The Great Wall of China

One of the most iconic structures in the world is the great wall of China. Lindsay and I were lucky enough to experience this during our 2010 trip. If I had more time I would have taken a few weeks to trek along the areas of the wall that are more historical and primitive (some of the wall has been restored). However, we were tight on time and decided to book a guide through our guesthouse in Beijing. The guides name was Lisa and she was incredibly nice. We loaded up in her little van (along with a very nice family from France) and took off to the wall. My only complaint about the great wall is that it can be incredibly touristy. We were lucky enough to go to a less touristy section that has not lost all of its charm due to the thousands of rides, shops, tourists, etc. we arrived at the wall and took a cool little chairlift to the top (touristy I know). We then walked along the wall for hours taking in the incredible beauty of the Chinese countryside. I was amazed with how step the wall is. We only walked it for a few miles (if that) and it was exhausting. There are thousands of steps with an unbelievable incline. Every time we came to one of the “look out towers” we would stop, catch our breath and admire the scenery. It is an incredible feeling to see the Great Wall of China in person as it is so iconic and such a recognizable landmark. After hours of exploring we made our way back down away from the wall via a fun little alpine slide type ride (touristy I know). This was a especially memorable as it was the first time anybody had openly recognized that Lindsay was pregnant. Right as she was getting ready to get on the slide the Chinese man pointed to her stomach and said "baby?....no." She had to ride the chairlift down while I cruised down the slide until I was stoped by some incredibly slow Asian tourists in front of me. :) The experience at the wall was fantastic and was only jaded by the scam “Jade market” and “Chinese health massage center” visits that that our guide insisted we take working our way back to Beijing. Another high point of the tour was visiting the Ming Dynasty Tombs located nearby. Here you travel deep into the mountain to see where the Ming Dynasty buried their emperors. All in all it was an amazing experience to see the Great Wall of China!

Victoria Terminus – The Heart of Mumbai

Located in the heart of Mumbai India is the incredible “Victoria Terminus” train station. This is the busiest station in all of Asia and one minute in this place will bring your senses to their knees. The outside of the terminis is a mix between classical European and gothic architecture. I have never seen a building that looked even remotely close to this. Lindsay and I took a few minutes admiring the outside and then ventured inside. We were immediately meet with what seemed to us to be complete caos (although it was actually quite organized). Thousands of people coming and going with trains arriving and departing every minute. The most fascinating people to watch are the businessmen who take the suburban trains in/out of the city everyday. These trains are filled to the brim with riders who are just hanging out the doors…literally hanging on for dear life (you can find videos on youtube of men falling out of these trains when they loose their grip). Because space is a premium the business men start running and will jump on these trains before they are fully stopped in the station. During one of our last nights in India we went to this station, stood on the overhead catwalks and watched the commuters come and go for hours! We were mezmorized by the scene in front of us. To this day when we talk about our trip to India we always bring up this experience. You would think that watching people come and go at a train station would get old…but not at the Victoria Terminis in Mumbai, India.

The Bund – Shanghai, China

The city of Shanghai China is truly amazing. This futuristic city has skyscrapers as far as the eye can see, futuristic architecture and a very busy population. One of the main attractions in this city is an area called “The Bund.” This is an area of the city that still has beautiful architecture from the booming days (early 20th century) of Shanghai. There are beautiful old art deco office buildings, hotels, etc. During its hay day these buildings were the headquarters of banks from all over the world. There is a large avenue in front of The Bund that borders the river. We first experienced this area in the day and were truly impressed. The architecture, the people and the overall scene was fantastic. One of the best parts of “The Bund” is the view across the river towards the futuristic “Pudong" area of Shanghai. Almost any pictures you see of Shanghai are going to show the Pudong area. Here you will find all of the crazy looking skyscrapers that are so iconic. The view of this area from The Bund was spectacular and we spent hours checking it out. After exploring this area we moved on to other sites around the city. That night (and every night thereafter) we decided to walk back down to The Bund. The scene at night was indescribable. It is as if the city of Shanghai said “lets make our city look like a light show at night.” Every old building along The Bund was completely lite up with some even having a light show every few minutes. Furthermore, the lights from all the cars, camera flashes, etc just added to the scene. Then we looked across the river and were blown away…the Pudong area at night was incredible. Every building had numerous lights that flashed, changed colors, went off like a strobe light, etc. Some buildings even had tv like scenes that would flash across the front. To top it all off almost every boat that cruised the river (in beetween The Bund and Pudong) was light up with neon blue, red and green lights. Needless to say the scene in front of us was extremely unique and a feast for the senses. Every big city is beautiful at night but nothing can top the “light show” that is Shanghai.

Beijing Hutongs

The city of Beijing (like the entire country of China) is going through a “rebirth.” This ancient capital is growing and expanding at an incredible rate. Large and busy freeways, huge skyscraper housing projects and massive buildings are popping up like weeds all over the city. Unfortunately the Chinese are not famous for the care they take when “revitalizing” or “expanding” a city. Beijing is famous for its “Hutongs.” These are ancient neighborhoods that are made up of small houses, shops and narrow alleyways. Wandering these Hutongs is an essential Beijing experience and should not be missed. We were lucky enough to stay at a small guest house deep in the heart of one of these Hutongs which allowed us to see an intimate part of everyday Chinese life. These Hutongs are constantly at risk of being leveled to make way for the “expanding Beijing.” In addition, many of the Hutongs are very touristy and you are more likely to see tourists on a bike-rickshaw then you are local Chinese. The Hutong were Lindsay and I stayed was far enough away from central Beijing that it still maintained the unique charm that is daily Beijing life. There are small houses, animals, people, bikes, motorcycles and amongst all of this are little shops selling everything from bike parts to homemade Chinese cuisine. During one exploration through a Hutong Lindsay and I found an incredible “pastry” shop that was the size of a closet. They only made one item and it was to die for (rolled up meat/spices in a fried piece of bread). During one walk through the Hutongs a young Chinese boy ran right into me as he was running away from his father...it was hilarious. One of my favorite memories of Beijing is simply strolling through these ancient and colorful Hutongs to get a close up glimpse at Chinese daily life.

Midnight Stroll in St Petersburg

The beautiful city of St Petersburg lies far north in the country of Russia. Because of this location the summer days are extremely long! Lindsay and I were delighted to discover this one beautiful June night. Unfortunately when Lindsay and I travel the schedules are tight. There are trains to catch, sites to see, etc, etc. Needless to say it can be exhausting. Early on during our stay in St Petersburg this schedule had caught up with us and we found ourselves napping in our cute top floor hotel room (with a large window that overlooked the rooftops of St Petersburg). We fell asleep around 5:00 PM and I awoke 3 hours later in a total panic….we had wasted an entire evening!! However, after waking up I looked out the window and was extremely puzzled…the sun was still high in the Russian sky. At that moment we realized that the day was still young. We hit the town and started exploring. We cruised up Nevsky Prospekt (the beautiful main BLVD) until we reached the Baltic sea. We then crossed the beautiful bridge to the Vasilevsky Island section of the city. There was a small park at the edge of the water that overlooked the City. You could see Peter and Paul Fortress on one end and the incredible Hermitage museum on the other (this is in a beautiful green/white mansion). We sat at the waters edge for hours just taking in the beautiful scene in front of us. We ended up watching the sunset at around MIDNIGHT! At that point we continued to walk through the city until about 2:00 AM. Watching the sunset over the spires and buildings of St Petersburg at midnight was truly spectacular…we will never forget it.

Cameron Trading Post – Indian Reservation AZ

My father grew up in the tiny Northern Arizona town of Joseph City. This small town was once a thriving community located right on Route 66 but is now a lonely spec on Interstate 40. As a child I used to LOVE the drive down to visit Grandma Duncan. The drive took us right through the Navajo Indian reservation with red cliffs and hogans as far as the eye could see. We would almost always stop at the “Cameron Trading Post” for gas, souvenirs and of course a Navajo Taco. In the winter of 2010 Lindsay and I caught the travel bug during a long weekend. We decided to take a road trip down to southern Utah and Arizona. We loaded up Sundance (the dog), laid down the seats in the Jeep to make a bed and we were off in the early morning hours. The drive down to Cameron is incredible. We stopped by Bryce Canyon, Kanab and spent the evening admiring Lake Powell/Page. We arrived in Cameron just as the sun was setting over the northern deserts of Arizona. We checked-in to our quaint dog friendly room, walked the trading post (one giant souvenir store) and then hit up the restaurant for the most amazing Navajo tacos in the world. Both Lindsay and I ordered the “small taco” which is actually a huge mess of fried Navajo bread, beans, cheese, etc, etc, etc. We ate until we were sick to our stomachs and then ate some more. Later that night we meet up with my sister and her husband (who drove up from Phoenix) and the next morning we left Cameron to go check out the Grand Canyon which is a short drive away. If you ever find yourself in the Northern deserts of Arizona (probably lost) look out for the Cameron Trading Post…it is one of kind.

Red Square – Moscow

For about the last 5 years I have really wanted to go to Russia. Although I was intrigued with the entire country it was Moscow that really caught my imagination. Growing up it was always “the Russians” that were the “bad guys.” They were communist, atheist and wanted to do the United States harm (or so we were told). Something about this core difference between my country and theirs caused this place to bubble to the top of my “travel bucket list.” In June of 2010 (while Lindsay was Pregnant) we made our trip to Russia. The process for getting a Russian visa is very intense (I will write about this in another post some day) and the flight was VERY long. Furthermore, Moscow is the most expensive city in the world according to some sources and finding cheap but decent accommodations is very tough. The minute we landed in Moscow all of these hassles/frustrations were forgotten. We caught the quick and efficient train from Domodedovo airport to the Paveletsky Station in the center of the city (one of about 7 train stations in Moscow). We then took the AMAZING Moscow Metro to our hotel just outside the center city. After checking-in and taking a quick nap it was time to head into the heart of Russia (and for years the heart of communism)…RED SQUARE. We hoped the Metro again and within a few minutes we were at the central station. It was late afternoon when Lindsay and I first stepped out of the Metro and into central Moscow and Lindsay described it best in two words…”travel high.” The beautiful buildings in this part of the city were shining in the late evening sun. It was a Sunday and there were old Russian women singing hymns on benches in the park. There were fountains, street vendors and it seemed all the local Muscovites were out for a stroll. After taking in this scene we wandered over to Red Square and were BLOWN AWAY at the beauty. There are about 4-5 different entrances to this square and no matter which way you take it is gorgeous. We entered from the north and as we made our way up into the square the colorful and Iconic St Basil cathedral began to appear. Nothing is more Russian than St Basil cathedral. The numerous colorful and onion shaped domes mixed with the red brick and unique design make this building one of a kind! We continued to walk through the square to take in the scene. For most of the 20th century this square was famous for military parades that showed of the military might of Russia. Tanks, missles and soldiers would march by while dictators nodded in approval. However, these days are long gone. Modern Red Square is full of cafes, tourist and Muscovites strolling along in one of the most beautiful urban spaces in the world. One side of the square is dominated by the beautiful Kremlin with its medieval walls. The other side is home to GUM Department Store which used to be a communist food pantry for the people and is now high end shops. St Basil cathedral dominates the South end while the incredible state history museum brings up the south. There is also the Lenin moseliem which houses the enbalbed body of the father of Russia. As the late afternoon turned into evening Lindsay and I continued to stroll in and out of Red Square. We burned up most of our memory cards trying to capture this incredible place. By this time in our life Lindsay and I had been blessed to have traveled to some amazing cities and I can honestly say that very few match the beauty of Red Square and central Moscow.