Great Wall of China...Check!

We knew going into this trip that the Great Wall was going to be one of the highlights. There’s a reason it’s one of the 7 Wonders of the World. That’s why we rented a private driver for the day to make our experience that much better. He picked us up from our hostel early and drove us out to the Mutianyu section of the wall about 2 hours outside Beijing. There are many different sections of the wall outside of city to see, but after extensive research, we decided to go to Mutianyu and I’m so glad we did! It’s much less touristy than the closer Badaling & the more remote Simatai section was closed for renovations.

After a scenic drive, we arrived around 8:30AM and opted to hike up the stairs to the wall rather than taking the ski lift or cable car. We are young after all. Despite it being spring time and the flowers starting to bloom, it was brisk outside to put it lightly. We could see our breath as the gigantic, winding wall got closer. Once there, we just stood in awe at the thing. It seemed to wind on forever. I couldn’t help but wonder how such a massive, impressive structure was built among such difficult terrain thousands of years ago! Because we got an early start, there was hardly anyone there! We shared the first kilometers of the wall with a group of Chinese students on a field-trip.

We spent those first few hours hiking up and down the steep stone steps, walking through one ancient watchtower after another & just taking it all in. It was spectacular to see the wall as the builders intended it. This section had been rebuilt to restore it to its former glory & I’m glad we got to revel in that.

 About 2 hours into it, we realized that it had started to snow!!! We weren’t expecting that but it turned out to be really special. Hiking the wall in the snow is something not many people can say they’ve experienced and it was indeed mystical! It really started to come down as we approached this particularly steep section which made for a surreal ascend. We were completely comfortable despite the weather conditions because of the exercise. Some parts were very rigorous and difficult for us to complete.

At around 11AM, we reached the end of the remodeled wall and I realized we had really made some good time. We wanted to explore further so we decided to go on to the unrestored sections. Our driver had told us that we might not be allowed to go on because they monitor these dangerous sections and don’t let visitors through. Needless to say, I was really bummed. However, at this last watchtower, there was no security, so we simply walked on. We ended up going about 7 watchtowers and another hour further up to this really high, crumbling watchtower where we ate lunch in complete isolation. It was a special moment to share together.

I think I enjoyed these original sections better. Yes the hiking was much more difficult and dangerous, but it felt like a more authentic experience. Stone fragments, bushes and trees were growing on top of the ancient wall which really made it look & feel ancient. We had the entire place to ourselves so we spent a lot of time wandering around the crumbling towers and turrets.

After lunch, we started the long hike back and passed a bunch more people! All the tour buses had arrived in the late afternoon, and we were grateful to have had the place to ourselves for a few memorable hours. There are lots of ways to get back down to the city of Mutianyu from the wall, but one stood out. We heard about the toboggan ride beforehand, and it was a ‘When In Rome’ moment when we decided to slide down the Great Wall on a luge on a metal track. It was very fun and exhilarating to relax & cruise down the wall after 5½ hours hiking it.  Check out the video below!


Sliding Down the Great Wall of China

Arriving in the Far East: Beijing

I'll admit that I had mixed feelings about going to Beijing before we left.  I had no idea of what to expect, and had heard less than pleasant stories from people who had visited.  I had heard that there are TONS of people everywhere, people spit, people stare, it's insanely polluted and communicating is difficult.  All of those things are true, but nevertheless, I LOVED this city!  We packed a lot into the few days we had there, so I'll try not to get caught up and make this post 14 pages long.  Here goes:

We arrived late morning and spent the rest of our first day exploring the hutongs (small narrow alleys that connect locals homes and businesses) surrounding our hostel.  It's so easy to get lost in these tiny streets!  They were packed: people buying street food, taking pictures and exploring the many shops lining the hutong.  A lot of the other people were Chinese tourists, but there were also many locals riding bikes and trying to get a motorbike through the hoards of people.  We tried new street food like some sort of meat (we think either lamb, pork or chicken) marinated and grilled on a stick and milk custard with brown beans.  We played it pretty safe and steered clear of the grilled starfish, seahorses, scorpions and snakes on a stick.

Milk Custard with Brown Beans

You really can't visit Beijing without seeing Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City - they are the two top sites in Beigjing - so they were our first stop.  We took the city bus from our hostel to Tiananmen Square to start.  Tiananmen Square is one of the largest city squares in the world, and has been the setting for some of China's biggest and most memorable events, including the Protests of 1989.  The Square is home to several monuments as well as General Mao's Mausoleum.  We waited in a line of pushy tourists that extended around an entire side of the square to be shuffled and hurried through the mausoleum, which took a grand total of 5 minutes.  But seeing the people's devotion to his memory was interesting, and getting a taste of Chinese culture while waiting in line was even more interesting.  If there is open space in front of you in line, you better run, or someone from behind you will and you'll find yourself several people farther back in line.  Also at the Square is the National Museum.  Since it was so cold, we made a quick stop at the Museum to warm up and use the toilet, which was slightly entertaining because the guard didn't understand toilet, restroom or bathroom, so I had to act it out in order to get directions.  We could have spent a lot more time there, but honestly, it didn't interest us at the time, and we were ready to get over to the Forbidden City, which is now called the Palace Museum (a little more inviting name, but also a little less intriguing.  There is something about entering a "forbidden city" in China that is really exciting to me…)  The Square and the Palace Museum are connected, but we still had to cross a huge street, so we used an underground walkway where people thrust postcard books, Gen. Mao hats and artistic maps for purchase at us, when they weren't laughing at Scott for wearing shorts in 40 degree weather. 

Tiananmen Square

The Forbidden City used to be the Chinese palace and was home to Chinese emperors for nearly 500 years.  It is a massive complex with what once was housing, government buildings, throne rooms, meeting rooms, etc.  Now it has been turned into the Palace Museum, and the government is restoring and preserving most of the buildings, and using the interiors to display art, artifacts and important relics.  When we arrived it was packed with people, but the complex is big enough that we could explore some of the smaller areas off the side "streets" and avoid the bigger crowds.  The architecture of the buildings is really cool - exactly what I think of when I think of ancient Chinese buildings:  tiled slanting roofs with lots of lions and dragons, and tiered buildings decorated in red, gold, green and blue.  But After exploring for a couple hours the buildings started to blend together and it turned into more of the same.  The Imperial Garden was one of my favorite places, and features huge rock structures, bonzi trees and cherry trees just beginning to bloom. 

Imperial Garden

The Forbidden City

After escaping the crowd of men offering rickshaw rides and tours of the hutongs, we stopped for a quick lunch at a local hole-in-the-wall dumpling place.  We feasted on steamed buns and boiled pork dumplings, and it was perfect!  At the end the owner pointed to a date on the calendar to show me how much we owed :)  Then we headed to several parks in the area that offered spectacular views of Beijing and panoramic shots of the Forbidden City.  Beijing has a ton of parks scattered around the city, and each is a little different.  Most all of them feature an area with water, and have a walking path leading through the park.  People gamble, practice tai chi, dancing, and a game much like hacky sack except it's played with what looks like a giant badminton shuttlecock. 

The Forbidden City from Jingshan Park

We spent the next couple days in Beijing hitting up the other major must-sees.  The Temple of Heaven is another tourist sight in Beijing.  It is a complex of religious structures that the emperors used to visit to pray for a good harvest.  The main feature is the round pagoda-type building in the middle of the park, with a 3-tiered tiled roof, painted with bright colors (much like the Forbidden City.)  We battled a ton of tourists to take a picture on top of a special stone (looking back, I'm not sure why I HAD to have that picture…) and decided to explore the less crowded part of the park. 

Temple of Heaven

Scott's New Hat

The last major tourist site we visited before heading for the overnight train was the Summer Palace.  It was used as, you guessed it, a summer palace for Chinese royalty.  It features several residences and buildings, but the best feature by far is the lake.  We walked several kilometers around the lake and watched people flying kites, dancing and strolling through the park. 

Summer Palace

 We were able to check off most all of the major tourist attractions during our visit to Beijing, and we also saw some great local sights.  The city is a mix of a developing metropolis and ancient tradition, and the transition is exciting to see first hand.  We took the city bus and the subway, and they were both easy, efficient and clean.  More people spoke English than I expected, and were very willing to help us with communicating and directions.  Beijing has become one of my favorite cities, and hopefully we'll be able to go back and visit again some day. 

The Biggest Water Fight In The World!

Every year around April 13-15, Thailand celebrates its New Year. The Songkran festival is one of the most important holidays in this country, and we couldn’t miss out! The holiday is celebrated nationwide, but Chiang Mai is notorious for the biggest celebrations & we happen to live a short 3 hour bus ride away. It would have been a shame if we didn’t go. Living in Thailand, we just had to experience it firsthand before our 3 week adventure in China began.Traditionally, the cleansing of Buddha images with water has been central to the Songkran festival along with paying respects to elders & monks. It’s meant to bring good luck & prosperity for the coming year. While this tradition still occurs, it’s been upstaged by a new one. Over the years, Songkran has evolved into a huge water fight where everybody soaks one another with water & smears chalk-like talc on one another. Coincidentally, the holiday falls during the hottest part of the year so this water fight was just what the doctor ordered! We had a blast!

Weapons

We purchased some protection (Water Guns) and water-proof necklaces for our valuables & headed out. I can’t begin to describe the scene we witnessed in Chiang Mai. It was a full-on war-zone!!! Thousands of people lined the Old City inside & outside the moat. The second we bought our guns, we were sprayed by a drive-by shooting. A sign of things to come. We headed right to the center of the action.

Crazy!

It’s difficult to put into words the grand-scale of the experience. It was simply impossible to stay dry. Every single person we walked by either sprayed us with their guns, dumped buckets of water on us or smeared this talc substance on our faces. The festive atmosphere was addicting. Nearly every vehicle was a pick-up truck with Thais of all ages packed in the back reloading their guns with ice water while spraying, yelling and smiling at us. So much fun!

Our 'Gang'

Some people took it too far and got a little too aggressive. They’d fetch buckets of water from the moat and throw them directly at us at point blank range, or they’d invest in a powerful gun and aim for the eyes. (cheap shot for sure!) It hurt and caught us off guard. However, most people sprayed us in the midsection or gently poured ice water down our backs as a strange courtesy. In a sense, I felt camaraderie with the local people that I hadn’t yet felt. A sense of belonging. We really just enjoyed the few crazy days & soaked it all in. Get it?? I’ll never forget our Songkran experience.

Locked & Loaded!

Sukhothai

Last week our friend Dash was in town so we decided to take a little trip while he was here. We took the 8 hour bus ride down South to the city of Sukhothai. We'd been wanting to check this place out ever since we moved here, so any reason to go was a good one. It's ranked alongside the Grand Palace in Bangkok as one of Thailand's premier places to visit. I'm so glad we went...it was awesome!

Established in 1238, the ancient city of Sukhothai was the capital of the first kingdom of Siam. For 200 years, many kings reigned over the city and its past greatness can be seen all over the place. Many Thais consider Sukhothai to be the beginning of their nation because not much is known of the Thai kingdoms before it. Among its many rulers, King Ramkhamhaeng the Great is considered to be the most influential. Under his rule, the Thai alphabet was created along with the foundations for politics & religion. The Sukhothai domination was short though. The armies of Ayutthaya to the South invaded in the late 14th century and thus began the steady decline of a great empire.



















It was so HOT! April isn't the best time to visit Sukhothai as it's one of the hottest months of the Thai year, but we managed to cope. It helped to arrive early and rent bicycles for 40 baht - definitely the way to go. The old city itself is over 27 square miles and divided into multiple zones with temple ruins and ancient functional buildings scattered everywhere. I was impressed by how clean, well-maintained and easy to navigate the site was. We were free to explore the grounds as we pleased and wander around any of the countless crumbling palaces, temples & other structures.  We visited 3 main areas and covered a good portion of the 27 square miles throughout the day.  One thing that struck me was the amount of water in the area, especially considering how hot and dry this area is.  The entire old city was surrounded by a moat, and several more moats were found various places within the city walls, along with a lake and several other small bodies of water.  Another part of the old city that stuck out was a particular temple where all the Buddha figures were defiled and had their heads cut off.

Headless Buddhas

Definitely a special place that we'll always remember. I figure it's like the Thai version of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. 

Burning Season

Thais say that Thailand has 3 seasons:  the Hot Season, which runs from late March through June, the Rainy Season, which runs from July to October, and the Cool Season, which starts late October through February.  I'd like to add a fourth season:  Burning Season.  Farmers all over Thailand have started burning their fields, mostly rice fields, to clear the land and get ready for the next planting season.  Unfortunately all this burning creates an ashy haze that lingers in the air, and due to Thailand's geography, it has little chance to escape.  Pair that with the fact that Burning Season coincides with the beginning of Hot Season, and it makes Northern Thailand a stinky, sticky and sweaty place to be.  We can feel it when we run in both our lungs and our muscles, and it's definitely apparent just from looking outside.  The problem has become so bad that it has caused serious health problems and has really affected tourism in this region.  People wear masks around town and many residents leave if possible (since most schools have summer vacation from April to mid-May.)  There are technically burn bans in effect, but there is little enforcement and villagers continue to burn.  Scott and I will be leaving for the rest of the month and into May, so luckily we will miss most of it.  But for now, our beautiful view is gone, you would never know there are mountains surrounding our town, and we will just have to deal with running in the ashy air.  Take a look at the haze in these pictures below.  We'll miss the worst of it, so you can imagine how bad it will get if this is what it looks like now...

Full Moon Party!!!

What an exhausting month and a half we've had. I'll start with a recap of my trip down south in Late February.

My buddy Nick came to visit Thailand for two weeks and we had a blast with him. I met him in Chiang Mai and then he spent 4 days with us in Chiang Rai. He was interested in going south to see the Thai Islands during his trip, so we planned to go to the infamous Full Moon Party on the island of Koh Phangan!

Relaxing on the train

The trek south took a while because we decided to go the budget route. While flying would have been much easier, I'm glad we got to experience train travel in this country. It was a 13 hour overnight train from Bangkok to the southern city of Surat Thani. Clearly, the train had seen better days. I'm guessing it was made in the 70's. We each had a lower berth in the bunk-bed style Fan sleeper cabin that we shared with two guys from Korea. I had to book weeks in advance because the train fills up quickly especially for the popular route right before the party. Not the best nights' sleep I've ever had but we were able to have a private bed (which is infinitely better than an overnight bus). After arriving at 6AM, we were transferred to a bus to the pier and a ferry to the island itself. After an exhausting 23 hours of travel, we were finally there and cold beer never tasted so good!

What a beautiful place! Koh Phangan is in the gulf of Thailand right off the coast of the more popular island Koh Samui. It is universally known as the place of the original Full Moon Party and has become famous all over the world for this as well as scenes from the movie 'The Beach'. Despite the great influx of foreigners who flooded the island during the 4-5 days around the party, the island still had a rugged, off-the-beaten-path feel to it once outside the party zone (Haad Rin Beach).

Our Own Beach

We stayed at these awesome little bungalows in Koh Phangan. It only had about 15 bungalows but it had it's own private beach! The bungalows themselves were pretty basic but for the location and price, it was perfect for us. We met fellow travelers and hung out on the beach. It was one of those places that you really don't need to leave to enjoy yourself. I would have been perfectly content lying around on beach hammocks all trip, but we wanted to explore the island as well as experience the world famous nightlife.

We rented a motorbike and then proceeded to get in a crash. Without getting into too many details, I should have driven the thing. We got a little cut up (more roadrash) but nothing too serious thankfully. Just a slight damper to our epic trip. The Canadian girls who we had met at our bungalows suggested we check out Bottle Beach on the northern side of the island so we headed that way. This beach was so secluded that you can't even get there on land. We had to take a long-tailed boat around the jagged sea-side rocks and lush jungles above. It was beautiful & straight out of Jurassic Park. A nice little paradise. After a few hours hangin beachside, we were ready to head to the main event.

Bottle Beach!

The Full Moon party started in 1985 as a small get-together among 20-30 friends on the beach of Haad Rin town (Southern Most Point of the island). Through word of mouth, it slowly grew into one of the biggest parties in the world. There were 30,000 people there!!! The party happens every month during the full moon so if you want to experience it for yourself, you will have ample opportunity. This party put to shame all parties I've ever been to. It was like a strange dream. Thousands of dancing crazy neon party-goers, fire jumping ropes, endless buckets of alcohol/red bull concoctions and bone shaking techno beats all along this beautiful stretch of beach. One strange dream indeed. We got painted and neon'd up and partook in the craziness. When in Rome right??

Ready to Roll

After a few buckets and hours wandering the beach raving among the hoardes, we were tuckered out. As the night wore on, things got stranger and stranger. People passed out everywhere right on the beach! Trash all over the place. So many crazies under the influence of many different things. It felt almost like a war-zone. We posted up at this reggae bar & people watched for a few hours. We also met some interesting people from all over the world. At about 4AM, I noticed a guy stumbling around and he looked really familiar. I realized he was staying at our bungalows so I called him over. To put it mildly, he was not in good shape. I was so surprised he was still able to stand. I think he may have had a bad drug or a bad drink. It's easy to have a pill slipped into your bucket. We helped him get into a cab and thankfully he was able to make it back safely. We had heard about the many dangers of the party and let me assure you, they definitely are real. At about 5:30AM we had enough and headed back to our room. We wanted to stay up for the sunrise, but were just too exhausted.

So crazy!!!!

It was such a crazy fun night. I'm so glad we could experience it (and survive it!). Although for me, It's one of those things I don't want to do again. One and done, check it off the bucket list and move on. The island itself however is well worth going to. It's a beautiful place that often gets overlooked just because of the craziness that ensues during the night. It has so much to offer other than that.

After 20 more hours of traveling, we were back in Bangkok for more craziness that I'll save for a future blog post :) Until next time...

A Little Taste of Home

I was reminded today that it has been over a month since our last post.  First, let me apologize.  Second, let me assure everyone that we are both still alive.  We had started to settle into our little Thai routine when things were quite pleasantly stirred up with some visitors from home.
My parents came in late January and spent a week with us up in Chiang Rai.  We packed nearly every tourist activity that it had taken Scott and I our entire time here to do into one week.
Highlights of our time together in Chiang Rai include kao soi, a trip up to our favorite temple on the hill where we met Carey, a 9 year old Australian boy who gave us a tour, hopping on motorbikes out to a beautiful waterfall and touring my school.  Scott and Dad checked out the Black House while Mom and I opted for Thai massages (an obvious choice, I thought!)  It was great to be able to share our life here with the 'rents, and we had our fare share of laughs, mosquito bites, lost in translation moments and spontaneous zumba dancing.

Dad cooking up some massaman curry

The following weekend the 4 of us went to Chiang Mai and again packed our days full of fun. We went to a muay Thai match Friday night, but a storm rolled in and the outdoor match was stopped early when the wires got wet and all the power went out.  Saturday we took a cooking class where we learned to make curries, spring rolls, mango sticky rice and a variety of stir-fry dishes.  After cooking we got to sample each others' dishes and I must say, we're pretty darn good cooks!


Sunday will be a day that I will remember forever.  We went to an elephant sanctuary where elephants rescued from the logging industry and other industries come to live out their lives in freedom.  The park owns over 250 acres where the elephants can roam and play.  We fed the elephants and were allowed to get so close that at some points we were covered in elephant spit and saliva.  Mom especially took to an elephant that had recently arrived at the camp who was visibly under nourished and very eager to eat all the bananas we could offer. 

Mom feeding a recent arrival.

We rode bareback through the jungle, learned about the history of elephants in Thailand and got to understand the struggles that come with rescuing elephants.  Our guide had an obvious love for the animals and said, that while this camp is not the ideal environment for elephants (they should of course be free living in the wild) the camp strives to provide the best environment possible under these circumstances.  Releasing the elephants into the wild would make them susceptible to capture again, and would most likely guarantee their return to the logging industry, where using elephants is illegal but still widely practiced.

 
We cruised the night market that evening and the following day headed up to Doi Suthep, a huge temple complex on a mountain overlooking the city.  Scott and I headed back to Chiang Rai that evening, and Mom and Dad headed down south to the beach before Dad went back to the States and Mom met up with her cousin Carol to tour Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  I met up with my mom and Carol in Bangkok before my mom headed home after a month of traveling.  We toured the city pretty hard, making to the Grand Palace, Chatachuk Market, water taxi ride and China Town.  We also made sure to slip in some time for a Thai massage :)  It was an amazing trip with unforgettable memories!  Scott and I are really lucky to both have families that encourage us to travel and explore different parts of the world.  It is something that we're both truly passionate about, and it means a lot that people from home are willing to make the trip out to see us.  We had a great time, and we look forward to the other visitors heading our way!

My Family :)