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Mike Mintz
mintz81@gmail.com
305.720.3790

Around the World

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Old Thailand Photos :

Old Thailand Photos

Updated: Aug 04, 2006 7:10am PST

Indonesian Fish Farm :

Indonesian Fish Farm

Updated: Jun 20, 2006 8:18am PST

Crazy Chinese Signs :

Crazy Chinese Signs

Updated: Aug 16, 2006 3:24pm PST

Last Week in Bangladesh and Grameen Bank Work :

Last Week in Bangladesh and Grameen Bank Work

Updated: Aug 16, 2006 3:35pm PST

Hong Kong :

Hong Kong

Updated: Aug 16, 2006 3:32pm PST

Urban China : Pictures from Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and various other smaller urban centers in China.

Urban China

Pictures from Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and various other smaller ...

Updated: Aug 16, 2006 1:47pm PST

Rural Chinese Life : Rural China-Xi'an, Guilin, Yangshuo, Lijiang, and Kunming. Days 3 & 4 Xi’an: The Terra Cotta Warriors We spend the morning biking in the capital—just like locals except for our blue bike helmets! Beijing’s large avenues make biking quite enjoyable, especially if you manage to tune in to the collective rhythm that seems to allow everybody a safe ride. After this truly authentic experience, we transfer to the airport for the two-hour flight to Xi’an. Xi’an was the end, and the beginning, of the Silk Road, so was a place of bustling commerce and artistic activity. It still maintains a large Muslim population and legacy of cosmopolitan life because of this. We arrive in the late afternoon, settle in to our hotel, then head to dinner—a real treat tonight. We’ve got reservations at former Chinese President Jiang Zhemin’s favourite dumpling restaurant. Here all varieties and shapes of dumplings are on offer, and an endless selection of fillings are served at break-neck speed. Our next day is spent visiting the incredible archaeological site where the terra cotta warriors have been unearthed. Discovered in 1974 by peasants digging a well, the buried army was constructed to protect Emperor Qin in the afterlife. Our local guide leads us through several pits and buildings sheltering archaeological excavation areas. By all standards, this is a very moving experience. Each soldier is unique, and a true representation of the guards of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. The Emperor’s actual burial site, about one mile away, has not yet been touched by any archaeologist—and may not be during our lifetime. The Chinese have been reluctant to let foreign experts approach the tomb. From what we know of historical texts, this tomb is supposed to be filled with all kinds of treasures and precious stones, but also with mechanical devices that replicate the movement of our star system! Nobody knows if the tomb has possibly been pillaged or if it really does contain the wonders described in old Chinese texts. Days 5 & 6 Yangshuo: Life on The Li This morning we leave our beloved soldiers and head south towards the countryside that inspired China’s most famous poets and painters. We fly early out of Xi’an to Guilin and transfer by bus down to Yangshuo, arriving early in the afternoon. This is the land of water buffaloes, rice paddies, a thousand shades of green and bizarre rock formations called karsts. Over the next day and a half, we ride through these incredible geological statues and along fields of rice paddies, stopping to learn about rice. We’ll also hike along the Li River, where traditional cormorant fishing is still common practice. During our stay in this dreamscape, our meals are taken at local cafés in the little town of Yangshuo like Suzanna’s, which once counted President Carter as a regular (when he worked on a Habitat for Humanity project here). Dinners in Yangshuo are very informal, one of which will be on your own. Together we'll eat at the French restaurant or a Chinese café, and you may want to take advantage of the night on your own to break from Chinese food with a pizza or club sandwich. Yes, Yangshuo is out of the way, but is fast becoming a popular destination for backpackers and Chinese on holidays. However, our stay here allows us to see one of the most unique landscapes in the world. Days 7 & 8 Lijiang: The Himalayan Foothills Today we fly from southern China to Kunming en route to the Yunnan Province, the area of China that’s home to half of the more than 50 minorities living on Chinese territory (most of China is Han-Chinese). After a short stopover in Kunming, we continue on to the mountain town of Lijiang in the late afternoon. As soon as we land, you will notice (and feel) the change in scenery. The airport was opened a few years ago and lies at the foot of 4,500-metre-high (15,000 ft.) mountains. Agricultural terraces dot the landscape, and the inhabitants, mostly from Bai and Naxi minorities, work the fields clothed in their traditional garments. We transfer immediately to our hotel, located on the edge of old Lijiang. This ancient neighbourhood was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its unique wooden architecture. Before dinner, we’ll have a chance to stretch our legs on a casual meander through the village’s winding cobblestone streets, each lined with a rushing canal of water. As night falls, candles carrying hopeful wishes drift down these village streams to create a most welcoming scene. The next morning, we enjoy one of the best bike rides of the trip. The route takes us along the mighty Yangtze River— China’s longest at 2,500 km (1,550 mi.). We begin at the top of a very long hill that descends into the Yangtze Valley along the Yunnan-Tibet “highway” (Tibet is only 300 km away). We’ll pedal past working farmers, waving kids, and heaps of harvested vegetables. Midway, we’ll stop for a picnic lunch on a wide river bridge, then continue on this gorgeous rural adventure. The entire setting of these villages is stunning, each surrounded by wide open fields and a mountain ridge beyond. This region is also perfect for biking, because it is sparsely populated and the roads are far less busy than in the rest of China. Perhaps most significantly, the people are beautiful and interesting to meet—even if an encounter is no more than the exchange of a smile on a quiet country path. Day 9 Kunming and the Yangtze River On our final day in Lijiang, we set off on our bikes for a ride to some of the small surrounding Naxi villages. The Naxi are said to be descendents of Tibetan nomads and are still a matriarchial society. One of these villages is Baisha, whose mud-brick houses are planted on the edges of small streams. Once the capital for the Naxi people, before it was incorporated by the Kublai Khan’s empire, Baisha has changed very little since 1350 A.D. Here you will not only dodge one or two potholes but also a few chickens and the odd pig.Once we’ve had enough, we’ll drive back to Lijiang for our flight to Kunming. Dinner tonight will be at our hotel, the Harbour Plaza.

Rural Chinese Life

Rural China-Xi'an, Guilin, Yangshuo, Lijiang, and Kunming. Days 3 & 4 ...

Updated: Aug 16, 2006 3:31pm PST

Bangladesh First Two Weeks : Photos from my first two weeks in and around Dhaka Bangladesh. These are small files for web viewing. If anyone wants bigger files for printing, email me and I can send them. More photos to come soon. Mike

Bangladesh First Two Weeks

Photos from my first two weeks in and around Dhaka Bangladesh. These a ...

Updated: Feb 10, 2006 1:35am PST

Fourth and Fifth Week :

Fourth and Fifth Week

Updated: Aug 16, 2006 1:59pm PST

Bangladesh 1+2nd week Cont... : 80 or so spools of thread are joined together and turned into cloth with this machine. The thread comes off the spools on both sides in through the top and the cloth can be seen going around inside the bottom grey part. Each thread has its own monitor that will flash orange if there is a problem.

Bangladesh 1+2nd week Cont...

80 or so spools of thread are joined together and turned into cloth wi ...

Updated: Feb 15, 2006 6:17am PST

Bangladesh western border village :

Bangladesh western border village

Updated: Feb 17, 2006 9:47pm PST

Panoramics : Panoramic photos taken all over the world on Russian Horizon 202 swing lense 35mm camera.

Panoramics

Panoramic photos taken all over the world on Russian Horizon 202 swing ...

Updated: Jul 28, 2005 12:43pm PST

My Photo Portfolio IN THE WORKS : Canon Elan II E Film camera and Holga medium format film toy camera

My Photo Portfolio IN THE WORKS

Canon Elan II E Film camera and Holga medium format film toy camera

Updated: Jul 13, 2005 1:50pm PST

THAILAND CIEE SCHOOL PLANS :

THAILAND CIEE SCHOOL PLANS

Updated: Sep 02, 2005 9:58am PST

Thailand CIEE SCHOOL PLAN 2 :

Thailand CIEE SCHOOL PLAN 2

Updated: Sep 02, 2005 10:02am PST