top 5

Everyone loves lists... so here's the top 5 sights from the trip

5. Shangri-La and Kyoto. In many ways these two locations couldn't be more different. However, I just couldn't bring myself to pick one over the other. Between Kyoto's temples, shrines and pagodas and the remote, almost mythical town of Shangri-La, it's a real tough call. Both are truly unique, though unfortunately I think Shangri-La will go the way of its southerly neighbor Lijiang and become quite the tourist trap within five years. Either way, when visiting either you really feel far from home and yet very at ease at the same time. Kyoto offers a history as rich as any other city on earth and Shangri-La a peaceful retreat from the craziness of the rest of China. Really two very magical places.

4. Tskiji Fish Market Last time I was in Tokyo, I missed this amazing fish market and was quite upset about it. Now I know I had good reason to be, but luckily this time I did not miss out on one of the greatest free shows on earth. The energy and commotion here truly something else - especially considering it's 6AM! Fish flying every which way, massive fresh and frozen tuna lined up in every direction and creatures you'll never see anywhere else. It's really a feast for the eyes and when you're done... well you have sushi restaurants all around you to satiate your newfound appetite for raw fish at 8AM.

3. Tiger Leaping Gorge I had read some stuff about this trek before leaving home but hadn't planned on going since it was a bit out of the way. After the earthquake hit near Chengdu in May I had to change my plans around a bit and ended up spending more time in the Yunnan Proivince, giving me ample time to make it up to The Gorge and beyond. I was rewarded with a magical two-day trek through the clouds along the worlds tallest and narrowest gorge. It didn't hurt that along the way I met two great guys to hike it with and

2. Great Wall of China I did not expect to enjoy the Great Wall as much as I did. Most of the picture's I'd seen or filled with thousands of tourists climbing over what was a recent reconstruction of the wall... What I found however was completely the opposite. I took a tour to a slightly more remote location and was rewarded with a 10km hike up and down The Wall with just a few people from my tour group. This section had been rebuilt in parts, but enough was left unrestored to make it feel more authentic.

1. Ha Long Bay This one was really easy to pick. I had really high expectations for Vietnam and Ha Long Bay especially and it pretty much exceeded all of my expectations in every way imaginable. We were extremely lucky with the weather and made a great decision to stay an extra night in order to have a whole day of kayaking. In any event, this place is surreal and Haskell and I constantly remarked how unbelievable it was while we were there. I just flipped through the pictures Haskell and I took there and still have a hard time coming to grips with the scenery. Anyway, if there's one thing on this trip that I would unequivocally recommend to everyone, it's surely this one.