The French Concession

The city of Shanghai China has many distinct areas. There is the old school money area called “The Bund”, there is the futuristic Pudong area and the shopping mecca Nanjing road. In addition to all of this the city boasts one of the most charming neighborhoods I have ever seen: The French Concession. This area of Shanghai feels like Paris mixed with SoHo with a dash of Los Angeles topped off with a sprinkling of Bangkok. The streets are lined with beautiful and leafy trees and the architecture ranges from Asian to European. There are churches, posh boutiques, cafes, salons, etc. We walked this area for hours and were simply amazed at its unique character. During one of our trips we stumbled on a little juice bar that made a frozen Oreo ice drink that was INSANE! We ended up going back numerous times and the employees would just smile and make our drinks. :) Shanghai is a city with lots of character and the charming French Concession neighborhood stole me and Lindsay’s heart.










The closest we have ever come to death….a taxi ride in India:
After visiting Varanasi India we needed to catch a flight back to Mumbai. The small airport in Varanasi is about 20 minutes outside the city so we arranged a driver from the guesthouse we were staying in to take us (essentially he was a taxi driver). We followed him through the narrow alleys of the old city until we finally emerged at his SUV idealing on the main road. Once we were in the car I remember thinking “this will be a nice chill drive and a chance for me to see some streetlife.” Nothing could have been farther from the truth. What proceeded next was more thrilling than any amusment park ride I have ever been on. The streets of Varanasi, India are full of everything you can imagine. For example: numerous wondering cows, old women and men, children everywhere, stray animals, rikshaws, bikes, people hauling everything in the world in carts, cars, etc, etc. Honestly I would probably drive 20-25 mph tops. Our taxi driver took off and consistently kept around 60 mph as he dodged everything mentioned above. There were so many close calls where Lindsay and I would just close our eyes hoping that we did not have a head on collision with a cow! We spent the entire ride trying not to laugh as we were both being thrown around by the constant swerving and maneuvering by our NASCAR like driver. I busted out the camera to try and film it but it just didn’t do it justice. We finally made it to the airport and were extremely relived (and a little sad) to be out of the taxi. To this day we will never forget the experience.

The Canals of St Petersburg, Russia

During our 2010 trip to Russia we only had time to visit one other city besides Moscow. Although there are hundreds of worthy cities to visit this choice was quite easy…St Petersburg. This incredible city was the on again/off again capital of Russia for decades. Founded by Peter the great it is Truly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The center of the city is made up of numerous canals (thus the nickname “Venice of the north”). These wide canals criss-cross through the city and are lined by beautiful seventeenth and eighteenth century mansions. In addition, numerous bridges cross these canals making for a truly spectacular urban design. One of the first things Lindsay and I did upon arriving is start exploring these canals. We would walk up and down, cross the occasional bridge and find every opportunity to sit and watch the boats go by (there are numerous open top tour boats that cruise around the canals). On one particularly sunny day we sat in one spot on the edge of one of the canal intersection for hours. We just sat and enjoyed the weather, the sound of water, the boats and the beautiful historic city all around us. St Petersburg and its canals truly make up one of the great European cities!


The pic above is the spot where we sat watching the boats for hours!

“The Seaside Suites” in the Riviera Maya Mexico…The Perfect Honeymoon.

Right in the middle of the beautiful Riviera Maya lies the resort of El Darodo Seaside Suites. An all inclusive resort is generally not our style but we were going to “splurge” for our honeymoon. After months of research I decided on this cute little resort and was not disappointed. Our hotel room was on the second level and had a deck and hammock were we would relax and look out over the white beach and bright blue water. The room also had a large Jacuzzi that was right next to the window which was perfect. Every morning we would order room service (included) and then head down to the incredible beach. There was also a very long pier and we would walk out to dangle our feet in the water, etc. Each day we would pick our spot, set up the chairs and veg for hours on end. Numerous waiters (always hilarious and in a good mood) would come by to bring us drinks and chips/salsa. There were also canopy beds along the beach which we loved to chill out on in the morning. One day we decided to go snorkeling and it was incredible. We ended up finding an old shipwreck amongst the beautiful coral and fish. Each night we would walk down the beach to a section that was almost deserted where we would body surf and play in the water. Although “all inclusive resorts” are not something we generally do we will never forget this sweet little resort on the beaches of Mexico.

Welcome to Istanubl From: Ziya

One of our favorite experiences about traveling is that initial feeling of “culture shock” and the “travel high” that inevitably follows it. Lindsay and I experienced this big time when we flew into Istanbul Turkey late one May evening. I had been reading the guidebooks and was confident that I could get us fro the airport to the center of the city just using public transportation (the subway and then some streetcars). Although I was looking forward to the challenge I was also nervous. Unfortunately Lindsay and I did not get to sit together during the delayed flight from Frankfut. However, this turned out to be a blessing as Lindsay ended up sitting next to a Turkish man named Ziya. He was working in Germany at one of the major auto makers and was on his way home to visit. Lindsay and Ziya ended up striking up a conversation and became fast friends. He even drew her a homemade map of Instanbul pointing out all the places we should go. When the plane landed we got ready to say our goodbye and he insisted that he help us get to the city. My pride was a little hurt as I was looking forward to figuring this out on my own but it ended up being a Godsend. He quickly took us to the subway and rode with us to a small station a few minutes away. From there he helped us navigate through a very crowed and busy station to find the correct little streetcar that would take us into the city. After he did this I realized that I would have been in big troube if I was trying to do this on my own. :) He helped us get on the right streetcar and we said our goodbyes…it was our first taste of Middle Eastern hospitality. The streetcar ride from this busy station on the outskirts of the city to the main square was true culture shock. We were surrounded by women in full body black burkas and very curious businessmen (they like to stare). We were the only westerners in the streetcar and as we got closer to the city it eventually became so busy that we were slammed up against the class. From there we saw the late evening streetlife of Instanbul unfold before our eyes. We passed neighborhoods full of people coming/going, street vendors selling food and children playing soccer in the street. We just kept looking at eachother with a big smile thinking…wow, culture shock! :) We eventually made it to Sultan Ahmet Square (center of the city) and existed our streetcar. We were then immediately struck with a travel high. We were in the center of Instanbul with the beautiful Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia lite up in front of us. The square was full of fountains, cobblestones, people, and the occosinal sound of the streetcar. We wondered around this beautiful area for another hour trying to find our quant little hotel (I was following my misled "travel senses") and when we did we just checked in and hit the streets again. We walked so much that night that my feet were killing! We kept seeing little stores selling a very weird looking cup of ice cream. We finally broke down and tried some and to this day we call it the “chewy ice cream.” It is almost impossible to describe but the Turks have mastered a chewy ice cream that is fantastic! We only had a short time in Instanbul but we lived it up and loved the culture shock and travel high that we experienced the first night we arrived.

Night Train from Beijing to Shanghai

During our 2010 trip to China Lindsay and I were able to continue one of our most favorite travel traditions…the night train! Little did we know that the “bullet night train” from Beijing to Shanghai would blow us away! The journey started in the incredibly modern and beautiful Beijing South Train Station. This brand new station looks like a gaint glass seashell and is full of palm trees, shops, etc. The station has numerous levels and you wait on the upper level and then take fancy escelators down to the trains when you are called to board. As we made our way down the escalator we were delighted when we saw our train. It was a shiny white bullet train with an incredible interior. After switching rooms a few times (to help a family so that they could all be together) we finally settled in. Their were 4 beds to a room and they were incredibly comfortable. Each bed had very high quality linin, reading lights and a remote control television. Keep in mind that Lindsay and I have taken some ghetto night trains in our life so we were loving this. We were sharing the room with a few other Chinese teenagers and luckily they spent most of the night in the hallway talking so we had the room to ourselves. Although the train goes incredibly fast it is unbelievably smooth. We watched tv until we feel asleep and when we woke up we were in the futuristic city of Shanghai! :) My only complaints about this incredible journey is that we could not see the Chinese countryside (it was night) and at one point we woke up and the AC had gone out and it felt like an oven! :) All in all it was the most futuristic and comfortable night train we have ever taken.

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro (subway) system is one of a kind! Bieng an Urban Planning Major in college I am a sucker for these types of things but anybody would be impressed with this system. It is the second busiest Metro system in the world and trains run about every 90 seconds. However, what is impressive is the grandeur and design. The communists did an AMAZING job when it came to building metro stations. Almost ever station (or at least all the ones built during the communist era) are decked out in white marble, gold colored chandelears and each have amazing murals that depict Russian farmers, factory workers, etc. The sound of trains, the sight of people coming and going and the royal like atmosphere make riding the metro in Moscow an experience in itself. However, all of the stations and most of the signs are in the Russian alphabet. Needless to say it was the toughest metro system we have ever had to figure out. Luckily each line is color coded and both of us learned to look at maps and then memorize how many stops we needed. Lindsay and I only spent a few days in Moscow but we rode the metro constantly…we took it everwhere! Each time we exited the train we would start looking up to see the murals and amazing decorations. If you ever find yourself in Moscow do not go home without taking the Metro at least once.

On a funny note…the system they have for letting you know that you are “exiting” through an “entrance” is hilarious. To enter the metro you slide your card past a sensor and walk through a medal entrance about waist high (similar to most metros). However, instead of reading the card and then opening up the medal entrance (like most metros) they leave the medal bars open until you scan a card that is wrong and then you get a noise that sounds like “game over” and the medal bars come crashing down to stop you in your tracks. :) One night Lindsay and I were walking out of the metro feeling incredibly good just laughing and having a good time. We failed to notice that we were “exiting” through an “entrance.” At the same time we both heard the “game over” music and were both slammed by the little medal bars. It seriously felt like someone punched me in the stomach! :) We both looked at each other and started laughing so hard. Meanwhile a man was laughing/yelling at us to go around in his thick Russian accent….Awesome! :)

Garden Tomb – Jerusalem, Israel

Right in the middle of the old city in Jerusalem lies “The Church of the Holy Sepulchre.” This beautiful and magnificent structure is believed to be the spot of Christs crucifixion and burial by most major Christian religions (catholics, etc). However, a handful of Christian churches, including Latter Day Saints, believe that Christ was crucified and buried in a little area outside the old city called “The Garden Tomb.” This humble little garden lies in the Muslim quarter just outside Damascus Gate. Lindsay and I walked up to this unassuming place one morning and had a wonderful and peaceful experience. After entering the gates you wander through beautiful kept gardens on small gravel paths. Eventually you end up at the tomb where Christ was buried and resurrected (according to LDS belief). This small tomb is cut into the mountain and has a very small opening. There is a small set of benches just outside and we saw numerous religious groups gather for hymns before entering the tomb. Lindsay and I sat outside the tomb for a few minutes just meditating and pondering. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and it was a beautiful morning. We then entered the tomb and saw the very simple/humble bed cut out in the stone. We were struck by the wooden engraving that hung in the tomb that simply said “he is not here for he has risen.” A little ways past the tomb you can see Golgatha Hill where Christ was crucified (according to LDS belief). This entire area is simply gorgeous and there is no denying the peaceful feeling that exists. We felt so lucky to be wondering around this humble garden tomb that represents something so sacred. It was an experience we will never forget.