✍️ Travel Diaries

Diaries from the Road

First-person travel narratives — not guidebooks, not checklists. Just what happens when you show up, pay attention, and write it down.

A street noodle stall with a green WeChat QR code — the only payment option at many small-town eateries

Alipay vs WeChat Pay in China: Why You Need Both (Not Just Alipay)

Every English guide tells foreigners to set up Alipay. But walk into a noodle stall in a county town and the only QR code on the wall is green.

payment alipay wechat

July 10, 2026 7 min read

Wooden stilt houses and drum towers of Zhaoxing Dong in Guizhou

Zhaoxing Dong Village: Drum Towers, Rice Wine & Rain

I went to a Dong village in Guizhou looking for something authentic. The village had other plans — roosters, sour soup, and old women with cash-only sachets.

guizhou dong-village zhaoxing

June 30, 2026 8 min read

These stories are written by real travelers who've been there. No AI, no filler, no "unlock your journey" nonsense.