“Life is a foreign language: all men mispronounce it”

- Christopher Morley 1890-1957

Visiting China is an amazing adventure. Unlike visiting Britain, France, and other western European countries, China’s history, culture and language is vastly different than my own Anglo Saxon history.

As I set to return to China for the fifth time, technology, in the form of an iPhone app will be at my side. I’m able to muddle through very basic French in order to find the Louvre in Paris, (albeit, not leaving a good impression!), but in China, its all about tone. One can easily offend or insult by mispronouncing a word which has multiple meanings depending on the tone delivered. Continue reading… »

Hotan Farmer

HOTAN CHINA – It is like living a bible story, driving through the endless sands of the Taklamakan Desert. Heading west through the sand, I experience two divergent terrains. To my left run the impressive Kunlun Mountains of northern Tibet. Snow-covered and silently majestic, offering the life’s blood of water to the dotted-about oasis villages. Stretching out in an ocean of undulating dunes to my right are the sands of the Taklamakan.

Hugging this fragile, two-lane ribbon of asphalt are several oasis villages. After days of driving, we come to a small village just outside the city of Hotan. We stop for fuel and to stretch our legs. Walking about in this sun-bleached oasis was a welcome treat after hours cooped up in the fetid Land Cruiser.

As often happens with a westerner over six feet tall, an impromptu parade of children come running to surround you. Curiosity  and wonder abound on the faces of these children. My guide translates some of their questions: Who are you? Where are you from? Do you have children? How much money do you make? Continue reading… »

After months of planning, the final route

Buckle-up! LoseYourself is getting underway! After many months of planning and meeting, which is not exactly easy since we are Canadian, American and Chinese! We have developed a pretty tight route that will see us driving around the entire country of China. Look for the the map, (hover over it to se a larger version) there you’ll see the route. It is approximately 11,750 kilometres long and will depart from Beijing heading west. Continue reading… »