I am a Peace Corps Volunteer living and teaching English in Guizhou Province of Southwest China (map). This really isn't a travelogue per se as the town of Liupanshui has been my home for 18 months and will continue to be for the next six or so. Nevertheless, I have had the chance to experience a side of China that very few foreigners have seen before.
I live "off the beaten track" as people who say such things would say. The LP Southwest China Handbook describes my post as, "The large, ugly town of Liupanshui...not high on anyone's list of places to visit..." The only thing is that in China, nowhere is really "off the beaten track" as hundreds of millions of Chinese have beaten every track there is to beat. But the chance to live amongst and experience the Chinese people away from the developed bastions of the east coast is one of the joys of my life.
Despite this joy, the Chinese are, how can we say, - very CHINESE and this can be infuriating as well as delightful to a Westerner. So these little vignettes, while about specific locals, are also about the people I meet there and what my experiences are with them.
Latest Articles
Chinese Rafting
Luke spent Labour Day rafting down the the Yangtze from Yunnan to Panzihua as part of a big competition. A Chinese competition is definitely an experience, from the VIP treatment to the rock concert award ceremony.
Catch Up On The Journey
Dali Days
Needing some time away from the constant hustle and bustle of Chinese life, Luke and his parents take a break in laid back Dali.
Fishing
Luke always enjoyed fishing, but he had to give up his high-fallutin' fly fishing ways if he wanted to catch anything in China.
Explaining Liuzhi
Luke has an experience of Chinese hospitality that he's sure he'll look back on with fond memories. Right now though, it's still too fresh in his memory.
Luke's Bio
Learn a little bit more about Luke and how he ended up in Guizhou Province, China.
