Oh The Places You’ll Go….The World Travels of Jude Anthony Duncan

When Lindsay and I were first married we heard numerous people give us one piece of advice…travel as much as you can before you have kids. We took this advice to heart and in the first 5 years of our marriage we visited 20+ countries that spanned 5 continents. However, we were always planning on starting a family and in the spring of 2010 we learned that we were about to have our first child…a little boy named Jude Anthony Duncan. We were absolutely elated to find out we were pregnant and the first thing we did was plan a couple of trips before he came. :) In fact, the way we told my family we were pregnant was when we were sitting around the dinner table and we said “this summer we are going to Russia/China and then next fall we are going to a place we have never been….parenthood”. We were a bit worried about what international travel might do to Lindsay’s pregnancy but after a talk with the doctor we planned 3 major adventures with Jude in Lindsay’s belly. We were going to the Dominican Republic (Lindsay was doing humanitarian work), Russia and China. When Lindsay went to the Dominican Republic she was only a few weeks pregnant and was not even starting to show. However, this was Jude’s first international travel experience and Lindsay even bought him a little souvenir wooden elephant. While she was in the Dominican Republic she was working with numerous children that didn’t have much and as an expecting mother this had a profound impact on her. Within a few months of her coming back from the Dominican Republic we were getting on a flight to go halfway around the world to Moscow Russia. By this time Lindsay was starting to show just a little. We took Jude all over Moscow and St. Petersburg and in almost every picture of Lindsay she is holding her belly as if to day “Jude is here too!” After a week in Russia we were on our way to China and this is where Lindsay’s little belly really started to show. In fact, one of the first people to ever ask Lindsay if she was pregnant was a Chinese man working at a slide (think alpine slide) near the Great Wall of China. Lindsay was about to get on the slide and he pointed at her stomach and said “Baby?.....NO!.” This meant Lindsay had to ride the chairlift down the mountain while I cruised on the slide. :) By the time we made it to the futuristic city of Shanghai Lindsay had a cute little belly and was rubbing it all day long. While walking one day through Shanghai we found an entire wall made out of beautiful flowers. The bright white and red flowers were against the sunny blue sky background and it was beautiful. Lindsay had an umbrella with her (to protect from the sun) and we took a picture of her next to these flowers that is still today one of my most favorite pictures of Lindsay. You can clearly see her belly and it was almost as if Jude was there with us in Shanghai. Despite being almost 4 months pregnant when we backpacked through Russia and China Lindsay was a total trooper. She had her backpack on her back and Jude in her belly upfront and it was so cute to see her trucking around like she always does. After our trip to Russia/China we decided to take it easy for a while. We did a quick trip to Vegas where we saw the musical “Love” and Jude was kicking during the “Hey Jude” song. We were trying to plan a quick trip to NYC or Seattle about 2 months before the due date but just never felt right about it. We would later learn that this was meant to be as Lindsay had Jude 2 months early. If we would have gone on the trip she would have had Jude while traveling and that could have been scary for a number of different reasons. All-in-all our little boy Jude visited 3 countries on 3 different continents while he was in the womb. He is extremely blessed as that is more that many people get to see in an entire lifetime. Jude will obviously not remember these trips at all but it is our hope that a little bit of our international travel passion worked its way into Jude while he was in the womb (this might be why he came early as he was so excited to see more of the world). Lindsay and I are strong believers that traveling the world is one of the absolute best things a human being can do. When you are exposed to a diversity of cultures and ways of life it opens your mind, grows your heart and helps you develop into a more well-rounded person. Travel has been a part of Jude since before he was born (literally) and we can’t help but wonder how this will affect him as he grows. It makes us think back to the famous Dr. Suess book….”Oh the places you’ll go.” Lindsay and I would not trade our travel experiences for anything in the world and we are anxious to continue this tradition with Jude now that he is out of the womb. Oh the places you will go Jude.

A Sunny Summer Day Stroll Through the Tverskoy District in Moscow Russia

It was a beautiful sunny June day in 2010 when Lindsay and I arrived back in Moscow (we had been there a few days earlier) after taking a night train from St Petersburg. We had an entire day to spend in the city before catching a late afternoon flight to Beijing China. The first thing we did was take the metro to the Belorussky Train Station (one of many in Moscow) to drop off our luggage. We would be catching a train later that afternoon from this train station to Sheremetyevo Airport and wanted to leave our luggage there. We eventually found a dark small room in the basement of the station which was the official “luggage hold room.” The attendant was an extremely nice Russian man but with the language barrier we were not able to tell how much it was or how long it would stay open. For about 30 minutes we tried all sorts of signing and pointing but were never quite able to figure it out. Luckily a couple of young Russians came along and were able to help us translate. After dropping off the bags we took the metro again to the Tverskoy District of the city, known for its beautiful architecture and rich history, which we were anxious to explore. As we started to walk through its streets we stumbled upon Vysokopetrovsky Monastery with its beautiful collection of old/small churches and courtyards. We simply strolled around the gardens and courtyards and eventually found a little bench where we spent the next 45 minutes admiring a beautiful little (it was tiny) red brick church called St Peters Cathedral which stood right in front of us. There were numerous art students around painting and it really was a beautiful scene. From there we worked our way down Tverskaya Street which is one of the main streets of Moscow and full of beautiful old buildings (many have been made into hotels) all with incredible architecture. This street contains many of the high end hotels of Moscow and Lindsay and I always love to stop by their lobby’s to use their plush bathrooms and relax in their air conditioning for a bit. :) As we continued to explore the Tverskoy District we eventually stumbled upon the most posh shopping district we have ever seen. It was the absolute “Beverly Hills equivalent” of Moscow and was absolutely stunning. There were cobblestone streets that winded through beautiful old buildings full of top notch shopping. Lindsay and I were in our typical “backpackers threads” and stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the Moscow elite who where decked out to the hill. We paused and took a few pictures and admired this beautiful little district. Eventually we made our way to a park were we decided to relax for an hour or so before heading back to the railway station to catch our train. However, before we made it to the park we passed a few old Soviet Era government buildings that were very cool and extremely intimidating. This particular day was sunny and beautiful and the local Muscovites were out enjoying the weather. When we settled on a nice shady piece of grass in the park to spend the remainder of our afternoon we were surrounded by thousands of other locals doing the exact same thing. We sat there for at least an hour or so just taking in the scene around us and soaking up the beautiful weather. Moscow is truly one of the most gorgeous cities on earth and on that sunny summer day in 2009 Lindsay and I explored one of her most beautiful districts...Tverskoy.

Al Hadiqa Al `Amma Park – Aleppo Syria

Aleppo Syria is Lindsay and I’s favorite city on earth. The architecture, markets, people and overall feel mix together to create one of the most amazing cities on earth. Nestled in the heart of the city is a large and beautiful park called Al Hadiqa Al `Amma. Lindsay and I first discovered this park when were going to find the Railway Station so that we would no were to go when we needed to catch our night train to Damascus. We were waking through some beautiful neighborhoods of Aleppo when we all of the sudden stumbled upon this expansive park full of numerous trees, fountains, walkways, gardens, etc. We admired the park quickly but then continued on with the task of finding the railway station. After about an hour we realized that we were lost and were not going to be able to find the station. We sopped and asked some locals and one of them, a small somewhat crippled man, simply waived us on to follow him. For the next 30 minutes we followed him as he slowly walked us to the train station limping the entire time because of his handicap but making sure to look back every few minutes with a big smile. Eventually he led us right to the train station and when we tried to pay him (as he took a good 45 minutes out of his evening to help us) he simply smiled and politely waived his hand and said “no.” He was one of the sweetest people we have ever meet and this was one of our first experiences with “Syrian hospitality” and it really endured us to the people of Syria for the rest of our lives. Now that we had found the railway station we decided to head back to the park to relax and spend the rest of our evening. The park had numerous walking paths that all had numerous benches to sit. We wandered around for a good while and then found a bench to sit on and spent the next hour or so just sitting, reading, talking, laughing and enjoying the beautiful summer evening with the rest of the locals. There were young couples, families with kids, old men all out there with us enjoying the evening. I remember vividly listening to the water fountains in the background, the birds chirping and the locals talking and having a total “travelers high.” It really was a perfect evening and as Lindsay and I sat there we began to realize how much we really loved Aleppo and Syria. The park was not frequented by westerners so the locals were all quite amused by us but were always extremely friendly. It is not everyday you get to sit and people watch in a beautiful park in the heart of Aleppo Syria and it was an experience that Lindsay and I will never forget.

Cruising the National Mall – Washington D.C.

It was a beautiful late summer morning in 2009 when Lindsay and I woke up in the heart of Washington D.C ready to explore our nation’s capital. She had just meet me the night before after a week long business trip of mine and we had checked-in to a cute little boutique hotel in the heart of the city. We had only a couple days in D.C and we dedicated almost the entire first day to exploring the beautiful National Mall (a large national park in the middle of the city that has all the famous landmarks). We started by walking up to the Capitol Building to admire its grandeur and architecture. We got there fairly early in the morning so the crowds had not yet arrived and we felt like we had almost the entire place to ourselves. We then traveled on down to the amazing Washington Monument and admired its simplicity and beauty. The sun was just starting to come out at this time and the numerous American Flags that surround the monument (all flying at half staff to remember Senator Kennedy) were absolutely beautiful against the backdrop of the blue sky. We then traveled to the absolutely stunning World War II monument with its numerous fountains, statues, etc. We then hit up the Korean and Vietnam War memorials which were humbling and beautiful. We were really touched by both of these memorials and they are designed so beautiful and really do a great job of helping you reflect on the sacrifices of the great men & women who fought in those battles. It was then on to the National Museum of American History which we both loved. We were especially moved by the battered and torn American Flag that inspired the “Star Spangled Banner.” We had already explored the White House and Lincoln Memorial the night before so we ended the day by exploring the beautiful, and extremely humbling, Arlington Cemetery. We both LOVED the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” and sat and watched the lonely march of the guarding soldier for probably about an hour. We then walked down to the famous Marine Memorial which depicts the Marines raising the flag together on Iwo Jima. It felt as if we had this entire monument to ourselves and we sat there marveling at it for probably another hour. The sun was just starting to set over the city and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful day exploring all of the treasures on the National Mall. Normally when Lindsay and I travel we are always rushing to explore as much as possible before we move on to the next destination. However, on this particular day we simply walked slowly holding each others hands and it was absolutely the perfect day. If you ever want to rekindle your love for the United States spend a day walking the National Mall in Washington D.C.

The Islands & Beaches of the San Blas – Panama (Extended Version)

I have already written about the Islands and beaches of the San Blas in Panama but I wanted to give the extended version as this place was so magical it really deserves more than just one blog post. When Lindsay and I picture Paradise the first place that comes to our mind is the San Blas. Picture a collection of small tropical islands, bright blue water and white sandy beaches for as far as the eye can see. I will concede that there are many places in the world that fit this description but very few are as far removed as the San Blas in Panama. Most of them are not even inhabited and the ones that are will simply have a few small wooden huts and a community of the Kuna Indians living on them. Lindsay and I were lucky to experience these islands with a local Kuna Indian named “Leo.” We were staying on a small Island called Yandup which has a few small bungalows and is run by a local Kuna family. Each day Leo would load us into a small wooden canoe and take us to a new island to explore. Numerous times you would pass other locals out in the water with their canoes. I remember one time in particular passing a small wooden canoe full of 3 small local boys who all gave us a big smile and wave as we passed. It seemed each island Leo took us to was better than the last and one time he even took us to explore a beautiful Mangrove forest/swamp near the mainland. The first island he ever took us too had a very small beach but was absolutely gorgeous. I remember vividly the numerous palm trees that had grown out over the water which offered the perfect amount of shade as we laid on the beach relaxing and listening to music. The next day we were taken to another island that was much bigger and Lindsay and I set off to explore. We found a small section of the island where two white sandy beaches came to a point and we set up camp (beach towels and snorkel gear) there. We spent the next 2-3 hours just swimming, snorkeling and lying around. We truly had almost the entire island to ourselves and it was the definition of paradise. The last island we were taken to (on our last day) was a very small island that had a bunch of beautiful tall palm trees, a large white sandy beach and an old colorful boat that had been abandoned on the beach. Our guide Leo just dropped us off on the beach and then hung out with us on the island (he mostly kept to himself) why we just laid around, swam and snorkeled. Because the San Blas are so remote the snorkeling and marine life is absolutely incredible (i.e. it has not been ruined by commercial tourism). It is not uncommon at all to find huge beautiful sea shells and thousands of fish while you are out snorkeling. Furthermore, there was literally a zero chance that you would run into anybody else and if you did it would simply be a local Kuna family. There are few places on this earth that have truly earned the title “paradise” but the islands that make up the San Blas in Panama certainly have. There is literally no place on earth like it.

Strolling Through Cairo’s Markets

The city of Cairo Egypt is big, busy and can be extremely exhausting to navigate. However, amidst the absolute chaos of her streets there are numerous gems worth exploring. Lindsay and I found ourselves with a free afternoon one day while staying in Cairo and decided to work our way over to the famous Khan el-Khalili markets. We decided to walk from our hotel to the markets and this alone was an exciting adventure as crossing the street and navigating through the madness of Cairo is a challenge. We eventually made it to the area surrounding Khan el-Khalili although to this day I am not sure if we actually made it into the official market. By the time we made it there we were extremely tired and every time we tried to ask a local for directions they began to hassle us to buy things, tell us the markets were closed, etc (not sure why we had such bad luck with people that day as we meet numerous Egyptians that were wonderful). Despite this Lindsay and I did manage to find ourselves in some beautiful open air markets that were perfect for a simple stroll on a sunny summer late afternoon. The colorful clothing and merchandise being sold was a beautiful contrast to the sand colored buildings and blue sky above. I remember vividly following Lindsay through these markets and having such a travelers high. The sounds of people talking and kids playing mixed with the smells of the local spices and food was intoxicating. The area surrounding these markets was fascinating as well and I remember vividly seeing two beautiful and tall minarets from a local Mosque towering over the narrow alleyways of the market. After about an hour of exploring the markets we stumbled on a beautiful little mosque and received a tour from an anxious tout who was waiting out front (we would have rather toured it on our own but it was impossible to get past him). :) Although our exploration into the markets of Cairo started out stressful (traffic, hassled by the locals, etc) it ended up being a wonderful experience and a great taste of the fascinating city that is Cairo, Egypt.

“London on Acid” – Colaba Area of Mumbai India

As I have stated before Mumbai India is an absolutely HUGE city. It sprawls out for miles and miles with numerous districts and neighborhoods which are probably all worthy of exploration. However, during our visit in 2009 Lindsay and I decided to make the Colaba area our home base. Colaba is considered the epicenter of Mumbai and is home to most of its landmarks and government buildings. It has been described as “London on acid” because many of the buildings were built by the British when they ruled the country so it looks somewhat similar to London but the streets and surrounding chaos are 100% Mumbai…thus the nickname. Lindsay and I were staying in a great little hotel in the heart of Colaba and I will never forget our first morning when we woke up and looked out our window. The architecture of Colaba is beautiful but it is almost intimidating to step out into its crazy streets. Lindsay and I just sat there staring out the window for probably 15 minutes before we just had to get out and start exploring. The first thing we did was walk one simple block to the famous “Gateway to India” which is a giant monument built on the water that served as the debarkation point to visitors arriving in Mumbai by boat. It is today still a very busy boat terminal and is a great place to simply sit and people watch as there are thousands of people coming/going. Immediately behind the Gateway to India sits the beautiful Hotel Taj Mahal Palace. This beautiful structure looks more like a castle then a hotel and is fascinating to look at. From here Lindsay and I spread out and continued to explore Colaba and were immediately impressed by how crazy and unique it is. Over the next few days we explored numerous landmarks in Mumbai and most of them were nearby the Colaba area. If we ever had an extra hour or so we would simply walk the streets in Colaba as we just loved the traffic, markets, sounds, smells, etc, etc. It is very difficult to explain this area so I am glad somebody else already has…Colaba is like “London on Acid.”

Sacré-Cœur Basilica and the Montmartre Neighborhood of Paris

When I was fresh out of High School my sister and I took an epic backpacking trip to Europe. After a month of traveling all over Europe we ended our trip in Paris. I had done an incredible job of keeping a journal and carried this in my backpack along with my camera, mini-disc Player, etc. As we were sitting on the steps of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Paris listening to a local play his guitar I was feeling pretty dang good. At that moment a young gypsy girl came and sat very close to me and acted like she feel. I looked over and asked if she was okay and when I turned back around my backpack had been stolen (her falling was meant to distract me so that her partner could steal my bag). Despite my sister and I trying to chase them through the streets of Paris (for about 5 minutes) my backpack was gone along with my journal, camera and everything else. Needless to say this experience really gave me a bad taste in my mouth for Sacre-Coeur Basilica and the Montmartre neighborhood that surrounds hit. However, in November of 2009 when Lindsay and I took a late fall trip to Europe with her mom and sister we were determined to show them around this part of the city. It was a beautiful fall day when we worked our way through Paris towards the hilly neighborhood of Montmartre. We first stopped near the Moulon Rouge so Lindsay and her sister could get some pictures. The area surrounding the Moulon Rouge is a bit seedy and it was awkward sitting there alone with my mother-in-law while Lindsay and her sister bought a new phone card. :) Eventually we made our way out of the quasi-red light district of Paris and found ourselves wandering the EXTREMELY charming cobblestone streets of Montmartre. Years earlier when I was traveling to Paris with my sister we did not take the time to explorer the area around Sacre-Coeur Basilica so it was like discovering the area all over again. There were cafes/bakeries, restaurants, quant shops and of course the most beautiful architecture all around us. It was a brisk late fall day and the leaves on the trees were blowing softly through the streets. It was truly one of those days when you realize why Paris is called “the most beautiful city on earth.” As we were exploring Montmartre we were slowly making our way up the steep streets to the beautiful Sacre-Coeur Basilica (a beautiful white domed church that sits high on a hill above Paris). Because of my previous bad experience in this place we were all extra sensitive to the pick-pocketers (which are EVERYWHERE in this particular part of Paris). I am almost positive I saw the same group of gypsies that stole my backpack 10 years earlier but this time they were trying to get people to sign a waiver which would distract them while someone steals their stuff. We rushed right past them. :) Eventually we made our way to the top of the hill and was able to enjoy the beautiful, and expansive, views of Paris. We all just sat there for probably an hour taking in the incredible view. Lindsay and I have both been lucky enough to visit Paris on numerous occasions. Although each time it is wonderful this simple stroll through the eclectic neighborhood of Montmartre on that brisk late fall afternoon with Lindsay and her family is one of our favorite memories of Paris.

The Most Epic Train Journey Ever – Istanbul Turkey to Aleppo Syria

It was a cold winter in 2008 and Lindsay and I had just earned enough skymiles to take a flight anywhere in Europe.  We decided to fly into Istanbul, Turkey (considered Europe by the airlines) and fly out of Madrid, Spain.  The real adventure would be how we would get from one city to the other within 3 weeks without going through Europe.  It is scenarios like this that are the beginning of the most amazing and memorable trips because it requires you to be creative.  As we researched how to get from one city to the other we really wanted to go through the Middle East and Africa.  We were quite sure we could do this but we didn’t really know how we were going to get from Turkey to Israel, Syria, Jordan, etc.  One day while researching on Seat61 (the most amazing train travel site ever created) I learned that there was actually a 36 hour night train that goes from Istanbul Turkey to Aleppo Syria but that it was not very well known.  We quickly contacted a small travel agency in Istanbul to purchase our tickets and the adventure began.  Only a few months later we had started our trip and after spending a couple of days in Istanbul we woke up on a beautiful summer morning and caught a ferry across the Bosphorus to the beautiful, but little know (at least to western travelers), Haydarpaşa train station.  Once we arrived there the chaos quickly started.  The window attendant was clearly trying to tell us something but because of the language barrier we just weren’t getting it.  Luckily there was a handful of other westerners in the station and we knew they had to be on the same train.  Eventually everybody had boarded the train except for a small group of westerners (including us) that were standing anxiously on the platform.  The train even took off at one point which caused all of us to panic.  However, we learned that our train car (which had beds and would eventually be separated from the rest of the train as we neared Syria) was not loaded onto the train originally so the train was going to get it.  Eventually the train came back into the station with our car and we all started to board.  As the train was gone and all of us Westerners starting talking we immediately hit it off.  There were guys from Italy, England, Australia, Scotland, etc and we all just started talking, laughing and became fast friends.  We figured that we would all go to our rooms for the next 36 hours and really never see each other again but we had no idea what awaited us on this train adventure.  As we boarded the train Lindsay and I quickly found our cabin which was fantastic!  It was old but it had two perfect bunk beds and was private…what else can you ask for on a night train right?  We settled in for the long haul and just relaxed, looked out the window and ate our Turkish Delight (candy bought from the markets of Istanbul) as the train followed the coast of Turkey towards Syria.  As the evening came on we stopped at one particular station and there were two little shops on the platform with two shop owners that just kept yelling something (probably the name of whatever food they were selling).  These little shops and their stereotypical Middle Eastern owners was a perfect scene indeed.  I happened to catch a picture at this moment and to this day it is one of my favorite travel pics.  While we were sitting at this station some local vendors would run by the windows and doors of the train selling goodies.  There was one westerner that quickly jumped off the train to buy something and we were all cheering for him as he ran back to the train literally seconds before it left the station.  As the evening came to a close we passed some absolutely beautiful mountain valleys, farms, villages, etc.  Lindsay and I would just stand at the window and watch as the Turkish countryside passed us by…it was absolutely spectacular.  The night was uneventful and quite comfortable and as the sun came up the next morning we were passing through some beautiful mountain valleys that looked almost fake as they passed by the train window.  That day the train was eventually supposed to make its way into Syria but this is when the chaos really started.  About mid-day we stopped at a small Turkish village and were rushed off the train.  For some reason, we still don’t know why, the train was not able to make it to Syria so a bus was going to take us the rest of the way.  When we stepped of the train there was a couple of small vans/buses waiting there and the drivers were rushing us on.  We quickly got in, with about 8 other westerners, and began aimlessly driving around this Turkish village.  We quickly realized that we were going in circles, or at least that we didn’t have a destination, and began to wonder what was going on.  Luckily one of the westerners spoke Arabic and was able to communicate to the driver.  It turns out that these van/bus drivers had no idea where we wanted/needed to go and just piled us in their vans and started driving around.  Eventually we made our way back to the train station where our real bus was waiting to take us across the border and into Syria.  As we walked onto the bus the other half of the westerners were sitting there and we all began to laugh about what had just taken place.  For the next 12 hours we would continue to talk and laugh with this group of Westerners until we all felt like best friends.  The bus ride into Syria was beautiful.  I remember expansive fields and cute little towns just passing by the bus windows.  Eventually we made it to the Turkey/Syria border where we spend the next 3 hours getting all of our passports and visas checked out.  During this time we all just sat around and chatted with our western friends as well as some very friendly locals.  Lindsay had a scary experience while we were at this border crossing when a man followed her into the bathroom.  Luckily she is quite savvy and was able to quickly diffuse the situation by just charging past him to get back to us.  The afternoon was getting late as we sat on the border of Syria/Turkey and I remember vividly playing “eye-spy” with all of our new found friends.  After a few hours we were all cleared to go and we were heading into the mysterious country of Syria.  I remember being so excited to be entering such an exotic and misunderstood place.  The Syrian countryside is beautiful and as the evening began to fall the color of the rolling hills and countryside was absolutely stunning.  A nice little Syrian man began walking through the bus offering us drinks and one of our Scottish friends sitting behind us said “I will have a Fanta if you like.”  At this point the old man began pouring him a Coke (clearly didn’t understand his request for a Fanta) and the Scottish kid just said “or a Coke is fine.”  His face as this whole thing happened was hilarious and we all laughed about it for hours.  Eventually we pulled into the fascinating city of Aleppo just as the evening was turning into night and we were all so sad to say goodbye to each other.  The last 36 hours we had truly grown to be fast friends and we were really going to miss everybody.  Because of this we decided to meet up in Aleppo that evening for drinks so that we could avoid saying goodbye for a few hours.  Over the next week Lindsay and I ran into our Scottish friends and our favorite buddy “Harry” from Australia while in Damascus but that was the last we ever saw of them.  We will never forget our journey from Istanbul Turkey to Aleppo Syria as it was the most adventurous train ride we have ever taken.  However, what really made it special were the friends we made and the experiences we shared with them.  To this day it is one of the most cherished travel experiences that we have ever had!

MBK Center & Siam Paragon Malls – A Shopping Experience in Bangkok Thailand

It is extremely rare that Lindsay and I would ever seek out a “Mall” when traveling internationally.  We love to shop through local markets/shops but going to a Mall is usually the last thing we want to do.  However, after reading the recommendation of our Lonely Planet guidebook we decided to go and explore the MBK Center and Siam Paragon malls in Bangkok which were definitely an experience in themselves.  We happened to be traveling through Bangkok during the “hot season” and the heat, noise and traffic of the city was exhausting.  Not only were these malls a welcome break from all of this but they were also quite an experience.  The first mall we visited was Siam Paragon which is a beautiful building full of marble, glass, fountains, escalators, etc.  This mall was full of all the high-end retailers.  We cruised around for awhile in this mall and Lindsay ended up getting me a watch from Kenneth Cole that I wore for years.  This mall was great but was not terribly different from many of the upscale malls in the U.S.  Next we went across the street to the MBK Center mall and were greeted with a much different experience.  This mall was absolutely huge (probably 8 stories or so) and was jammed back with local Bangkok teens living it up.  The mall was full of every shop you could imagine and actually felt more like an indoor market then it did a shopping mall.  We walked around for hours looking at everything you could ever imagine.  We happened to be running out of memory cards so we headed up to the electronic section to buy some cheap, almost certainly stolen or knock off, memory cards.  We also frequented the cheap and clean food court on numerous occasions when we were hungry and tired from running around Bangkok. :)  If you ever find yourself in Bangkok don’t forget to visit its malls which are a welcome break from the chaos of the city and a great place to get a good deal on almost anything.

Templeside Deluxe Hutong House Hotel– Beijing China

There is no shortage of places to stay in Beijing China and visitors can choose from ultra-luxurious chain hotels, cheap dives, small guesthouses, and almost any other type of lodging you can imagine.  Lindsay and I decided early on that we wanted to stay in the charming, and vanishing (thanks to sprawling Beijing), old Hutong neighborhoods of Beijing.  Hutongs are ancient neighborhoods characterized by narrow alleyways, small houses, markets, locals, bicycles, etc.  Through much research we found and absolute gem called the Templeside Deluxe Hutong House Hotel located in a beautiful old Hutong close to the main attractions but away from the real “touristy areas” of the city.  While we were extremely excited to stay there we were also nervous because we had been told that it is very difficult to find (i.e. taxis don’t even know where it is).  Through literally hours of researching the web I had made a mental snapshot of the area using photos and Google Maps.  Amazingly within about an hour of our plane landing (from Moscow) we had made our way to the front door of our guesthouse (thanks to Beijing’s incredibly convenient Metro system).  Even the front door of this little Guesthouse was very charming.  The surrounding Hutong neighborhood was mostly made up of grey colored buildings but our Guesthouse had bright red double doors with two huge hanging red Chinese lanterns on each side.  We rang the door and within seconds we were being greeted by a bubbly Chinese teenager anxious to show us around.  As we entered the small guesthouse we were simply blown away by its charm.  The entire interior is an open courtyard with about 10 small rooms that surround it.  The courtyard has a glass roof and there were numerous colorful dragon kites and lanterns hung from the ceiling.   There was also a set of narrow bamboo steps which led to an open roof which was perfect for chilling.  We were shown to our room which was tiny and simple but very charming.  There were two small Chinese beds that faced each other on opposite sides of the room.  Lindsay and I had just arrived from a very long flight from Moscow so the first thing we did was lay down on the bed…this was also our first experience with how hard Chinese beds are. :)  Over the next few days we came & went through this guesthouse as we explored amazing Beijing.  One evening we had the cute local girl sitting at the small front desk in the courtroom order us some local food.  Within a few minutes there was a knock at the door and she had prepared our food on the tables of the courtyard.  We sat out there and ate our food and fell even more in love with this cute little guesthouse.  On our last night in Beijing we were killing a little time before our night train to Shanghai.  We got ourselves some drinks, climbed the small bamboo stairs to the rooftop and relaxed on the roof as a way of saying goodbye to Beijing.  The view from the roof was fascinating as you could see into the dense mix of houses that made up the surrounding Hutong (clothes hanging on the line, etc) but on the horizon you could see numerous glass/steel skyscrapers which are the new face of modern Beijing.  Right next to our guesthouse was an old temple with a tall white Stupa (tower) with flags hanging from the top.  The old Hutong, skyscrapers and temple surrounding us was the perfect mix of Beijing.  We hung out up on the roof for about an hour as the sun started to set over the city.  Eventually it was time to leave and we said goodbye to the most charming guesthouse in Beijing……Templeside Deluxe Hutong House Hotel.  As we made our way through the Hutongs to the train station we stumbled upon a little shop making a fried bread/meat treat and decided to get one.  It ended up being the best food we had the entire trip and we were so bummed that we discovered it on literally our last night in Beijing.  If you ever find yourself in Beijing China, and looking for a charming place to stay, make sure to try the Templeside Deluxe Hutong House Hotel.