Road Diary Archives - Page 9 of 18

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 14

Mike Shubic August 6th, 2015 1 Comment

Today we boarded an Aegean flight from Athens to Mykonos, which was a very enjoyable experience. The plane had 3-4 more inches of legroom than our Air France international flight a couple days earlier. We boarded the airplane from the tarmac and found the flight attendants to be smartly dressed...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 12

Mike Shubic August 5th, 2015 1 Comment

It was a massive travel day today…more than 30 hours in fact. We boarded a plane in Dunhuang and flew to Shanghai where we had a seven-hour layover and ended up needing nearly every minute of it. We were hoping to head into Shanghai for a few hours, but as...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 11

Mike Shubic August 4th, 2015 1 Comment

We headed to our hotel where we got an early check-in, got showered and rested a bit before a long afternoon in the sun. Before heading off for our camel adventure in the Gobi Desert, we stopped by the Dunhuang Soluxe Hotel (the only five star property in Dunhuang) for...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 10

Mike Shubic August 2nd, 2015 1 Comment

Today was a travel day. We flew from Hangzhou to Dunhuang, China, which is located in the northern part of the country in the Gobi Desert. When we arrived in Dunhuang, it was a new experience for me…we landed on a runway that seemed to be in the middle of...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day nine

Mike Shubic July 31st, 2015 1 Comment

Tea is highly coveted in Hangzhou, from its cultivation, to the art of making the perfect cup. Today we enjoyed a tea ceremony at one of the most exclusive teahouses in all of Hangzhou, Hu Pan Ju (or Lakeside Teahouse). The Hu Pan Ju Teahouse is located right on the...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day eight

Mike Shubic July 30th, 2015 Comments Off

Alibaba is one of the fastest growing technology companies in the world, and we learned they are based here in Hangzhou. We got an exclusive opportunity to visit the sprawling campus in the outskirts of town. The Alibaba headquarters is quite impressive, with building after building peppering the property, employing...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day seven

Mike Shubic July 29th, 2015 Comments Off

Tea is such an integral part of Chinese culture that it flows as abundantly as the waters of the Grand Canal. It is said that the hotter the tea, the more the person serving it likes you, because you’ll be forced to stay longer while it cools to a temperate...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day six

Mike Shubic July 29th, 2015 Comments Off

Silk has a deep history in China that dates back thousands of years. The alluring fabric is woven into the lives of the people of Hangzhou (both literally and figuratively). From the cultivation, processing to its use in so many applications, silk is highly coveted and valued. To illustrate this...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day five

Mike Shubic July 27th, 2015 6 Comments

It dawned on me the other day that one of the reasons West Lake in Hangzhou is so special is that it is an urban lake…an oasis right in the middle of a major city. I can think of only a few places I’ve been to where I can recall...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day four

Mike Shubic July 26th, 2015 Comments Off

My fourth day in Hangzhou started out with a very early morning walk around West Lake. On this day the light was perfect, accentuating the details of the scene and providing an opportunity to capture some lovely photos of the famed body of urban water. I was surprised by how...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day three

Mike Shubic July 25th, 2015 Comments Off

My third day in Hangzhou started off with a tour of a popular market where many merchants sell handcrafted items. One highlight included two gentleman pounding sesame seeds with large wooden mallets while humming a rhythmic tune in order to stay in sync with one another. The malleable form was...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day two

Mike Shubic July 24th, 2015 Comments Off

It was a whirlwind of a second day in Hangzhou that started with a steep and windy drive to the top of Yuhuang Mountain—there we visited a Taoist Temple and met with a very friendly monk who was eager to show us around and answer our deluge of questions. Our...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day one

Mike Shubic July 23rd, 2015 5 Comments

For those of you who follow me regularly, you know that I was selected to participate in the 2015 Hangzhou, China Global Tour. Click here for earlier post. As I typically try and do during my trips, I will be posting to the "Road Diary" to keep my regular readers...

BIG NEWS! Hint: Marco. Polo.

Mike Shubic July 8th, 2015 20 Comments

Whoa, do I have some BIG NEWS to share! Those of you who know and follow me are aware of my thirst for adventure and exploration. A couple months ago I entered a storytelling/writing contest. Of course I had no expectations of winning. A week ago, I learned that I...

Arizona Restaurant Week

Mike Shubic May 19th, 2015 Comments Off

Throughout the Grand Canyon State of Arizona, foodies are celebrating the gastronomic pleasures that variety brings during the annual Arizona Restaurant Week (May 15th through the 25th). This statewide affair offers a wealth of dining options, and an opportunity to try something new. From sizzling Southwestern food, to soothing comfort...