Shimane Prefecture (島根県) is located in the Chugoku region (中国地方) west of Tottori. The capital of Shimane is the small city of Matsue, home to a famous castle. Shimane is also known for the town of Izumo (出雲市), known for its soba noodles as well as the Izumo Taisha Shinto shrine, one of the oldest and most important shrines in the Shinto religion. See more:
    > Photos from Shimane Prefecture, Japan

Tottori Prefecture (鳥取県) is one of the 5 prefectures in the Chugoku (中国 or 中国地方 for clarity) region of Japan. Despite having the same characters as the country of China (中国), the name has nothing to do with the country of China at all. The characters, whether in Chinese or Japanese context, literally mean "Middle kingdom" and in Japan once referred to a historical division of the region (see wikipedia article). Tottori is famous for the delicious 二十世纪梨 (20th century pear). This region is one of the less-developed, less-visited and more rural regions of Honshu in Japan.
    > Photos from Tottori Prefecture, Japan

Kyoto led Japan as the imperial capital from 794 to 1868. Though it suffered much destruction in the 15th century, it escaped being bombed by the United States during World War II, and as such, is home to many pre-war buildings that still stand. Today, it is a multi-cultural city with many foreign residents, and due to its many temples has become a tourist hotspot. Its Geisha district is now flooded with tourists, many Japanese, making the most amusing part about it not the Geishas themselves but the mobs of tourists watching every door like hawks and stalking every Geisha that walks in and out of any building with cameras. Away from the tourist beaten path, in the small alleyways behind the main streets, traditional Japanese life continues, so Kyoto still maintains some authenticity. The best part about Kyoto is undoubtedly the food: I can safely say it is probably one of the best cities in all of Asia for dessert.
    > Photos from Kyoto, Japan

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, grew from a small fishing village to the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with over 35 million people in the greater Tokyo area. The city remains largely Japanese in culture, and is a paradoxical place of kimonos and business suits, Japanese traditional architecture and tall modern skyscrapers, traditional dances and pop culture. The nice thing is that almost none of this is affected by tourism -- the bustling city moves on not by appealing to tourists but prospers almost entirely of its own industries. As such, not only does Tokyo feel less touristy than many other places in Japan, but its sheer vastness means there is always another corner of the city: on one day there was a fireworks festival which drew away most of the tourists, but little did most outsiders know that the Kagurazaka festival was happening at the same time on the other side of the city, where 15 troupes parade down a tiny street, dancing the Awa odori of Tokushima. See more:
    > Photos from Tokyo, Japan

Independence day in Boston... More fireworks pictures:
    > Photos from Independence Day 2009
    > Photos from Independence Day 2008
    > Photos from Independence Day 2006

Though culturally closely related to Sichuan itself, Chongqing is a separate municipality of over 31 million people east of Sichuan. The 338-km train ride from Chengdu is often overlooked by tourists as it does not boast a large number of tourist-directed attractions such as museums and the like. What this means though is that it is rather pleasantly unaltered -- a vast, naturally bustling city full of fabulous (spicy, even more so than in Chengdu) street food at every corner and much to see and do just by walking around, especially up and down the hilly terrain. In Chongqing, food is fashion: classics such as 酸辣粉 (Sweet potato thread noodles in a spicy hot and sour broth) to be found at every corner as well as recent fads such as 麻辣臭豆腐 (Mala stinky tofu) and 珍珠奶茶 (Pearl milk tea) sellers all around town as well; 花椒 (Sichuan peppercorns) sold in markets with guarantees of 『不麻包退』 (refund if it does not numb you) and fruit everywhere in sight. See more:
    > Photos from Chongqing, China

Yaqing, or Yarchen is a monastic town situated over 4000m above sea level in an isolated valley in the Tibetan plateau. Unknown to even most maps and atlases, the town's population is almost fully monks and nuns, dressed in red robes. Conditions are difficult with nights well below freezing, low oxygen and no electricity with only one unpaved mountain road to the outside, but the residents keep it this way as they come in order to live in isolation. See more:
    > Photos from Yaqing, China

7 hours of bus riding from Chengdu through heavily winding and shaky roads gets you to Kangding, the first city westward that is distinctly Tibetan in culture. Kangding, immortalised in a love song that everyone knows, has become the economic and transportation gateway between the Tibetan highlands and the Sichuan lowlands. From there, another 12-14 hours of bus riding along extremely bumpy roads in a public bus with snow chains, with frequent breakdowns, gets you to the town of Ganzi, well-isolated on the Tibetan plateau and a long distance to any city larger than it. It's hardly touched by tourists, especially in the winter when electricity is flaky, night-time temperatures drop to below -10 C and heating beyond electric blankets (that only when electricity works) is nonexistant. Nevertheless, it's a charming town, and one well worth seeing the life and economy on the Tibetan plateau in winter, from carts of yak butter being sold to people stopping over and seeing the last of barely urban civilisation before their long journeys ahead into the mountains. See more:
    > Photos from Ganzi, China

Jiuzhaigou is located in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan. Literally, the name refers to nine Tibetan villages; it's now a well-preserved national park and known too well for its crystal-clear, translucent blue waters. During spring, summer and fall, tourists flock to the park: it's become all too well-known of a place (despite that I assure you I've seen even bluer, clearer waters in the remote mountains of Xinjiang). Winter in Jiuzhaigou is a different thing. The waters are still blue, but the snow lines the lakes. Life is still, quiet, and silent, without the tourists, without the flocks of photographers. Hotels shut down, tourist centres close. The place is calm, serene, and all-around wonderful -- just carry some good winter clothes with you. See more:
    > Photos from Jiuzhaigou, China

35 hours on a train brings you from Shanghai to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China -- a paradise of (spicy) food and history. Sichuan's reputation for food is reflected even on the train: unlike most, Sichuan-bound trains tend to actually serve good food, a fact well-known to most of the passengers on board. Tucked in the southwest in the geographically flat Sichuan basin, the city is spacious, large, plenty equipped with bicycle lanes as well as public buses going just about everywhere. Food is probably the biggest attraction here. Not only is it home to Chen Mapo's own establishment where you can get the by-definition most authentic Mapo Tofu possible, but it's also home to a number of other worldwide-known Sichuan culinary inventions. Chengdu was also home to some of the most well-known poets, writers and historical figures in China. It's also a gateway to travelling to a number of other places in the Sichuan region, with buses plying up and down Sichuan's mountain roads from Chendgu to many, many legendary and immortalized places. See more:
    > Photos from Chengdu, China

Is this Europe? No, it's Shanghai, China. Europe played a strong role in the early 20th century in developing Shanghai from the fishing village it once was to the major trading port it is now, giving rise to architectural styles very typical of Europe, and very unusual to find to this magnitude in Asia. Despite the Corinthian columns, Christmas ornaments, clock towers, domes, gardens, arched entryways and balconies, we really (yes) are in China. Today, Shanghai as we know it is a multicultural, diverse and cosmopolitan mega-city, and the city of China with the largest number of foreign employees. Shanghai enjoys readily accepting the 21st century: modern architecture is found throughout the city, and it's also home to the fastest train in the world, the only publicly-operational Maglev, which zips you at a blazing speed of 421 km/h between the city and airport in 7 minutes flat. Though arguably not "necessary" given the typically 30-40-minute subway ride that follows to get to any residential area of Shanghai, demonstrating the possibility of putting a passenger Maglev in service has certainly been an important step in the technology. See more:
    > Photos from Shanghai, China

Hiking up Mt. Lafayette, as it is once again time to visit the autumn colours of the White Mountains while they last. See more:
    > Photos from Mt. Lafayette, USA

A final stop before heading back to Beijing (and then to USA to get back to working on my research) was at Huashan, a 5-peaked mountain and one of the Wuyue (Five sacred mountains of Taoism). Buses run regularly from Xi'an to this mountain during the daytime, and as such, it is flooded with tourists and highly developed. For a more interesting approach I got on a late evening train to reach the Huashan train station at night, and got together with a few other university students at the much-deserted train station to catch a taxi together to the mountain itself. We began ascending at midnight to try to catch the sunrise; it was peaceful, not over-flooded (but still many on the path nonetheless). I didn't spot a single other foreigner on the way. The path to the East peak is fairly safe as long as you carry a flashlight or headlamp and use the chains for support while ascending the steep stairways at night, and do so with patience. The best part by far is the clear, starry night that you can see above the moonlit sharp mountain peaks towering around you (not something that falls well on a photograph, sorry); the sunrise is also beautiful and peaceful to watch. See more:
    > Photos from Huashan, China

Continuing back east by train (16 hours, but as usual, very interesting and friendly), Xi'an is one of the oldest cities of China with a well-maintained city wall and plenty of historical sites in the region including the (probably one of the most famous attractions in China) terracotta warriors located only a couple of hours away by bus. Perhaps the most important thing to note here is that it is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, which I had roughly followed one branch of, from Kashi. As such it does in fact have a mosque (interestingly enough, with Eastern architecture). Other notable things include the variety of fabulous food (including the little-known but interesting biang biang mian, described by a 57-stroke character of unknown, but clearly not ancient, origin that few people from outside the region would recognise), and the general liveliness of this modernised, populous city. Its train station is a major hub of the railway system of China, and the ticket office is perhaps one of the most complicated that I have ever seen, with each window serving very specific time frames of ticket purchases and types of tickets, but easy enough to figure out if you can read.
    > Photos from Xi'an, China

Continuing to head back toward Beijing: Took a 5-hour train ride from Tulufan to Hami (incidentally, the train was bound for Chongqing... which I realised after noticing that I had trouble understanding any of the passengers on board... Sichuan dialect...) Hami is a fairly developed city so there is not much ancient left in it to see; however, it was a good point for watching the total solar eclipse of 1-Aug-2008. Of course the whole world had discussed this online and the city was surely enough flooded with foreigners who had arrived or organised tours of sorts, hotels jacking up rates, and travel agencies selling tours to viewing sites such as Weizixia and Yiwu for absurd prices; part of the reason of the latter was that permits were required to exit the city toward the eclipse viewing sites north, and it had to be done with an agency. However, getting together with some other university folks who just got off the train also in search of cheap ways, we booked a car for a day and went for a couple of hours east to get out of the Hami region, then headed north toward Mongolia for some time, and were stopped by police at Qincheng (being officially a border region), but however, well within the totality zone of the eclipse. The police would normally have turned us back right there but they were quite friendly and interested in the eclipse themselves so they registered us and then permitted us to stay and watch the eclipse as long as we were escorted by them.
    > Photos from Hami, China

After crossing China by train, time to turn back, but stopping at different places this time: Tulufan (Turpan/Turfan), located in the middle of Xinjiang, near Wulumuqi, is the lowest-altitude city in China at 30m below sea level. It is especially known for its harsh climates that range from -30 C in winter to over +50 C in summer in the surrounding basin. The region, however, has a rich agricultural tradition known well for its production of Hami melons and grapes, and is irrigated by a system of water channels (karez) that have been dug in the region for hundreds of years. The artificially-channeled water served many Silk Road travellers; the nearby cities of Jiaohe and Gaochang were major Silk Road transportation hubs and resting points in addition to being important in the introduction of Buddhism to eastern China. The nearby Huoyanshan ("Flaming mountain") is also an icon of the region.
    > Photos from Tulufan, China

Tianchi ("heavenly lake") in Xinjiang is famous for its beauty, but is perhaps too close to the city and is always flooded by tourism. Xinjiang's enormous size, however, means that there are plenty of peaceful and equally beautiful places waiting to be discovered. Karakol Lake, situated roughly on the road to Pakistan, before reaching Tashkurgan, is while famous, much less commonly accessed and the scenery both at the lake and on the way to the lake is stunning and diverse. Within a few hours of road one sees thick vegetation, lifeless desert, snowy mountains, sandy mountains, and just about anything else imaginable. The lake itself, with the backdrop of snowy peaks including the 7546-metre Muztagh Ata, is beautiful and appears to change its colour depending on the light. Surrounding hills are easily explored, providing multiple perspectives of the region. A number of Kyrgyz also inhabit the area in yurts, some of which provide lodging for visitors, others further away from the road being simply local dwellings.
    > Photos from Karakol Lake

Another 1445km of train riding in ~24 hours westward from Wulumuqi (in Yingzuo class, but very interesting) brings you to Kashi (Kashgar), a major trading post on the Silk Road, the westernmost stopping point along this road within China, and the point at which the northern and southern Silk Road routes converge before continuing west toward Turkey. East of Kashi is the Taklamakan Desert, which the train barely skirts around in addition to travelling through mountainous regions, making it perhaps one of the most scenic train rides in the world. Kashi itself is a vibrant old city of a largely Uyghur Muslim population; besides the Chinese language it is stark contrast from the rest of China in culture. The ways are still old, with donkey carts still travelling the highways to reach weekly livestock markets and sand-coloured buildings and narrow alleyways still plentiful. Its bazaar (large market) is reputedly the largest in Asia.
    > Photos from Kashi, China

After 3768km on a train in ~40 hours from Beijing one reaches the capital of Xinjiang, Wulumuqi (Urümqi). It is a relatively modernised city of over 2 million at this point but was historically an important trading point along the Silk Road, the largest city in the Xinjiang province, and is still a fusion of cultures from the east and west with many great things to eat and enjoy.
    > Photos from Wulumuqi, China

3 weeks in China and 10835 km of train travelling, most of the time spent in Xinjiang province in the far west. First stop, Beijing, capital of China, site of the 2008 Olympics, and home to a number of imperial monuments.
    > Photos from Beijing, China

Hiked Mt. Washington, the tallest mountain in New England -- which at 1917m is actually not that tall. The mountain is known for the highest wind speed ever recorded at the Earth's surface at 372 km/h on 12-Apr-1934. More pictures:
    > Photos from Mt. Washington, USA

Independence day in Boston... More fireworks pictures:
    > Photos from Independence Day 2008
    > Photos from Independence Day 2006

A revisit to the Plum Island National Wildlife Refuge near Newburyport, MA, USA. Hope to follow up during the migratory season when several hundred species of birds are easily seen from the island.
    > Photos from Newburyport and Plum Island, USA

Spring break trip to the Grand Canyon, Navajo Nation and Zion National Park (no photos in Zion, my camera was damaged by water). More photos:
    > Photos from Grand Canyon National Park, USA
    > Photos from Navajo Nation, USA