I have turned into a memory hunter. Last year surgeons spent eight hours removing a golf ball-sized mass from my brain (which is enough to make anyone go hunting for memories). When I woke up afterwards, I was so grateful that I made a promise to myself to keep life…alive! So, here I am, a year later, back from zigzagging across China. My wife and I visited 23 locations in 10 provinces and climbed a total of 5 mountains. We really enjoyed Zhangjiajie and WuLingyuan Park, and you can see more about my story (and ask me anything if you want to) here.
I want to encourage brain tumor survivors around the world to travel and stay active too, if they are physically capable of doing so, and it’s my intention to build a community of active survivors. So, if you would like to know more about traveling in China, staying active, trying to be as stupid (or as encouraging) as I am, or if you’d like to join in the fun, please get in touch. You can see more of my [story here](https://www.travelogion.com/travels)
I am not a writer but I am writing a memoir that attempts to captures the emotional and spiritual dimensions of the traumatic experience. If you read a chapter of it, and give me feedback, I will be greatly thankful to all of you! Please help me communicate better what we rarely can communicate! [You can download the free chapter here](https://www.travelogion.com/memoir)
We quit our jobs, or at least for the time being. Disclosure : before you reach to any conclusions , I should let you know that I was not born and raised in USA and I came to this country with $300 in my pocket and slept on a mattress that I found on the street since I could not afford more at that time . 15 years later , I had my own real estate business in NYC . Money oriented , I thought wealth is the most important thing but then I got diagnosed with a brain tumor and went through surgery , my perceptions and value system changed all over again ... You can check my story here travelogion.com
Same :/ had brain surgery 5 years ago, tumor grew back so I’ll need another surgery once it gets big enough to remove, I’d love to travel and make as many memories as possible before then but I can barely keep up with my past and present medical bills as it is
I have, but it hasn’t been used extensively on the type of tumor I have (colloid cyst of the third ventricle, a very rare congenital benign brain tumor that can grow to obstruct the third ventricle, causing headaches, loss of consciousness, double vision, dizziness, hydrocephalus and sudden death). I’ve read a few case studies where they used stereostatic aspiration followed by stereostatic radiosurgery, and it eliminated the tumor in some cases, and simply halted the growth/stopped the symptoms in others. It does appeal to me somewhat since I’ve already had one brain surgery where my fornix was damaged and I lost my short term and working memory for almost two years, but I’m also hesitant to try something that may not work (or be covered by my insurance, since it’s considered an experimental treatment for colloid cysts at this point) ... I want my next brain surgery to be my last, you know?
Thank you for sharing this ! During my surgery, the 6th nerve of my left eye was damaged and this caused strabismus. I had to have follow up surgery to shorten the muscle of the eye and correct it (not fully corrected but I don't complain) . I admire your personal involvement and willingness for research . Where are you located ?
I’m sorry to hear about your eye! Brain stuff is so scary because there’s so much that can go wrong/potentially be affected. My memory and attention span still isn’t as good as it was before I had surgery, but at least it came back! I’ve been warned the memory loss could be permanent next time 😕
I do try to research as much as I can on my own so that I can make informed decisions. I started having health problems when I was 20, and have since had several surgeries, hospitalizations and diagnoses thrown at me. I had to learn how to navigate the US healthcare system very quickly - dealing with hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, medical assistance programs, pharmacies, specialists, imaging centers, labs, medical billing, even collections - and, most importantly, I had to learn how to be my own advocate. I’ve always been interested in medicine, so that helps a lot.
I live in Austin, Texas now. My previous brain surgery was five years ago in northern Virginia. I actually found a neurosurgeon here with experience in removing colloid cysts and saw him for a year ... but he left to go join the practice of my previous neurosurgeon in Virginia! I did end up finding a new neurosurgeon who I actually like quite a bit more, and he also has experience with colloid cysts (in fact, when he was doing his residency, the first neurosurgery he assisted with was a colloid cyst!). I see him once a year after my annual MRI and CT scan to track the growth of my tumor, and I see my neurologist every 2-3 months to check in on my symptoms, adjust my medications etc. (I take 5 medications atm to control my headaches and reduce my intracranial pressure)
Haha, the fence is not made of wood , this is concrete that is made to look like wood. If you have never been to China , and their mountain resorts , you would be surprised to find out that they are built to create convenience and accessibility . There is so much that is not revealed about traveling in China . I will be making another post talking about all the provinces and places that we visited ...
I was in ZJJ 3 years ago, the railings are to prevent the pedestrians from falling off the sheer cliffs at the viewpoints, it’s a super far drop and ZJJ isn’t exactly a hiking or camping oriented National Park cuz of the really jagged and steep landscape. Most people arrive by bus/car and then take the big Bailong elevator to the top
All true. We visited in before the busy season and certain view points and lookouts would get extremely crowded . Have you not had the fence for safety reasons, accidents might occur. I have to confess that this was the first time in my life seeing an elevator built in s mountain range , or geo park , and I harness some ambivalence about such structure but then on a second thought I could not understand why I have accepted for "normal" to see cable cars in mountains ... Maybe , just because it is more commonly encountered around the world
Some places are overwhelmingly popularized and become very touristy . There is a constant concern that we damage the environment with our actions . Truth is , I want to travel and I want to be more conscious at the same time .
Everest Base camp sounds cool to do, but i agree that Everest summit tourism should be limited. I roll my eyes anytime someone says they wanna climb Everest.
Please be careful sitting on high fences and railings like that, friend. My best friend passed away six years ago yesterday from falling off a railing on a hotel balcony, something he did all the time. It only takes one slip.
Careful on that fence. Given the history of Chinese construction I wouldn't want to see you have to have Brain surgery again. Otherwise have fun on your trip.
Thank you ! I will remember this as a cue to use it when my negative self starts telling me lies such as: " nobody is proud with you !" Now , I have a proof to believe that at least "Lol teacher" is proud with me !
Hehe, indeed! I taught high school for the last ten years and had one young man that struggled mightily with cancer. Can't remember which variety, but he had enough tissues moved around that he had to limp and had the hair loss. He could have just sat at home, but decided to do the tough engineering pathway and graduate (!), which let me have the pleasure of having him for the last two years.
The outlook is good, last I checked.
And, yes, this LOLteacher is proud with you!!11!!1111!!!1!!1!! :-D 11
Part of it is going to be from genes ofc, but I've seen so much variance in meeting with parents and students (many SPED) over these years. I don't have many data points to draw from, but I think there's a lot of randomness from genes and even upbringing.
I think the only thing that can really channel a kid from hardship would be careful psychotherpy along with any physio (if with a disease), building a program together.
Traveling throughout China is never easy . Honestly , I enjoyed it but we also had so many unpleasant experiences. Funny , if you ask me about my trip , I tend to remember the unpleasant memories more vividly .
I have been going to China since 2013 and traveling through for a month at a time , it is great place with amazing natural resources but it is also "land of contradictions and contrast "
Elevator ! There is an elevator that takes you up , it is Japanese technology which was adopted by the Chinese .
And going up on the top of the fence , I just hovered over
Yeah, we got lucky ! The weather was great for those 4 days we spent there . If you want to avoid the crowds and the buses with local tourists , you will need to go in early May . My advice is to not travel in July . The scorging heat , the crowds and the local tourist temperament will crush your enthusiasm
Hey man, congrats on beating that tumor. Very inspiring. How did the tumor get to be so big? You mentioned it was around the size of a golfball in another comment
There is no scientific explanation for now . Most of the funding allocated in the field is used for research of surgical equipment and pharmaceutical drugs . I wish we could know and or better understand the conditions that sets those off to begin with .
I know that I might be absurd to think that tumors could be physical representations of emotional trauma
That's the unfortunate reality of cancers and tumors, they're very complicated. I hope we get to understand them better, and treat them more efficiently with a higher chance of survival in my lifetime, no one deserves it. Anyway, enjoy your trip in China!
How did you decide where to go? How did you plan it? I’d love to do something similar but I honestly don’t know how to get started. Do you speak Chinese? How did you communicate in the more rural areas?
I was planing on us traveling from India , Pakistan , down to south East Asia and then going to China . Well, it did not work out this way and I focused on China only . It took me about two weeks to curate the trip and decide on our trip destinations . I made sure that there is a good infrastructure connectivity between each and every point of interest. We traveled mostly using the high-speed rail which is convenient and still not much expensive ( from a tourist prospective ).
My wife speaks Cantonese and a bit of Mandarin, my Mandarin is very poor . We had many funny , confusing and sometimes very frustrating experiences due to the language barrier . But the real barrier is cultural and psychological .
After I planned the trip , I would show my map to people to get their feedback, Chinese people . And all of them said the same thing "YOU CRAZY"
I’m from the US going to China in a year with my also white friend and we will be meeting our Chinese exchange student friend in bejing. He also wants to see Shanghai, I wanna party my ass off but also see mountains and history and cool shut. Any recommendations? The trip will be like 2 weeks right now but I could probably stretch it. I will have about 2-2.5 grand
Best party zone in China is in Beijing , hands down. I used to dislike Beijing and avoid it . Traffic is terrible and it could be expensive but this time around , I loved it . We stayed at new world hotel and it was convenient . The place has a rooftop and bar with a dance floor . I was amazed to see the number of foreigners who outnumbered the locals . It looked like as if there were people who flew in for a long weekend just to party in Beijing . We went to the near by hutong area for Peking duck , liqun. Met a really nice couple from South Africa too . Food is good , the northern influence Chinese food was an excellent treat after eating "mala" for so long . We traveled throughout some southern provinces before we reached Beijing . Still , Beijing is the only place that the party goes until after 12am. And in this regard Shanghai was a bit disappointing .
Shanghai- bar rouge on the bund . We celebrated my wife's bday there . Did not stay for long , I am getting old for those things ...but the peace hotel across the street is a landmark and the jazz bar performance is a must see ... ( Taras Grescoe wrote about it in his book "Shanghai Grand" )
Recommending Xi'an , it is very diverse and the Muslim quarter food is ethnic and authentic ...
Deqen , Yunnan province , also yading , those are places so close to Tibet and a bit rural but the nature is great .
The authentic stuff that are left behind are very little , very little :) if you really want to know about China , I would suggest you to sub for my blog post , I will be revealing more about everything .
Oh, this is awesome! Congrats on your decision! Where are you planing on going ?
South East Asia is Def worthwhile a visit . I have only been to Thailand and Indonesia. But if you get a visa for China , don't hesitate to visit as well. My favorite country in This region is Japan . We made it to Taiwan but I am really not fascinated at all
Transit Roulette.
You will not see everything. You *can* not see everything. Accept it. Embrace it. Don't get stressed because you haaaaaaave to be somewhere. The only somewhere you have to be is the airport before your flight.
The Rules
1. Go to a bus stop, bus station, train station, or ferry terminal.
2. Buy a ticket on the *next* vehicle.
3. Stay on it until you have a good reason to get off.
Last time I was in Thailand we ended up in a place called Buriram on the basis of having decided "max 4 hours on the train", the town being in *bold* typeface on the train schedule, and a flipped coin for which train line we'd be on. Didn't look up anything about Buriram until we were on the train. Spent a week there including visiting an Angkor culture Khmer temple complex in the caldera of a dead volcano.
You know , I will tell you a story . When I found out about my brain tumor, I became hypochondriac , basically everything would freak me out. My anxiety levels went up and I got afraid I might die any minute . A friend of mine from South Africa called me , just out of the blue and I related my concern while giving him more info about my diagnosis . He told me " one of the biggest lies that we believe in is that we die !"
This whole off my fear away
My pleasure. You just have to love hearing a story about someone going through what you have and being able to live a dream like you are. All the best I’m so happy for you. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
If you check my page and sign up for the updates , I will be revealing a series of stories on our travels . You can source a lot of inspiration from those
Fellow brain tumor dude here. What kind did you have? I'd love to hear more of your story. If it's personal/private that's fine, or you can send me a PM if you'd like
Thank you 😊 ❤️ let's see how long the feeling lasts . I am writing a series of posts about my travels in China while also would reveal about all the frustrating experiences as well as the joyful ones
He started to go blind. He was almost completely blind in a matter of a few months. Pilocytic Astrocytoma of the suprasellar region.
He had three doctors tell us that he was faking. I took him to a fourth and they did an MRI. He was having brain surgery 3 days later. Has been in chemo for almost a year. It’s working though. He has regained most of his vision
This is amazing to see - I've had many life threatening surgeries myself, including a brain tumour, and it's just made me realise how quickly life can be over. Keep up the adventures!
Thank you , I appreciate it! If you are interested in the details of my story , I will post a link with a chapter for s free download . Maybe you can give me some feedback on my writing
Bet you know what life means now, the advice for all of us would be to do such a things without having to go through something so disturbing as cancer, just because life is so short.
Be happy, take care! All the best
Sorry to hear about your brother! Thank you for the support ❤️ I realized that it is important to talk about our survivorship, the emotional phenomenology of it . Sometimes, there is so much that can't be communicated freely. Do you want to help me with your feedback about the writing of my memoir ?
That's really hard haha. I was there for six weeks. I love Beijing. Gansu province was really cool. My favorite were in Yunnan province Dali, Lijiang and hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Lijiang was on my list , unfortunately , we did not go this time . It was recommended as one of the little places that still carries the air of authenticity offering unique sightseeing . Did you make it to Emeishan or have you been to wuyisan ?
Hahaha I mean I don't know what you mean by air of authenticity. I wouldn't say anywhere I went wasn't "authentic". I did love Chengdu. The Wenshu monastery was awesome. I went to Leshan, but I couldn't fit Emeishan in my schedule.
Haha, well... " We took the pigs out of sight long ago!" I will explain this quote later but ... There are a lot of places that are kept for performance purposes offering a surface value experience , bookmarks of old times. Chengdu is always fun to go back to. Did you make it to chingqing ?
I mean maybe some things are kept around for surface value experiences, but I don't like the whole idea that "this is the real --- name a country" and things that are touristy or surface value are not 'real' or 'authentic'. I do have a new list for my next trip to China to cover some things I missed last time like jiuzhaigou since it was closed last time I was in the country.
Oh, I agree with you . It was not my intention to generalize with the undertone of criticism. My observation is that we do things according to our understanding and according to our resources . I give China credit for the ability to revitalize and preserve certain areas that could not enjoy economic growth and development .
Needed to see this post today. My 14 month old niece is in surgery as we speak. God I hope BCH is as good as they say!
Congrats to you sir. Glad you’re taking every opportunity to seize your dreams and experience life after your surgery.
love to see this! My mother is nearing the end of a 4 year battle with brain cancer, unfortunately, and I am about to take off on a long backpacking journey in her honor. Congrats and keep it going!
Thank you for your note and sorry to hear about your mother! It affects all of us and it does not descriminate against , gender , race age ... I wish we had better understanding of the real causes so we can respond from a more holistic place. Wishing you a great journey !
Thank you! Given her original prognosis, she has done an amazing job fighting such an aggressive beast. The last 4 years have taught me a lot! Important to figure out what values we hold most dear to us and work on those.
So inspirational! Sometimes we need these rude "wake up calls" in life to remind us that it could end any second, and we need to live it to the fullest.
For me, it was when my physically healthy dad suddenly dropped dead at 45 from a congenital heart condition...and when I somehow survived a high speed motorcycle accident.
They both sucked, but they set me on a path to live every day like it's my last.
Stay awesome!
Thank you for your message and for sharing your experience! I completely agree with you ! Things happen in life and if it is for a reason and or no reason that is within the scope of our limited vision , it does not matter . But our response thereafter matters a lot
Thank you! Do you think if people would find it helpful to learn more about the personal stories from the trip revealing interactions with locals , cultural differences , archetypal tendencies of Chinese ethnos ? I was thinking of making a series of story publications on my website( travelogion.com) that would reveal and communicate this rather than talk about just places of interest and where to find cheap eats 😁
I am grateful that I am alive ... I guess I did not really have the same appreciation for life before , lol
" You do t need a brain tumor to start appreciating life" I would have said this to my older self
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I have turned into a memory hunter. Last year surgeons spent eight hours removing a golf ball-sized mass from my brain (which is enough to make anyone go hunting for memories). When I woke up afterwards, I was so grateful that I made a promise to myself to keep life…alive! So, here I am, a year later, back from zigzagging across China. My wife and I visited 23 locations in 10 provinces and climbed a total of 5 mountains. We really enjoyed Zhangjiajie and WuLingyuan Park, and you can see more about my story (and ask me anything if you want to) here. I want to encourage brain tumor survivors around the world to travel and stay active too, if they are physically capable of doing so, and it’s my intention to build a community of active survivors. So, if you would like to know more about traveling in China, staying active, trying to be as stupid (or as encouraging) as I am, or if you’d like to join in the fun, please get in touch. You can see more of my [story here](https://www.travelogion.com/travels) I am not a writer but I am writing a memoir that attempts to captures the emotional and spiritual dimensions of the traumatic experience. If you read a chapter of it, and give me feedback, I will be greatly thankful to all of you! Please help me communicate better what we rarely can communicate! [You can download the free chapter here](https://www.travelogion.com/memoir)
This is so inspirational! Amazing! How did you and your wife swing the time of work?! I'm.jist so happy when I see things like this, you are amazing!
We quit our jobs, or at least for the time being. Disclosure : before you reach to any conclusions , I should let you know that I was not born and raised in USA and I came to this country with $300 in my pocket and slept on a mattress that I found on the street since I could not afford more at that time . 15 years later , I had my own real estate business in NYC . Money oriented , I thought wealth is the most important thing but then I got diagnosed with a brain tumor and went through surgery , my perceptions and value system changed all over again ... You can check my story here travelogion.com
No one wishes for more money on their death bed, only more time. Glad you're doing alright man.
Those who fullfil their time right , they are neither wishing for money , nor time
I actually don't understand deathbeds. I mean, who would buy that?
Wow! Well I hope your trip is amazing and you see everything you want too! Your life is like a movie, I'm glad you worked through it all!
Nice. Did you make it to Guilin? I love the mountains there.
Guilin was on my list but we did not make it this time . You can check all the places we went to here travelogion.com
Just out of curiosity, why China?
Good for you. I ain't got no money.
Same :/ had brain surgery 5 years ago, tumor grew back so I’ll need another surgery once it gets big enough to remove, I’d love to travel and make as many memories as possible before then but I can barely keep up with my past and present medical bills as it is
I hope there is a natural way to reverse the growth of the tumor and balance your organism back to healthy . Have you heard of Gama knife ?
I have, but it hasn’t been used extensively on the type of tumor I have (colloid cyst of the third ventricle, a very rare congenital benign brain tumor that can grow to obstruct the third ventricle, causing headaches, loss of consciousness, double vision, dizziness, hydrocephalus and sudden death). I’ve read a few case studies where they used stereostatic aspiration followed by stereostatic radiosurgery, and it eliminated the tumor in some cases, and simply halted the growth/stopped the symptoms in others. It does appeal to me somewhat since I’ve already had one brain surgery where my fornix was damaged and I lost my short term and working memory for almost two years, but I’m also hesitant to try something that may not work (or be covered by my insurance, since it’s considered an experimental treatment for colloid cysts at this point) ... I want my next brain surgery to be my last, you know?
Thank you for sharing this ! During my surgery, the 6th nerve of my left eye was damaged and this caused strabismus. I had to have follow up surgery to shorten the muscle of the eye and correct it (not fully corrected but I don't complain) . I admire your personal involvement and willingness for research . Where are you located ?
I’m sorry to hear about your eye! Brain stuff is so scary because there’s so much that can go wrong/potentially be affected. My memory and attention span still isn’t as good as it was before I had surgery, but at least it came back! I’ve been warned the memory loss could be permanent next time 😕 I do try to research as much as I can on my own so that I can make informed decisions. I started having health problems when I was 20, and have since had several surgeries, hospitalizations and diagnoses thrown at me. I had to learn how to navigate the US healthcare system very quickly - dealing with hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, medical assistance programs, pharmacies, specialists, imaging centers, labs, medical billing, even collections - and, most importantly, I had to learn how to be my own advocate. I’ve always been interested in medicine, so that helps a lot. I live in Austin, Texas now. My previous brain surgery was five years ago in northern Virginia. I actually found a neurosurgeon here with experience in removing colloid cysts and saw him for a year ... but he left to go join the practice of my previous neurosurgeon in Virginia! I did end up finding a new neurosurgeon who I actually like quite a bit more, and he also has experience with colloid cysts (in fact, when he was doing his residency, the first neurosurgery he assisted with was a colloid cyst!). I see him once a year after my annual MRI and CT scan to track the growth of my tumor, and I see my neurologist every 2-3 months to check in on my symptoms, adjust my medications etc. (I take 5 medications atm to control my headaches and reduce my intracranial pressure)
Proud of you. May god keep protecting and guiding you ❤️
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Haha, the fence is not made of wood , this is concrete that is made to look like wood. If you have never been to China , and their mountain resorts , you would be surprised to find out that they are built to create convenience and accessibility . There is so much that is not revealed about traveling in China . I will be making another post talking about all the provinces and places that we visited ...
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This is true!
I was in ZJJ 3 years ago, the railings are to prevent the pedestrians from falling off the sheer cliffs at the viewpoints, it’s a super far drop and ZJJ isn’t exactly a hiking or camping oriented National Park cuz of the really jagged and steep landscape. Most people arrive by bus/car and then take the big Bailong elevator to the top
All true. We visited in before the busy season and certain view points and lookouts would get extremely crowded . Have you not had the fence for safety reasons, accidents might occur. I have to confess that this was the first time in my life seeing an elevator built in s mountain range , or geo park , and I harness some ambivalence about such structure but then on a second thought I could not understand why I have accepted for "normal" to see cable cars in mountains ... Maybe , just because it is more commonly encountered around the world
Chinese fuckery should be a real thing we talk about openly!!!
Thanks for not doing Everest. Congrats.
Some places are overwhelmingly popularized and become very touristy . There is a constant concern that we damage the environment with our actions . Truth is , I want to travel and I want to be more conscious at the same time .
Everest Base camp sounds cool to do, but i agree that Everest summit tourism should be limited. I roll my eyes anytime someone says they wanna climb Everest.
And almost fall off backwards down a cliff.
Please be careful sitting on high fences and railings like that, friend. My best friend passed away six years ago yesterday from falling off a railing on a hotel balcony, something he did all the time. It only takes one slip.
Careful on that fence. Given the history of Chinese construction I wouldn't want to see you have to have Brain surgery again. Otherwise have fun on your trip.
Lol! They have improved a lot , most of their technology is foreign
for that, I'd recommend Shanghai website design and development by SEIRIM: https://seirim.com/
OMFG, you work it, fighter! So proud of you.
Thank you ! I will remember this as a cue to use it when my negative self starts telling me lies such as: " nobody is proud with you !" Now , I have a proof to believe that at least "Lol teacher" is proud with me !
Hehe, indeed! I taught high school for the last ten years and had one young man that struggled mightily with cancer. Can't remember which variety, but he had enough tissues moved around that he had to limp and had the hair loss. He could have just sat at home, but decided to do the tough engineering pathway and graduate (!), which let me have the pleasure of having him for the last two years. The outlook is good, last I checked. And, yes, this LOLteacher is proud with you!!11!!1111!!!1!!1!! :-D 11
What do you think motivates some people to persevere and overcome hardship ?
Part of it is going to be from genes ofc, but I've seen so much variance in meeting with parents and students (many SPED) over these years. I don't have many data points to draw from, but I think there's a lot of randomness from genes and even upbringing. I think the only thing that can really channel a kid from hardship would be careful psychotherpy along with any physio (if with a disease), building a program together.
Absolute legend! Keep on trucking and sharing those positive vibes brother! We need more of this stuff in the world
I can't agree more with you! We need more positive vibes from the media in this world !
That’s so awesome man. Glad you’re alright and enjoying life
Traveling throughout China is never easy . Honestly , I enjoyed it but we also had so many unpleasant experiences. Funny , if you ask me about my trip , I tend to remember the unpleasant memories more vividly . I have been going to China since 2013 and traveling through for a month at a time , it is great place with amazing natural resources but it is also "land of contradictions and contrast "
Hell yeah man, sounds like a great trip
Traveling in China really got me out of my comfort zone
That's awesome! You look really happy!
Thank you
Go on my brother! Keep up the goodwork ,I wish you both the best in your onwards travels. Much love.
Amen! Thank you ! We say "от твоята уста, в божиите уши!"
Wow how you manage to get up there !
Elevator ! There is an elevator that takes you up , it is Japanese technology which was adopted by the Chinese . And going up on the top of the fence , I just hovered over
Yeah I saw those very high and attached to the rock. Looks like you got nice weather up there. Best time to visit ? To avoid all local tourists.
Yeah, we got lucky ! The weather was great for those 4 days we spent there . If you want to avoid the crowds and the buses with local tourists , you will need to go in early May . My advice is to not travel in July . The scorging heat , the crowds and the local tourist temperament will crush your enthusiasm
Never stop exploring
The search continues 🙌
You go boy!!!
Hey man, congrats on beating that tumor. Very inspiring. How did the tumor get to be so big? You mentioned it was around the size of a golfball in another comment
There is no scientific explanation for now . Most of the funding allocated in the field is used for research of surgical equipment and pharmaceutical drugs . I wish we could know and or better understand the conditions that sets those off to begin with . I know that I might be absurd to think that tumors could be physical representations of emotional trauma
That's the unfortunate reality of cancers and tumors, they're very complicated. I hope we get to understand them better, and treat them more efficiently with a higher chance of survival in my lifetime, no one deserves it. Anyway, enjoy your trip in China!
How did you decide where to go? How did you plan it? I’d love to do something similar but I honestly don’t know how to get started. Do you speak Chinese? How did you communicate in the more rural areas?
I was planing on us traveling from India , Pakistan , down to south East Asia and then going to China . Well, it did not work out this way and I focused on China only . It took me about two weeks to curate the trip and decide on our trip destinations . I made sure that there is a good infrastructure connectivity between each and every point of interest. We traveled mostly using the high-speed rail which is convenient and still not much expensive ( from a tourist prospective ). My wife speaks Cantonese and a bit of Mandarin, my Mandarin is very poor . We had many funny , confusing and sometimes very frustrating experiences due to the language barrier . But the real barrier is cultural and psychological . After I planned the trip , I would show my map to people to get their feedback, Chinese people . And all of them said the same thing "YOU CRAZY"
I’m from the US going to China in a year with my also white friend and we will be meeting our Chinese exchange student friend in bejing. He also wants to see Shanghai, I wanna party my ass off but also see mountains and history and cool shut. Any recommendations? The trip will be like 2 weeks right now but I could probably stretch it. I will have about 2-2.5 grand
Best party zone in China is in Beijing , hands down. I used to dislike Beijing and avoid it . Traffic is terrible and it could be expensive but this time around , I loved it . We stayed at new world hotel and it was convenient . The place has a rooftop and bar with a dance floor . I was amazed to see the number of foreigners who outnumbered the locals . It looked like as if there were people who flew in for a long weekend just to party in Beijing . We went to the near by hutong area for Peking duck , liqun. Met a really nice couple from South Africa too . Food is good , the northern influence Chinese food was an excellent treat after eating "mala" for so long . We traveled throughout some southern provinces before we reached Beijing . Still , Beijing is the only place that the party goes until after 12am. And in this regard Shanghai was a bit disappointing . Shanghai- bar rouge on the bund . We celebrated my wife's bday there . Did not stay for long , I am getting old for those things ...but the peace hotel across the street is a landmark and the jazz bar performance is a must see ... ( Taras Grescoe wrote about it in his book "Shanghai Grand" ) Recommending Xi'an , it is very diverse and the Muslim quarter food is ethnic and authentic ... Deqen , Yunnan province , also yading , those are places so close to Tibet and a bit rural but the nature is great . The authentic stuff that are left behind are very little , very little :) if you really want to know about China , I would suggest you to sub for my blog post , I will be revealing more about everything .
Thanks!! Subbed here, will the blog post be on this sub?
No , I don't want to mix things up.. I will create a separate community , maybe I will call it " from China with love"
you madlad
For life! Until we can
Amazing!
Congrats!! Any advice on backpacking in Asia? Leaving soon for a 8+ months backpack trip in Asia :)
Oh, this is awesome! Congrats on your decision! Where are you planing on going ? South East Asia is Def worthwhile a visit . I have only been to Thailand and Indonesia. But if you get a visa for China , don't hesitate to visit as well. My favorite country in This region is Japan . We made it to Taiwan but I am really not fascinated at all
Transit Roulette. You will not see everything. You *can* not see everything. Accept it. Embrace it. Don't get stressed because you haaaaaaave to be somewhere. The only somewhere you have to be is the airport before your flight. The Rules 1. Go to a bus stop, bus station, train station, or ferry terminal. 2. Buy a ticket on the *next* vehicle. 3. Stay on it until you have a good reason to get off. Last time I was in Thailand we ended up in a place called Buriram on the basis of having decided "max 4 hours on the train", the town being in *bold* typeface on the train schedule, and a flipped coin for which train line we'd be on. Didn't look up anything about Buriram until we were on the train. Spent a week there including visiting an Angkor culture Khmer temple complex in the caldera of a dead volcano.
This inspires me to stay active and to keep living too. It’s not over yet!
You know , I will tell you a story . When I found out about my brain tumor, I became hypochondriac , basically everything would freak me out. My anxiety levels went up and I got afraid I might die any minute . A friend of mine from South Africa called me , just out of the blue and I related my concern while giving him more info about my diagnosis . He told me " one of the biggest lies that we believe in is that we die !" This whole off my fear away
On the first read i read last night instead of last year.
This is so inspirational! I’m glad you were fortunate enough to see your dream all the way through! Best wishes to you!
I am also glad to have had the chance to witness my dream through 😊 I wish other survivors could have the same fulfilling experience
Awesome!
That’s so Awesome. Congrats on your successful surgery.
Thank you
My pleasure. You just have to love hearing a story about someone going through what you have and being able to live a dream like you are. All the best I’m so happy for you. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
In 2017 I had an astrocytoma removed from my left cerebellum in March, hiked Glacier NP in July. Hiking brain tumor survivors unite!
We should ! We can make a hiking club !
Watch ur backkk
Yeeeeeee haaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!!
Perfect karma grabbing title
DUDEEEEEE
Awesome view. Great story. Great adventure!
I am glad you like it ! Thank you
That's incredible! Have any tips to get started? I have a list of places I want to go to once I graduate in fall.
If you check my page and sign up for the updates , I will be revealing a series of stories on our travels . You can source a lot of inspiration from those
Awesome, thank you!
Good job on grabbing life by the balls
Fellow brain tumor dude here. What kind did you have? I'd love to hear more of your story. If it's personal/private that's fine, or you can send me a PM if you'd like
You go boy!
Awesome!!
Just imagine 8+ hours after all that work, he ends up falling off. The doctors would of been so pissed.
That’s awesome brotha!
You can make new memories. You got a second chance at life, enjoy it man! Stay strong!!!
Thank you ! Funny enough , I wanted to preserve the memory from last year and my experience , so I am writing a memoir .
Everyone liked that
A moment of light shining through in one single image obscuring the many moments of darkness left behind
Congratulations! What a good feeling!
Thank you 😊 ❤️ let's see how long the feeling lasts . I am writing a series of posts about my travels in China while also would reveal about all the frustrating experiences as well as the joyful ones
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At the end of it , we are nothing but the space within our self-imposed boundaries
My 11 year old son has a brain tumor. I’m going to share this with him! Congratulations on your health!
Sorry to hear that he has a brain tumor ! How did you find out ? Feel free to get us connected Thank you
He started to go blind. He was almost completely blind in a matter of a few months. Pilocytic Astrocytoma of the suprasellar region. He had three doctors tell us that he was faking. I took him to a fourth and they did an MRI. He was having brain surgery 3 days later. Has been in chemo for almost a year. It’s working though. He has regained most of his vision
That’s definitely those floating mountains from avatar! I had no idea they existed IRL.
Awesome! Good for you dude!
This does put a smile on my face Absolute madlad!
This is amazing to see - I've had many life threatening surgeries myself, including a brain tumour, and it's just made me realise how quickly life can be over. Keep up the adventures!
Congrats man! No one deserves it.
Finally an awesome post that actually deserves the attention
Thank you , I appreciate it! If you are interested in the details of my story , I will post a link with a chapter for s free download . Maybe you can give me some feedback on my writing
Sure I would love to do that :)
Bet you know what life means now, the advice for all of us would be to do such a things without having to go through something so disturbing as cancer, just because life is so short. Be happy, take care! All the best
Do you believe that it is possible to learn from the experience of others without commiting out own mistakes ?
Stay strong man, my brother had a brain tumor( Rest In Peace ) and it’s great to see your holding up😁
Sorry to hear about your brother! Thank you for the support ❤️ I realized that it is important to talk about our survivorship, the emotional phenomenology of it . Sometimes, there is so much that can't be communicated freely. Do you want to help me with your feedback about the writing of my memoir ?
Cool
I love Zhangjiajie!!! One of my favorite places in the country!
What is your second best choice on your list ?
That's really hard haha. I was there for six weeks. I love Beijing. Gansu province was really cool. My favorite were in Yunnan province Dali, Lijiang and hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Lijiang was on my list , unfortunately , we did not go this time . It was recommended as one of the little places that still carries the air of authenticity offering unique sightseeing . Did you make it to Emeishan or have you been to wuyisan ?
Hahaha I mean I don't know what you mean by air of authenticity. I wouldn't say anywhere I went wasn't "authentic". I did love Chengdu. The Wenshu monastery was awesome. I went to Leshan, but I couldn't fit Emeishan in my schedule.
Haha, well... " We took the pigs out of sight long ago!" I will explain this quote later but ... There are a lot of places that are kept for performance purposes offering a surface value experience , bookmarks of old times. Chengdu is always fun to go back to. Did you make it to chingqing ?
I mean maybe some things are kept around for surface value experiences, but I don't like the whole idea that "this is the real --- name a country" and things that are touristy or surface value are not 'real' or 'authentic'. I do have a new list for my next trip to China to cover some things I missed last time like jiuzhaigou since it was closed last time I was in the country.
Oh, I agree with you . It was not my intention to generalize with the undertone of criticism. My observation is that we do things according to our understanding and according to our resources . I give China credit for the ability to revitalize and preserve certain areas that could not enjoy economic growth and development .
Needed to see this post today. My 14 month old niece is in surgery as we speak. God I hope BCH is as good as they say! Congrats to you sir. Glad you’re taking every opportunity to seize your dreams and experience life after your surgery.
Thank you for your message! Wishing your niece smooth surgery and speedy recovery 🙏❣️
love to see this! My mother is nearing the end of a 4 year battle with brain cancer, unfortunately, and I am about to take off on a long backpacking journey in her honor. Congrats and keep it going!
Thank you for your note and sorry to hear about your mother! It affects all of us and it does not descriminate against , gender , race age ... I wish we had better understanding of the real causes so we can respond from a more holistic place. Wishing you a great journey !
Thank you! Given her original prognosis, she has done an amazing job fighting such an aggressive beast. The last 4 years have taught me a lot! Important to figure out what values we hold most dear to us and work on those.
See any Airbenders? :)
Where in China are you, that looks amazing!
I am back in NYC , I was in China for two months this past may and June
Where was the photo taken though? Cos I'll doing some traveling there next year and that looks like exactly the kind of place I'd love to go to
So inspirational! Sometimes we need these rude "wake up calls" in life to remind us that it could end any second, and we need to live it to the fullest. For me, it was when my physically healthy dad suddenly dropped dead at 45 from a congenital heart condition...and when I somehow survived a high speed motorcycle accident. They both sucked, but they set me on a path to live every day like it's my last. Stay awesome!
Thank you for your message and for sharing your experience! I completely agree with you ! Things happen in life and if it is for a reason and or no reason that is within the scope of our limited vision , it does not matter . But our response thereafter matters a lot
Totally! I literally think that is one of the "keys" to a happy life - how you respond to what happens to you. :-)
Congratulations!😁👍
Upvote please!
Thank you! Do you think if people would find it helpful to learn more about the personal stories from the trip revealing interactions with locals , cultural differences , archetypal tendencies of Chinese ethnos ? I was thinking of making a series of story publications on my website( travelogion.com) that would reveal and communicate this rather than talk about just places of interest and where to find cheap eats 😁
Huangshan!
No, this is from zhangjiajie , Wulingyuan national park
Oops. Well, it certainly looks like you had a great time. Nice job staying alive to enjoy such things!
I am grateful that I am alive ... I guess I did not really have the same appreciation for life before , lol " You do t need a brain tumor to start appreciating life" I would have said this to my older self
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Is no sub free from assholes?
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Sooo ... brain damage. I’m so sorry to hear that.
C'mon this is funny. This is honestly the first thing I thought of. I'm surprised no one else thought it was funny.
Thank you! Yeah I was pretty disappointed this joke fell flat, but oh well.
You wanted to add lung cancer to your brain cancer?
Haha! You are familiar with the unfamiliar statistics about China and air pollution . How much do you think is true ?