✍️ 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.

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

September 1, 2026 8 min read

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

August 16, 2026 7 min read

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

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