The Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Terracotta Warriors - Ancient Wonders Through China

China boasts some of the most ancient history in the world dating back more than 3,500 years ago and has the 3rd highest number of World Heritage Sites with 43 total. Exploring the beautiful countryside along with learning the rich culture that has shaped the world was a great experience and we were so glad to take advantage of our time left in Asia with one last trip to China.

Tips Before You Travel: Bring a roll of toilet paper (you can thank me later) China has about 98% squatting toilets that you can smell before you see. At what point does a modern city not dispose of bodily waste in a hole in the ground!?!?!?

The subway system has been upgraded and has all signs written in pinyin (English form of Chinese characters) so it is easy to understand and follow. Most trips anywhere you go are CNY 2 ($0.75) person around the city, so quite economical. Signs around the city are not written in English and people don’t speak English, so have a map and plan of where you want to go.

Oddities in China: Parents dress their babies in pants that have a hole in the seat instead of wearing diapers. If they have to go to the restroom, they simple squat in the middle of the street and go…interesting way of potty training I suppose???? Kaes and I both saw it happen several times and still couldn't believe it. I didn't want to take a picture as it felt violating, so use your imagination....

We flew out after work on Thursday, May 23rd and took the Malaysia Airlines flight at 6 pm from Kuala Lumpur 6 hours to Beijing and arrived a little after midnight. After dealing with taxi drivers, we finally got to the hotel around 3 am. During our stay in Beijing, we stayed at the Novotel Xin Qiao which was a great location to walk out to the Chongwenmen subway station (Lines 2 and 5) right outside the hotel. It is an easy walk to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (if you start off in the right direction)

Since we got in so late, we slept in a bit and then decided to venture out towards the Forbidden City. It turns out my poor sense of direction (due only to baby brain) led us walking in the wrong direction for 1.5 hours.

A beautiful garden we past walking in the wrong direction ;)

I was also a bit over ambitious at my ability to hike through the streets of Beijing, and therefore, was pretty tired and ready to head back to the room for a nap to recharge. We were both very tired from jet lag so came back to the room and took it easy. After a brief nap, we went out in search of dinner on the famous Wangfujing street and night market.  Not exactly what I had in mind for dinner...you can get any insect/small animal deep fried from worms, scorpions, seahorses, and starfish to baby ducks... 

Saturday we finally made it to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, or what used to be called the Imperial Palace. It was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. The Forbidden City is one of Beijing’s largest landmarks and in 1987 was declared a UNESCO Heritage site. It earned its common name from the fact that ordinary citizens were not allowed to approach the complex during the 500 years of its use. Entrance fee of CNY 60 per person ($10 USD)

Tiananman Square spring flowers

Sunday was another busy day to first the Temple of Heaven. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. Next we headed to the north part of the city to the Bell & Drum Tower and to Olympic Park. The Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) & Water Cube were home to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Ground was broken on the Bird's Nest on December 24, 2003. At its height, 17,000 construction workers worked on the stadium and the project overall costs US$423 million to build.

Drum Tower performance

National Stadium - "Bird's Nest" and home to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics

Water Cube built for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics

Monday we got up early to catch the 877 express bus (you can also take the 919 public bus, they are all lime green; either one costs CNY 12/pp or $2 USD) on an hour ride from Dongshenmen Tower to the The Great Wall at Badaling  It was a clean bus and fairly comfortable for such a bargain price. We started our climb at the entrance to Bear Park at Tower 10 CNY 45 ($7.50 USD with an optional Gondola ride back down for CNY 60/$10 USD) We opted for the Gondola ride down at Tower 8 as it was a feat for me to climb straight up steep stairs and inclines at exactly 5 months pregnant!!!

20 Weeks pregnant climbing the Great Wall

Our morning was quite strenuous and tiresome, but we didn't let that stop us! Our next destination to hit was the Summer Palace on the way back in the afternoon from The Great Wall. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres, three quarters of which is water. Longevity Hill is about 60 metres (200 feet) high and has many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich with splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty. The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometres was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. In the Summer Palace, one finds a variety of palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures. In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List

Longevity Hill

Tuesday was an easy day as all of the running around and climbing got the best of us. We had a nice lunch and then went to the Yonghegong Lama & Confucious Temple in the afternoon. 

Wednesday morning we took an 8 am flight 1.5 hours south to Xi’an. We stayed at the Grand Noble Hotel which was very nice for ~$88 USD/night for a 5 star quality hotel. Since we got in late in the afternoon, we checked in and opted for an early dinner at Papa John’s with {REAL} pork and shopping at Wal-Mart to top of our first day. Not exactly like home, but interesting none the less.

Tip: If you are staying near to the center of the city (close to the Bell Tower) take the bus one-way for CNY 26 /pp ($4.25) for a clean and economical ride. Taxis will not use the meter and try to charge you CNY 200 (~$35 USD) 

Thursday we opted to hire a private car and a guide for CNY 450 for the full day ($75 USD) to take us to the Banpo Museum, artifacts from first signs of family life, and the main ancient attraction of Xi'an, The Terracotta Warriors -  $25 USD/pp entry fee. The Terracotta Warriors were sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first and most ruthless Emperor of China. The army was buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC with the purpose to protect the emperor in his afterlife. There are over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses that took over 700,000 people to construct.

 

Xi'an is well known for its Chinese dumplings, so that night we went to the Tang Dynasty Opera  for a Dumpling Dinner & Cultural Show and Dance. The show had 10 different cultural performances with majestic dancers and beautiful costumes. Definitely a must see if you make it to Xi'an.

Unfortunately, I started feeling bad and very tired so we took the day easy by walking to the Bell & Drum Tower in the middle of the city not too far from our hotel. Dinner at Papa John's was so good the night before, we had to go again, then headed in for an early night.

Bell Tower in Xi'an at night

Saturday we left around noon to get our flight back to Beijing. We had a long layover of about 7 hours, so decided to take the Airport Express train CNY 25 ($4 USD) into the city for dinner. It is said that if you come to Beijing and don't try the famous Peking Duck, then you haven't truly experienced China. After much research, we decided on a restaurant in the financial district well known for Peking Duck called Da Dong Roast Duck. We ordered a whole duck with all the condiments along with a caesar salad and it was absolutely delicious! A chef came to the table and spent 10 minutes precisely carving the duck so that each bite was a perfect proportion of skin, fat and meat. The savoury crispy skin paired with white sugar melted in your mouth. It was truly a wonderful dining experience we were glad we didn't miss!

Beijing and Xi’an were both completely full of loud people, polluted streets and air, and people that spoke very little to no English, but despite some of the small setbacks, we had a great time learning some of the world’s most ancient history. It was definitely a memorable trip and one we were glad to experience as our last trip in Asia before moving back to North America! 

See the full album of photos from China here

{Paradise in Mauritius} - Our 5 Year Anniversary Trip to the Secluded African Island

Sunrise from the patio steps off our bedroom

Mauritius is a French - influenced island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Madagascar in South East Africa.

To say that Mauritius is breathtaking is a mere understatement...the crystal clear blue ocean waters and powder white fine sand stretches endlessly.

We left KL on Tuesday evening April 30th and spent 6 nights at the beautiful Long Beach Hotel on the northeast side of the island in the town of Belle Mare.

Kaes was able to go diving the first full day {Wednesday} that we were there. Since I am unable to dive, I visited the luxurious Sea Spa that even had a traditional hammam bath! I chose the hammam followed by a white chocolate massage and was in absolute heaven!!!

The Sea Spa

Large school of barracuda

The food, resort atmosphere, and beach were a tropical oasis. The resort itself was massive with 5 different restaurants, tennis courts, rock climbing, sports center, two different kids clubs for younger and older kids, two large pools, spa center, and rooms expanding all across the beachfront. Every morning in the main restaurant we had fresh baked French pastries, crepes, fresh squeezed juice of the day, tropical fruit, spicy and flavorful Mauritian favorites, and an omelet station.

Beautiful blue waters, white sandy beach and perfect warm {not humid} weather made for a very relaxing and enjoyable 6 days.

Kaes did more diving and I relaxed between the spa, ocean, and poolside. It was definitely a tough way to spend a week ;)

Mauritius was a memorable destination and ranked high on our list of favorite places to unwind and relish in natural beauty.

Here's to 5 wonderful years and many more incredible memories together!!!

Full Photo Album Here

Namaste - Exploring the Himalayas in Nepal

Fun Fact: The Nepal Flag was officially adopted on December 16, 1962 and it is the only national flag that is not rectangle or square

Namaste!

Our trip to Nepal had many challenges along the way, (only 6 hours of electricity and during the hours
you never needed it, no hot water, beds harder than the ground, etc.) but was very rewarding for the
picturesque scenery and views it has to offer.

Friday morning we took a 4.5 hour flight via Malaysia Airlines from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu, Nepal
and planned to stay exactly a week seeing the towns of Kathmandu, Bandipur, Pokhara, Sarangkot,
and Bhaktipur. Our hotel was only 6 kms (3.5 miles) from the airport and took over 30 minutes to get
there due to the heavy traffic and crazy drivers. My first thought of the city was “what on Earth did I get
myself in to??" Being a developing country, there is little to no waste facilities, so the streets were lined
everywhere you looked with trash. People lined the streets to sell their fruit, wares, name brand knock-
offs, or anything else to make money. Street dogs were everywhere (reportedly 50,000 in Kathmandu
alone) and cows, which are sacred to the Hindu religion and therefore not eaten, roamed freely and
were dare not disturbed.

Nepal is located to the north of India and the south of China

Later Friday afternoon after we got settled in our hotel, we went sightseeing around Kathmandu
stopping first at the Buddhist stupa - Bouddanath.

Prayer flags colored for the 5 elements:  Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Sky

After having lunch on the rooftop of a café around Bouddanath, we visited the Hindi crematorium and
temple Pashupatinath. The temple was on the (insert name) river and was the most popular
crematorium in Kathmandu for the Hindu religion. Interesting was not the first thought that came
to mind, but more of morbid. The families of the dead waited and watched as their loved ones body
burned for close to 4 hours. The crematories were along the banks of the river and had about 7 to 8
bodies burning at a time. The odd part was that anyone and everyone could stand by and watch as the
families mourned the death and prayed during the very long 4 hour process. Needless to say, I am glad it
is not done that way in the U.S….

Mounds of wood placed over the deceased body to help burn

People gathered to watch their loved one being prepared for cremation and others just enjoying the show....

Upon leaving, we crossed paths with two religious men known as sādhus - which in Hindi mean "holy man" and denotes an ascetic, wandering monk with painted bodies.

Saturday we woke up and had a 200 km (120 miles) drive to the town of Pokhara with a stop in
Bandipur. Now 120 miles would normally take the average driver, on decent roads, about 2 or so
hours. But in Nepal, it takes 7. Yes, that’s hours. Cars that drive into oncoming traffic to pass a local
bus stopping every 10 minutes and driving up switchbacks around the mountain (passing cars on blind
corners as well) made for a very stressful drive. That and the fact that Kaes had to hunch down in his
seat just to avoid hitting his head in the mini compact car, made for a long trip.

Sunday we had a more relaxing day sightseeing around Pokhara and started the morning off at Devil’s
Falls waterfall and the cave it disappears into below.

Men and women both work very hard carrying materials in large baskets

Monday morning we started our grueling ascent trekking up the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas.
Our next stop was about 5 or 6 hours to the Australian Base Camp.

Below is a picture of the Annapurna range. The holy mountain of Machapuchare, which means “fishtail”
in Nepali, is the center peak. It is revered by the local population as particularly sacred to the god Shiva, and hence is off limits to climbing.

Our $8 USD/night digs at the Australian Base Camp :) It had a hot shower and a bed comfortable enough for us to crash on after our arduous climb

Tuesday we woke up and could barely move. The sunrise from the mountain we were on was breathtaking and we enjoyed the serenity before our onward journey down the mountain. The only thing that kept us going seemed to be the fact that instead of climbing up, we were heading down, so that had to be MUCH better. BUT...It wasn't. In fact, it was way worse than the day before.

Wednesday we left our View Top lodge in Pokhara to head to the airport and fly back to Kathmandu.
After checking back into our hotel in Kathmandu, we walked around the town Thamel to stretch our legs. Luckily, after doing a bit of shopping around the town, we came upon a spa that catered to people who had been trekking. For $18 USD each, we both got a full 1-hour Ayurvedic massage with hot oil, following by time in the steam sauna. Although a bit painful through the process, it was just what we needed to relax after our few days of intense hiking.

Thursday was Valentine’s Day and we started the day off early leaving our hotel at 6:00 am for a sunrise flight over Mt. Everest and the Himalayas. The flight was breathtaking and unfortunately the pictures do not begin to do it justice. We flew over the Annapurna range, the Langtang range, and Sagarmatha National Park that is home to Mt. Everest.

After our flight, we went to visit the old historic town of Bhaktipur known for its ancient architecture
and the generations of families that have lived there for hundreds of years.

Local lady dyeing the pottery and laying it out to dry

Spending the afternoon in Bhaktipur was nice, but we were really ready to get to our room for the last
night. The Shambaling Hotel in Bouda was a perfect ending to our vacation. Hidden away from the
hustle and bustle of the main town in Thamel, our hotel was quaint, quiet, and helped you forget where
you were. The customer service was impeccable and probably the best we have ever had in all of our
travels. The food was delicious, we had a wonderful hot shower, and the most comfortable bed (even
with a heated blanket) we had the entire trip. I would highly recommend it to anyone travelling to Nepal for the perfect relaxing end to your trip.

Nepal has many beautiful wonders of life to see and we were glad to check it off our list. It also made me appreciate our customs as well as the "things" we take for granted such as hot water, steady electricity, and heating.

Our Many Blessings of 2012

2012 has passed and I wanted to wrap up on the many wonderful blessings for which we are so thankful for during our first year of living in Malaysia.

In May we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with nine days in Japan. Springtime boasts the short lived cherry blossoms, but thankfully we were able to see them before they withered away until the next season. Sushi was some of the freshest we have ever tasted and the people were friendly and hospitable. Definitely at the top of the list for must see places to visit for anyone that has a chance to make it to Asia.

In June, my Mom came to visit and together we traveled to Phuket, Thailand and relaxed on the beautiful beaches of Patong while dining on local favorites foods and drinks at night. 

Kaes’ parents came to visit us in August and together we traveled to Laos to see Buddhist temples, eat fresh local food, and enjoy the beautiful sunset across the Mekong River.

In November, we traveled to Boracay, Philippines with our friends, Kelly and Alex, who live here in KL and are also from Houston. The powder white beaches, clear blue water, and friendly locals really made it a wonderful relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of KL. Kaes and I visited Boracay in January during Chinese New Year and loved it so much we wanted to come back knew Kelly and Alex would share the same love that Boracay has to offer.

December we were fortunate enough to go home to spend Christmas with family. Last year we spent Christmas in KL as we had just been home in October. The holiday season is never the same without the one near and dear to your heart to spend the best time of year. 

It has been an incredible year full of adventures and we hope to create many more memories in 2013. May the New Year bring you joy, love, and happiness throughout the year and always.

Along the Mekong River – Vientiane, Laos

One thing about Malaysia that I have to admit I love is all the holidays. Another holiday weekend has come and gone (I can’t even keep up with them anymore) and we were fortunate to spend it with a weekend getaway to Vientiane, Laos with Kaes’ parents. The weekend happened to also be their 49th wedding anniversary!

Laos is a small SE Asian country bordered by Cambodia in the south, Thailand to the west, Vietnam to the east, and China to the north.

We stayed at the Salana Boutique Hotel that was in close proximity to all the shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions. The staff at the hotel were warm and friendly and made our stay in Laos very enjoyable.

Our 2 ½ hour flight to Vientiane made for an early morning on Thursday as we left the house at 5:15 am for an hour drive to the airport to make our 7:35 am flight. After checking into our hotel, we headed out to walk around the town in search of something for lunch. The first place we came to was a local restaurant named “3 Sisters.” Our $15 USD lunch for the 4 of us consisted of a spicy papaya salad, Vietnamese style veggie spring rolls, fried noodles and local Lao traditional noodle soup. The meal was fresh, delicious, and most importantly cheap.

After our bellies were full, we ventured to the Buddhist temple across the street from the restaurant called Chan. It was colorfully decorated with the familiar gold, red, and green hues of many Buddhist temples. 

We then wondered down along the Mekong river when it started to rain, so we ducked into a Belgian Beer Café housing over 50 different types of beer and waited until the afternoon shower passed. After a bit more walking, and since we had a very early 4:30 am start, we headed back to the hotel for a nap before finding a place for dinner. Our night ended with a delicious dinner close by at Le Vendome, and excellent French restaurant for a perfectly cooked chateaubriand and red wine.

Friday morning we headed out towards a different direction and stopped first to the Presidential Palace. We were only able to get a street view of the massive residence so we moved along to our next stop, Ho Phra Keow; an old temple built in 1565 that is now the home of the Lao museum of fine art.

Me in front of the Presidential Palace

Us in front of the Lao Museum of Fine Art - Ho Phra Keow

Our next stop was a small Black Stupa (meaning "mound" and the oldest Buddhist religious monument) called ”That Dam”…

The vertical runway is the street where the end brings you to Patuxai meaning "Victory Monument" that closely resembles Paris' Arc de Triomphe but with Buddhist and Lao designs. Across the street from Patuxai was the Prime Minister’s office that was just as grandiose as the Presidential Palace.

Kaes with his parents in front of Patuxai

Prime Minister's Office

The heat and humidity helped us make the decision to go back to the hotel for a late lunch and time to rest before dinner. Dinner ended the evening off at Makphet (meaning "chili" in Lao) run by Peuan Mit, an organization founded by Friends-International that helps urban children and youth, their families and communities to become productive, independent citizens of their country. The food was not only outstanding, but run for a great cause to help the locals.

If you would like more information on how you too can help and/or to donate to this great cause, go to http://www.friends-international.org/supportus/

Entrance to Makphet

A full day of walking called for a relaxing $6 USD/hour foot massage at a quaint but lovely beauty salon down from our hotel to end the evening.

It was now Saturday morning and our last day in Vientiane. We were brave enough to take a tuk-tuk out a few kms from town to see Pha That Luang meaning "Great Stupa", and Laying Buddha. It amazes me the level of intricate hand painting detail that some of the temples possess. I was also able to pick up my usual souvenirs (a magnet each country we visit) and a few other smaller items. On our way back we stopped at Sisaket, the oldest temple in Laos before having lunch at “That Dam Wine House” ; a $20 bargain for all of us to indulge on freshly made sandwiches, wine and home made ice cream for dessert.

Pha That Luang - "Great Stupa"  Regarded as the most important national monument in Laos and a national symbol

Kaes and his parents in front of Lying Buddha

Underneath of the Buddhist temple Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan 

Lunch at "That Dam Wine House"

Naga or mythical water serpent, that serves as the guardian of the entrance to a temple

After an afternoon nap, we walked down the street to watch the sunset over the Mekong River and walk through the weekend night market where we purchased a local Lao painting of Buddhist monks. Children played and families sat along the river bank to watch the glowing hues in the picturesque sunset.

Sunset over the Mekong River

We ended our last night with dinner at a trendy restaurant called Sticky Fingers, started by an Aussie, that had an expansive menu of delicious Western options.

Kaes and I always enjoy visiting new places and Laos was another SE Asian country we loved learning the culture, tasting delectable food, and appreciating all of the warm, smiling faces.

Happy 49^th Anniversary Norma and Dirk - we wish you many more wonderful years together!!! 

Link to all of our trip pictures on my Facebook page here.