The quest to visit a hidden kingdom of devout people of simple means, isolated for centuries behind nearly impassable mountains and centered both geographically and spiritually around a towering white castle rising steeply above fertile green valleys, sapphire lakes and endless cobalt skies, sounds like the start of an epic adventure. And though modern technology, namely airplanes and Land Cruisers, would allow me to easily overcome the towering Himalayas, that have stunted such quests for centuries, a new, more formidable barrier has been erected: the visa form.

Walking through this remote Tibetan village that houses the Shangrila Cheese Factory, we were met by a number of curious villagers who came out to see who we were. The father and son in this photo came walking by and we asked if we could take a photo—the father is leaning a bit funny because I think he wanted us to see his basket and he was also reminding his son to stand up straight.

Traveling in China I was missing two things: 1) sesame chicken and 2) cheese. The country serves essentially none of either of those in their cuisine, despite the proliferation of sesame chicken specials in every single Chinese take-away joint in America and despite the staple role that cheese plays in much of the rest of the world.

A collection of photos from China that make me laugh.

The cow in Zhongdian, China.

The reality of travel is that the unreal has become real.

(Xun Zhou, China) Everyone likes to save money, right? Of course, that’s why American’s invented Walmart and people worldwide flock to Ikea. During my visit to Xun Zhou, I got a pretty good lesson in why those stores are so cheap.

Shot in Xun Zhou, China, the rural fishing village I visited, it’s my version of MTV Cribs: China. See the video What It’s Like To Walk Though A House In A Rural Fishing Village In China.

Located on the southeast coast of China, Xun Zhou is a rural fishing village whose inhabitants make their living farming fish, clams, vegetables and rice. I spent a five days there as a guest of the Zheng family, who graciously invited me to experience life in rural China (and being reported the first American to ever visit the island). See a collection of my photos from the village here.

Shot in a very rural fishing village in China, the team heads out on a mission to buy a duck with no supermarkets in sight. No commentary, no real editing—it’s raw and uncut so you might know “what it’s like” yourself.