August 2015 update: I’m off to China again in a few days, this time to Beijing and Sichuan and Shanxi provinces. Stories to come!
Click on the Dreamscapes links in the bullets to find out the story of how this photo came about! Thanks to Casey Nolin for capturing the moment.
On behalf of Dreamscapes Magazine and the China national tourism authority, I got to experience the strange mountains, pretty historic towns and incredible food of Hunan, China … and became a bit of a celebrity myself!
My article Hunan, China: An inspiration beyond Avatar was published in Dreamscapes Travel and Lifestyle Magazine, distributed with the November 26, 2014 Globe and Mail (Canada’s national newspaper).
Two versions of the article:
- online PDF of the print version (flip back to the table of contents page to see my pic of fellow travel writer and photographer Casey Nolin, who took the photo of me in the article; thanks again Casey!).
- web version, with fewer photos.
More on China:
- My photograph of a woman dressed in a Miao costume in Phoenix, Hunan, was included in the the Travel Gallery of the fall 2015 issue of Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine.
- Which would you choose: happiness or longevity? A cave in Hunan province forces you to choose (for Nanuism).
- Phoenix Rising: Hunan Province, China (for New Jetsetters).
- Searching for Chili in China (some of the incredible food I discovered, plus my breakfast pic that the Food Network included in their 17 Tasty Breakfasts From Around the World).
Note: My trips were hosted by the Chinese national tourism authority, but all opinions are my own and no one from the agency reviewed or approved my articles.
Have you been to China? What did you see and do you have any advice to share?
Travel Eater 
Between that beautiful nature, the sunsets, and the culture… this looks like EXACTLY what we need right now!!!
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Thank you Kyoko — it is a beautiful place! Hope you get there soon
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What a fascinating article! I love Avatar, especially for the landscape of Pandora. What a treat to visit it for real. I’d love to visit China one day, especially Shanghai where my Dad was born.
I’ve been asked to pose with local tourists a couple of times for photos on my travels, its still surprises me when they ask though!
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Many thanks! I got to spend a few days in Shanghai on this trip – amazing – you need to go for sure, especially with your family history.
Funny – my friend and fellow photographer Casey and I got so used to getting our photo taken in China … one time a man made the “take your photo?” motion, and we posed dutifully with big grins. The man looked at us strangely and then motioned for us to hand over a camera — he was just being a nice fellow tourist and asking if we wanted a photo of ourselves as our souvenir! Ah, fame goes to one’s head so quickly! :-)
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Congratulations on this wonderful article. Well done! It makes me want to go.
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Thanks! You’re super sweet :-)
China was amazing and I hope to go back soon and explore more of the country
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