Four Star Toilets

As we walked through the Temple of Heaven park in Beijing, we realized that we had to do what everyone eventually must do: use the toilet. After roaming through the stunningly beautiful temples and immaculate gardens, we realized that it had, well, been awhile since the last time. You know how it goes....

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The Great Wall of China near Beijing
The Great Wall near Beijing

Photo Friday: Beijing

Beijing is a masterpiece of human culture. We spent about two weeks in the city, fell in love with it, and watched the old mix with the new. Residents bike up and down the hutong alleyways while new cars zip along the wide boulevards past rising skyscrapers. We've all heard that China is growing at a phenomenal pace, but you have to see it in person to fully understand the transformation. Here are some photos from our recent travels in this amazing city.

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Huangshan
An overlook on top of Huangshan

China on the Cheap

We arrived in China almost two weeks ago. The country has made a good impression so far. This is actually our second trip to China, our first being five years ago to the south (from Hong Kong to the Yunnan). After five years, this behemoth of a country is advancing in leaps and bounds. Economic growth can be witnessed everywhere. At the same time, ancient culture and personal experiences await around every corner. After arriving in Beijing late in the evening, we found our hotel down one of Beijing’s many Hutong alleyways. These microcosms of Chinese culture, where locals live in close proximity to one another and share a tight-knit neighborhood, are slowly being torn apart and replaced with towering skyscrapers. Beijing as a whole is impressive. It’s huge and modern in some parts, but ancient and cultural in others. We visited Beihai park, where crowds perform Tai Chi in unison along the shore of an ancient lake with a modern skyline as a backdrop.

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China: Our Packing List

Now that we’re about one week into our trip to China and Mongolia, we’ve ventured beyond Beijing, our first destination. For this two month trip, we’ve packed as lightly as possible. Instead of each of us taking our normal packs (around 80 liters in size) and also carrying additional smaller packs, we’re only carrying one medium sized pack (about 35 liters) and smaller backpacks. Also, one of the smaller bags is a camera/laptop bag.

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Photo Friday: Sinai

The Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is truly a fascinating place. During our time in the area, we spent a few days near Mt. Sinai and a few more relaxing on the coast of the Red Sea. First, our journey took us from Cairo on a fairly long bus ride to the town of Katreen, near the base of Mt. Sinai and St. Katherine's Monastery. We slept at a small Bedouin camp and met some other travelers who had hiked to the top of the mountain the night before, starting at 2:00 in the morning. Supposedly this was the best time to hike in order to avoid the heat and also see the sunset from the top of the mountain.

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Holding the Pyramid
Just because I am doing this does not mean that you should, too.

Bad Travel Clichés

Travel clichés abound everywhere, but some are worse than others. And I’m not talking about cliché places to visit, either. The Eiffel Tower, in all sincerity, is definitely worth a visit. Instead, here’s a list of travel clichés that, in my opinion, have come to the end of their journey.

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