Amanda Roberts's Blog, page 11

Best Traveling Apps for Exploring China – Guest Post By D Scott Carruthers

China is one of the most amazing travel destinations and visitors are fascinated by the vast cultural inclusions they are served once they arrive. But many people want their trips to be filled with a unique thrill, so their preferences will be based on getting the best destinations, which is one of the challenges visitors have to deal with. But according to D. Scott Carruthers, a travel expert who has been guiding tourists for years, you don’t need to rely on anyone to understand some of the best places to visit while in China. There are many traveling apps you could install that give you accurate and reliable information about different destinations across the world. Below are few that you might want to consider.

Instagram

Built to work as a photo-sharing platform, Instagram has grown to one of the best social platforms and now has a wide base of travel enthusiasts and experts, who regularly update useful information about travel destinations. If you are planning on visiting China and are looking for a great traveling app, you should start by searching for Instagram accounts that specialize in highlighting popular travel destinations across the country, and from this you will learn about the different amazing destinations you are able to choose from. The beauty of using Instagram is that unlike other travel apps you are offered free access to quality information.

Like a Local

This is an awesome traveling app that offers you useful information from the people who reside in a destination, and this is one of the most reliable options out there as it comprehensively covers cities and towns to allow you to understand well the various destinations. It focuses on the things to do in a city, and searching through it is easy and fast. However, unlike Instagram, for this you will need to spend $1.99 for each city guide you subscribe to.

Nearify

You might also want to enjoy good times while in China and for this you will also need to make a choice. One of the traveling apps you could choose for the purpose is Nearify, which directs you to local events and gigs that match your preferences. It offers you an opportunity to browse through what is happening so you can pick a destination that is matching to your demands. You will find stacks covering different categories including music, eating, comedy, and drinking experiences.

Spotted by Locals

As the name suggests, Spotted by Locals is a travel app with which you can search for destinations based on the information provided by locals themselves. The app was drawn from a blog that covered Amsterdam, but now has stretched its coverage to other cities including ones in China. To get the complete guides, you will need to spend only $3.99, and this goes to each guide, but you are given future tips for free when you choose this option. Finding a perfect travel destination is an easy process when you have guiding information as highlighted above, so don’t hesitate to try one of these apps.

D Scott Carruthers is a lifelong traveler and photography enthusiast. His writings can be found at http://dscottcarrutherstravel.com/

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Two Americans in China in Hurricane Irma!

When we go back to the States, our home base is in Florida. We arrived at the beginning of September, the height of hurricane season! And we quickly found ourselves in the path of three hurricanes: Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose, and Hurricane Maria.

Irma was the biggest and baddest one headed our way. Irma was a Category 5 storm, the strongest storm since Wilma in 2005, the most intense since Katrina (also 2005), and the first to make landfall in Florida since Wilma. We were in for a doozy.

Batten Down the Hatches!

We live in the middle of the state, so usually even the strongest of hurricanes weaken before hitting us. We don’t typically have to worry about flooding or structural damage to our home. The biggest threat is usually just power outages, but we had a generator. So while many people further south or along the coasts were fleeing north and inland, we boarded up the windows, stocked up on water, chips, and gas, and prepared to ride out the storm.

First came the rain…

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Then came the wind!

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Our baby loves the wind and the rain. So even she had to experience her first hurricane!

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In the end, we were quite lucky. We were without power for 4 days and had some damage to a fence. But many people were quite worse off. 90 people died due to the storm and there was over 60 billion dollars in damage.

Hurricane Jose then spun off into oblivion.

But then came Hurricane Maria.

By the time Hurricane Maria became a threat to the area, we were in North Carolina visiting family there. We still had family in Florida, but Maria didn’t really threaten the mainland. Puerto Rico has been another story, though. The damage there has been catastrophic. And even now, over a month later, hundreds of thousands of Americans are without power, water, and other basic necessities. It could take years for the island to recover. Local officials are calling the situation a humanitarian crisis.

Here are several reputable websites you can donate through to help the people of Puerto Rico

United for Puerto Rico (spearheaded by the First Lady of Puerto Rico)
UNICEF
Center for Popular Democracy
Hispanic Federation’s “Unidos” page
International Medical Corps
Former U.S. presidents have expanded their One America Appeal to include recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Catholic Relief Services
Americares
Direct Relief
Save the Children, which focuses specifically on the needs of families and their children.
Global Giving has a $2 million goal for victims of Hurricane Maria

 

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Two Americans in China in America – Giveaway At End of Post

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but we just spent 6 looong weeks in America. This was our first trip back to the US in about two and a half years, and it was the longest trip back we had ever taken. We have never been back for more than 3 weeks before. It was a nice trip. Our little girl got to meet both sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles and we got to do a lot of fun things. We visited two states, went on a road trip, went to a lantern festival, took the baby to the beach for the first time, explored two aquariums, and stood outside in a hurricane.

But I was very glad to be back home on Monday. I love our life here in China and I missed my dog! I also missed working. It was very hard to try to work with so many distractions and without having my regular schedule and work place. I hardly got anything done! I am glad to be back to my beautiful Yangshuo and calm, ordered life. Regular blog posts and a new novel will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Here are a few pics from the trip.

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In the meantime, here is something fun for you! If you follow me on Amazon, Bookbub, or Goodreads, you can enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card! It’s just that easy! 

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Square dancing, Chinese style – Guest Post by Daniel Otero

With the proliferation of Sino-Pop around the world came a new dance craze. It was a grand moment for a culture that used to keep everything private. Suddenly, people began doing things outdoors.

People started to gather around the plazas and town squares to listen to tunes, and from here it was developed into a form of square dancing.

A generation began to move and groove. These people wanted what they had missed: mambo, cha-cha, tango, and electronic-pop. They did it to a new vibe, you know, to those old-syrupy tunes from back in the days of Teresa Teng. Yes, when her hits began to scorch the charts and rhythms became a permanent part of the Chinese psyche with “Sweet Honey”.

And what did millions of Chinese began to do?

They formed clubs or associations and then took to parks across China to learn how to dance to a classical tune.

China began experimenting certain social changes with the Baby Boomers and Generation ‘X’, who began to radically transform the country. It manifested in music and body movement. And what began as a simplistic notion turned to something not seen since the dancing culture of the Han Dynasty.

The weekends came and went. But one thing became a symbol of the new China. It was to do a communal gathering every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evening. And it formed into something special, catching with a fever like wildfire across the nation.

What you have today is something that now symbolizes and it is China. It’s certainly part of every city and town. The local gathering and to dance the night away for three or more hours.

It’s a way to admire people in their 40s, 50s, and as late as their 80s, sweating away their frustrations. Most of the middle and elder ages come together to have fun, associate, mingle with the neighbors, enjoy the local gossip, and, of course, dance! Dancing has become a staple to keep fit and young.

Most people who get out there to have fun are usually women. Men also gather as part of the action; however, the females outnumber the males 10 to 1 in the performance of the dance.

While moving in an almost perfect Ying and Yang circle once they get the momentum going.

Inside a culture that is most likely very shy, these people are out and about.

It has been my experience that whether in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, Nanjing, Jiangsu or Chengdu, Sichuan, you can see the older people grooving and having a good time!

Even for a foreigner like me, I’ve risen a couple of occasions to dance the night away and learn something not often seen in America. A possible phenomena as old as time, and for me it’d be my greatest wish for it to catch on around the United States in a way to sweat away the calories and slim down our backsides.

What’s my biggest fear is the following…

This cultural and stylish phenomena can easily disappear in the next 40 years. Why? If the millennial generation doesn’t get away from their phones and shyness to swing around, they’ll lose something that has become quite unique with China and ingrained in its culture, the desires for the dance.

For now and while I’m in China, I’ll still head out during my weekends to have a gorgeous moment and square dance in a Chinese style.

 

Daniel Otero was born on the tough streets of Brooklyn, New York.  He’s a passionate teacher and freelance writer who loves his work and by the summer of 2018 his second book will be published, “The Artist of War”.

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Hostel Review – Mountain Escape Yangshuo

My family was recently invited to stay the night at Mountain Escape Yangshuo. The property was amazing and we would highly recommend staying here.

Z-Baby immediately claimed the huge bathtub as her personal swimming pool

Mountain Escape is a refurbished countryside house about 20 minutes by car outside of Yangshuo town. The family who owns it (Gary and Fiona) spared no expense in the renovations, but they were also careful to preserve as much of the original buildings as possible. “We want this place to be not just a hostel, but a museum,” Fiona told me. The original buildings are about 100 years old, and much of the furniture and decorations are refurbished antiques as well.

The hostel is rather new and we stayed on a Tuesday night, so we were the only guests. But even if the hostel was “full,” it only has 4 rooms, so it will never be crowded. The village is quiet and pitch black at night. You can actually see the stars out here, which is something you can’t do in Yangshuo town because of all the light pollution.

The beds are super comfy

The hostel is built up on the hillside, and they built a deck even higher above the buildings. The view from the deck is stunning.

The hostel was designed with expats and foreign tourists in mind. All of the staff speak English, the beds are soft, and the food is fantastic! They even made sure the fish didn’t have any bones because they know that Westerners hate bones in their food. The food was so good I didn’t have a chance to take a picture before it was gone.

A Qing Dynasty-era house near the hostel

If you are looking to get away from the city, this is the place to be! I always recommend staying outside of Yangshuo in a countryside hostel or villa because Yangshuo is so loud and crowded. The real beauty, peace, and charm of coming to this area can’t be found in town. The hostel is only a 10-minute walk from Yulong River, but they also have bikes you can rent to explore the surrounding area. There are many other ancient houses in the area and breathtaking views. Even though we now live here and see the mountains every day, they never get old.

If you are coming to Yangshuo and are looking for a place to “get away from it all,” I would highly recommend Mountain Escape Yangshuo. You can learn more about them and book a room on their website. MountainEscapeYangshuo.com. 

 

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Behind the Story – Empress Cixi

If you have read any of my books, it’s pretty easy to see that China’s last empress, the Dowager Empress Cixi, is a recurring character. Who was Empress Cixi and why do I write about her?

Empress Cixi was born in 1835 to a poor and unimportant Manchu family, but she didn’t remain in obscurity for long. When she was only 16, she was among several young ladies selected as a consort for the Xianfeng Emperor, but only a 6th rank consort. It took her three years to climb to 5th rank, but the following year, in 1855, she gave birth to the emperor’s only son, the future Tongzhi Emperor, and was elevated to 2nd rank, second only to the empress, Cian.

When the Xianfeng Emperor died in 1861, he appointed 8 ministers to serve as joint regents until his son came of age (who was only six years old at the time). Most scholars agree that this was a poor decision (though making poor or even disastrous decisions was what he did best), but no one could have predicted what happened next.

Cixi, with the support of the emperor’s closest brother, Prince Gong, staged a coup. Together they outsmarted the ministers, had them executed or banished, and Cixi and Empress Cian were made co-Regents with Prince Gong as Prince-Regent.

Empress Cian had no interest in politics, but she was an excellent manager of the Inner Court of the Women, so Cixi effectively ruled China in the name of her son alone, with Prince Gong serving as an advisor and diplomat, until he came of age in 1873. Cixi again took over the regency when Tongzhi died in 1875. She stepped aside again in 1889 when her nephew and adopted son the Guangxu Emperor came of age, but after he attempted to have her killed in 1898, she once again stepped in to rule and placed him under house arrest until both of them died in 1908.

This is just a quick and dirty summary of her life, but suffice to say she was a brilliant and complicated woman. While she was villainized by many both during her life and after her death, Pearl S. Buck, who was alive and living in China during the last years of Cixi’s reign, said in her forward to her novel about Cixi, Imperial Woman, that those who hated Empress Cixi were “more articulate than those who loved her.” She also said that decades after Cixi died, she “came across villages in the in-lands of China where the people thought that she still lived and were frightened when they heard she was dead. ‘Who will care for us now?’ they cried.”

Jung Chang’s biography of Cixi, Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China, is an excellent resource if you want to learn more about this fascinating woman. I read it several times in the years leading up to my release of Threads of Silk.

In my own writings, Empress Cixi pops up again and again. In Threads of Silk, I use her name because I tried to portray her as authentically as possible. In Murder in the Forbidden City and in the upcoming The Emperor’s Seal, I don’t name her because I wanted more leeway in how she was portrayed, but who is to say which version is the real Cixi? I don’t think any writer can really pin down a woman as complicated and contrary as Cixi.

While she has often portrayed as the quintessential cruel “dragon lady,” she was also a woman who loved photography, Pekingese dogs, opened the first schools for girls, and tried to abolish foot binding. She ended the method of torture and execution known as the “death by a thousand cuts” and allowed women to be opera singers. When she died she was on the cusp of establishing a Parliament in an attempt to give the people more say in their government and preserve the Qing Dynasty.

While many people tried to blame her for the collapse of the Chinese Empire, she was the only person who held it together for decades. While she lived, there was no organized concerted effort to overthrow her. Instead, out of respect, rebels and revolutionaries waited until she died before trying something new.

She was not a perfect ruler or a perfect person, but she was not the evil monster who single-handedly led China to disaster that many people like to pretend she was.

She was flawed and fabulous. 

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Threads of Silk Now Available As An Audiobook!

I’m excited to announce that Threads of Silk is now available as an audiobook! The book was narrated by Leanne Yau. You can download the book from Amazon here.

To celebrate, I’m giving away 5 copies to some lucky fans! Just enter your email address below!

 

 

This promotion is only available for US Audible members. You don’t have to be a current Audible member, but you will have to open a US Audible account.

You can also open a free 30-day trial account and get a copy of my book for FREE by going to http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B074F3SDW1

This feels like a big step as an author to have my book available in audio. I am very thankful to Leanne for taking this project on. It’s a really long book, over 100,000 words! I hope you enjoy it!

About Threads of Silk

When I was a child, I thought my destiny was to live and die on the banks of the Xiangjiang River as my family had done for generations. I never imagined that my life would lead me to the Forbidden City and the court of China’s last Empress.

Born in the middle of nowhere, Yaqian, a little embroidery girl from Hunan Province, finds her way to the imperial court, a place of intrigue, desire, and treachery. From the bed of an Emperor, the heart of a Prince, and the right side of an Empress, Yaqian weaves her way through the most turbulent decades of China’s history and witnesses the fall of the Qing Dynasty.

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Guest Post – How To Travel On A Budget And Make Money While Traveling by Lysha Rohan

Before you decide to spend the rest of your life in one comfy place and do the same things every day, why not invest in travel? Whether it’s for a much-needed vacation or in pursuit of knowledge, traveling to foreign, exotic places is indeed fulfilling. But there’s a better way to improve your lifestyle while reaping the rewards of a great adventure — making money while traveling.

You’ve probably heard a lot about people quitting their regular jobs to find another source of income. Others have tried traveling while still earning money with a nine-to-five desk job. If you belong to the latter category and want to keep your regular job, yet still earn extra moolah while on a trip, here are some tips on how to travel on a budget and make money while traveling.

Start a travel blog.

This is the common route for a lot of people whenever they think of making money from their travels. Although it doesn’t really guarantee an instant, stable flow of income, starting a travel blog can help boost your earning potential. For one, featuring sponsored content on your blog is usually where most of the profits come from. Once big organizations take notice of your content, they may actually start paying you to travel and blog for them.

You don’t even have to restrict yourself to a written blog or a vlog. You can do both! Plus, launching — and maintaining — your blog is a great way to build up your experience AND portfolio. If you’re dedicated to it, you will soon establish a good rep and solid footing as an online travel journalist.

Sell your travel photos.

One of the many joys that come with traveling is taking photos of your adventures. To add to the previous point, photography also means big business for bloggers. You can post your photos on Instagram or any social networking site to promote your work, so you can eventually sell them as stock images and prints for big organizations.

Another freelance platform that you can consider selling your travel photos in Upwork. Turning your pictures into cash cows can be a great source of passive income while focusing on other matters. If you want to get another source of extra income, Upwork offers a variety of online opportunities such as video production, game development, virtual assistant work, and a lot more. With that, you can work anytime and anywhere while still having the money and time to travel.

Find or make products you can sell on eBay.

Another option is selling retail travel items on eBay, provided that you’re credible enough to do so. eBay is usually the best place to sell exotic items you’ve purchased abroad. If you’re the artsy type, you can craft your own products based on your travels (e.g. the brush paintings you’ve seen in China) and sell them in online art stores such as Etsy.

Rent out your space.

Say you’re traveling to the United States and leaving your flat in China behind for a few days or a week. Turn that into an opportunity to earn some money while traveling — rent out your space! You can sign up to be a host at AirBnB (though it comes with a registration fee), but you can get that investment back when somebody rents out your space. Be sure to take attractive photos your place, describe it accurately, and have someone to check on stuff while you’re gone, especially if it’s your first time to rent it out.

You can also check out other sites for listing your space, such as Craigslist and Apartments.com.

About the Author

Lysha works at Lalco Residency – Hotel Mumbai and she loves her job. Helping clients and monitoring the progress of business strategies along with her leadership skills makes her a perfect fit for hospitality services. You can catch up with Lysha at Lalco Residency in Mumbai.

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Indie-pendence Blog Hop & Giveaway

Welcome to the Indie-pendence Blog Hop & Giveaway, hosted by Love Kissed Book Bargains!

For those of you new to my blog, I am Amanda Roberts. I am an American but I have been living in China since 2010. I write historical fiction and cookbooks. 

For the hop, I’m giving away a $20 Amazon Gift Card and 5 paperback copies of my new release, Murder in the Forbidden City. 

Winners will be chosen at random. Giveaway is open from 12pm EST on 7/14 until 11:59pm EST on 7/28.

The next stop on the hop is Leigh Anderson To enter to win her prize, please visit her blog here http://leighandersonromance.com/2017/07/indie-pendence-blog-hop-giveaway/.

Don’t forget to visit http://lovekissedbookbargains.com/2017/07/12/indie-pendence-blog-hop-giveaway/ to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway to win a FREE Kindle!

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Plan Ahead to Keep Travel Disasters at Bay – Guest Post by Jane Moore

There’s a reason people travel when they have time off. Taking a vacation is supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating. It’s a chance to explore different places, take in the scenery, and even broaden your horizons. Just getting out of the house and office for a weekend can do wonders for your mood and mind.

That is unless you face a travel disaster. What if something happens to your home or even your pet while you’re traveling? And how relaxing will that trip be if you are stressed before you even get on a plane?

First, you don’t even need to consider these problems “disasters.” They are problems to be sure, but there are ways you can prepare for them.

Image Source: Pixabay

Flight Delays and Overbookings

What are your rights when it comes to overbooking and bumping? Here’s what you need to know and plan for to make your travel experience more relaxing.

As Money magazine explains, most airlines overbook their flights on purpose. That’s because there are some people that never show up for their flight. When everyone actually does show up, the airline has to bump (or remove) someone from that flight. But you do have the right to compensation if they cannot get you on a flight that arrives within one hour of your original arrival. That ranges from twice the cost to $1350.

What happens if a flight is delayed or canceled? You have fewer rights since these situations are often not the airline’s fault. You are entitled to a refund if the delay is severe. Check out this WIRED article for more information, such as dealing with lost luggage or big delays.

Damage or Theft Back Home

Having a nice, relaxing flight to your vacation destination can feel unimportant if you discover problems at home as soon as you arrive. You can feel powerless if your home is damaged or robbed when you’re so many miles away. As with flights, some planning and knowledge can help reduce your risk.

Home thefts occur more often when you’re out of town. No thief wants to catch you at home. Here are a few tips to help make your home less attractive to would-be criminals:

Make sure your door locks are strong and locked before leaving.
Do the same for all windows and sliding glass doors.
Set lights on a timer.
Put a temporary hold on your mail.
Hire someone to cut your grass, pick up any newspaper, or even shovel your driveway.
Consider hiring a house sitter.

Besides thefts, one big problem that can hit during travel is water damage. Leave one window open during a storm can really cause problems. USA Today recommends making sure your gutters, sump pump, and pipes are all maintained and clean.

When Pets Stay Home

Hopefully, your pet dog or cat won’t create any damage while you’re away! But that can happen when you leave a pet home while you travel. Pets get bored, and when they do, they can damage your property just so they have something to do.

PetPlus has a few tips for helping keep good care of your pets, including hiring a pet sitter, boarding your pet, or leaving your pet with a trusted friend until you get back. Just knowing there’s someone feeding and playing with your furry friends can take a lot off your mind.

You Can Handle This

Again, going on a vacation should be relaxing. By knowing your rights for air travel, taking precautions to keep your home safe, and taking care of pets staying behind, you can enjoy your vacation much more easily and avoid some common traveling disasters.

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