal Tagged With: Annapurna, mountains, Nepal, trekking

Arriving In Manang…Two Weeks Later Than Most

Sep 10, 2014 by Daniel McBane 6 Comments

Monastery in front of Annapurna III Nepal
This entry is part 11 of 13 in the series The Annapurna Circuit Trek

After my apparently trend-setting ice bucket shower and a quick breakfast, we headed out. This was the day that would take us to Manang, the largest town on the Annapurna circuit trek and generally seen as the halfway point. It is also the last bastion of civilization before the Throng Lo Pass. Manang sits down in the valley, which meant [read more…]

Filed Under: Nepal Tagged With: accommodation, Annapurna, mountains, Nepal, trekking

Drinking Yak Sewage in Ngawal

Jul 30, 2014 by Daniel McBane 4 Comments

A yak in Ngawal on the Annapurna Trek in Nepal
This entry is part 10 of 13 in the series The Annapurna Circuit Trek

A majestic yak with fuzzy red earrings greeted us at the entrance to Ngawal. We had seen a few yaks already, but from this point on they were everywhere—their meat even started popping up on guesthouse menus. We were mostly happy about this. Yak meat is delicious and the living animals make great photography subjects. They are little more than [read more…]

Filed Under: Nepal Tagged With: animals, Annapurna, mountains, Nepal, trekking

Viewing Mount Aso’s Crater…For 30 Seconds

Dec 28, 2013 by Daniel McBane 4 Comments

Nakadake crater on Mount Aso in Japan
This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Visiting Mount Aso in Japan

The next morning, we hopped on a bus and headed up toward the most active of Mount Aso’s craters. We were dropped off at the bottom of a rope way, from where we could either walk the rest of the way to the crater or pay 1000 yen for a roundtrip ticket and ride up. I’m sure [read more…]

Filed Under: Japan Tagged With: hiking, Japan, mountains

If You Can’t Take The Heat, Get Out Of The Onsen

Dec 21, 2013 by Daniel McBane 4 Comments

Monkey in Jigokudani hot spring in Nagano, Japan
This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Visiting Mount Aso in Japan

Once we got to the hot spring, it was time to split up. You may have noticed I was the only guy in the picture from the first part of this series, so I had to head off to the male room to sit in some water on my own. The whole experience was uncomfortable in [read more…]

Filed Under: Japan Tagged With: accommodation, culture, Japan, mountains

Braving Japanese-Style Accommodation on Mount Aso

Dec 14, 2013 by Daniel McBane 9 Comments

kusasenri meadow on Mt Aso on Kyushu, Japan
This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Visiting Mount Aso in Japan

Accommodation is easily the biggest expense when traveling in Japan, but you can cut down on your costs quite a bit, if you are willing to move away from the standard western hotel or hostel experience. In most cities and towns, the best value is found at a minshuku. This stripped-down version of a ryokan (traditional [read more…]

Filed Under: Japan Tagged With: accommodation, budget travel, culture, Japan, mountains

Tal to Chame: Falling into a Trekking Routine

Sep 7, 2013 by Daniel McBane 6 Comments

Porters near Koto on Annapurna Circuit
This entry is part 6 of 13 in the series The Annapurna Circuit Trek

As we were having breakfast the next morning, I realized my brilliant idea of ordering cornbread the night before to snack on throughout the day wasn’t going to work out quite the way I’d hoped. I mentioned in the previous part of this series that the food at our guesthouse in Tal was the best of [read more…]

Filed Under: Nepal Tagged With: Annapurna, mountains, nature, Nepal, trekking

Yurt Life at Karakul Lake in Xinjiang Province

Jul 6, 2013 by Daniel McBane 6 Comments

Goats Xinjiang China
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Karakul Lake in China's Xinjiang Province

In the evening, our hosts made us a delicious noodle dinner. After the meal, they entertained us with a “disco night”, which involved some pretty bad music from a little portable radio and some crazy dancing by the local children. Naturally some of us (by which I mean people who weren’t me) joined [read more…]

Filed Under: China Tagged With: annoying people, China, Karakul Lake, mountains, Xinjiang

Karakul Lake in Xinjiang Province: Escaping China’s Tourist Hordes

Jun 29, 2013 by Daniel McBane 7 Comments

Karakul Lake China
This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Karakul Lake in China's Xinjiang Province

Regular readers will know that I really enjoy traveling in China, despite the numerous frustrations, and so far, I’ve written more posts on this blog about the Middle Kingdom than any other country. I have not yet written anything about China’s westernmost province, the Xianjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, though. That needs [read more…]

Filed Under: China Tagged With: China, culture, Karakul Lake, mountains, remote, Xinjiang

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Welcome!

As the more astute among you may have guessed, my name is Daniel McBane. I've been traveling and working overseas for almost ten years now and have finally decided to document some of the strange, crazy or just plain funny encounters and observations from my travels. I've also added a travel guide section, figuring I should reward my four readers by providing at least something of use. Read more on my about page.

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Trekking On Our Day Off From Trekking in Manang

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