Author admin
CHINESE NEW YEAR
CHINESE NEW YEAR / SPRING FESTIVAL 2006
Cherating Beach
Malaysia: Cherating Beach May 30 – June 1, 2006 Our next destination was Cherating beach, on the east coast of Malaysia. The bus dropped us off at the side of the road around 10 pm and the driver’s assistant told us to walk down this other dark road for about ten minutes and we’d see …
FORBIDDEN CITY October 2005
BEIJING: Forbidden City October 2005 We passed under Mao’s rosy portrait at the northern end of Tiananmen Square and entered into the Forbidden City, which is now forbidden only to those who can’t afford to fork over the 60 yuan ($7.50) admission fee. The Forbidden City was the abode of the emperors and it was …
San Jose
Costa Rica: San Jose San Jose We took a boat, a taxi, a bus, and another taxi to get from the island in Panama to our hotel in the capital of Costa Rica. All in all, it was a grueling journey to an uninspiring city. San Jose enjoys one of the best climates year round, in …
Pangkor Island
Malaysia: Pangkor Island May 26 – 28, 2006 On Pangkor Island, the town was really small and the people were mostly Muslim. I was afraid to go swimming in just my bathing suit because all the other women were walking into the ocean with all of their clothes on. I felt exposed just wearing shorts. …
Luang Prabang
Laos: Luang Prabang May 11-13, 2006 Luang Prabang is a picturesque little town right on the Mekong River. We spent most of our time wandering around and enjoying the great views while we ate at riverside restaurants. Views from the bus trip through the mountains on the way from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. …
Hangzhou West Lake
China: Hangzhou: West Lake April 2-5, 2006 Hangzhou is a city of 6 million people, near Shanghai. The city is nothing special, but there is a very famous lake here, called “West Lake” that is featured in some famous Chinese poetry. We were here at the perfect time because all the trees were blooming around the …
SUMMER PALACE
BEIJING: Summer Palace October 2005 On Sunday we traveled by subway, light rail, and finally taxi to get to the emporers’ Summer Palace. What was once a summer resort for the elite now received a teeming mass of people. Situated amongst some low hills next to a calm lake, the pagodas and walkways were indeed …
Bocas Del Torro
Panama: Bocas Del Torro Kinds of travelers We headed to the archipelago of Bocas Del Torro on the Caribbean coast of Panama the next day. This involved two buses, a taxi and a boat. We shared the boat with a couple from Quebec and their children. Perhaps it should have seemed a little odd to …
Train to Yichang
China: Train to Yichang Views of the Chinese Countryside April 5-6, 2006 We took a train for 25 hours to get from Hangzhou to Yichang. The scenery was beautiful. We finally arrived in Yichang at night and went to the train station hotel, where we stayed in this weird dorm room. We were the only …