From Russia, With Love (Moscow 2016)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! This year we decided to count down the minutes to 2016 in Moscow. Moscow is truly an amazing city. Our hotel (JW MARRIOT COURTYARD HOTEL) was right in the center of everything and walking distance to anywhere. 

When in Russia, here are some places to visit. Red Square is a big stone tiled square that hold the most of Russia's ancient treasures. Inside this bustling square the life bounces off the walls. Getting ready for the New Year's and Russian Christmas (Jan. 5th) there was a big Christmas Fair and ice skating rink. While in Red Square take the option for sightseeing. In this square you can see the Kremlin with the Diamond and Armory Exhibits (which detail Russia's Royal Families lives) with a dozen of original churches carrying the bodies of past royalty. You can see Lehneh's preserved body. To stand in the presence of the man who brought Russia together and to actually see the way he looked, was really impressive. The way they preserved the body to make it look like he is still here with us and he was actually real. His political reign was over decades ago and he looked so alive. Close next door, is the St. Basel beautifully restored and decorated to perfection. 

The GUM (or GYM in Russian) is a mall located in the red square where the huge old-victorian aged architecture provided warmth in the cold. Inside are multiple restaurants which look over the red square. 

Let's talk about food. I know that's a favorite when it comes to holidays. Cafe Pushkin, Ugolek, Chez Mama were some of the amazing restaurants we tried. Cafe Pushkin , most likely the fanciest restaurant in Russia is where we spent my birthday. With beautiful decor, and amazing food the restaurant serves top knot quality in everything. Ugolek, a restaurant opened by a hip new chef, in walking distance of our hotel is where we spent our first night in Russia. The food there was AMAZING and is one restaurant I highly recommend trying out in Moscow. Chez Mama is where we spent New Year's due to red square being closed for crowd control. This small little french boutique is sure a spot of the locals and serves good small french meals. 

One thing you must do on your week away to Moscow is stop at every metro stop in the city. Each metro station is beautifully unique with amazing art work hanging from each wall. Unfortunately, do to a city-wide renovation project it is coming down so go while you still can. The biggest highlight of the trip was not only spending New Years in a new city but stopping at every metro station and learning about the history behind every tile. Guide Services will be listed down below ( Our guide was really good, name will remain unmentioned for security purposes) 

FUR FUR FUR, is a must when it comes to Russia, being there in the bitter cold we envied the tall Russian like models ( who was basically everybody) for their amazing furs. Spend a little time wondering around Russia's many modern shopping streets and treat your self. 

When in Russia, have an amazing time. 

Zermatt-Gstaad-Zurich (Traveling through the land of cheese and chocolate)

This year tops of our third year in Switzerland for the nice winter holidays. From the minute you touch down in Zurich, you know you are set up for an adventure. Between long, peaceful mountainous drives and the stunning, breath taking views, Switzerland makes the top of everyones list. 

Beside having family in Switzerland, it's also a beautiful places to hit the slopes with friends. Along with two other families, we ripped through the lightly snowed caps. When we get to Switzerland we take the long drive to Zermatt ( a small footside village in front of the ever famous Matterhorn) This small town instantly feels like home, always bustling with life and energy. Zermatt is a ski town, but also offers nice lunch locations and hiking slopes where people are allowed to trek and look around. Zermatt's slopes reach over to Italy, also providing beautiful scenery, nice snow and amazing lunches. When in Switzerland - you can organise ski guides via STOKED, and rent your skis and galore from Dorsaz Sports Depot and Rental. I recommend , when your there to live the full swiss life and live in a condo. You feel truly part of the daily buzz when you have to shop in the super market and go to local bakeries first thing in the morning. The small town is a loop around the ice cold river and sooner or later you will know the town from the back of your hands. I advise, if you readers have kids to put them in STOKED well built ski school and hit the slopes as just parents. 

Food is a definite art in Switzerland. Everything from Cheese to Chocolate is perfected finely. When in Zermatt - Make sure to check out all the restaurants - for everything serves the same specialty but different. The must have is Raclette. From personal recommendation I share with you the amazing secret of STOCKHORN GRILL (The raclette here is served fresh off the cheese and right into your stomach) This is the place to experience a truly mouth watering first raclette. Just across the road is PIZZA ROMA (for those non-raclette lovers) This is the Italian side of Switzerland served right from the stove. For a special Christmas Eve - hit up CERVO BOUTIQUE MOUNTAIN RESORT. This beautiful lodge nestled high above the town, looks out to the rest of Zermatt. It's food is complete gorgeousness along side it's decor. Besides these three, there are dozens of tiny restaurants located everywhere. 

Next on is Gstaad. We have family that live here so we lodged with them. Gstaad is another stunning hill side town with a life that is larger then the land. The locals party on the center ice rink and hike up the frosted hills to the frozen lake to ice skate. For restaurants I highly recommend asking any local for the BARN RESTAURANT (not sure of actual name). This place, being an actual farm where you sit close to the cows and be served by the family that own the farm. Fondue and Raclette are their heavenly specials that make your mouth water. It's truly an experience to eat there. 

Gstaad has the same beautiful ski hills as Zermatt has, but in a lower valley region. 

We drive on to Zurich. The first time around we stayed in the Radisson Blu upon arrival (connected to the airport). This time we stayed in the SONNE. This place was small and located right next to the river but was truly amazing. If anywhere I recommend coming here. With beautiful hotel rooms, this place ranks as one of my top favourites. 

We ice skated under the fairy light lit trees in the hotels' own ice skating rink. This beautiful memory will definitely keep a space in my heart. 

Along the way we also stopped in the river side town of Lusanne- stopping to look at the lake where Evian water was bottled, eat lunch and then wander around the Olympic Museum. 

We stopped in Gruyeré the town where CHEESE was basically born. There we went inside the cheese museum and stuffed our mouths full of fresh(ish) cheese. We also looked at the castle in Gruyeré and learned the interesting history behind Swiss Castles. 

I highly recommend you readers take a slice of Switzerland. The chocolate and cheese is to die for and these moments and memories you will always cherish. Make time to visit this beautiful place. 

Cheers till next time- Happy Holidays!

A week away in Cambodia

Hey all! This week our school is doing a annual PEAK trip. This is a week where our school works with programs either here our out of the country to make trips for middle schoolers and high schoolers to participate in. This year I had the opportunity to go to Cambodia.

Along with 21 others we boarded the early morning flight to Cambodia. From the minute we landed we were greeted by Camp International members and they took us to where we will be staying for the next few weeks to come. 

We stayed in a little village called Beng Malea - in a camp provided by Camps International. This gives you a rural experience and shows you how most of Cambodia's population lives. It was great. We were accustomed to taking cold showers twice a day, having great home cooked meals and enjoying spending the night with our friends, gazing at the stars.

The first day we visited Beng Malea temple. Just like all temples in Cambodia this temple had a beautiful history which shaped the beauty of the temple that stands there today. We went to go get blessed by a local monk- which was very enchanting and fun. We also got to walk through a village and meet some of the people. This opened our eyes and we got to see how people lived. This made us proud of what we were going to do the very next day. 

The next day we did multiple things. We helped mix concrete, and make poles for the school room they were building for the children.  Along with that we were able to teach some of the children that attend the school english and play with them. The children ages went from 4-17. The little ones smiled so much that it hurt to look at them. This made me realise that you have to be happy with what you have. These children were poor, but they were much happier. 

The next day we spent all day seeing new sights. We hiked up a mountains and at the top we played in the waterfalls and ate local food. This was both very fun and super cultural. Everyone was playing in the water fall and children were laughing.  Finally we came back to the camp in time to play with the children once again. We went to bed that night super happy. 

The last and final day we visited all the tourist destinations. We went to go see Angkor Wat, the Tomb Raider Temple and the Four heads temple. The only thing you have to know about Cambodia is that it is HOT. HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!  We ate in a local restaurant (which served amazing food) and booked in to our well deserved hotel. 

This hotel isn't the Marriot, or the The Raddison Blu but was the probably the prettiest hotel I have ever been in. The beds were comfortable, the showers were super nice and the scenery was gorgeous. 

That night we had fun looking through the night market and we spent all our money on cute souvenirs. We danced to the finally cool weather and laughed while we drank our cokes on the bus back to the hotel. 

The next day was short, for we had to leave in the end. We visited the floating village, the silk markets, the artisan markets and were able to bask in trinkets. We left early in the afternoon and took off for home. 

This trip was eye opening. It was enjoyable, team building and super fun. If you are looking for a bonding experience and a different trip from fancy hotels to rural villages, I recommend checking out Camps International, Dragonfly or Asia Pacific Adventure for a service filled, laughable moment making trip of a lifetime. 

Shanghai

You have to go to Shanghai. period. That's what has to happen - even for a short weekend - Shanghai is not far away. This magical place enchants you from the minute you land. It's authentic, old charm from it's day life to it's night life lures you in from day one. 

This trip was only for a short four days, but in this short four days we were able to complete a lot. Not only did we go as a family, but our grandparents came to join us. We stayed in the large Radisson Blu that towered over the rest of Shang hai. In this short article, I will explain where your next adventure starts. 

On the first day, we visited the old Shanghai with a tour guide (which is really helpful when sightseeing) In this twisted old village we saw how some of Shanghai still live. This market/town embeds itself nicely into Shanghai's ever changing culture. Trapped between the tall sky risers and the temples - this short visit to a beautiful town was a nice touch to the experience. 

We went to Yu Yuan Garden - a garden where everything lives peacefully. This well-kept space is nice to stroll around and observe the funny tree names and nice carvings. This garden is located in a ginormous city/shopping mart. If you want to see the life in Shang hai - I recommend highly to visit the gardens. 

On the second day, we were left alone in the city - no dad or no tour guide. We went off the the hotels recommendations and visited a temple, where it was fun to view a new way of life. We also did some shopping (always a must do in Shanghai) 

The only ting I am going to say here is that dumplings is a MUST. There is no way of avoiding it. Shanghai is famous for the well-known Din Tai Fung. This place is not only varied in what it serves, but serves the dumplings in top-notch quality and you can eat Shanghai in one scoop. 

My personal favourite of any new place is to take a map and have fun navigating the city by yourself. We had an advantage (we speak chinese) so it was fun to practice the language and see new places. 

We had dinner at the famous Ritz Carlton (which is really famous in shanghai). It's view made a panaroma of shanghai's glittering buildings. It's a must do. We also walked around the harbour after having a well done lunch at the Peace Hotel. 

Overall, Shanghai is a place to put down in the books. Even though you go once, you must go again because it's ever-changing culture moves fast. This was only our experiences but comment below what you have done. 

Tune in for our next article and enjoy your upcoming week!

Whistler 2015

Coming towards the end of the summer, our crew drove up to whistler. Whistler is a great family location - having many hikes, fun things to do in the village and great places to eat. This time around (this was our second time in whistler) we created a de ja vu - staying in the same **amazing**  place as last time.  Not only did we stay in the same place we also did similar things. 

Whistler is known for it's amazing outdoors. During our stay we did some amazing and (very) long hikes. Our first hike is not only beautiful, but refreshing. This hike is commonly called "Glacier Lake Hike". Up in the glaciers, it's crystal clear water and cool air make this 1 mile loop a definite go to.

If you are looking for more of a challenge, try Rainbow Hill. Don't be fooled by it's charming name, this 18 mile trek is quite a pusher. Although it sounds like a pain, it's ever changing scenery is something you can't miss. At the end of this hike, we sat around a beautiful lake and ate sandwiches while feeling the cool air. 

This last hike we encountered while in Whistler - was called 'White Lake". This walk is a loop and also- like the others- ends at a lake. Let's just get this straight - Whistler is FULL of lakes and mountains. (If you are a hiking family - this is the place for you.) 

White Lake is a definitely a family destination. It overlooks most of Whistler town and is only reachable through Gondolas and chairlifts. 

Whistler also is famous for other things. Besides skiing in the winter - they have BMX races in the summer. There is also additional yoga festivals, Iron mans, bike courses, Zipline courses and Bear Sightseeing Tours. To throw in more fun, there is a multi course lake called Lost Lake in the middle of the town. This Lake has a magnificent beach, is home to many rope swings and is surrounded by a tree studded bike course. 

Now to the food- my personal favourite part. Whistler has a wide variety of interesting pallets. On our week long journey we had everything to fancy dinners out in the town to delicious home cooked meals. In the mornings we would feast on amazing bakery goods (the bakery is called pure and has the best ever possible treats) . 

Whistler is not only a family destination more then it is a place where you and your friends can escape. We had extended family join us and we also met friends there. 

We hope that you enjoyed this piece and visit Whistler in the future. Tune in for the next write up and be prepared to book planes to the next "it" destinations. 

Plane Essentials

Ok. As a travel blog we share all of our amazing oversea and stay-home experiences, but we also go in airports a lot, in and out of the places we visit and Hong Kong. I thought that we should share some tips for those who are either stressed or hate flying on planes. 

So first, I don't know about you but I love to watch movies and read comics and magazines on the planes. Let's start though at the beginning. What to wear on a flight.

What do you wear? I would go (preferably) with flip flops or trainers (ugg boots if cold) some leggings and a light sweater top with a tank top underneath. To be clear, anything that makes you comfortable. 

Always make sure you are at least three hours early. To make things easier also when you are packing, put your thins in separate bags, especially important things like the passport and boarding passes.  

When you get to the airport, you have to remember one rule. Always be on your best behaviour. Don't get mad at the airplane employees or the other airplane passengers. Everything is better when you don't loose your mind. Get some earplugs a nice, fashionable neck pillow and some earphones. 

Once you go through check-in I would make a beeline for a Relay, Page One or any book store you can find. I love reading magazines either waiting for a plane or going through some long process. Usually I would buy a Seventeen Mag, People, Vogue, Hello or Girlfriend. For comics or just like a fun read make sure to get some Archie Comics. That's just me, but I recommend either bringing a book or buying something asap airport. The airport usually has the best books that are newly off the press. 

Next I would make sure to go too a Starbucks. Get yourself a nice snack and some drinks.  For a flight get something sugary, cold and upbeat. I would personally go for a vanilla frap or a hibiscus tea. Again, this is just me.  

Get to your gate at least thirty minutes before you board. This will give you time to settle down and chill. 

Once you board the plane, SLEEP. Sleep as much as you can for as long as you can. Afterwards you can read and watch as many tv shows/movies as you like. 

Tune in for the next post and hope this was helpful!

Easter Break - 2015

     Happy Easter Everyone! What are our plans? This Easter we are taking a break, chilling out in Hong Kong. To spend a long boring week, is pretty plain, so I guess you can say we are going camping for Easter Break. 

     When you visit Hong Kong you go to the usual, Central, The Peak, Ocean Park - all the touristy destinations. The best destinations though are in the hidden treasures of Hong Kong. Sai Kung is the most island populated area in Hong Kong. Dai La Wan is a beach 45 minutes via hike with both amazing views, amazing cliffs and brilliant clear water. 

    A good way to pass time when you are up there is too go cliff jumping, eat at the cute (and only) restaurant there.

   Upbeat and new adventures are fun in different cities and countries, but sometimes just chillaxing at home is the best way to spend your Easter. 

Can't wait and stay tuned for more adventures.   

The patience and passion of India: Step by Step

         Agra, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and a glimpse of Delhi. India was amazing. This blog post is about where to go in which places, who to travel with, what hotels to stay at and what food to eat. **Warning: LOTS AND LOTS OF FORTS** All of this was made possible by SITA (http://sita.in/)  and all hotels will be named at the bottom with all SITA destinations. 

        Agra was a wonder for one night only. Driving in from Delhi, with all our things we first go to our hotel. Within two hours of relaxation we visited the Agra Fort. Known for keeping the "peacock throne" for a king, the agra fort is mainly used by the military. Only 1/4 of it is opened to the public and no one but the military know what lays in the remaining 3/4. After the intriguing Agra Fort, we made our way to the beauty of them all, the Taj Mahal or the "monument of love". This grand edifice, built by Shah Jahan from 1631-1653 to enshrine the remains of his beloved Queen Mumtaz Mahal. This magnificent structure took 20,000 workers to build, built so precisely that when you walk into the inner chambers you can see the light hitting the marble. With thousands of precious stones this building brings out the tears and love for everyone. It truly symbolises the everlasting love put into every detail.

        After the one night was soon over, we drove to Jaipur "the pink city", the capital of the Rajasthan province. It is well known for it's art and crafts, jewellery, hand painted fabrics *actually got to try* and stone sculptures. It was beyond beautiful. Food was Top of the Top quality. Jaipur has become the home of many of inside jokes. Such as our amazing tour guide, aka. Captain Fantastic. Totally and truly fantastic.

       Only shortly after that, we took the real deal. An overnight sleeper train in India. Depatrting at 1 am and arriving at 1pm was probably the suckiest trip of them all. But when in doubt by Zig Zag Cookies (technically ritz crackers without the cheese) and play a couple rounds of hearts. Once in Jaisalmer, our next stop in this amazing fiasco we had the day to relax. Truly in the middle of the desert it might seem impossible to do anything. Ha. You're wrong. Jaisalmer is also known as the "yellow/orange city"  lived up to our expectations. In just one day  we visited the Amber Fort, *riding with elephants that sneezed A LOT* the City Plaza Museum, The Jaisalmer Fort, Old Havelis and the Jantar Mantar. To add to the special day Ava and I got henna done by our tour guides sister in the only living fort in India. What. 

     As our two day paradise in Jaisalmer ended, we continued on to Jodhpur. Jodhpur entertained us with the Mehrangarh Fort and a lovely tour of our drivers farm (second henna done). With the beauties of both the old city and the new city we saw the Jaswant Thanda, a memorial built by the popular ruler Jaswant Singh (1878-95). The rest of the day we had the leisure to enjoy strolling through the market until we had dinner underneath the start over looking the fort. 

     In the morning we transferred to the airport, got on a flight to Delhi and spent the day in Haus Kas Village. We visited chic little shops and had an extraordinary lunch at Rama or Rasa or something beginning with an R. To sum up, India is an amazing cultural and colorful place with many diverse buildings, forts :) and memorials. With such beauty India is a definitely a go back to and some day we might find our selves there. Even with the poverty and the trash on the roads, India exceeded our expectations. 

Hotel Information:

Delhi: Hotel Le Meridien       SITA headquarters are there. (+91 9871416743 - Vikas Singhaniyan) 

Agra: Hotel ITC Mughal        SITA Agra (+91 562 2330373)

Jaipur: Hotel Samode Haveli      SITA Jaipur (+91 141 4112600)

Jaisalmer: Hotel Suryagrah   SITA Jaisalmer (+91 2992 253465)

Jodhpur: Hotel Ajit Bhawan   SITA Jodhpur (+91 291 5101935) 

(Drivers Farm Hotel Link coming soon!) 

See You on our Next Adventure!     

Coming Up...

      Gong xi Gong xi Gong xi ni ya! Happy almost Chinese New Year. In Hong Kong Chinese New Year is taken very seriously.

There are many legends that are part of the Chinese culture. Many of them exemplify moral lessons, not so different from Aesop and his fables. One story in particular is the story of Chinese New Years.

Long ago in the mountains, there lived a horrible demon creature named Nian. Every year, on the first day of the year, the creature would awaken and descend upon the village. He would eat all the grain and livestock. And if there were any unfortunately children stuck outside, they would disappear.

The villagers lived in fear of this beast and boarded up their houses on this night to protect their families. One year, right before this event was to occur, an old man visited the village. He turned to the villagers and asked, "Why do you fear this creature such? You are many and he is but one. Surely he could not swallow all of you."

But the villagers remained skeptical and locked themselves up anyway. That night, Nian did not come. The old man had ridden him until dawn and the creature went back to its cave hungry. This went on for several nights until the old man revealed, "I cannot protect you forever."

He turned out to be a god and had to return to his duties elsewhere. The villagers were terrified that once the old man left, they would once again see Nian return.

So the old man informed them, "The beast is easily scared. He does not like the color red. He fears loud noises and strange creatures. So tonight, spread red across the village. Hang red signs on every door. Make loud noises with drums, music, and fireworks. And to protect your children, give them face masks and lanterns to protect them."

The villagers did as the old man instructed and Nian never returned again.

In Chinese, the word for New Years is Guo Nian. Literally translated it means to "pass over Nian" or "overcome Nian". That is exactly what the villagers did.

It has become a tradition that part of New Years celebration is to hang lots of red decoration in your house. Streets are filled with music, loud drums, and fireworks all day long. And special paper lanterns are made in a variety of shapes and sizes, paraded through the streets to scare off any demons that might come.

Thus ends the story of Chinese New Years or Guo Nian. (reiterated from http://www.chinesenewyearfestival.org/culture/19-the-story-of-chinese-new-year- ) 

This year we are planning to head off too India for a tour all around. We go to many different places. We can't wait and we'll report back soon. 

4 days in Manila

       Manila is a beautiful place to visit with both family and friends. It was my first time in the Philippines, and I went with school for the Drama Festival known as ISTA. It wasn't any normal stay. Forget the hotels (which I'm sure are pretty nice) there were 15 kids hosted by filipino families around Manila. Our family was very nice. They lived in a sub-divison in a nice house with four kids, grandparents and helpers. 

      The experience is what really counts. Manila is filled with buildings every where and the school that was hosting the festival was ISM (International School Manila), With a big, outdoor campus with amazing food - it was very hard to leave. Manila was a trip of firsts, This was my first time in the Philippines, first time eating mangos, first time at Krispie Kremes, first time drinking Jamba Juice, first time being hosted by another family, first time eating rice for breakfast. There was many more firsts I could tell you about, but Manila was a great place to start.  You met kids from all over the place. But what truly got to you was service on the second day. 

       Even though it was super hot, and you would of sweat like crazy, you were taken to local programs that helped poor families and kids. We went to PCF, a school located in only the poorest of Manila that took in kids that needed help, schooled them and put them into colleges. We helped the kids and played with them such as,  paint masks, sing songs and played games. The were very grateful, a little scared at first but within three hours all of us had made new friends. 

       So yes, we didn't stay in hotels, we didn't lead the luxurious life there like pools, and showers with heaters, but it was more of the new friends and experiences that would cherish forever. On the last day, we preformed the bayanihan ( community in tagalog) play, where we made a three minute skit on what community really meant to us.  We learned new dances such as the tinkiling dance involving just the mere company of bamboo sticks. 

     Manila is a definite place to go back and make many more first experiences. Even though, the airport system was crappy, you got closer to people you might have not known, including friends from different schools and your school. Check for the Philippines. 

Amsterdam (New Years) - The home of Stroopwaffles

     2015!!!! That means a new year if exciting trips, wonderful family moments and hopefully better test results! 2014 was amazing, bearing many lessons - new friends and lovely family trips! This year Amsterdam had the lucky turn of having us for new years. As some may know, Stroopwaffles are famous in The Netherlands, so are tulips and dutch clogs. New Year this year was full of those things. 

    Amsterdam was the second stop on the Winter break tour. This leaning city is built on canals and history. Taking boat tours, strolling around the streets, eating in slanted restaurants and peeking into cute boutiques was only half of the city. What built up most of the tourist's interest was the Anne Frank House.

Museums are big in Amsterdam. You have the Anne Frank House, talked about later, Rhys Museum (which we visited) the Van Gogh. Art and play and ice skating and everything, everywhere! Filmed in The Fault In Our Stars, The Anne Frank house grabs the most attention. A girl, 13 went into hiding from the Nazi's in the office of her dads. It was called the Secret Annex. She lived soundlessly there for 2 (maybe more) years until someone went behind their backs and ratted them out to the nazi's. The only member of the family to survive was the father Otto Frank, who later found Anne's Journal and published it.  It was truly amazing to see how they lived. On the same day, Sofia then 12, turned 13.  So that made even more of an impact.

     We visited many restaurants, cookie bakeries, doughnut stalls and found some places to add to the list when we come back. Our hotel was walking distance from about anything - again staying in a condo - and you really got a taste of life in Amsterdam. Night life was far more intense than day life - but a nice hot chocolate on a cold morning sometimes made you think twice.  After all is was cold - so good to bring warm clothes and many many scarves and gloves. After two days in the main city Amsterdam, we traveled to the next city over. We went to Vassanar to visit friends that used to live in Hong Kong. 

   First day we went to Delft (in town) and looked at all the slanted houses - gathering stroopwaffles and dutch cookies. We looked at porcelain houses in a porcelain shop and bought a few (for the memories) and then we biked too a dutch friend of our friends and light up firecrackers in the street. With much struggle - we made it too midnight. I got to celebrate my third birthday (adding another piece of cake to the belly) with them. It was a real dutch experience. 

Amsterdam is beautiful and definitely one to visit again! Happy New Year and best wishes for 2015!

Zermatt - A very Swiss Christmas

     Located in the high mountains, with tasty food and small cozy chalets - Zermatt is the ideal getaway for christmas vacations. Staying in a cozy chalet walking distance from town and the ski hills was perfect. Even though it sounds just like Connecticut or Whistler, Switzerland has it's special feeling. Everybody gives off that swiss community vibe. Us Singers, are skiers. The kids are in ski school from 9 am- 3pm and then the parents get the slopes to themselves. Ski school might sound like a death sentence to those who already know how to ski. But it's not. We went to Switzerland with family friends whose kids were put in the same class as us. It's nice to have friends. Then again, it's nice to meet new people. Stoked ski school was completely international. Kids and instructors from all over the globe. You met new friends and had a lot of fun. With different age levels and classes separated into ability it worked smoothly. 

    Skiing isn't the only thing you can do. It's also fun to explore the small town underneath the famous Matterhorn. With tiny mountain shops covering every hillside and also 100 year old houses it's really a sight too see. You feel part of the everyday life.  You can learn the history just be asking around. Get yourself a souvenir! Or do fashionable shopping at some of their super chic  boutiques for men and for women. 

    But of course - Zermatt wouldn't be Zermatt with it's famous swiss food. This tiny village has mouthwatering restaurants close by leaving every tastebud tingling in your mouth. Some hits when we took our friends their was the Stockholm Bar and Grill. Serving the best raclette (melted cheese with warm potatoes) for miles and including some amazing Gamester salad (it's the sauce :) ) this restaurant has ate it's way to the top 5 for sure. Looking for Italian? Right across the street is an amazing pizza place. Old Zermatt ( a restaurant ) is a classy swiss place turned modern. Up the street from that is a nice place that serves real swiss food. All this amazing stuff was a 5 minute walk from our condo. 

  Christmas time is usually the best to go- Christmas means cold and cold means snow! Summertime is also GORGEOUS but let's save that for another time. Every year my family does a secret santa. This year we had the pleasure of having our friends join us. We shop at a local grocery store MIGROS that isn't really your typical grocery store. It's more like a food/toys/home supplies/christmas candles/ drugstore/ wine store. If you know what I mean. Most importantly, presents, right?!? 

     Switzerland, or Zermatt to be exact - is a beautiful place. Great to spend with family and friends. Definitely a five star no matter cold or warm, rain or shine!       

Planning stages

Christmas 2014 is coming and we are planning to go skiing. Its time for the annal tradition of taking out the old bag of ski clothes and see what still fits. This year we are traveling through Amsterdam over new years. 

Outside China: The Gobi and Ulaanbataar

           Mongolia. A place no one really travels too. Great your reading this because you my friend, will want to travel to Mongolia by the time I'm done. Our trip lasted for the average of about two weeks. We had a tour guide (because who the heck speaks Mongolian here?) who was a big help. No duh. 

          Anyway.. Who wants to cut to the chase and see what Mongolia has in store for you? I do. When you hear the word Mongolia... What do you think about? Desert, Sand dunes and nothing to see for thousands of miles. No. Think wrong. When you land in the capital of Outer Mongolia, Ulaanbataar you might think, Oh just another city. Mongolia is something to be excited about. In the city there are many restaurants to try, places to see and people to talk too. There is a vast variety in restaurants, food and sight seeing destinations. 

          For example, when the gang was all in Ulaanbataar we tried many different things- from Korean barbecue to Mongolian fast food. We saw shows, temples and pigeon parks. We experienced markets that were selling possibly everything you could imagine. It's also a great place to hear new types of music. Being in Mongolia they have high pitched voices creating music above an octave I can sing. When given a beat and band to match those voices the music rocked with a beat we could listen to for ages.

           For the real experience go to the world wide known Gobi Desert. No. You might think the Gobi is miles and miles of sand but in fact sand is the least you must worry about. Filled with vegetation and camels the Gobi offers a variety of fun things to do. Within the 7 days we had we had climbed the biggest sand dune in the world, rode camels (that pooped all the time), saw horses, shared a meal with nomads, found dinosaur bones, saw the first place on finding dinosaur bones,  lived like nomads, walked through the largest city in the Gobi desert,  saw a singing river, bought arrow heads from the Qin Shi Huang Di Period and walked through the mountains to the ice that lasts all year. Mongolia was a package full of surprises. In and out of the city you can expect nothing but fun. 

           It was more of the time to relax, play cards and eat amazing food. You don't stay in no fancy hotels. You get to have the real experience of living in gers, the nomadic houses of the gobi. You shower like them, live like them and sometimes eat like them! Even in the city we did exciting things. Like the weather, when you expect it to be the hottest and most dry place on earth you will be surprised how cold we all were. We did many things there too. We went to the country side and spent some days out there. We rode horses, held eagles, visited a monastery, met the only monks in in Mongolia (who were actually from Thailand?) and paraded around a beautiful terrain both in and out of the city. Out of the many trips we've taken this is a highly recommended one. On going accessories most needed are long clothes, books and card games! We can only wait for our next adventure. 

Beautiful Guilin

  Guilin. Some adventure that takes one hundred words to explain. To cut to the chase, if you say adventure is your middle name and you want some real excitement Guilin is the place for you. Or, if your someone who likes nice long rides along the river, shopping in markets or simply just bike riding with breath taking views behind you- Guilin can deliver that as well. You might say, "What can you recommend?" 

         There are many fun and exciting ways to answer that. Out of the short amount of time we where there, we did things from caving with little lights to guide us to trying fresh tea in a famous tea farm. 

         First thing's first. How did we get there? Honestly it depends on where you live. Living in Hong Kong for the past 5 years we have had access to many fast routes around Asia. Answer, Trains. Planes are easy travel too, but for a full experience try an overnight train- in China. As expats and a full five years in Chinese culture we have come to know many Chinese words. It doesn't come easy. Trust me. If you are willing to learn and test your skills in Chinese or maybe you know a guy who know's a guy, Overnight trains are the truly local way to do it. Staying first class with a maximum of four beds for five people might seem a little stuffy. The more the merrier. Accessory in need of having is a book!! Nice long reads to enjoy long periods of travel. To sum it up- Overnight Trains, definitely an experience worth having.

         Enough talking about transportation. Let's get to adventure part. Where to begin? Let's get right to the highlights. Being the day when you arrive, fresh and stinky off an over packed night train you wouldn't expect action packed days with hiking and sweating and non stop movement. Plus- it's nice to relax. (Take a shower!!!) We ended our early morning with a nice dumpling breakfast. When dining in a foreign country and you are a person for a real experience, a tip of advice is GO LOCAL!!!! See what eating like an every day Guilin-er is like! Where will it take you? After a quick breakfast you are on to rafting on the famous Li River. Accessory to have: Fresh Flower Crown! While enjoying yourself taking pictures and going down mini waterfalls is a nice way to kick off the day. 

         Caving is a must take part in activity. When we went- the electricity wasn't working. If you can't fix it- Improve it! Buy flashlights! In this cave you get the opportunity to bathe in mud baths, see baths and see amazing formations. Mud baths might sound disgusting but is surprisingly great for your face!  Enjoy sliding down and covering each other in mud.

          Tea farms are great but leaning more to the relaxing view of things. If you like to stroll and see breath taking views, hiking or looking at a tea farm is the place for you. Tea farms gives you a look at how they grow fresh tea and where the tea ( a big demand in the world ) comes from! You can learn what different teas symbolize and when they are taken in the day for what purposes. Hiking to photo taking views are sometimes better than what's on the lens. You can see a birds eye view of the whole thing, instead of taking it in one by one. Don't worry. Your journey is not over yet!

          People. The next great thing. Meeting and seeing new people is a high light of my trip. One person I extremely liked is our tour guide's adopted ai yi (阿姨- auntie) who made us lunch with a smile (or the teeth she had remaining). I got the experience to try different foods (tarro chips). Also what is amazing is the vibe of the old. Out of all people in a growing village, the elders work the most. Making the food, buying the food and carrying things back and forth to the market to make a living. I tried carrying the cargo of a small 95 year old lady and I nearly fell over. I feel like a wimp, knowing that this lady has carried this much her whole life. An experience and a defeat to remember. Haha. 

          The whole experience led us to think about how lucky we are to experience this and how often you don't see this everyday. Caving was a little punch of adventure in a wide spread action packed journey that made you happy, tired but full of joy. Guilin has always been on the list and now with a smile we can only tick it off and wait for our next adventure.