First stop: China

May 30, 2012

Today we began our next adventure...our trip to Asia. Now, we have been to Asia before, and when we returned from our trip to China in 2010 we were glad to have gone and seen what we saw...but we also swore we would not be returning anytime soon. This was not because we did not enjoy the experience and everything we saw and learned, but it was because the modern-day Chinese experience is for the most part a loud, crowded, push-and-shove, rude, unsmiling kind of thing. There were the occasional bright spots, like when school children would smile and wave and say hello, but overall it was not a warm and welcoming feeling that we got from China. More on this later...

So, having sworn not to return anytime soon, we found ourselves on the flights today that will eventually leave us in Chengdu, a city of 11million people on the edge of the high western plateaus of China. We flew out midday on Asiana Airlines and were two of probably no more than 20 westerners on the Airbus A330.

Security is still fun! And maybe it's because we're traveling for pleasure that we noticed the little things...

It is always exciting to be embarking on an adventurous trip, and the plane that would take us to our stopover in Seoul was a very new (and very nice) plane. The seat cushions still had some cushioning, and the carpet was clean.

0 miles traveled...let's light this candle and get going!

We lifted off and captured some great photos from the plane...Patty is learning how to use our new travel camera and is taking photos of everything!

On board the plane, each passenger has his or her own entertainment center with an amazing array of on-demand options...movies, music, games, and even seat-to-seat calling! Of course that requires a handset that has more buttons on it than we though possible to put on a controller so small...

Patty was in 22A and placed a call to me in 22B...it was a local call...

So, we caught up on some movies...so many to choose from...Luckily, we've got some time on our hands...

Patty watched Iron Lady, The Descendents, and Larry Crowne...Michael watched MI3, Hugo and The Three Musketeers, as well as a documentary on the Elephant Gathering in Sri Lanka...

The bathrooms were large and clean (and well-stocked with amenities, because the flight attendants were in there several times during the flight cleaning and re-stocking...Patty said that would never work at United!).

We also had amenities at our seats...look, slippers!

We were served two meals and a snack, all of which were pretty good. And the flight attendants seemed to constantly roam the aisles with orange juice and water throughout the flight. Here's the first meal...

Now, after three movies, two meals and a snack, (and sitting on our rear ends for almost half of a day) we need to make sure we stay fit and feeling good...and they have exercise and self-massage videos to help us with that!

We keep an eye on our progress. What!? We're only halfway there?! Guess we'll play around with the entertainment system a little more...

Finally, after 11.5 hours of flying, we touched down in Seoul, Korea, where it was warm and foggy (?!). The airport is nice, new and pretty large. We walked around to get the blood flowing in our legs and to check out the concourse.

Even though we had cleared security before we got on the flight, and walked through a controlled area in the Seoul airport, we still had to pass through security again before transferring to our flight to Chengdu.

The flight from Seoul to Chengdu was approximately four hours, and boy did we start to feel it as we approached 24 hours without sleep, and 16 hours of flying. On this flight we were not so lucky in terms of the airplane and amenities, and honestly, we were the only non-Asian passengers on the entire plane...talk about feeling a little self-conscious!

We landed in Chengdu after 11:00pm local time...which is 15 hours ahead of the time at home...we'll let you do the math. It is raining hard, and we are so anxious to get to our hotel and get some sleep. By the time we clear Chinese immigration and customs, meet our transfer agent, and get to our hotel, it is after midnight. We get to our room in the Jin Jiang Hotel, which used to the be the former U.S. guest house and also housed the U.S. consulate...so it's an old hotel...and within minutes we are in bed.

Good night Chengdu!

 

The next chapter begins...

May 29, 2012

After four days at home getting caught up and cleaned up, we are about to begin the second chapter of our Summer of Wander. Tomorrow we will fly to Chengdu, China, via Seoul, Korea. The flight to Seoul is nearly 12 hours long, then a four-hour flight to Chengdu...China is a day ahead, so we will arrive in Chengdu very late Thursday night. (Interesting fact: China is vast enough to need 5 time zones...but the whole country runs on one time zone -- Beijing time, of course. So imagine being in the westernmost part of the country where the sun rises and sets five hours later, but your clocks are set to match the daylight hours that work five time zones to the east!)

This next adventure is a trip that will take us through Tibet, into Nepal, and eventually to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We will be traveling with four other folks and a British guide who has lived in Nepal for twenty years. We will spend a few days in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to get acclimated to the elevation (11,800 ft), and then travel around the country by Land Cruiser. (We hope that we can get into Tibet, unfortunately, things heated up a little over this past weekend...you can read about the self-immolation protests here...)

One of the key points of interest on this trip is the north Mount Everest Base Camp...elevation 17,000 feet...and hopefully the weather will be favorable and we will be able to see the world's tallest peak...if not, we'll just re-post this photo...!

As we make our way around Tibet, we will be staying in hotels and guest lodges...the hotels are not the same as in Europe or the U.S., and the lodges are very rustic. It is very doubtful that we will have wi-fi in any lodges, so there is likely to be a pause of nearly a week between some of our Tibet updates...we are not certain that we will be able to blog from Lhasa due to the heightened restrictions just put in place. We think we can blog from Chengdu, but we'll see how it goes.

In Nepal we will spend a few days in Kathmandu, down in the thick air of 4,600 feet...we'll see the sites and explore the city just a little bit before flying to Bangkok and on to Siem Reap.

And the last stop on our journey will be four days in Angkor Wat, one of the UNESCO world heritage sites, and an amazing, ancient temple complex built by the Khmer civilization...

We look forward to sharing our experience with you as we make our way along this journey...though we're pretty certain that we will not be able to do justice to these extraordinary places. Hopefully we'll create an entertaining amateur travelogue and occasionally make you chuckle with us along the way...

PS: For those of you who tried to post comments and had trouble, we've fixed it so now you can post your comments directly on the blog post!

Campground Review: North Rim Campground, Grand Canyon, Arizona

May 28, 2012

Well, we've been back from our road trip for a couple of days, and before we leave on our next trip we thought we'd share a little more detailed information and our perceptions about the North Rim Campground at the Grand Canyon. We stayed there three nights, and in that short time it became our favorite campground of all time...no, our list of campground experiences may not be as extensive as others', but we've seen enough to know that this campground is the best we've ever camped in, and is likely to be high on any camper's list.

The beauty of this park begins before you even get into the park itself...you pass through the vast Kaibab Plateau which is a gorgeous meadow lined by pine trees. Once you enter the park, you wind along the main road, passing several trailheads, including the North Kaibab Trail that we hiked on our second day, and passing the administration and backcountry registration area. As you enter the campground the first thing you pass is the Sinclair gas station...you know, the one with the green dinosaur on the sign!

What's really interesting is that this is a classic, old-school gas station...it is Full Service only...the attendant pumps your gas and cleans your windows! And check this out...the attendant is in a uniform, complete with the hat!

The next facility you pass on the right is the shower and laundromat...it seemed to be pretty busy, particularly in the afternoon...

At the T in the road is the General Store with a large covered porch...and inside they offer everything from camping equipment and supplies, to souvenir shirts and hats, and groceries. We saw alot of Bud Light going out of here on a warm afternoon...and some ice cream bars too...the porch was a nice place to hang out for a little while in the shade during the afternoon...and they had wi-fi!

And look! More of that endangered species...the Pay Phone...and these must be the pups of the adults we saw at the Grand Canyon Lodge...! I really wonder what's listed in those phone books...

As you turn into the campground loop area, you pass the campground hosts in their site at the head of the loop road...

And then you are into the campground, which is a large loop with a series of roads that cross the loop...our site was on the outside of the loop at the far end which really made for very little traffic and it was very quiet. There are several restroom buildings spread throughout the campground loops, and an amphitheater where they offer evening programs.

We liked the North Rim campground much better than the campground at Bryce Canyon for a number of reasons. First, the campground is situated on the Transept Canyon that connects into the Grand Canyon, so it is much more scenic from the camp sites. Second, it is quieter because it is laid out in a more dispersed manner, so you also have a little more elbow room. Finally, and most notably, the road in the North Rim campground is paved...the Sunset Campground at Bryce Canyon had some utility work done and they ripped up the road, and now they don't have the money to repave it. So the whole campground is dusty all the time, when the wind blows you get dusty, when a car drives by on the road you get dusty...when you go for a walk you get dusty. A little dust is to be expected when you camp, but there was way too much dust with the road gone.

Throughout our trip, we saw many, many rental RVs of all sizes, and it was great to see folks taking advantage of the natural beauty this country has to offer by getting on the road and camping. Here's the rental that pulled into the campsite next to us with a family of four in it...

So, hopefully this review not only gives you a better sense of the the North Rim Campground at the Grand Canyon, but also helps you to consider getting out to spend some time in our country's beautiful national parks. They are truly a treasure that belong to everyone, so we should all enjoy them!

 

Sneak Peek: Inside the Blog

May 27, 2012

At the moment we are at home for a few days between travels, and as the laundry is getting done and the next round of packing begins we thought this would be a great time to give you a little behind-the-scenes look at this blog experience we are having and what we're learning.

First, we want to start with a big THANK YOU to those of you who have taken the time to read our blog. What started out as a lark in response to innocent questions from our friends has turned into something that has added a great deal of fun and joy to our travels...thank you. And it is hard to believe but we have had more than 1,000 views of our blog entries...who would have thought...!?! This blog has also added to our experience by bringing so many friends into the story, thank you for your comments and questions.

As we prepared for our three-month sabbatical, we were asked by more than a handful of people if we were going to bolg about our experiences, and we really didn't think too much more about it. But as the same question came up again and again, we had to pause and consider it. In typical fashion, we decided to give it a try the day before we left on our first trip...and, in typical fashion, we both hunkered down over our laptops and iPads to figure out just how one goes about doing this. How does one "blog"? Where? And what if we don't have an internet connection? How do you include photos? We assimilated as much as we could, and by Sunday evening we had enough knowledge to be dangerous. The next morning, we headed off down the road and into the blogosphere!

First, we chose Blogger as our blog site...simply because it was free, popular, and seemed relatively easy to use. Next, we found an iPad app called Blogsy that allows us to compose our blog posts offline while we don't have a wi-fi or 3G connection. The one process step we encountered that we did not anticipate is the need to upload any photos that we want to be included in our blog posts...they need to be uploaded to Picassa so that they can be inserted into the blog as URLs rather than actual photos...who knew?! We found that this upload step can take some time, so we found another iPad app that allows us to upload photos to Picassa without tying up the iPad on which we are composing our posts.

So now we have the equipment, apps and technical aspects figured out...next we had to figure out how to make this whole thing work day to day as we are on the road. There are really two main facets...taking the photos, and writing the posts. The way it has worked out for us is that we both take photos during the day when we are hiking or sightseeing, and Patty takes photos out the RV window as we drive from place to place. Patty is really better at capturing what is going on during our travels and including people In the photos...Michael prefers to take pictures of striking places and views, typically without any people (maybe they might include Patty). Then, since Patty has a better memory, she organizes the photos that line up with the day's activities, and she puts them into a draft blog post with a sentence or two about the moment. Then, Michael fleshes out the story of our day, and Patty reviews it for typos.

So our blogging has become a real collaboration and a fun activity that we share daily. We usually write the post the day after...so there is a one day lag to most of our posts. We have found the exercise of recalling key moments from the day, and attaching visuals that have meaning, adds to the enjoyment of the experiences we're having. This has also been alot of fun for Michael who has always enjoyed writing and storytelling, and blogging has allowed him to do both...it is both relaxing and a great creative outlet.

So we both thank all of you for asking us to consider blogging, and for reading our posts, and for your words of appreciation and encouragement...it means a great deal to us that you have any interest, and the process has made our travels all the more enjoyable.

We look forward to sharing our upcoming travels with you!

The Long Road Home - Day Three

May 25, 2012

We awaken early in La Grande after a good night's sleep...we are within 6 hours of splashdown at our home base, and while this trip has been extraordinary, we are highly motivated to get this last driving segment done... so we move quickly and are on the road by 7:20am.

As we leave La Grande, the sky is cloudy and the cool breeze is blowing...it should be a nice cool drive home...

As we begin our drive, we remark on how striking it is that little more than a week ago, as we drove the very same roads, the temperatures were in the 90s...today it is in the 50s! But, it is kind of nice to get a little of the cool, refreshing Pacific Northwest early summer weather. As we drive through the Blue Mountains of Oregon, however, we encounter some really dense fog...The changes in weather have been interesting to watch throughout our journey...

The fog doesn't last long, and by the time we reach the bottom of our descent we emerge into beautiful sunshine. The scattered clouds make for constantly changing patterns of light and dark across the Oregon landscape...What you can't see here is the wind that has picked up considerably. What you also cannot feel is the RV being pushed from side to side, sometimes across the lane line or onto the shoulder! It makes for a challenging (and long) drive.

As we cross the Columbia River we get a great view of the McNary Dam, and they are releasing water a fair amont of water... what a sight!

Once we have crossed into Washington, we begin to see a familiar (and welcome) sight...vineyards and countless vines whose fruit will one day end up in our wine glasses!

We pass through Eastern Washington and get a few photos of the landscape...so different than Seattle, and at times very desolate. And the wind continues to make this a very interesting and challenging bit of driving...trying to anticipate the gusts based on the swerving of large trucks in front of us, or trying to pass semi-trailers without getting pulled or pushed too close...

Then farther north we drive the greener the landscape becomes. Here's a photo along the Yakima River as we pass by Prosser, Washington...another popular wine producing area...

Now, we've seen these things before and had to think hard to recollect which plant is cultivated this way. We initially thought Pole Beans, or perhaps peas...but no. For all of you beer drinkers out there, this is how hops are grown! Who'd a thunk...

Can you believe the nice pictures Patty has been able to take while we are traveling at 70 MPH...and swerving in the wind gusts?

Here is a nice view of the Yakima River in...Yakima! We stopped for gas in Selah, just outside of Yakima (we did not realize that all gas stations are on the west side of the interstate in Yakima...easy off-and-back-on if you're headed south, but not so convenient when heading north...curious choice by Yakima). It was a nice break for Michael who could release his white-knuckle death grip from the steering wheel for a few minutes.

Next comes Ellensburg, the home of Central Washington University (go Wildcats!)...we get a nice view of the town as we get close...

Once we merge onto Interstate 90 and begin our drive west, the wind has dissapated to a very light breeze...finally! From here, the RoadTrek knows it's way, so we move to the back of the van for drinks and snacks...just kidding. Great views as we head west...hello Cascades Mountains...with a lot of snow still on top!

Patty has started to experiment with her new iPhone, which she loves, and begins taking pictures through the windshield...it certainly beats rolling down the window and sticking the camera out into the wind! We actually get some nice pictures...like this one as we head up to Snoqualmie Pass...

There are remaining signs of the very snowy winter we had in the Cascades this year...it is the end of May and there is still snow next to the highway!!

As you might imagine, on Friday of Memorial Day weekend there is very little traffic headed West over the pass...at times we have the interstate to ourselves...kind of eerie. The lanes headed East, however, packed with cars, trucks with trailers and campers, many RVs, vehicles hauling boats, etc. There is some construction that slows the eastbound traffic, and to make matters worse we see a very recent accident -- a four car rear-end collision-- that has blocked at least one lane, and as we head up to the summit of the pass we see that traffic is stacking up for miles. That is not how anyone wants to start their long holiday weekend...so much for getting out of town early to get a jump on traffic.

We continue to enjoy a deserted interstate all the way to Lake Washington, and of course there is no one on the 520 bridge now that there is a toll...this has to be the best $2.50 we've spent today...! If we could pay a couple of bucks to have the bridge to ourselves whenever we crossed it, we would! It is a beautiful, cool, sunny day in Seattle...Hello Olympic Mountains!

At the moment there is an extraordinary amount of construction going on...let's see how it is going since we left...I-405 to the 520 bridge...a little confusing but nearly complete; beginning the new 520 bridge...barges in place, work underway;

We must be living right...it's a beautiful Friday before the Memorial Day weekend and the Montlake Bridge is not up (stopping traffic for sail boats) so we sail right across...here is a nice shot of the Montlake Cut..

At the end of the Montlake Bridge, the new light rail tunnel and station project is still underway...

Husky Stadium at the University of Washington is still half way done...we say keep it as it is, no room for visiting team fans...!

We splash down at about 1:00 to great weather. We shut down the RoadTrek...she has served us well on this trip...and now it is time to unload and cleanup. The front of the van gets a little spray down to loosen the remains of the countless courageous insects who tried to avoid us as we raced through their airspace...but the thorough cleaning will wait until tomorrow.

Miles traveled: 347.83. Travel time: 6 hours. Bugs killed: surprisingly few, we think they were grounded due to high winds...

Total travel distance on this road trip: 2,701. Total driving time: 43.5 hours. Total bugs killed: we'll never really know for sure, but too many.