China in the Winter

Most people would recommend checking out China during the spring and fall months. However, in the winter, China can be a great place to be too.

In the most southern tip of China lies city called Sanya. It is roughly on the same latitude as the island of Hawaii which means warm weather all year around. This beautiful island city also known as the "Hawaii of the East" is number 2 on the top 10 places Chinese people like to vacation in China (click here for the complete list). In recent years, Sanya has attracted many tourists around the world and numerous hotel chains to develop resort properties there. It even played host to several Miss World competitions. In Sanya it is not just about the white sandy beaches, there are also plenty of culture sites like the Nansan Temple, Guan Yi Statue and etc.

Now moving to the north of China, a city called Harbin is worth visiting in the winter despite the cold and snow. Often referred to as "Ice City", Harbin is the capital city of Heilongjiang Province located in the northeast of China. The city is the host of one of the world's four largest ice and snow festivals: Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. It starts on January 5th of every year. The festival features larger than life ice and snow sculptures of famous people, landmarks and scenery. In 2007, the Canadian themed festival featured the largest snow sculpture ever made depicting Niagara Falls and Crossing the Bering Strait was 250 meters long, 8 meters high and used over 10,000 cubic meters of snow. For more awesome pictures of the festival click here.

FYI: The other three festivals are Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada's Quebec City Winter Carnival and Norway's Ski Festival.

Staying Healthy While Traveling

Staying healthy is not only important in our everyday life, but also critical when we are traveling. The crappiest way to ruin a trip you have been planning for months or even years is to get sick. Here are a few of my tips on how to stay healthy during your travels.

Get poked before you leave - Certain countries like Tanzania requires yellow fever vaccination certificate before entering the country. However majority of countries do not have requirements and vaccination is merely a good to have. My personal attitude is it doesn't hurt to pay the 40 to 50 dollar consultation fee and get the latest professional opinion. Especially if you are going off the beaten path.

Stress - Traveling is a very exciting thing for most and for me is a passion. But it doesn't mean it is not going to cause stress to your body. One of the signs of stress, especially during the first week or so, can be your bowel movement. The body tense up and nothing gets release from your body. This can be a not so comfortable experience. Therefore, try to include fiber in your travel diet. A banana or yogurt can do the trick. Stress in general can weaken your immune system leaving your vulnerable against a cold virus and etc.

Watch what you eat and drink -I have a very strong stomach and often referred by my friends as "iron stomach". I have eaten countless questionable street food around the world and not gotten sick (knock on wood). However, I still observe certain rules. I try not to eat any raw food (including veggies) unless they are soaked in alcohol. Not because I have a preference for alcohol, but it does kill bacterias. Secondly, I always drink and use filtered water including brushing my teeth.

Pack Vitamin C tablets -Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species, in which it functions as a vitamin. Once a day drop a Vitamin C tablet into your water bottle will keep your immune system strong while exploring the world.

Ginger is the magic word - Ginger helps relieve indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Ginger root is also used to treat nausea, help relieve pain, stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin. Other uses for Ginger Root include the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems by loosening and expelling phlegm from the lungs. Ginger Root may also be used to help break fevers by warming the body and increasing perspiration which is great help in getting over a nasty cold. Not only is ginger very useful for a lot of things, it is also cheap and often found easily in any market or grocery store around the world. My favourite way to consume ginger is cut it into 1/4 inch slices, add hot water, honey (or sugar) and drink it like hot tea.

White Lies - In some culture (ie: the Chinese), refusing food or alcohol that is offered to you is considered very rude. That is when telling a little white lie can save you from a lot of trouble later. Refuse food that looks questionable to you by saying "I am full" or the local spirit specialty is too strong for your liking I recommend using "I am feeling under the weather".

I am not a medical professional. Above are just my personal tips that I have found useful and worked during my travel, so results may be different for you. Safe travels!