ASIA

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CHINA

4/5-8   Beijing - We have seen lots of incredible sites...Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace.  Also, there are many stadiums being built and advertisements for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

4/9-12   Yangtze River - We took a 4 day cruise out of Yichang down the Yangtze River...stopped in various small towns along the way...many citizens had to be relocated to higher ground due to rising waters as a result of the Three Gorges Dam construction.  We disembarked in Qingchong and headed to Xi'an.

4/12-14   Xi'an - We spent a day out at the site of the terra cotta soldiers.  There are thousands of them still intact, and they are being called the 8th Wonder of the World...they were very impressive.  We walked along the city wall and then through a local food market...all kinds of interesting items you would never think to eat yourself!!

4/14-16   Guilin - The main attraction in this area is the rock formations along the Li River.  We took a boat trip up the river to a small town full of vendors wanting to sell everything from shirts to jewelry to caricatures.  You name it, they had it!  Our guide called it "Hello Street" because as you walk up it, all you hear is "Hello, come buy a shirt!"  "Hello, come buy a hat!"  :)  On the 16th, we headed out to Hong Kong.

4/16-17   Hong Kong - We took the Star Ferry over to Victoria Island, where we rode the tram up to the top of Victoria Peak, getting a panoramic view of the city.  The streets are a maze of billboards and people, and the city seems to never stop...a fascinating, exciting place.

LAOS

4/18-20   Luang Prabang - We landed in Laos in Luang Prabang.  Much of this country of Buddist, so we toured many temples, observing the monks' lives.  We happened to be here during the end of the Laos New Year, and all the temples were practicing the "Washing of the Buddha."  We took a boat ride up the MeKong River, stopping at various villages along the way.  It is a tropical climate - very warm and muggy here!

4/20-21   Vietiane - This is the capital of Laos.  We toured Buddist temples and museums and walked through the local street market.  We spent a lot of time just wandering the city and trying different local dives.

VIETNAM

4/22-24   Hanoi - We spent a day taking a tour of the city.  First stop was Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, where they have him on display.  Very interesting, preserved quite well.  Then we saw his residence...very simple, a 2-room house on stilts.  After that, we went to the Temple of Literature.  Then we walked around the "Hanoi Hilton," the prison where many American pilots were kept during the Vietnam War.  A tour of Hanoi's Old Quarter followed, with a "cabbie" ride (you sit in a cart pushed by a bicycle) around the area.  The next day we took some time to walk around and shop a bit!  Also, we saw a Vietnamese tradition, the Water Puppet Show.

4/25-27   Sa Pa - We took a night train up to Lao Cai, where we drove to a market run by one of the indigenous groups of Vietnam, the Flower Hmong.  It was very narrow and crowded, with people everywhere trying to sell their handiwork.  After that, we took a boat cruise down the Chay River, stopping at a local village and having tea at a house of one of the residents.  Then we made our way up to Sa Pa, arriving that afternoon.  We walked around a bit, getting a feel for the town and conversing with many Black Hmong (another indigenous grounp) along the way.  The next day, we hiked through a Black Hmong and Red Dao village, noticing all the rice patties being worked in and the fields being plowed by water buffalo.  Later in the day, we drove down to another Red Dao village and conversed with the people there.  Their English is amazing, and they told us they learned it all from talking to tourists.  Amazing!  They were extremely friendly, telling us all about their lives and inviting us into their homes.  After that, we returned to Sa Pa to get ready to catch the train back down to Hanoi the next morning.

4/28-30 Hue - From Hanoi, we flew to Hue, which was the ancient capital of Vietnam.  We spent some time driving to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and saw the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Khe Sanh marine base, a village comprised of underground tunnels where people lived during the bombings (and also used by the Viet Cong to hide out), the Citadel, the 17th Parallel (which divides North and South Vietnam).  All extremely interesting.

4/30-5/2   Hoi An - We drove from Hue through Danang to Hoi An, a World Heritage City.  It is a very small port city, with an old town over a hundred years old.  It is along the coast of the South China Sea.  We spent time by the sea, and also took motorbike taxis into town, where there are many opportunites to shop!  Many tailor shops, 3 to a block, all willing to make any type of clothing within 4-5 hours!

5/2-4   Da Lat - We drove from Hoi An back to Danang, where we caught a flight to Nha Trang.  We then drove up to Da Lat, a mountain town on the way down to Saigon.  We toured the home of the last king of Vietnam, who was exiled to France in 1945.  We enjoyed the cool climate - Da Lat is at about 5000 feet.  We walked around and went to the local market and took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the lake.

5/4-6   Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - We went out to the MeKong Delta and took a boat trip up the river.  Stopped at a village where they make rice paper, coconut candy by hand, and crispy rice cakes.  Back in the city, we walked around a bit dodging traffic, checking out the sights.  Saw Notre Dame Cathedral, and stopped for a drink at the famous Rex Hotel.

CAMBODIA

5/6-8   Siem Reap - We arrived in Siem Reap, and went out to see Angkor Wat.  It is an amazing sight!  We also saw many temples, one of which has been overgrown by the surrounding jungle.  Trees and their roots stretched out all over the walls...really fascinating to see!

THAILAND

5/8-13   Bangkok - We walked around Bangkok, took water taxis down the river, took a longboat ride down the canals of the city, saw the largest reclining Buddha and the Emerald Buddha.  We shopped a bit and took in the sights...rode local "tuk-tuks" to get where we needed to go.  People everywhere!  A very bustling city!

5/13-15   Chiangmai - We went up north to Chiangmai, where we drove out to an umbrella factory where they decorate large beautiful umbrellas.  There are also artists sitting around the courtyard who will paint a design on your shirt, pants, hat, whatever!  We also took a day excursion out to see an elephant camp, where you can feed the elephants and ride them through the jungle.  Then you ride a bamboo raft down the river.  Chiangmai also has a large night market that we explored.

5/15-19   Koh Samui - We flew down south to the island of Koh Samui for a relaxing "beach break."  We were either by the pool or out in the sea!  It was a nice time to just sit back and relax!

INDIA

5/19-21   Delhi - We toured around Delhi, seeing the largest mosque in India, the old city gates, the round parliament, and Ghandi's memorial park.

5/21-22   Agra - We took the train from Delhi to Agra, where we saw the Taj Mahal...just beautiful!  Made completely of white marble and perfectly symmetrical, it is truly a sight to see.  We also saw the Red Fort, an impressive palace where the king who built the Taj Mahal resided.  We saw many other forts/palaces that are still preserved to this day in their natural state.

5/22-23   Jaipur - We drove to Jaipur, known as the "Pink City," which contains the largest palace of the Mogul king.  We rode elephants up to the entrance and walked on the way down.

5/23-25   Delhi - We took the train back to Delhi to relax for a day before heading out.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

5/25-27   Dubai - Dubai is quite a city!  Everything is under construction, including what is soon to be the world's tallest building.  Many housing developments are being built, including the three "Palms" and "The World" out in the Arabian Gulf.  We went to the Mall of the Emirates, a huge mall which also has Ski Dubai, an indoor ski slope, attached to it.  So, we decided to ski!  It was quite strange, reminding myself as I was skiing down the slope, that I was in the middle of the desert, and that while it was 25 degrees inside, it was 95 outside!  What an experience!