Travel Fun with Wes and Annette

Fredericksburg

2009-08-16T00:44:00.007-05:00

Last week, Wes and I celebrated our fourth anniversary with a trip to Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg was founded by German settlers in 1846 and still maintains a lot of German character. It is also the birthplace of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II. The National Museum of the Pacific War is in Fredericksburg, despite the considerable distance from the Pacific.

We started our time in Fredericksburg with dinner at one of the many German restaurants. We had schnitzel and sausage in the beer garden at Altdorf.

After dinner, we went to see the bat colony at Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area. It was fun to see the swarm of bats head off into the sky. We did not realize how popular the bat watching would be - the lower viewing deck had sold out (it holds about 70 people) and the upper deck was pretty full. The next day, we saw this news story on the website of one of the Houston news stations.

On the way back into town, we passed by an interesting scene. This is the first time I have ever seen sheep-emus! I did not see them in action, but I am sure they are much more impressive than sheepdogs or even Babe the sheep-pig.

The rest of our time in Frederickburg, we explored the various shops and restaurants on Main Street. It is a cute shopping area where they have maintained many of the historic buildings. One of my favorite ones was a kitchenware shop in the building that once housed the hospital. They used the small rooms and passageways very effectively.

We tried several beers at the Fredericksburg Brewery and several wines at the Fredericksburg Winery.

We loved the German influence and local history that we found in Fredericksburg. Unfortunately, sometimes authenticity is sacrificed for the sake of commercialism and things break down, such as this store we saw on Main Street:

"Auer Haus" Home Furnishings

On our way out of town, we stopped in for tastings at two wineries, Torre di Pietra and Pedernales Cellars. We enjoyed both stops, but would recommend Pedernales Cellars over Torre di Pietra because the wine was much tastier.

Enchanted Rock

2009-08-15T22:59:00.010-05:00

While we were spending the last weekend in Fredericksburg, Wes and I spent the morning hiking at Enchanted Rock. The weather was not too hot, considering it is Texas in August. We had a great time.

We started out with a hike up to the peak. On the way we met a friendly doe.
View from the top.
Geological marker at the peak.

We didn't do the calculation, but we're pretty sure this mountain holds enough granite to make counter tops for every home in China.We found some shade in a cave:

We hiked around the loop trail after we finished with the peak.

We <3 New York!

2009-04-19T11:58:00.004-05:00

In December, Wes had some business meetings in New Jersey so we made a long weekend of it and spent some time in New York. It was Wes' first trip there and we had a great time.

We spent some time at the Met

From New York Dec 08

Then, we walked around Central Park for a while.

From New York Dec 08

We flocked with the other tourists to Rockefeller Center

From New York Dec 08

We had some great views of the city from Top of the Rock - we timed it just right to watch the sunset.

From New York Dec 08

Our Broadway show of choice for the weekend was Spamalot - very entertaining.

From New York Dec 08

On our last day in town, we took a harbor tour and were lucky to have great weather.

From New York Dec 08

Just before we left town, Wes met the Rock.

From New York Dec 08

Hawaii Part II

2009-04-19T11:50:00.001-05:00

Here are just a few more pictures from our trip to Hawaii - these are all from our time on the Big Island. The volcano was very impressive, as was all of the scenery that we saw on our drive around the island.

Hawaii

2008-09-11T14:30:00.001-05:00

We have been having a great time in Hawaii so far. We have 4 days left! Here are a few pictures of what we have been doing so far:

Wes on Waikiki Beach - just across the street from our hotel

Both of us at the Pearl Harbor memorial

After our luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center

At the top of Diamond Head, overlooking Waikiki

Houston Art Car Parade 2008

2008-05-10T15:40:00.004-05:00

Today, Wes and I braved the sweltering heat and watched the art car parade. With over 280 entries, it was very entertaining and sometimes impressive. Next year we might try to get there in time to get a spot in the shade. Enjoy the slide show!!

Northern Thailand

2008-05-03T22:17:00.001-05:00

Between Vietnam and Laos, we spent a little while in northern Thailand. We visited Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai primarily. It is a beautiful country and we had a wonderful time. Enjoy the pictures!

Laos

2008-05-03T21:36:00.006-05:00

On our Asian vacation last fall, we had a chance to go to Laos.

We crossed into Laos from northern Thailand and took a two day boat trip to Luang Prabang. We spent 5 days in Luang Prabang before heading to Bangkok on our way to Malaysia.

Here are some pictures from way back then. Sorry to keep you all waiting!

Washington Trip

2008-05-03T17:25:00.004-05:00

Last month, Wes flew up to Baltimore for some software training. I followed that Thursday and we spent a long weekend taking in the sights. On Friday, we had a chance to visit Rachel and her new baby Amelia (of course, we managed to not take any pictures!). The rest of the weekend, we took in the various things to see on the Mall, went to the National Zoo, and to the National Arboretum. It was a really fun weekend.

Vietnam

2007-12-06T19:17:00.000-06:00

This slide show traces our travels through Vietnam. Over two weeks we traveled most of the length of Vietnam, traveling by car, bus, boat, kayak, bicycle, train, and motorcycle.

Trip highlights:

Hanoi
- Visiting the museum of Ethnology, which showcases the many ethnic groups in Vietnam
- Eating Pho in small noodle shops
- Walking the crowded streets looking for handicrafts
- Watching a traditional water puppet show
- Drinking Vietnamese coffee, strong with lots of sweetened condensed milk
- Experiencing the spectacle of visiting "Uncle Ho" at his mausoleum

Ha Long Bay
- Kayaking among the karsts and past fishermen
- Relaxing on the deck of the boat
- Visiting caves

Hue
- Checking out goods at the local market
- Wandering the ruins of the imperial city
- Taking a motorbike tour through rice paddies and back roads

Hoi An
- Walking the Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site
- Getting clothes tailored in the local shops
- Taking a cooking class and learning to make papaya salad and pumpkin soup
- Eating and drinking in the trendy local restaurants and bars
- Visiting the ancient My Son ruins
- Biking through nearby villages
- Taking a boat to an island in the river for a sunset BBQ

Nha Trang
- Playing cards with tripmates on the overnight train
- Getting dirty (then clean) at the mud and mineral baths
- Visiting nearby fishing villages
- Snorkeling in the South China Sea

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
- Touring the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum
- Enjoying Annette's Birthday dinner at a trendy restaurant
- Taking a cyclo tour to the major sites

Mekong Delta
- Paddling small canals to visit a coconut candy factory
- Eating a fried "elephant ear" fish

Xi'an

2007-11-19T16:30:00.005-06:00

We know this post is long overdue. We have been keeping ourselves busy with travel, starting work, and buying a house, among other things. Without further ado, we present the first installment in the series on our big 2 month travel adventure.

Our first stop was to fly north into mainland China to see the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an before we left.

We stayed at the Bell Tower Hotel - here is the view of the Bell Tower from our room.

The next day, we did a tour that included a neolithic village and the terracotta warriors.

The next morning, we rode bikes on the old city wall and then went to the museum. While on the wall, we saw Samantha Brown filming a travel show. Very exciting!

Beijing

2007-08-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

While Angela was in town we all had the opportunity to go see some of the sights in Beijing.

Wes and Angela check out "night food" street. They passed on the fried scorpions and snakes and settled for some pan-fried dumplings.

The next morning on the Mutianyu Great Wall, the gang encountered a martial arts group. Wes challenged a group of seven year old purple belts and was belted purple.

Wes and Annette on the way up the wall.

Guarding the rampart.

"Oh no! I dropped my keys!"

Angela makes the final push up a VERY steep ascent.

View from the top.

Whew! Angela is smiling more now that she is on the way down.

At the Temple of Heaven Park

Annette and Angela flashing peace on the place where emperors used to worship the heavens

After the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven, the girls were ready to do some shopping at the Pearl Market. Here they are bargaining over a nice silver and jade necklace.

On day two we headed for the Forbidden City. Much of it is under scaffolding; preparations for the 2008 Olympics are in full force.

Wes and Annette at the FC.

We had planned to etch our names into the walls at the Forbidden City, but then we saw this sign - dang!

Wes in a big pot that used to hold water to extinguish fires.

Angela and Annette relax in a quiet area of the Forbidden City.

Wes and Annette at the lover's tree. Awww...

Shortly after we left the Forbidden City, we were stopped to do an interview for BBC news! Angela was the big star, Annette looked stylish on the side, and Wes got cut out of the frame (eh, who needs fame?). You can see the report HERE.

Next we hiked up to enjoy the view from the White Dagoba. Not to be confused with the White Pagoda (or the similarly named planet in Star Wars).

After hours of wandering around the city and hiking up the steps to the Dagoba, our feet were tired! We decided to get off them for a while and cruise around in an electric boat. We were evidently quite the attraction, since the locals in passing boats couldn't resist taking our picture.

On our final day, we decided to check out Lamma temple.

They own the Guinness world record for the biggest Buddha statue carved out of a single tree.

Here are the knees of the Buddha. It was pretty impressive.

Not much headroom in there for the deity.

Wes spins a prayer wheel. Always remember to turn counterclockwise!

A&A pose with a lioness statue.

At the Beijing airport, Angela was nearly arrested after she decided to dump out this huge pot of flowers!

Ah! Home sweet (temporary) home back in HK. This new countdown clock has been installed in the terminal. Hong Kong is apparently hosting some of the equestrian events.

Angela arrives in Hong Kong

2007-08-11T23:14:00.000-05:00

On Angela's first evening here in Hong Kong, we walked around the neighborhood and then went to Kowloon to see the light show. They have added pyrotechnics to the show for Saturdays until the end of August so we were lucky enough to catch it (it was a nice surprise!). Wes was not able to join us for the outing because he was working on his school project.

Angela photographs herself on the Airport Express. Not bad after so many hours of travel!

Man Mo Temple

Taipei

2007-08-11T02:38:00.000-05:00

Annette had to go to Taipei this week to teach some training. Here are pictures from her first venture to Taiwan.

Taipei 101 - The tallest building in the world (until they finish that new, taller building in Dubai in 2008)

Inside the Taipei 101 shopping center - all designed by a feng shui master. Can't you just see the positive qi?

The national museum

View from the viewing deck of Taipei 101 on the 89th floor

Taipei 101 has the world's fastest elevator. It was a very smooth ride.

Friends from the airport

Around Hong Kong - July and August

2007-08-11T02:32:00.000-05:00

Wes has been back in town since early July. Here are some pictures of what has been going on around here.

The weather was very clear for weeks in a row. It is because the winds were blowing in from the South China Sea instead of from China. Of course, the Hong Kong authorities see it as proof that their work against pollution has had a huge impact.

Sarah and I went hiking with one of her coworkers up in the New Territories.

We made another trip to Ocean Park. It was hot, but we still had a good time seeing the pandas, sea lions, and the new sea jelly exhibition. Jelly fish are definitely better to look at than to eat.

Riding the tram through Central.

A view from the Peak.

Kaiserslautern

2007-07-11T05:37:00.001-05:00

After the fun times in Scotland, Annette headed on a flight to Frankfurt, arriving around midnight, where she was only expecting to be greeted by a sleepy Angela but was instead greeted by Angela, Claudia and Werner who happily drove her back to Kaiserlautern. Awaking in the Seehotel the next morning, Angela and Annette ate a very good (late) breakfast and then headed out with Daddy to do some shopping and driving around in the city. Lunch was a very nutritious Spaghetti Eis.

In the afternoon, we went to the wedding ceremony for Christina and Thomas. Daddy performed a wonderful sermon in German during the wedding. Then, there was a reception at the church and a grand dinner party back at the hotel. Luckily, we had time for a bit of a nap in between.

We enjoyed the food, the little person with fire, the fireworks and dancing until midnight...we hear the party went on until 2am.

On Sunday, we heard Daddy preach at Faith Baptist Church and enjoyed a great lunch at the Schuff's. Then, Angela and Daddy were off to Berlin and Annette was off to Frankfurt to fly back to Hong Kong.

(Lunch - Daddy liked it even though you can't tell from the picture)

A yummy treat before boarding the long flight.

Scotland

2007-07-11T04:18:00.000-05:00

Wes and I had a great trip to Scotland earlier this month with his mother, Kathy, brother Travis and Trav's girlfriend, Amy. After some travel delays, Wes picked up the crew at the airport in Manchester and they headed over to Edinburgh on Friday (29 June).

After a day of sightseeing, Annette arrived on Saturday morning. We all went to Edinburgh Castle, the Writer's Museum and then a long walk down the Royal Mile to see the new Scottish Parliament building. Being Scotland, it rained on us quite a bit.

On Sunday, we took the MacBackpacker's tour from Edinburgh to Inverness. We stopped at some waterfalls, Edradour Distillery, Ruthven Barracks, Culloden Battlefield and finally Loch Ness before spending the night at a hostel in Inverness.

On Monday morning, we headed north to the Sutherland region to visit the homeland of the Sutherland Clan. We visited Dunrobin Castle, the Falls of Shin, and spent the night at Carbisdale Castle.

On Tuesday, we headed even further north by car and by ferry to reach to Orkney Islands, the homeland of Annette's great-great-great-grandmother. We visited the many ancient standing stones and cairns, as well as the ancient settlement at Skara Brae.

On Wednesday, we visited the ancient Highland Park whiskey distillery (which charged a whopping $10 for the tour!!). On the way back to the mainland, we spotted a few puffins and dolphins, but no luck on largest wildlife that is in the waters (sharks and whales). Then, we hit the road back to Inverness to stay at the hostel.

On Thursday, we joined back up with MacBackpacker's for the trip from Inverness through to Oban, with stops at Rogie Falls, Eilean Donnan Castle, the Isle of Skye, Fort William and Glen Coe. We had dinner of fish and chips, then played pool and trivial pursuit at the hostel in the evening.

On Friday morning, the tour continued from Oban through the country side, with a boggy hairy kuh stop and a stop in Stirling, on the way to Edinburgh. Annette left the group in Stirling to head to the airport to fly on to Germany.

The remaining group enjoyed another day in Edinburgh before heading to London (Wes) and Manchester (Kathy, Trav, Amy) on Saturday evening. Sunday found Wes packing to return to Hong Kong and the rest of the crew enjoying the international festival in Manchester. By Monday night, everyone was home safe and sound.

Perth

2007-06-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

I had a great visit in Perth last weekend with my mother, Uncle Trevor and Oma. Pam was gracious enough to let us stay with her and we had a good time visiting with Mom's cousin Jim and his wife Jean.

Doing cryptic crosswords. Oma can't see the clue, but once we read it out she was getting the answers faster than the rest of us most of the time. It took a group effort to get through them all.

SWMBO in the garden

Me and the rose bush - you can just see Oma (or at least her frame) through the window.

Attack swans at the beach. Trevor reckons they thought I was going to feed them and not just photograph them.

Mom on the beach with the city in the distance

Mom and Uncle Trevor at the wildlife park

Feeding a kangaroo

All three generations together

Visiting Jim and Jean

In King's Park

With Pam at the beach

Looking cool at the war monument in Fremantle

Fremantle

The whole gang

Perth: Oma's Garden

2007-06-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

My mother and her mother before her both love to garden and have quite the green thumbs. Here are some pictures of the beautiful flowers still in Oma's garden, even though it was winter when I visited.

I have labeled the ones that I know and I will await additional information and correction from my mother.

Daisies

Fire Pea (?)

Rose (we looked up the name, but I don't remember it)

French Lavender

Skeleton Bush

Rosemary

Brussels and Amsterdam

2007-06-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

Wes had a few days off from class, so he decided to take the opportunity to go explore some of Europe's mini-countries, Belgium and the Netherlands. Wes was joined by Andy, a fellow Hong Kong student.

Brussels is less than three hours from London by train, via the Chunnel. The ticket is relatively cheap if you book in advance and take the first train out, at about 6am. The ride on the Eurostar train was comfortable, and we got to Brussels in time for breakfast. Of course that meant we had to find a waffle somewhere, so we set out.

Walking from the train station, we passed by the Bourse (stock exchange)

And some chocolates. But we were looking for waffles.

After walking a few miles we finally found a waffle stand in a shopping mall. Sorry... no picture. We were hungry so the waffles were gone before the camera came out.

Next we went to the Grand Place, the heart of Brussels. It is a square surrounded by Gothic buildings, mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries.

A building on the square.

More buildings on the Grand Place.

In the square we checked out a museum that featured Belgian art (paintings, tapestries, pewter, and ceramics). The museum also featured a curious collection of 800 different outfits worn by the Mannekin Pis, the city's mascot. Evidently when an important person from another country comes to Brussels, they often bring an outfit for this little statue.

This is probably the most prominent symbol of Brussels. They must be proud.

After a day of walking around Brussels, we enjoyed a nice dinner and a Belgian beer.

The restaurant street

The following day we rose early to head to our next destination, Amsterdam. As soon as we got of the train we noticed a stark contrast between the two cities. Most obvious was the huge horde of tourists - it was often difficult just to walk down the sidewalk.

After checking in at our hostel, we made our way to the Rijksmuseum. The museum was currently being renovated, which meant that we could only see the 200 best of the 5000 paintings in the collection. Actually it was kind of nice since we couldn't spend the whole day there anyway. The collection includes a number of works from Vermeer and Rembrandt. We were particularly impressed with the still-life paintings.

Rijksmuseum from the outside.

Next, the obligatory canal tour.

On the tour boat.

People love their boats in Amsterdam. The boats come in all shapes and sizes, and there were many groups and families out enjoying a cruise through the canals.

Canal scene

Houses along the canal

Trams provide an alternative form of transportation

Interesting bridge

Of all the transportation options, bicycles are certainly the most popular. There are bike paths all over the city, and residents take advantage of them.

Sign outside the Rijksmuseum

The Van Gough museum annex

Later we stopped to see some more famous Dutch artwork at the Van Gogh museum. My favorite piece was "Wheat Field Under a Cloudy Sky." This painting shows a foreboding storm cloud and was one of his final works before he committed suicide.

After the museum we were ready to explore some more, but were tired of walking. So we decided to take a tour with Mike's Bikes. Pip was our tour guide.

On the tour we went to a farm where we learned how cheese and wooden shoes are manufactured.

The wooden shoe workshop

On the way back we had to stop for the obligatory windmill photo op.

At night we decided to check out some live music at Bourbon Street. The band was decent but not quite up to the standard of the real Bourbon Street.

Well, so far I have talked all about Amsterdam and have not mentioned the two most (in)famous aspects of the city - sex and drugs. Actually both were much less prevalent than we expected. While "coffee shops" could be found in many areas of the city, the drug culture was not that overt. Or maybe it just seemed that way since we didn't actually go inside any of the "coffee shops." Prostitution also seems largely confined to the designated areas where it is permitted. We did have a stroll through the red light district and found it pretty much as seedy as the reputation suggests. Along many of the streets were buildings with big windows behind which "professionals" would stand and solicit customers. An interesting Amsterdam sight, to be sure.

The next day it was back to Brussels.

On the train

Before we began another long walk around Brussels we stopped for some lunch. We also tried a Gueuze, one of Belgium's many famous beers.

Back on the tour, we passed by the royal courts of justice.

Next, this church. Maybe I'll look up the name later if you really want to know what it is called.

Then, the Royal Palace.

And finally, to the European Union Parliament building.

Sculpture in the EU Parliament building.

We were able to take a tour of the EU Parliament. While we were inside, the delegates began discussing various issues. Apparently one of the delegates was late; the chairman blamed George Bush for the delay - he evidently interrupted air traffic at one of the airports in Europe.

The EU Parliament in session.

The boxes behind the wall are where the interpreters sit. Each booth was labeled with a language, and two or three interpreters sat in each booth. Whenever someone in the Parliament spoke,an interpreter translated the speech. Each seat (even in the audience section) was fitted with a headset and one could "change channels" to hear the proceedings in over a dozen different languages.

Next, we walked to the museum quarter. Unfortunately they are all closed on Monday.

The museum quarter.

Brussels own Arc de Triomphe.

Back in the Grand Place

Our last stopping point in Belgium was a pub famous for its enormous beer selection.

2000 beers?

We stuck to the beer on tap because we doubted whether the place actually had enough turnover to keep all of their 2000+ bottled beers fresh.

And at the train station, we couldn't resist the temptation to get a waffle with ice cream, a very unauthentic (but extremely tasty) Belgian treat.

Check back later for a few more photos and commentary from this trip.

A Little Hong Kong Sightseeing

2007-05-27T02:16:00.000-05:00

My friend Sarah from Houston is in town for work. We saw some parts of HK two weekends ago and then some more this weekend when she flew in Rebecca in from Houston for a visit. Here are some of the pictures, as well as some pictures I have taken this month on various walks around town.

This is where we live - Hollywood Terrace.

I love this building. I pass it everyday on my way to work.

Sarah and Annette in Stanley.

Stanley water front

On the way up on the cable car on Lantau Island - Ngong Ping 360

Sarah and Rebecca

Tian Tan Buddha from Ngong Ping 360

Buddha bathing ceremony for Buddha's birthday

Just because it was there.

Around London and a Visit to the Homeland

2007-05-16T04:19:00.000-05:00

I have been negligent in my posting lately but I have a good excuse. Some of the family came over the pond for a 10 day visit and we had a great time sightseeing in London and Scotland. [Sorry some of the photos have black bars across them... evidently there were some errors during uploading]

The first order of business was to battle the jet lag with a stroll through Hyde park to Buck House.

Hyde Park

Speaker's Corner

Next, a visit to the V&A museum. The plaster cast rooms were the best part.

Plaster casts of columns at V&A

Of course the ladies had to go check out Harrod's

The next day the fam took a big bus tour while I finished some homework at school. That night we went to Blue Man Group. It was a great experience... I'm thinking of going back and sitting in the 'poncho' area.

The following day we tried to start off with a trip to the British Museum, but it was closed due to a May-day strike. Bummer.

Protecting their future, ruining our plans at the Brit

At Baker Street

Walking around we stumbled on this crazy A-list party. Of course they were happy to invite us in. Wes chatted with Samuel L Jackson about snakes on planes among other things.

Wes chats with SLJ

Then Myra ran into superman. Ok, you probably figured out by now that we were at Madame Tussads.

Super

They had on display the blade that killed Marie Antionette. Interesting bit of history.

Historic Blade

Later we caught the train to Edinburgh

The Flying Scotsman

I had to run fast to snap this photo

The Royal Mile in Edinburgh

Interesting graffiti

Leaving Edinburgh, we swung by St. Andrews (the birthplace of golf) to see if we could get a tee time.

St. Andrews Cathedral

After a long drive we reached Golspie, in 'our' home county of Sutherland

Our hotel. Funny, they didn't give us a discount.

Then we visited Dunrobin Castle, owned by the Countess of Sutherland. We thought she might welcome us with tea and scones in one of the 180 or so rooms in the castle. I guess she must have misplaced our appointment though. We settled for a tour instead.

Dunrobin Castle

The Gardens

A Falconry Demonstration

The Castle from the gardens

The Beach in Golspie. And dang if I didn't forget my swimsuit!

Shin Falls in Lairg

The big attraction is the jumping salmon. Unfortunately they weren't jumping that day.

Driving back southward, we passed Loch Ness.

Urquart Castle on Loch Ness

After driving past Ben Nevis and Loch Lemond, we reached the historic town of Stirling.

William Wallace memorial (the tower in the distance)

Stirling Castle

Argyll and Sutherland highlanders museum

They are currently in the process of restoring the palace in Stirling Castle. They had some interesting exhibits on the investigations that they are conducting in order to determine how the palace looked hundreds of years ago. They will have the palace restored in 5-6 years.

Unfinished Palace

Robert the Bruce

Back in Edinburgh, we took a walking tour around the city at night and heard about some of the horror stories from Edinburgh's seedy past. Then we were escorted to the haunted underground crypts.

Crypt under Edinburgh. Are the 'orbs' ghosts?? Decide for yourself.

Edinburgh at dusk

Where they filmed scenes from Harry Potter

After 10 days it was time to say goodbye, since the fam had to go back to work and I had to go back to my studies. We had a farewell English breakfast before they headed to the airport.

English breakfast

Annette's Visit to London (Part III) - Go West Young Man [and Woman]

2007-04-16T03:14:00.000-05:00

On Friday morning, we rented a car and drove west. At first we were considering spending 2 days in the Cotswolds but decided we were feeling a bit more adventurous. So, we just kept driving. We stopped for lunch in Bristol - visited their lovely cathedral and had a nice walk around.

Then, we went on to Wales and decided to stay in Cardiff (Caerdydd). We arrived a little late to see the castle that evening, so we settle for a nice walk around town. We had dinner at a theatre turned pub with a good view of the passers-by on the street below. The prices were so much more reasonable than London! We spent the night at The Big Sleep - an interesting B&B with a hostel feel in a converted office block. Evidently, John Malkovich is a silent partner in the venture. His impact is apparent in the various pictures on the walls, including in our room.

On Saturday morning, we had a lovely breakfast and then headed to Cardiff Castle. We had a good time touring the Victorian living areas and the Norman keep on the grounds.

After the castle, we started the trip back to England. We spent a few hours driving through the Cotswalds to find out what the fuss is all about. They were nice quaint villages and lovely countryside - though we are sure we have seen quainter and lovelier elsewhere. It was a nice time.

We ended the day with a stop at a pub for dinner and then Annette had to be dropped off at the airport for the long ride back home.

Annette's Visit to London (Part II) - The Bloody Tower

2007-04-16T03:11:00.000-05:00

After we flew back into London, took the train and the tube back to the apartment, we headed off to see the Tower of London. It is supposed to be one of the best things to see in London and it did not disappoint.

We started with a beefeater-led tour and then were free to explore on our own. There were many exhibits and reenactments to enjoy.

After that was done, we hit the half price ticket booth in Leicester ("lester") Square and decided to see Stomp. London is a fabulous place for seeing shows - because they are plentiful and no one looks at you twice if you show up in jeans and an old navy fleece. Stomp was very entertaining and a nice way to wrap up the day.

Pisa

2007-04-16T03:05:00.000-05:00

After having our fill of Florentine art and churches, we headed on the Pisa. We heard they have some sort of tower there that leans. After a short train ride from Florence to Pisa, we made our way to the Square of Miracles and there it was. It really does lean.

The first order of business was taking the obligatory pictures of holding up and leaning on the tower.

With that done, we moved on to a visit in the cathedral, which was beautiful.

We chose not to climb the tower as it would have cost us 15 euro each. My mother tells me that I have been there, done that, at the age of 7 so I do not feel that I have missed anything.

Bright and extremely early the next morning, we arrived at the Pisa airport for our 6:35AM flight back to jolly old England.

Florence

2007-04-16T02:56:00.000-05:00

Ah, Tuscany. Such a wonderful place!! We arrived around 4pm in Florence and still had plenty of time to walk around after checking in to our hotel. We stayed near the train station and all of the important sights were within walking distance. So we, along with about a million tourists of all varieties (many Americans), headed to the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and to see the statues in the Piazza del Signore.

On the way, we passed through Cararra - at first we thought there were glaciers and then we realized it was mountains of marble.

The next morning, we were ambitious and climbed up a hill over town for the nice views before the museums and churches were open for visitors. There were great views and a charming church at the top of the hill. Then, we headed down to see what there was to see. We started with Santa Croce, the final resting place of Michelangelo and Galileo (once he was allowed in by the Catholics).

Next, we tried to see the original David (having already seen 2 copies) but the line was just too long. So, we hit the museum at the Duomo, with part of the original facade and a fantastic unfinished Pieta by Michelangelo.

Of course, throughout our time in Italy we had many stops for the famous gelato. They just do not make it anywhere else like they make it in Italy. Wes would have even had it for breakfast if the shops were open that early.

Cinque Terre

2007-04-16T02:50:00.000-05:00

Early Sunday morning, we head on the tube, then the train...all the way to Stansted airport. It was a long ride but we made it. Then, we flew over the Alps all the way to Genoa, Italy. There, we caught yet another train and were on our way down the Italian Riviera to Riomaggiore. The scenery along the way was great and at least we arrived around 3 in the afternoon.

Riomaggiore is one of five small villages that make up the Cinque Terre. We visited this area back in 2000 when we were backpacking - so long ago!! It is possible to hike the full distance between the villages, perched on the hills over the Meditteranean. Angela and I did it all in one day back in 2000. This time, we were less ambitious and had a later start. So, we did the first two short hikes on Sunday evening and then headed back to Riomaggiore for dinner. The food was fantastic!! You do not get better pesto anywhere in the world.

We stayed in a small apartment up the stairs in Riomaggiore (everything seems to be upstairs in these villages). It had a great view.

On Monday morning, we got an early start so we could do some hiking without our bags before checkout time. We were alone most of the time on the way from Vernazza to Monterosso - about a 2 hour hike. It was beautiful - the pictures speak for themselves.

After spending some more time in the villages and having lunch, we were on our way to Tuscany.

Annette's Visit to London (part I)

2007-04-16T02:36:00.000-05:00

After sending Wes on to check it out, I (Annette) decided to head over for a visit. When I arrived Thursday morning, Wes met me at Paddington station and we dropped my stuff of at the apartment. Then, I walked with him to his class and headed off for a day to entertain myself while Wes was in class from 9 to 5. I visited the National Gallery in the morning, met Wes for lunch, and then headed to the British Museum in the afternoon. It was a perfectly beautiful spring day in London - you could not ask for better weather.

The next day (Friday), we went to Knightsbridge to see the museums and, of course, visit Harrod's. We spent the morning at the Natural History Museum, stopped at the V&A for a quick look before lunch, and then hit Harrod's in the afternoon. In the evening, we went with Seth and Tisha and some of their friends to Brick Lane, a strip of Indian food restaurants.

Saturday we got a bit of a later start as the jet lag was finally catching up with me. We hit the Tate Modern before lunch as I had heard it was good. Generally we are not fans of modern art, but they did have a very good collection and it was interesting to see all the different styles. Some of it was just stupid (a single pink fluorescent bulb at an angle is not art), but a lot of it was quite good. After that, we walked around the area a bit and then went to the market at Portobello Road. There was an eclectic mix of goods available - many of them the same things we have seen in the markets of Thailand for 1/5 the price. We ended the day with a little TV back at the apartment as we had an early start for the flight on Sunday.

Wes arrives in jolly old England!

2007-03-27T10:16:00.000-05:00

After a 13 hour flight on budget airline Oasis Hong Kong, Wes arrived in London. He will be in the UK for the next three months attending London Business School.

Wes' first impression of London - the weather is outstanding!! 65 degrees and sunny! Hopefully the weather will be just as nice over the next few months, although the chances of that are not very good.

Wes will be writing about some of his London experiences over at his blog. Click the link on the left, or here: www.whereiswes.blogspot.com

Here are a few pictures of the LBS area...

The nearest Fitness First. We are members in HK and we able to extend this to London. This location, in an old church building, is drastically different from the club in Hong Kong.

Regents Park

Regents Park

Canal in Regents Park

Regents Park with LBS in the background (white domes)

Residential street

Guilin and Yangshuo, China

2007-03-19T03:18:00.000-05:00

In our quest to see more of China we took a three day trip to Guilin and Yangshuo, about an hour west of Hong Kong by air. The area is famous for its rugged mountain scenery.

We spent our first night in Guilin by walking around the downtown shopping and entertainment district. The shopping street featured both Chinese and western brands, and was full of teenagers and young people out eating and going to local clubs. We hardly felt like we were in China.

Guilin at Night

Guilin Shopping and Entertainment District

I'm not sure what this means

The next morning we took a walk along the Li River in Guilin to the see Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin's most famous landmark. This landmark is made up of a hill on the riverside with a large hole in it, making it appear like an elephant drinking from the river. The prime spot to see the hill is from the elephant trunk hill park, which charges a 30 yuan admission fee. We thought it rather ridiculous to have to pay just to see the landmark for a couple of minutes, so we decided to stay on the walkway just above the park and try to catch a glimpse from there. However, the owners of the park had decided to defend their precious view from freeloaders, strategically planting bamboo and potted trees so that the hill was hard to see. Determined not to part with our Yuan, we kept walking and eventually found a free but partially unobstructed view.

Admiring the scenery

Annette and elephant trunk hill from the free vantage point. (The people down below had to pay 30 Yuan to take their photos.)

Morning Tai Chi at the park

After our walk we joined our 'tour bus' which took us to the ferry from Guilin to Yangshuo. This 65km, 4 hour journey is one of the most popular activities in the area, and one of the most overpriced. Our tickets were 460 yuan each, and once we were on the ferry we were a captive audience to all kinds of additional sales pitches - expensive drinks, photo books, photo ops with local fishermen, additional tours, etc. Luckily the beautiful scenery was well worth the cost and the harassment.

Our ferry

Small boat on the river

Li River Scenery

Li River Scenery

Li River Scenery

Li River Scenery

Li River Scenery

Li River Scenery

Li River Scenery

Local River Transportation

People from the local villages also hoped to make some sales from the passing tourists. These two enterprising locals rafted out to our moving ferry and tied their raft alongside. Then, they walked on the side of the boat waving their wares, which included Chinese fans, Buddha carvings and postcards.

Selling to the tourists

Li River Scenery

Before we arrived in Yangshuo our 'tour guide' offed some additional services for the afternoon but we declined, preferring to check in at our hotel and do some exploring on our own. As we were disembarking the guide told us that someone would be waiting for us at the dock, which was a bit strange since we were not expecting anyone. We quickly realized that our guide was hoping to pass us off to another guide in Yangshuo. As we were disembarking we walked past the person holding a sign which said "Wes Sutherl." Sorry, not me! Next we had to quickly walk through a gauntlet of touts offering rafting tours, hotels, souvenirs, food... anything they thought the ferry tourists could possibly want or be convinced to buy. We had heard that Yangshuo was supposed to be a mellow backpackers hangout, but it seemed that capitalism had taken over.

After checking in to our hotel, we walked around some of the local streets and markets. Away from the ferry dock things were a bit more peaceful, especially later in the day when the boats had stopped coming in for the day.

Yangshuo's "West Street" at Night

Yangshuo in the morning

On day two in Yangshou we had some breakfast and then rented two mountain bikes, which were a bargain at 10 yuan (about $1.20) for the day. With a rough map, we headed out to the countryside to do some exploring.

Biking around Yangshuo

Biking around Yangshuo

Biking around Yangshuo was probably the best part of the trip. We rode past small orchards and rice fields, and small homes and villages. We saw locals tending their crops, playing cards, and herding water buffaloes. Our map was terrible so we had to ask directions several times. Our Mandarin skills are still quite poor, but we were able to communicate enough to chat about the weather and find out which direction to go. The locals were quite friendly and usually asked where we were from.

Scenery around Yangshuo

Scenery around Yangshuo

Around Yangshuo

Asking for directions

Around Yangshuo

Moon Hill

Biking around Yangshuo

Old Canal

Rice paddy near Yangshuo

Local traffic - water buffaloes and trucks

At night we saw a show called "Impression Liu Sanjie," an artsy performance showcasing the landscape and local culture. The stage was made up of a section of the river, and hundreds of performers sang, danced, and rafted along the stage. It felt like a mix of Cirque de Soleil's "O" and the Blue Man Group, except on a river in China. It was a bit of a surreal experience.

Impression Liu Sanjie

Impression Liu Sanjie

Here are a few videos:

Video: Impression Liu Sanjie Part 1

Video: Impression Liu Sanjie Part 2

Video: Impression Liu Sanjie Part 3

News has spread to Yangshou that high prices can be charged for fancy coffees. Now, we regularly enjoy a nice Starbucks coffee break, but there is something unsettling about paying 39 yuan for a mocha when one can buy a full breakfast (two eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns, tea, and fresh-squeezed orange juice) in Yangshou for only 22 Yuan. But, it was cold and we needed a hot drink, so we decided to have a coffee break. But, we stuck to the relatively cheaper drinks - an americano and a hot chocolate.

Coffee break in Yangshuo

One of the famous attractions around Yangshuo is cormorant fishing. Fishermen tame them and use them to catch small fish. When the bird catches a fish, a rope tied around the birds neck keeps the fish from being swallowed. The fisherman retrieves the fish, then sends the bird back into the water for another.

Cormorant fisherman

On Sunday we headed back to Guilin to see some more of the sights there before our return flight. The weather was terrible - cold and rainy - so we decided to see some sights underground at the Reed Flute Cave, one of the most famous of the many caves in the area.

At Reed Flute Cave Park, Guilin

At Reed Flute Cave Park, Guilin

Unlike the stuffy "naturalist" caves in the US, the reed flute cave was a spectacle of neon lights. Since we were the only two westerners there, we did not have to follow a tour group and were left to wander around the cave on our own. Of course there was little danger since the 500m long path consisted of a nice level concrete sidewalk.

At Reed Flute Cave, Guilin

Day Trip to Shenzhen

2007-03-10T20:28:00.000-06:00

This weekend we went to Shenzhen to see a remote section of the great wall. As Wes was admiring the wall, suddenly the Earth started shaking and...

...aahhh!! Annettezilla scaled the wall and began attacking the empire!!

Annettezilla in the forbidden city.

Alright, so the more savvy of you readers out there probably figured out that Annette wasn't actually transformed into a giant. Actually we were visiting a theme park in Shenzhen called "Splendid China," which is full of miniatures of China's most famous sights. (And a few not-so famous sights.)

We had not actually planned to go to this park... our original plan for the day was to do some volunteer work in Shenzhen. But, we missed our connection with the group we were meeting with, so we decided we might as well do some exploring in Shenzhen since we were there.

Annette next to a flowering bauhinia tree in the park.

Cultural Parade

Also included in the price of our admission ticket was the "China Folk Culture Villages," an Epcot-style park featuring China's many minority groups. This park had a variety of shows, including a cultural dance spectacular and a horseback battle re-creation.

Equestrian Warriors

A fiery display of horse riding skills.

In part of the park there was a lake where you could pay a few yuan to be zipped up in a plastic ball in order to frolic on the water like some sort of giant floating hamster.

For some reason the Chinese believe that going to a theme park should be a formal event. We were feeling a bit under dressed.

This section of the park was labeled "Trees planted by the most famous people in the world." These famous people included leaders of the Congo, Fiji, and Eritrea. Fidel Castro even planted a tree here. And, a few trees down was this pathetic-looking shrub planted by "his excellency" President George H.W. Bush in the early nineties.

Wes gongs the bell. Why? Because it was there.

Annette in Lhasa. We'll see how it compares to the real Lhasa when we go there this fall.

Tiddlywink? No, Shenzhen subway token. The Shenzhen subway was every bit as nice as the one in Hong Kong and made getting around a breeze.

A Walk Around the Neighborhood

2007-03-04T18:48:00.000-06:00

This weekend we decided to take a walk around our neighborhood to see some of the sights that we have not taken the time to enjoy despite the fact that they are just down the street from our building.

Our first stop was Man Mo Temple. Built in 1847, Man Mo is one of Hong Kong's older temples. During the Chinese New Year, we heard lots of noise coming from Man Mo, as worshipers beat drums and clashed cymbals to scare away evil spirits. During out visit there were many people bringing offerings and lighting incense.

The incense coils are an interesting sight. Inside each one is a slip of paper with writing - maybe a wish or a prayer? There are hundreds of them burning at any one time, making the inside of the temple very smoky.

Incense coils in Man Mo Temple

Inside Man Mo Temple

Incense coils in Man Mo Temple

Due in part to its small land area, Hong Kong is a city of continuous renewal, where the old is torn down to make way for the new. Recently there have been quite a few articles in local publications lamenting the demise of local street eateries and outdoor markets, which are being pushed out to make way for high rise commercial and residential buildings.

Typical street scene in Sheung Wan

Noodle shop

Outdoor Market

Fresh Produce

The produce stalls had a lot of tasty looking fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, most of this produce comes from China and there have been news reports stating that random inspections of this kind of produce often show very high levels of pesticides and chemicals. Therefore, we usually stick to produce imported from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, or the US.

Fresh Seafood

Poultry Shop

Tropical Flowers

Feather Boas and Wigs on sale on Pottinger Street

On the midlevels escalator - the longest covered escalator system in the world. According to Wikipedia, more than 45,000 people use this each day.

Elgin Street in SoHo - home to a wide variety of trendy restaurants.

The food may be tasty, but there aren't many dining bargains to be found here:

Typical prices (US$):
Hamburger & Fries - $15
12oz Steak - $28
Burrito - $11
Lamb Chop w/Cous Cous - $26
Irish Stew - $12
Pad Thai - $12
Glass of Wine or Beer - $7
Chicken Vindaloo - $12

Siem Reap, Cambodia

2007-02-19T19:39:00.000-06:00

Angkor Wat Sunrise

For Chinese New Year we decided to get out of Hong Kong and take a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We departed on Friday afternoon and had a pleasant 2 hour flight to Siem Reap on Siem Reap airways. After arriving in Siem Reap, we caught a taxi to our hotel. When we arrived at the hotel our driver offered to be our guide for the following day for $30 and we happily agreed.

Our first morning in Cambodia started with a pre-dawn trip to Angkor Wat to see the sun rise. It was an awe-inspiring experience to see the sun come up over this ancient temple.

Angkor Wat Sunrise

Angkor Wat Sunrise

Angkor Wat Sunrise

Angkor Wat Bas Reliefs

The temples of the Khmers, including Angkor Wat, were built between 900-1200 and were designed to be palaces for the Gods. They were richly decorated with statues and precious metals. Today all that remains is the stone structures, but the exquisite craftsmanship of the builders is evident. Many of the inner walls are covered with carvings and reliefs that depict epic battles and other historical events or religious lore.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat Apsara Carvings

Climbing to the upper levels of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat was designed to give the feel of being on a mountain, and climbing to the top certainly gave us the feeling that it was! The steps were quite treacherous.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat Buddha Gallery

While most of the finer statues have been stolen over the years to be sold in foreign markets, some remain. The Buddha statues are often decorated with orange robes, and the faithful still light incense for the images.

Angkor Wat Vishnu Statue (with Buddha head)

Some of the temples were built to be Hindu, but later Buddhism became the dominant religion so the Hindu statues were replaced or modified to be Buddhist. This was once a Vishnu statue (Hindu) but by replacing the head with a Buddha head, it was *voila* a Buddhist statue! Conversely, some of the temples were built as Buddhist temples, but later Hinduism took over and the Buddha statues and reliefs were removed and chiseled off the temple walls.

Naga Bridge near Angkor Thom

South Gate of Angkor Thom

Side view of gate of Angkor Thom

The Bayon at Angkor Thom

Faces at Bayon

Face at Bayon

At Bayon with some locals in traditional garb

Annette buys some postcards

At many of the temples there were children selling postcards, bracelets, and other items. Many of the kids selling postcards (10 for $1) could count to ten in a dozen or more languages and would begin reciting them in order to convince potential buyers to make a purchase.

Monk at Bayon

We saw quite a few monks at the temples. Many of them were clearly not locals, because they carried guidebooks. The temples are still places of worship for many.

At Bayon

Dancing Apsaras carvings at Bayon

Faces at Bayon

View of Bayon

Pineapple Snack near Bayon

Pineapples and Mangoes were on sale outside the temples as well. Two small pineapples could be had for $1.

Three-headed elephant (Airavata) at Elephant Terrace

Elephant relief at Elephant Terrace

Most of the temples around Siem Reap were mostly lost to advancing jungles after the Khmer civilization declined around the 14th-16th century. European adventurers rediscovered the temples in the 19th century, and extensive forest clearing and restoration work was conducted in the 20th century. Ta Prohm is a unique temple because archaeologists decided to leave some of the giant trees that had grown on top of buildings and walls. As these trees grow, they cause large gaps in the building roofs and walls and when the tree dies the walls often crumble.

Overgrown building at Ta Prohm

We were not the only tourists to visit Siem Reap on this holiday weekend. Certain temples are very popular at certain times of day (Angkor at sunrise, Bakheng at sunset). During these times we often had to jostle for good views. However, we also found it easy to avoid the crowds by traveling to some of the less-visited temples or going off the main paths in the popular temples.

Tourists gather at Phnom Bakheng for sunset

Banteay Srei

On the second morning we traveled to Banteay Srei, a small temple that is made of reddish rock and covered with intricate carvings. The temple was consecrated 22 April 967.

Carving at Banteay Srei

Carving at Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei

Sunrise at Bantey Srei

Elephant at East Mebon

Road construction, Cambodia Style

Ta Som

Overgrown gate at Ta Som

Middle temple at Neak Pean

There are a great variety of temples around Siem Reap. Neak Pean was a series of large pools where worshipers could bathe in holy waters. The main temple was originally meant to be an island in the middle of the large pool.

Dancing Apsaras at Preah Khan (note where the Buddhas have been removed above)

Giant Garuda at Preah Khan

Angkor Wat

Herding Cattle through the gate of Angkor Wat

Land mine museum

After getting our fill of temples, we decided to see some other interesting sights. One was the land mine museum, set up by a land mine victim who now works to find and remove land mines. The museum is run by him and a number of other land mine victims; many of them children. The museum has examples of many kinds of land mines and the stories of people who have been killed or maimed by them.

Signpost at land mine museum

Land mine museum

Wes makes a friend at the cultural village

We also visited the Cambodian Cultural Village, which had models of Cambodian buildings and Epcot Center style villages that showcase the various ethnic groups of Cambodia. While we were walking around a monk stopped Wes and asked to take a photo.

Dinner show in Siem Reap

At dinner we saw a traditional dancing show.

Another sunrise at Angkor Wat

For our third and final day in Siem Reap, we decided to take in another sunrise at Angkor Wat. You can tell that this was one of our favorite experiences.

We weren't the only people who got up early

At Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Dancing Apsaras at Angkor Wat

Wes with Suky, our guide and driver

Cambodia is an amazing place, and not nearly as rough as one might expect it to be. Siem Reap is full of five star hotels and recently got its first ATMs, which dispense US dollars. There are great restaurants offering all kinds of cuisine (even Mexican!). Clean massage shops offer hour long foot massages for $6 - it is almost worth the trip for that alone! :)

Tourism is clearly exploding at Siem Reap and it will be interesting to see how the local authorities are able to cope with the increasing traffic. As of now, most of the temples are fully open to tourists who can walk just about anywhere in the temple and touch the carvings - undoubtedly speeding up the erosion of the temples.

The locals are extremely friendly and those we came in contact with were very honest - even the Tuk Tuk drivers. Hopefully the influx of tourists will not lead to a "cheat the tourists" culture that has taken over in places like Bangkok, but it may be hard to prevent this.

Our advice - go to Cambodia as soon as you can. It is truly a life changing experience.

A Walk Around Kowloon

2007-01-31T18:41:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, we decided to actually leave Hong Kong Island to have a look around on the Kowloon side. Also, Annette was in search of a dress for the upcoming annual ball (no luck in Kowloon, but did alright in Wan Chai on Sunday). We have been to Kowloon many times - to watch the lights and do some shopping in the markets. Our trips do not usually take us very far from TST, the area just across the harbor.

Fa Yuen Market

Fa Yuen Market

The markets sell many different and exciting kinds of yarn. They also have huge plastic knitting needles. As far as I can tell, all they make are scarves. It is, after all, winter in Hong Kong.

Sweet Potato Vendor

Once we have finished with market shopping, we decided to do a little sightseeing. We went to the flower market, which is really just streets of shops that sell all kinds of flowers and plants, and to the bird garden. It was a little scary going to the bird garden as they found a bird with H5N1 in Mong Kok just last year, but we braved it anyway. It was worth it to see all the birds and, most interesting of all, hoards of Chinese men who were fascinated with the birds and were walking their birds in cages.

Bargaining for Narcissus(es?)(i?)

It is good luck if the bloom opens at Chinese New Year.

How much is that doggie bouquet in the window?

Flower Market

Flower Market [what the heck are these??]

Bird Garden

Beware of Attack Pigeons

At the bird garden, we learned that feral pigeons are bad and dirty and you should never feed them.

Bird Garden

Bird Garden

Bird Garden

Bird Garden

Bird Garden

Flower Market

When we were finished with the birds and the flowers, we decided to venture to Kowloon's Walled City Park. Although we had not even heard of this place until Jared and Hope visited in November, it sounded interesting. And it did not disappoint. The walled city is less than 15 years old, but it has been built in the traditional style. The area it occupies was once the only piece of Hong Kong that still belonged to China when Hong Kong was under British rule (for a more complete history, see the wikipedia article here). It became a haven for all manner of criminals and was torn down in 1993. The existing park was built on the site.

Kowloon Walled City

For safety reasons, a life preserver is provided in case people do not realize that they can actually stand up in a foot and a half of water.

Kowloon Walled City

Bush Dragon

Bush Chicken?

Kowloon Walled City

Kowloon Walled City

One of the highlights of the park was the zodiac sculpture garden. Each of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac are represented by a sculpture, facing the sun in some direction that probably means something if you know more about the Chinese zodiac (which I do not). The fun part was that all of the sculptures were clearly made by different artists and they apparently did not have the benefit of seeing what others were doing. So, the dragon, horse and cow (bull? ox?) were all fairly realistic for what they were and all a decent size. On the other hand, the rabbit was extremely small and the ram looked like a puff of cloud. The bear was not a lot bigger than the rabbit. Too bad for people of those zodiac years.

Annette and Her Chinese Zodiac Sculpture

Wes and His Chinese Zodiac Sculpture (with the ram and bear in the background)

Remains of Original Walled City Gate

Crazy Attack Turtle

I have never seen a turtle with that many teeth and such a scary tongue.

Kowloon's Little Thailand

Tunnel Back to the Island

Tasty Gelato Shop

Back on the Island side, we could comfortably sit in a pub in SoHo and gaze at the gelato shop that we frequent. It has some of the strongest flavored ice cream I have ever had.

Happy 2007!!

2007-01-12T23:29:00.000-06:00

We had a great trip back to Texas and Louisiana for Christmas this year. It was fun to see our friends and family after such a long time away.

Dinner at Chuy's

Trail of Lights in Austin

Riverwalk, San Antonio

Wes and his mother at the Alamo

The Alamo

Barn party in Utopia

Trav and Stimpy

Wes and Granny

Granny and her daughters

Christmas in Dripping Springs

Christmas in Dripping Springs

Post-Christmas in Mandeville

New Orleans

New Years in Mandeville

New Years in Mandeville

Merry Christmas from Hong Kong!

2006-12-14T07:04:00.000-06:00

It is Christmastime in Hong Kong! Last weekend we decided to take a little trip into Shenzhen (just over the border) to do a little shopping. The train ride takes about 40 minutes from Hong Kong. After passing through immigration, the LoWu shopping center is right outside the train station.

Annette samples some Chinese teas

Lots of teas to choose from

Christmas Decor in Chinese Mall

Shenzhen, one of China's largest cities

Later, back in Hong Kong, we walked along the waterfront on the Kowloon side to admire the giant Santas and other decorations that cover the sides of many skyscrapers.

Wes sitting in one of the few rickshaws left in HK. These are for sale... business opportunity?

Decorations in our apt building
Our little Christmas tree

Wes - Hong Kong TV Star

2006-11-12T03:14:00.000-06:00

With his good looks and irresistible charm, we all knew that Wes would end up in showbiz one day. Well, at least the back of his head. Look for him in this commercial throwing a ball in the air...

Tokyo

2006-11-12T02:23:00.000-06:00

Annette took these photos last week while she was in Japan on a business trip. After returning from Tokyo, she had to get back on a plane and go to Shanghai.

The weather in Tokyo is beautiful this time of year - it was sunny and about 70 degrees almost everyday during the week. Unfortunately, the one day it was rainy and cold happened to be Saturday, the only day Annette had free time.

Tokyo - View from the hotel room

Shabu Shabu - A Japanese dish, similar to Chinese "hot pot", where you cook raw beef in boiling water. Shabu Shabu roughly translates to swish-swish because you are only supposed to put the meat in for a short amount of time before taking it out to eat with sesame or soy sauce.

Beef "sushi" - served before shabu shabu and actually very tasty. Just the right amount of wasabe.

Annette cooking her Shabu Shabu. The bibs were provided for everyone and not just the messy eaters.

The next night was Teppanyaki, which is the Japanese cooking style that Benihana is based on. We had several courses, including this one with beef, lotus, and garlic chips with 2 dipping sauces. Before this came shrimp and scallops. The shrimp was particularly fresh - they were alive when they arrived on the grill. It was a little hard to watch but tasted great.

Group Photo - Annette and her coworkers/client (from New York, Indianapolis and Shanghai respectively). Again, bibs were provided for everyone.

General Nogi's residence, park and shrine were next door to the office. This is the only sightseeing that was not a bit rainy.

Nogi's Place

Shrine near General Nogi's residence.

Hello Kitty Tree - I asked, but unfortunately the separate Hello Kitty angels were not for sale. They offered to let me buy the whole tree but I decided against.

Kiddy Land - a toy store in the shopping district with 6 floors of fun.

Fresh Wasabi

Tokyo Tower - reflecting Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Olympics.

Only in Japan - Toilet Control Panel. This one is from the hotel lobby, but such controls were also available in the hotel rooms and the office building where I was working.

Toilet - you can't tell from here but the seat is heated.

View from Tokyo Tower - into the rain and clouds. You are supposed to be able to see Mount Fuji from here. No such luck this day.

Shrine at the top of Tokyo Tower

View from Tokyo Tower

View from Tokyo Tower

View up Tokyo Tower. The Tower is actually taller than the Eiffel Tower (if I understood the guide correctly). I am not sure if it looks smaller because it is orange or because it is standing among buildings.

Street Scene

Sake Drums

Gate to enter Japanese shrine. Passing through here supposedly purifies the mind. For a hangover, the tour guide recommended passing through three times before going on to the shrine.

Physical purification before entering the shrine. You were supposed to wash your hand and mouth at the fountain, but I figured just the hands was good enough.

Shrine

Meiji Shrine

In November, all of the 3 and 7 year old girls and all of the 5 year old boys are supposed to go pray for a long life. The ritual is known as Shichi-Go-San (7-5-3). It was clearly an important event for families, although it seemed that only the older girls were really happy wearing a kimono for the day.

Boy in a kimono (older brother in a suit).

Entrance to the Imperial Palace Gardens. Visitors are only allowed in the outer gardens, except two days a year. This was not one of those days.

Garden

Garden

Garden

Wall outside of the imperial palace.

Bangkok III

2006-11-12T01:48:00.000-06:00

Two of our dear friends from Houston, Jared and Hope, came to visit us in Hong Kong. After a few days in Hong Kong they became bored with the city and demanded that we take them somewhere more interesting, so we decided to take them to Bangkok. (Ok, so they didn't demand it... actually Annette just wanted to do some shopping and get a good foot massage. Also, Wes wanted to see if he could actually go to Bangkok without getting ill at some point).

On the first day in Bangkok, we visited the Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, and Wat Po.

Tuk-Tuk Ridin'. These are good for a quick ride, but you have to know exactly where you are going and be willing to fiercely negotiate with a driver bent on ripping you off or taking you on an unscheduled shopping trip where they will get a commission.

Tuk-Tuk

River Ferry

Jared on the lookout for pirates

Wat Arun from River Ferry

River Traffic

River Ferry

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Grand Palace

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Po

Wat Po

Wat Po

Principal Buddha at Wat Po

After touring all day, we decided to grab some dinner at a Thai restaurant recommended in Lonely Planet. As often happens when we go somewhere in the Lonely Planet book, we found ourselves surrounded with people with copies of the book (surprise, surprise). But, the recommendation was a good one since the food was very tasty, especially the red curry.

Following dinner, we decided to check out the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, a huge nighttime market with a huge selection of clothes, furniture, souvenirs, etc. This area also had funny little booths were two or three people could pay 5 baht to sing karaoke. After shopping for a while our feet were tired to we enjoyed an hour long foot massage.

On day two we hired a longtail boat to go on a short tour of Bangkok's canals. Along the canals we got to see lots more temples where the water churned with fish - people would throw whole bread slices into the water and they would be devoured in seconds. We also got to see how people in Bangkok live. Some of the houses seemed very run down. However, others were brand new and had satellite dishes.

Longtail Boat Cruisin'

Longtail Boat

Canal Locks

Canal Scene

Canal Scene

Canal Scene

Canal Scene

House on Canal

On the River

After our river tour, we visited the house of Jim Thompson, an American who moved to Bangkok after serving in the US intelligence department in the 40's. He is known for helping to revive the Thai silk industry. In 1967, he mysteriously disappeared while on a trip to Malaysia; some think he was kidnapped by the US or Thai government... others think he was simply eaten by a tiger. After his disappearance, the Thai government turned his house into a museum.

Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson Garden

Haven't seen enough? Want more? Click here.

Langkawi, Malaysia

2006-10-08T01:44:00.000-05:00

Start with the obligatory trip to Starbucks

The Langkawi Eagle

The first waterfall

The first waterfall

Black Sand Beach

Second Waterfall

The bridge Wes built was not quite strong enough

Climbing to the third waterfall

Resting at the third waterfall

On top of the world

Third waterfall

Here we are again at the third waterfall. [Yes - Wes is wearing Annette's purse :)]

The fourth waterfall - this time it was from the sky

Batik

To achieve the batik effect, they first outline the drawing with wax and then paint the colors. Then, the fabric is boiled to melt away the wax. They were using several different fabrics.

At the aquarium

Wes and the penguins

Tea on the balcony

Oh no! That crocodile is eating Wes!

Traditional Malaysian house [on display next to the mini golf course]

Pool time

Wes is in there...

Petronas Towers in KL

Petronas at night

Bonus Videos! (They aren't really that exciting... just testing this function out... maybe we will have better ones up in the future)

Some monkeys on the wires

Penguins in Malaysia??

Happy Birthday Annette!

2006-09-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a big event - Annette celebrated her ##th birthday! (Oops... looks like the censors are watching. Well, suffice it to say Annette has turned the age of which I can no longer tell you how old she is).

Annette's day started with breakfast in bed, followed by opening her presents - an Ipod Nano and a new Orchid. (Annette cheated by opening some of her other gifts early - a poetry book and Sudoku puzzles, both of which she has been enjoying. Angela, you timed your mail perfectly - the shirts and frame arrived on Monday - pictures to come later!)

After playing with her new Ipod for a while, Annette 'had' to go to her surprise Spa appointment to get a pedicure. After that, she was treated to her signature birthday cake - sponge cake with whipped cream and mandarin oranges. Later on, Annette and Wes had dinner at "M at the Fringe," a small hip restaurant with a creative menu.

This weekend, Annette's birthday celebration will continue as we travel to Langkawi, Malaysia. Check back later for an update!

Thanks to everyone who sent gifts and Birthday wishes!

Our 'Weeding' Anniversary in Macau

2006-08-14T10:28:00.000-05:00

Well, one amazing year is in the books. Thinking about all that Annette and I have experienced in the last 365 days makes me realize that we are really blessed.

Anyhow, to celebrate our one year anniversary we decided on a short getaway to Macau to enjoy a relaxing weekend. Macau is a favorite destination for Hong Kong expats because it is only a short ferry ride away, and is a good place to go when you need to make a 'visa run' to validate a Hong Kong visa by leaving and re-entering the territory. But, there are increasingly more reasons for people to visit Macau - the territory is quickly becoming the Las Vegas of Asia as large casino companies open resorts to compete with the older gambling establishments that have long been the main source of revenue for Macau. The Sands opened in Macau last year, the Wynn will debut this September, and the Venetian will go on line next year. The competition is going to be great for Macau's tourist industry as the casino/resorts bring more entertainment options and better customer service to a place where both have traditionally been in short supply. Hopefully the Blue Man Group and Cirque de Soleil will have shows in Macau soon.

Friday afternoon we bought a couple of tickets on the ferry and departed the hectic place that is Hong Kong. An hour later we arrived in Macau, and after a short shuttle ride we checked into our room at the Mandarin Oriental.

Shortly after our arrival, there was a knock at the door - one of the hotel staff brought us a cheesecake to help us celebrate. We had got a good laugh after reading what was written on it. I guess they mistook us for gardeners rather than newlyweds.

On Saturday we enjoyed relaxing by the pool. Annette had fun going down the waterslide. After a few hours of that strenuous activity, we headed to the spa for a 'traditional' Macanese sangria ritual - a grape seed scrub followed by a sangria bath, topped off with an 80 minute grapeseed oil massage. Yeah, it was a pretty rough weekend.

Following our active day, we headed to the Hotel restaurant to try out some Macanese dishes. The first course was a 'tomato' soup, which turned out to be tomato-flavored cream sprinkled with flavored oils. For the main course, Wes had the African chicken - a quarter chicken cooked in a creamy spicy-sweet sauce - while Annette opted for the grilled prawns. Both delicious. To top it off we had a traditional Macanese dessert - layers of whipped cream and crunchy sugary bits that Annette swears she had one time while she was traveling Europe... perhaps Portugal.

After dinner we were finally rested and well fed, so we decided to go check out the nearby "Fisherman's Wharf" attraction - a new shopping and entertainment center that was built by Macau's richest businessman, Stanley Ho. The complex has buildings modeled after famous places past and present, such as a Qing Dynasty palace, a Roman amphitheatre, and streets reminiscent of Amsterdam, Germany, New Orleans, Lisbon, Miami and more. There is also a giant Volcano that spews fire after dark.

When we walked by the volcano we got the impression that there was some kind of attraction inside, since there was a ticket booth where we could purchase tickets to experience "The River of Fire" and "Dragon Quest." We had no way of knowing what either of these rides were since there was no advertising, but we decided to be adventurous and get tickets anyway. Tickets in hand, we ventured inside the volcano. The environment inside was not much different from the steam room in the hotel spa - the giant black mountain had been baking all day in the tropical sun, and the plume of burning gas on the top of the volcano probably didn't help the situation much. A river wound through the volcano, adding to the humidity. As far as we could tell, ventilation had not been a part of the design. On the upside, we had the place nearly to ourselves, except for a couple of other expats and a few staff members who were covered in sweat after being in the spalcano all day.

Our first ride was the "River of Fire" which was a typical theme park water ride, save for the fact that the river was in the volcano. The ride itself was actually fairly long - I'm not sure how they managed to fit so much river in such a small place. Next we went to the "Dragon Quest" ride - a roller coaster that traversed the upper part of the volcano. The experience was similar to Space Mountain, except the roller coaster cars were individual instead of linked in a train. It was a relatively fun ride, but maybe a little short. The real excitement came from the fact that we weren't confident in the soundness of the engineering that went into the ride. After all, the engineers who designed the volcano forgot to add ventilation.

Next we headed to the Sands to play the cheapy slots and a popular local game called 'Sic Bo'. In Sic Bo, three dice are rolled and players bet whether the total of the dice will be greater than 10. We played about an hour then decided to call it a night.

The following day we slept in late, walked around the Fisherman's Wharf a little more, and checked out the famous 'New Yaohan' mall where Macau's elite and wealthy tourists shop.

We enjoyed our much needed weekend of relaxation in Macau. Thanks to everyone who wished us a happy anniversary!

Where would you like to go?

2006-07-31T06:19:00.000-05:00

July has been a slow travel month for us. Wes has started school and Annette has been busy with work.

In the interest of keeping our fans entertained, we have put together a little poll to find out where you would like to travel.

So...let us hear from you! Vote below...

Bangkok II

2006-06-30T02:06:00.000-05:00

Our first trip to Bangkok back in April didn't go as well as planned. Wes came down with a stomach bug and as a result the sightseeing itinerary was cut short. So, we vowed to return and see some of the sights we missed the first time around.

We arrived in Bangkok late on Friday night. On Saturday we awoke early and headed to Bangkok's old town, where many of the large temples are located. The first stop was Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn, or more simply, Wat Po. Wat Po is the original home of Thai massage and the largest Buddha image in Thailand - the Reclining Buddha.

Wat Po

Over 46 meters long, the reclining Buddha is an impressive sight. It is meant to depict the Buddha's passing into nirvana.

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

The feet of the Buddha are decorated with mother of pearl inlays. It may be considered disrespectful to point your feet at the Buddha, but apparently not the other way around.

Buddha feet

The temples required appropriate dress (no shorts or sleveless shirts) and required visitors to remove their shoes.

Take off your shoes

The compound is home to many monks, but we only saw a few out and about the morning we visited. It could be that they were still asleep after watching world cup games the previous night.

Annette smiles while a monk walks by

The wat is full of interesting statues of various sizes. Many of them look like cross-bred animals, like a warthog-dragon (does that make a wagon?) Others are images of strange looking people.

Small statue

This statue is bored

There were several of these huge statues of figures with canes, top hats, and overcoats. I thought they looked Peruvian, while Annette insisted they are leprechauns (mostly becaues of the shoes). No no no, Annette - leprechauns are waaay smaller!

Peruvian or Leprechaun? You decide.

Wat Po

Wat Po is full of elaborately decorated spires, called "chedis." Some of them are covered with broken porcelain pieces that Chinese ships carried to Thailand as ballast.

Wat Po

Wat Po courtyard

Roof

Roofing tiles in a pile

Wat Po

Wat Po

Bordering the courtyards, there are glass cases full of golden Buddha statues. They pose in many different ways. Some hold up one hand, some hold up both, some neither. Also, some are draped in orange cloths while other are not. Are some Buddhas more modest than others?

Stop in the name of love... (or maybe Hey Buddha-rena...)

Hot at Wat Po

Wat Po

This must have taken some monk a long time to complete. It keeps them from getting bored.

The next stop was the Grand Palace, where Thailand's kings resided from the 18th to 20th century. The compound also houses many important Buddhist landmarks, including the highly revered Emerald Buddha.

Grand Palace

This golden Chedi contains the relics of Lord Buddha, although I have no idea what the 'relics' might consist of. Nevertheless, it is an interesting piece of architecture. [Note for those who have not traveled to the religious sights of the world and seen relics - this is usually a fancy name for body parts. Bones, teeth, hair...whatever they can find. At least here (unlike Europe) they were not displayed under glass.]

Phra Sri Ratana Chedi

Phra Sri Ratana Chedi

Grand Palace

Circling the grand palace are murals depicting scenes from the Ramakien epic. In the story there are a bunch of gods, then someone leads an army of monkeys in defeating an army of demons. Yeah, I don't get it either, but evidently the story is a favorite of the Thai people.

Restoring some of the murals

Around the palace, giants guard the emerald Buddha.

Giant

Grand Palace

Flower

Flower

This chedi is surrounded by neat looking creatures from the Ramakien epic. Some are monkeys, some demons, though it was kind of hard to differentiate. There are also some hybrid animals from the story, including lion-angels which look like birds with tails.

Golden Chedi

Creature

Creature

Grand Palace

Model of Angkor Wat

Grand Palace

Giants guard the entrances

After touring the compound for a while, we finally came to the centerpiece - Wat Phra Kaew. This is where the emerald Buddha resides. The emerald Buddha is very popular with the locals, and many of the faithful were giving offerings of lotus flowers and incense outside the temple.

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

We took off our shoes and went inside, where several hundred people were seated on the floor. Many were tourists, but others were bowing and meditating in the presence of the Buddha. The Buddha has three golden outfits for each of the three seasons (hot, rainy, and cold.) On the appropriate day, the king himself comes to change the Buddha's clothes.

Rules for Wat Phra Kaew

As you can see, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but in this photo you can (barely) see the Buddha through the front door.

The Buddha

Statue of the Buddha's doctor.

Next we passed by the former residence of the King. This building was an interesting mixture of French and Thai architecture.

As a side note: If there is one thing we learned, Thais love their king. The weekend before we visited, the King celebrated his 60th year on the throne. To mark the occasion, people sold yellow shirts and wristbands (yellow is the Kings' birth color). We were amazed by the number of people wearing yellow, even a week after the celebration. [Fun game - go back through any picture with a crowd and count the number of yellow shirts]

Grand Palace

There are many Chinese statues around the grand palace. These were also brought to Thailand as ballast for Chinese ships.

Former ballast

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall

Annette strikes up a conversation

The king used this pavilion to disrobe after parades

Grand Palace

Enough heat already! Time to cool off.

Well, this is where the pictures end, but it was not the end of our adventure. Shortly after leaving the Grand Palace, we caught a taxi back to the hotel to do a little shopping in the nearby mall. Right after we caught the taxi, a strong thunderstorm came over us and it took us nearly an hour to get a few miles back to the hotel. Amazingly, the taxi fare was only around US$3.

The mall near our hotel was huge! There were all kinds of stores selling real and fake goods side by side. The $5 Birkenstocks were too good to pass up. Evidently other tourists thought so too; we saw them being worn everywhere.

We ate dinner at one of the many restaurants at the mall, and later went to Patpong street to check out the night market, which had the usual collection of t-shirts, mass-manufactured crafts, fake watches, knock-off handbags, CDs and DVDs.

Back at the hotel that night, Bangkok got the best of Wes yet again, despite his best efforts to stick to bottled water and not eat anything too weird. As a result, the next morning we were slightly delayed in making our trip to the Chatuchak weekend market. This market is a huge maze of stalls where vendors peddle clothing, crafts, home furnishings, food, and even pets. Wes had to spend most of the time sitting down while Annette shopped - which meant it was exactly like the last trip to the weekend market.

After the market, it was time for a little more shopping at the mall before heading to the airport. All in all, it was a good trip to Bangkok and we hope to see more next time we're passing through on the way to the beach. That is, if Wes is brave enough to set foot in Bangkok again.

Beijing

2006-06-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

The capital of China, Beijing is the country's second largest city. With nearly 15 million people, Beijing trails only Shanghai (17.4MM) in size.

In Shanghai there is a kind of wild-west atmosphere as the city grows wildly, sprouting modern skyscrapers like grass. In contrast, Beijing is a little more subdued. In Beijing there is no towering skyline, but the Ming and Qing dynasty temples and palaces are equally impressive reminders of kingdoms past, while Tiananmen square serves as a symbol of the present.

Shortly after our arrival in Beijing, we took a taxi to the nearby Temple of Heaven park. First constructed in 1420, the Temple of Heaven is a complex of buildings where Ming and Qing Emperors made sacrifices and prayed for good harvests.

After purchasing our tickets (30RMB) we headed through the gate. Once inside, it seemed like we were transported out of Beijing - lots of tall juniper trees blocked the sights and sounds of the city and provided a nice piney fragrance.

Temple of Heaven Park - North Gate

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

The Hall of Annual Prayer is the largest and most recognizable building in the complex.

Hall of Annual Prayer

Hall of Annual Prayer

Hall of Annual Prayer - Detail

Temple of Heaven - rock sculptures

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

The middle of a forest is an interesting place for a no smoking sign.

On the evening of the first day we met our old Houston friend Olen (now a Beijing 'local') and his wife Cathy for dinner. They took us to a local restaurant and took charge of the ordering, which was really helpful because the English version of the menu was poorly translated and a bit cryptic, offering items such as 'slippery beef.' Due to their experience we ended up with more appetizing dishes, including sauteed green beans, fried pork ribs, stir fried beef with peppers, baked eggplant, and fried rice. Mmmm!

The next day we walked from our hotel to Tiananmen square, the center of Beijing and the site of many notable political events. It was here Mao proclaimed the formation of the PRC in 1949, and the site of the 1989 protests that culminated in military intervention on June 4th of that year. Today the broad expanse of pavement is guarded by both uniformed and plainclothes officers that will quickly act to dissolve any person group that tries to protest. A couple days after our visit to the square, the 17th anniversary of the June 4th crackdown, two people who tried to protest were detained. Luckily when we visited we were only accosted by people selling postcards and a father, presumably a Chinese tourist from outside Beijing, who wanted to take our photo with his son.

Tiananmen Square

Statue outside Mao's Mausoleum

Tiananmen Gate

Tiananmen Gate

Museum of Chinese History

A line of tourists queue to see Mao under glass

Just north of Tiananmen square is the Forbidden city, the palacial home of 24 Ming and Qing Emperors. It was the center of China's political power from the 15th century to the early 20th century. We intended to spend a half day at he Forbidden City, but because of the sheer size it took us almost the whole day just to walk through the main areas.

Meridian Gate

Bronze and stone lion sculptures are all over China and there was no shortage of them at the Forbidden city. Typically they are in pairs; the male lion holds a ball while the female lion holds a cub.

Lion outside the Supreme Harmony Gate

Everywhere we went in Beijing we saw scaffolding on historical buildings, as Beijing prepares for the onslaught of the 2008 Olympics. During our visit the Hall of Supreme Authority was completely covered with scaffolding and netting. They were kind enough to paint a picture of the building on the netting so we could get a feel for what it was supposed to look like.

Hall of Supreme Authority

A recently restored section of the Forbidden City

Nine Dragon Screen - enameled tile

Nine Dragon Screen - enameled tile

Lost in the Forbidden City

While the Forbidden City is famous for its wide courtyards, there are also many gardens where the Emperor and Empresses would retreat to relax and write poetry.

Pavilion in the Imperial Garden

Intertwined pines in the Imperial Garden

It was tempting to go climbing in the rock garden, but the sign said no.

Another Lion

Enameled tile wall

Imperial Garden

Forbidden City Doors

Forbidden City - roof detail

View through a door

High walls kept invaders at bay

Imperial city moat.

On day two we were too tired from walking to take our chances at a local restaurant, so we ate dinner at Pizza Hut. This turned out to be a cultural experience in itself. First, there was a line to get in... seemingly strange for a country where cheese is rarely eaten by locals. After we were seated we ordered a standard pepperoni pan pizza. While we waited we observed an interesting phenomenon at the salad bar. Evidently Pizza Hut salad bars in China are sold as a single-trip. Locals took their bowl and went to the salad bar and meticulously stacked slices of cucumber and pineapple around the outer rim of the bowls until the amount of 'salad' on top of the bowl far exceeded the amount below the rim. Several people spent 15 or 20 minutes on their creations, making sure to maximize the value in their salad bar trip. Many of the creations were surprisingly artistic, and pretty much all of them were enough to be shared by four people sitting together.

Ashamed to be in the queue for Pizza Hut

The next day we arranged to be taken to the great wall by Alvin Jiang, a Beijing local who was recommended by a traveler on the Virtual Tourist website. Getting to the wall was a bit of an adventure when Alvin showed up at our hotel in a car with an empty gas tank. We searched in vain for a gas station, thinking that we would soon run out and have to sit on the side of the road for rescue. Thank goodness we finally found some fuel and made it to the wall at Mutianyu.. a restored but not overcrowded section of the 6000+km wall.

The wall is situated mostly on mountainous ridgelines. From the base at Mutianyu, there are three ways to get up: 1) Hike 2) Ski Lift 3) Gondola Lift. We decided on option #3, as it was raining when we arrived at the wall. Alvin said this was the first time he had seen it rain at the wall.. 'lucky us', we thought. Undaunted, we put on our raincoats and grabbed a ticket for the Gondola.

In the Gondola

On the wall there are enclosed fortifications every few hundred meters, so when the rain began falling heavily we waited in a fortification. When the rain let up, we headed to the next fortification. While the rain was a bit of a nuisance, it was also a blessing because it drove away other tourists, and we were alone on a long section of the wall for several hours.

Great Wall Map

Mutianyu Great Wall

Getting a bit wet on the wall

Alvin

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

After walking for a while we reached the end of the restored section of the wall. Beyond, the wall was crumbling and overrun with trees and shrubs.

Unrestored section of the Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

Fortification

Mutianyu Great Wall

On the next day we traveled to the Summer Palace, which was built mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Aptly named, the Summer Palace was where Emperors and Empresses retreated for the hot summer months.

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is a popular destination for Chinese tourists, and it can get quite crowded, especially on the weekend.

Summer Palace crowds

Summer Palace

Summer Palace Gate

At the center of the Palace is Kunming lake, which was hand-dug by 100,000 laborers. A very popular activity is taking rowboats and paddle boats out for a cruise.

Kunming Lake

Summer Palace Gate

Empress Dowanger Cixi frequented the palace during her rule from 1861 to 1908. This car was given to her as a gift and supposedly was the first car in China.

Empresses' Car

Musicians

Summer Palace Theatre

No royal Chinese garden is complete without a plethora of interesting rocks. Some look like petrified wood, some are full of holes. Evidently this particular rock enticed a gentlemen to such an extent that he spent his entire fortune trying to get it to his garden. He failed and it somehow ended up at the summer palace instead.

Huge ornamental rock

Summer Palace Gate

This marble boat was built by the Empress Dowanger with money earmarked for the Chinese navy. Her frivolity with military funds contributed to the fall of the Forbidden City to allied forces during the Boxer Rebellion.

Marble Boat (Obviously does not float)

On Saturday night we met up with Olen and Cathy again and had a traditional Beijing Roast Duck dinner. Afterwards we went to an acrobatics performance.

Acrobat Show

Acrobat Show

Wedding Pictures

2006-05-15T03:44:00.000-05:00

By request, here are some photos from our wedding last August.

If you would like a full-size version of any of these, please let us know.

..

Shanghai

2006-05-01T01:27:00.000-05:00

Wes and Chairman Mao
[Technical Correction: This picture will no longer be referred to as "Wes and Chairman Mao". Mao died in 1976, not 1972. As such, please note that this is now "Wes and some dead Chinese guy"]

Annette had a week-long business conference in Shanghai and we decided to stay a few extra days to explore the bustling metropolis.

Shanghai has long been an important international trade center and is China's largest city.

After arriving in Shanghai, we explored the shopping areas around Nanjing road and then walked to the Bund, a strip of historic buildings along the Hangpu river.

That isn't fog

HSBC Building

Shanghai offered us a chance to practice our Mandarin since English is not as widely spoken as in Hong Kong. We wandered into one restaurant that had no English menu, luckily they had the item we were after - the Xiaolongbao (little basket bun), a dumpling which is famous in Shanghai. This dumpling can be a tricky item to eat because it is full of hot soup that spills out when you take a bite of it.

Lunch with famous xiaolongbao

While Annette attended meetings during the week, Wes explored some of Shanghai's museums. The history museum featured ancient stone carvings, bronze works, and porcelain (China).

Stone Sculpture

At Shanghai's urban planning museum there is a massive model of the city showing what it will look like as the city continues to grow.

Shanghai of the future

Later in the week we went to Shanghai's old town, a touristy area with traditional Chinese architecture. In the center of the town we found a golden tree full of red ribbons. We found out that each ribbon represented a different kind of good fortune, and if one threw the ribbon into the tree and it stuck, they would receive the good fortune. We tried our hand at it and got our ribbons to stick. We're not sure if we have received the good fortune yet..

Wishing for health and happiness - the guy watching is not impressed

Old Shanghai tea house

Nearby are the Yuyuan gardens, which were the emperor's personal gardens during the Ming dynasty. The gardens were full of interesting stone carvings and peaceful streams.

Yu Yuan (Garden) in Old Shanghai

more garden

Dragon wall

Dragon wall

WES!!!

Walking in the old town truly gave us a sense of history. The first DQ blizzard was made here in 1412. No, not really.

One night we decided to have some German food at the Paulaner Brauhaus. The riverside restaurant and biergarten offered great views and some interesting culture. All around we saw German businessmen and their Chinese counterparts discussing business deals over big plates of sausage and Wiener Schnitzel.

Beer on the Bund

The Bund at night

Shanghai has long had a bit of an independent 'wild west' mentality. Opium traders once made their fortunes in Shanghai, but now the most prevalent contraband is fake designer goods and DVDs. In one market we found vendors offering knock off purses, watches, clothes, even golf clubs. Bargaining was the name of the game, and usually the goal was to pay no less than 25% of the vendors starting price. After a few deals we got some real respect after paying a rock-bottom price for a jacket - the exasperated seller said 'you must live in Shanghai'.

Shopping at the market

DVDs and handbags weren't the only knockoffs we saw in Shanghai... some of the chain restaurants looked eerliy familiar.

We often laugh at the rules posted in public places. This sign was in a park with a large area of pristine grass, which no one was allowed to walk on.

No teasing the cicadas

A clearer day

Ko Samui Thailand

2006-04-19T01:12:00.000-05:00

For the Easter holiday we decided to enjoy a slow and relaxing beach vacation in Thailand. Our trip started with an overnight stay in Bangkok. Little did we know that we would be celebrating the new year for a third time in 2006. April 13-15 is the Thai new year, or Songkran. One way in which the locals celebrate the holiday is by dowsing each other and everyone else (especially tourists) with water and talcum powder paste. As soon as we left the airport we saw evidence of the celebrations; many of the buses and taxis were covered with white splotches and handprints.

We arrived at our hotel around dinner time, so we walked a short way to a shopping mall to grab some food. We were surprised to see how many American chains were present, including Dairy Queen, Tony Romas, and Swensens. We settled on a Portuguese restaurant that we had not heard of before.. it was pretty good, and cheap.

On our way back to the hotel we talked about how westernized Bangkok is, with lots of skyscrapers, freeways and shopping centers... then we encountered an Elephant taxi walking down the sidewalk. Bangkok is an interesting place.

Elephant on Bangkok Street

Everywhere we went in Thailand we saw lots of tropical flowers. Boquets were everywhere.

Orchid bouquet in our hotel room.

The next morning our plans to see some of Bangkoks famous temples were interrupted when Wes woke up feeling ill. We're not sure if it was something he ate. We got a late start and headed to the Chatuchak Weekend market. One of the largest markets in the world, it has a wide range of goods from Thailand and abroad. Annette headed into the maze-like array of booths while Wes sat outside, still not feeling well enough to deal with the crowds.

Bangkok Market

After a couple hours at the market it was time for our flight to Ko Samui, so we took a cab back to the airport.

Ko Samui

Our Plane

View from Above

Samui Airport

Ko Samui International airport was quite a bit different from any airport I have ever seen. All of the airport buildings were open air.. guess they save on air conditioning that way.

Baggage Claim, Ko Samui

Ko Samui is an island covered in coconut farms and hotels. The roads are generally good and buzz with locals and tourists driving scooters. The island seems to be going intense but haphazard development, with many bulldozed lots and unfinished buildings.

After a short taxi ride and we arrived at Napasai, our home for the rest of the holiday. Napsai is on a somewhat secluded stretch of beach on the north side of Ko Samui. Upon arrival we were seated on the terrace and given a cold towel and tropical fruit juice while the hotel staff checked us in.

Welcome Juice

When we got to our room, the staff brought our bags and some fresh fruit.

On the Porch

After exploring the resort a little, we went back to the room, ate dinner, and went to sleep early.

Sunset

On the next day Wes was feeling a lot better and got up early to plan some adventures. The first order of business was breakfast. After that, relaxing on the beach. Then, maybe some snorkeling.

Wes on the Porch

Fisherman

Napasai

We headed down to the beach and staked out a couple of lounge chairs, then grabbed some snorkeling equipment. Right off the beach there was a small reef with many types of coral and tropical fish.

Chillin

Coral

In the afternoon we headed to Chaweng, the biggest and most touristy town on Ko Samui. The main strip is full of restaurants, bars and shops. On the beach we found lots of pasty white immodest European tourists. Yikes. In the shade there were local women offering Thai massages, foot massages, manicures and pedicures. We decided to try an hourlong Thai massage.. an absolute bargain at 200 baht ($4). The Thai massage featured a lot of different stretches and focus on pressure points.. it was very refreshing.

Chaweng Beach

Chaweng Beach

After the massage we decided to do some shopping at the market in Chaweng.

Shopping in Chaweng

Back at our resort, we decided to take a swim in the pool before dinner. Wes also took a few photos of the plants decorating the property.

Orchids

Orchids

Banana tree

Annette in the Pool

Fishermen at Dusk

Palms

For dinner we tried the hotel restaurant. The drinks and curries were served in intricately carved fruit bowls.

Pineapple Drink

Curry for Dinner

Flower Child

Back at our room there was a giant lizard (ok.. maybe a foot long) trying to catch bugs on the porch.

Attack Lizard

Plans for day 2 on Ko Samui were pretty much the same as the first. More relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, swimming in the pool, and eating tasty food. This is what we came for.

At the Beach again

Napasai

Coral

Tropical Fish

View from Lunch Table

Should have used more sunscreen

Flowers

At the pool

Another beautiful sunset

Art photo.. "Underwater Budda"

Our last day on Ko Samui..

Coffee time

Kitten

The breakfast buffet offered a mix of pastries and traditional western and Asian breakfast foods. Wes found that by stuffing a chocolate croissant with coconut jam it became a delicious "Mounds" croissant.

Breakfast

Back at the airport

Departure gate

Ko Samui International Airport

Time to Fly.. bye Ko Samui!

Hanoi

2006-04-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

Hanoi is a short flight from Hong Kong, making it a convenient weekend destination. We departed Hong Kong on Friday afternoon on a Vietnam Airlines flight. We were pleasantly surprised by VA - the plane was relatively new and a full meal was served despite the fact that the flight was only 1.5 hours. Upon arrival in Hanoi, we were able to clear immigration and customs quickly and found a taxi to take us to our hotel. The taxi ride was a chaotic - the driver sped past people on bicycles and scooters, trucks and other cars, honking pretty much the entire way. There were only a handful of traffic signals that we saw.. at intersections everyone just kind of picks their way through cross traffic. Most people in Hanoi drive scooters and they are everywhere! Just crossing the street can be a challenge.

Our home for the weekend was the historic Sofitel Metropole. Normally we do not splurge on 5-star hotels, but prices in Hanoi are very low compared to other cities, so we decided to go first class. Our room featured classical furnishings, hardwood floors, a garden bathtub, a plasma TV, and silk robes and slippers for lounging. We could get used to this!

Relaxing in the Metropole

The tropical fruit bowl included a mango, grapes, and a green orange... evidently most oranges in Vietnam are green on the outside.

Pretty much all stores and street vendors accept Vietnam Dong or US$... one Dollar = around 15,800 VN Dong. We went to the ATM and withdrew 1 Million Dong.. and we thought it would take decades to make our first million.

Millionaire (in Dong)

After unwinding in our hotel for a couple hours, we headed out to find some dinner. We walked a short way to Hoan Kiem Lake, the center of Hanoi. There we found several restaurants, and we picked one that appeared to have a good number of customers... I ordered beef cooked with garlic, which turned out to be a questionable decision because I smelled like garlic for the rest of the weekend.

Dinner

After dinner we took a stroll around the lake, which has a mythical history.

From Wikitravel:

Hoan Kiem Lake is a pleasant park in the center of town. It's the local residents' favorite leisure spot and a great place to watch locals doing early-morning tai chi. Hoan Kiem means "returned sword", and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi had a magical sword which he used to drive back the Chinese. While boating on the lake one day, he encountered a giant turtle, who grabbed the sword and carried it down to the depths, returning it to the gods from whom it had come. The giant turtles still reportedly inhabit the lake, and were last seen in 1998.

Supposedly seeing the elusive turtle brings good fortune. Hmm.. wonder if we might get a chance to see that turtle...

Hoan Kiem Lake at Night

As we were walking back to the hotel we came upon a surreal sight - a group of women doing aerobics in the park. They seemed to have their routine down well.. their moves were perfectly synchronized with the music playing on loudspeakers.

Night time aerobics

Hanoi Opera House

On Saturday we set out to see the major historic sights in Hanoi. To get around we hired two Cyclo drivers to give us a tour. They charged us $2 per hour each.

Our first stop was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the former Communist Revolutionary and Vietnamese president is on display. Before entering the Mausoleum we had to check our bags and camera, then we lined up single-file with other tourists and waited for our chance to go inside. Uniformed guards were present at every step. Just before going inside, they instructed tourists to remove their hats and keep their hands out of their pockets. Finally we entered the cold, dimly-lit tomb, where we filed past Ho Chi Minh's body, lying in a glass casket, surrounded by four soldiers wielding bayonets. A strange scene indeed.

Nearby we visited the aptly named One Pillar Pagoda, which was kind of boring aside from the fact that it was built in 1049 and stands on a single pillar.

Next we visited the Temple of Literature, which had large courtyards and some interesting carved stone tablets that record the names of scholars who studied at the temple between 1442 and 1779. These tablets rest on stone turtles... they really like turtles in Hanoi and evidently have for some time.

Temple

Temple of Literature

Temple

Wooden dolls for sale

Phoenix

Next our cyclo drivers took us down some interesting streets through the Old Quarter to the largest market in Hanoi.

Bamboo Street

Cyclo Ride

At the market Annette shopped for new sandals. Each sandal on display had a little plastic foot in it.. we thought that was kind of funny. Wes shopped for an imitation North Face backpack (200,000 Dong) before we bought a few decorative coasters and other handicrafts.

Shoe Shopping

The dried shrimp and squid looked tasty, but we passed on these. Evidently the shrimp are good when re-constituted in water, or dry. We saw several people snacking on them right from the pile.

Dried Shrimp

Memorial outside market.

Hanoi Street

After seeing the best the market had to offer, we passed by St Joseph's Cathedral, which dates from 1886. The church looked quite run-down, but our guide book says it is full on Sunday.

Cathedral

Our last cyclo tour stop was the infamous Hanoi Hilton (Hao Lo Prison), where the French imprisoned and tortured Vietnamese revolutionaries in the 1930s, and the North Vietnamese held and tortured American pilots during the Vietnam War. The museum displays went into great detail about the sufferings endured by the Vietnamese at the hands of the French, but when we reached the part of the museum about American prisoners, a sign stated that American prisoners were treated well and never tortured. It was interesting to see propaganda alive and well.

Hanoi Hilton

John McCain's uniform on display

Street Scene

After our tour we headed back to our hotel for afternoon tea.

Back at the Hotel

Tea Time

In the afternoon we took part in a Vietnamese cooking class with Tam, one of the hotel chefs. Before we went to the kitchen she took us to the local wet market to show us how to select ingredients for Vietnamese cooking.

Hanoi Market

Tam showed us several herbs, including Vietnamese cilantro and a lemon flavored herb. The market also had booths with fresh meat (including dog!), seafood, grains, spices, and fruit. The market was a noisy place, mostly because locals drove their scooters down the narrow aisles, honking all the way.

Herbs at Market

Rice

Bananas

Cinnamon

Back at the hotel, we began the class. Tam showed us how to make spring rolls, fish soup, fried rice, stuffed crab, grilled fish, and spiced beef. All of the recipes included fish sauce, a staple in Vietnamese cooking made from fermented anchovies. Vietnamese cooking also uses a lot of fresh herbs like we saw at the market.

Time to cook

Ingredients

Spring Roll

Cooking

Fish soup and Rice

For dinner Saturday night we went to the Spices restaurant at our hotel. While we ate we were serenaded by a quartet playing traditional instruments.

Dinner

Traditional Music

Day 2

Our hotel stay included a breakfast buffet and it was fantastic. It featured a mix of French and Asian breakfast favorites.. fresh bread, butter and jam, cheeses, custards, made to order omelets, tropical fruit, bacon and sausage, plus dim sum and 'pho' - a noodle and meat soup that Vietnamese eat for breakfast. Mmmm..

Breakfast Buffet

After breakfast we went out for a little more sightseeing and shopping. We went back to Hoan Kiem lake and walked out to the temple that is on an island in the lake. In the temple there was a stuffed turtle on display. Yep, they love their turtles.

Turtle on Display

The sacred turtle

While we were walking around the lake, we saw a big crowd gathering on one side of the lake. There was a traffic jam as locals on their scooters stopped in the middle of the road to see what was going on. We went a little closer to see what all the commotion was about.. we looked out into the water and there it was! The famous turtle! I guess we are going to have good luck now.. too bad they don't sell lotto tickets around here.

Eventually a police truck with a loudspeaker came to disperse the crowd. Seems that public gatherings are frowned upon.

Onlookers causing a traffic jam.

The turtle!!

We needed a break after all the excitement, so we stopped by a hip coffee shop for some cold drinks and coconut ice cream. The bookshop had Lonely Planet guides for $6-$10.. which is a bargain since they cost $25-$30 in Hong Kong. We decided to buy the guide for Malaysia since we are planning to travel there later. After taking it out of the wrapper we discovered that the book was photocopied!

Taking a break

Next we took a walk by shops offering local arts and crafts, including embroidered artwork and tablecloths, lacquered bowls, oil paintings and more. We purchased a couple small paintings for $5 each and a beautiful tablecloth for $18. We went into an oil painting studio where artists were duplicating famous works of art by hand. The copies were quite good.

Street Scene

Instruments for sale

Lake

Finally the time came to head back to the airport. We paid a $14 departure tax and again cleared immigration and customs without any problem.

We are already planning a return trip to Vietnam.. we would like to take a few days to do a cruise on Ha Long bay.

rice fields near the airport

Cheung Chau

2006-03-22T22:43:00.000-06:00

Cheung Chau Harbor

We are a little behind on our blog, so it is time to catch everyone up on our adventures!

We visited Cheung Chau on the last day of January, during the Chinese New Year. To get to Cheung Chau, we took an hour long ferry ride. Once there we took a few minutes to check out he street market and harbour, where local fishermen were unloading their catch from boats to aquariums in front of seafood resturants.

Boats

More Boats

Next we walked a short way to the Pak Tai temple, one of the oldest in Hong Kong.

Temple

Incense

Wes and a Stone Lion

Next we crossed to the other side of the island... which only took about 5 minutes of walking. It was a nice day on the beach. We had to laugh at the rules which were posted nearby... no frisbees allowed??

Beach Rules

Beach

We continued walking to the south part of the island. Along the way we enjoyed great views of the south China sea. Some of the pathways were shrouded with trees, and one section was bordered by a 'great wall' which was somewhat less impressive than the name suggests.

South China Sea

'Great Wall'

Cheung Chau from a distance

After a couple hours of walking, we arrived back in Cheung Chau, where locals were celebrating the New Years holiday. Lucky symbols are important for the holiday - we saw kids fishing lucky goldfish from a kiddie pool with tea strainers.

Local Kids 'fishing'

We passed by a Banyan tree which is supposedly inhabited by spirits.. locals had left offerings for the spirits at the tree.

Sacred Banyan Tree

Well, that's all for Cheung Chau... but we will be traveling to Vietnam and Thailand soon, so check back for more photos in a couple weeks!

Chinese New Year

2006-02-01T22:13:00.000-06:00

January 29th marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which is the biggest holiday in Hong Kong. It is celebrated with parades, fireworks, cash-filled red envelopes, and shouts of Kung Hey Fat Choy (wishing you prosperity)!

In Victoria park there is a large market with rows of flowers and orange trees. Wes went during the day because we were warned that the crowds can be oppressive during the evenings. Orange trees were a huge fixture at the market, and it seems like they are everywhere during the festival. Unfortunately these oranges are not good for eating.. evidently they are very sour.

CNY Market

Peach Blossoms

Orange Trees

Narcissus Plants

More Oranges

Away from the market, many shops display their CNY decorations for sale. Red paper lanterns are very popular.

CNY decorations for sale

CNY decorations

On New Year's eve there was a parade featuring Chinese dancers, Japanese drummers, marching bands from the US, Maori Singers, and many others. We decided to watch the parade on TV rather than trying to see it on the street with millions of other people.

The fireworks display was on New Year's night. We took the tram up to the peak around 5:00 and waited there for the fireworks to begin. We explored the peak and found a great vantage point.. there were many other people watching there with us, but the crowd was nowhere near as large as the crowd that gathered down below near the harbor.

Riding the Peak Tram

HK skyline at night

CNY Fireworks from the peak

CNY Fireworks from the peak

Eventually a huge cloud of smoke formed

The show lasted over 20 minutes and was quite spectacular. The crowd really got into it.. after each big explosion they would shout "woooooaaaaa!!" in unison. It seemed like they were mainly trying to see how loud of a noise they could make.

We were warned that most shops and restaurants close for CNY, so we stocked up on groceries just in case. The preparations were somewhat unecessary, though.. many restaurants stayed open through the holidays. But, many local shops are closed for the duration of the holiday.

Happy year of the Dog!