Panjin Red Beach

We read a lot about travel over the course of one week and, after much sifting and sorting, we've rounded up a few of our favorites. From news and reviews to great blog posts, unusual destinations and travel stories, read on for our picks. >>>

One of the true joys of experiencing the world we live in is the wide spectrum of colors we're a part of. From drab to shockingly fluorescent, nature runs the rainbow-gamut in ways the up-and-coming fashion designer can only imagine. For a country as large and ecologically diverse as China, it goes without saying that the spectrum of wildlife, flora and fauna across the many different climates is vast. While the rich greens of the rice terraces around Guilin are well known and documented by travelers from around the world, the Panjin Red Beach of China's northern Liaoning Province has an array of red that is considerably less talked about, though no less stunning (note: you may need a VPN to access Amusing Planet and the additional Panjin Red Beach pics linked above if you are in Mainland China, as it appears to be blocked off and on). The water is coated by a seaweed that turns bright red in the fall and flourishes in high-alkaline environments. Wooden walkways pass through the fields of reed and seaweed that carpet the Liaonhe River Delta, giving every visitor a chance to bow to the wonder of this possessing vision.

• The fine folks over at Old World Wandering have given us all a fantastic look into a small Chinese enclave in Vientiane, Laos. Like other Chinatown's found around the globe, the neighborhood is largely a haven for Chinese culture, food and comforts, and many native Chinese get by and survive in Laos with no local language skills or major interactions with the community at large. It's also just over the border by Jinghong.
• In addition to the personal observations about Chinatown in Laos linked above, this is also a very practical guide to eating and sightseeing in Laos' Chinatown. If you're looking for the best dumplings in Laos, look no further!
• If you're a shark fin connoisseur, it's time to get out and cherish this endangered dish (not, of course, that we encourage anyone to do so) because end-times could be nigh for shark fin soup. The enormous Peninsula Hotels chain announced last week that they would no longer serve shark fin in any of their hotels amidst growing global concern over shark fin harvesting practices.
• If you find heights invigorating but not particularly scary, I urge you to go test your mettle on the glass skywalk in Zhangjiajie, perched along Tianmen Mountain (Tiānmén Shān, 天门山)--certainly not for those with acrophobia (again, you may need a VPN or proxy in China).
• Do you like pandas? Me too! So does the BBC's Damian Grammaticas who trekked out to Ya'an's Panda Breeding Center to find out more about China's most famous bears, two of whom are about to depart the bamboo clad hills of Sichuan for the mist shrouded mountains of Scotland and their new home at Edinburgh Zoo.
• Is it real or fake? You just never never know with those cheap antiques (but it's probably fake). Check in with Shanghai Family's History Hunting for a guide to picking out some real Chinese treasures whether you're in Shanghai or elsewhere in China.

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