http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/7Continents/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from 7Continents en-us Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:09:11 +0000 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:09:11 +0000 Every city we have visited has a snack street. In Xian the snack streetmarket is located near the Drum Tower and central Mosque. This is where one can sample pistachio candy peanut candy tastes like the inside of a Butterfingers candy bar flatbreads candied fruit and kabobs galore. No scorpions sorry. After we returned from the Warrrior Museum we took a taxi into town for 1.40. We cl http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi-an/blog-419941.html Today we traveled to The Great Wall via the obligatory factories jade on the way there and cloisonne on the way back and the obligatory factory museum lazySuzan restaurant lunch. It was a cooler day and thankfully overcast perfect climbing weather. Unfortunately the side we climbed had better views of the Great Parking Lot than the countryside and Great Wall in one direction and it was v http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-419940.html Early this morning I went to the park across the street from the hotel after a sleepless night due to construction noise. While most of China is under reconstruction Shangai is the center of it all as it gets a facelift in preparation for the 2010 World Expo or World Fair as we know it. I am sad not to have been able to stroll down the Bund and may have to some day return to Shanghai to do http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-419951.html Suzhou is purportedly the the Venice of China. We chose this excursion for our last day in Shanghai and it was a relaxing day though very hot. The bus ride took about 2 hours each way and the obligatory silk factory and shopping took at least another hour. The lunch at the factory restaurant was the worst of the trip. Not only was the food not to my liking the service was poor. One more l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-420068.html Last night was our last and best group dinner. At dinner one of our group members requested we take the Maglev train on the way to the Pudong Airport and the guides willingly arranged it for us. The Maglev travels at speeds up to 431 kilometers per hour. It was a fun ride albeit brief and almost impossible to photograph the neon speed meter due to the movement of the train. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-420062.html Today we traveled from Xian to the Terra Cotta Warrior site via the obligatory museum and store. How the group manages to spend an hour and a half at each of these places buying overpriced junk never ceases to amaze me.The museum was all I expected and more and the crowds were not as bad as the Forbidden City or the Great Wall. The lunch was nice including some cold appetizers which we hadn't s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-418767.html Today we rocked Shanghai. We traveled by subway to the the World Financial Center where we ascended to the 100th floor. From there we contineued to People's Park and the Jade Buddha Temple via subway and taxi. We had to remind the taxi drivers to turn on their meters they apparently think that we are ignorant Americans not Amazing Race contenders. All is well. Tomorrow we travel to the Gra http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-419134.html So far in Beijing we have visited Tiananmen Square The Forbidden City The Great Wall The Ming Tombs the Olympic Stadium and the Temple of Heaven. Tomorrow we begin with a tour of the Hutong and later in the day we fly to Xian. The others in the group are great Beijing is HUGE and the tourist sites are the most crowded I have ever experienced. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-417731.html I really have no idea whether I'm supposed to be sleeping or awake but I'm in a transit lounge in Seoul South Korea at 300 am. Woohoo We have a 5 hour layover and then a 2 hour flight to Beijing. I think that makes 30 hours of travel. Let's hope it's worth it.We have met a bunch of other people from our group and they are a nice range of ages. There is even a girl Rob's age named Hanna http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/blog-416902.html Yup School's out and Pedro Carpenter and I are off to China next week. If you are receiving this post you are on my list of subscribers. If you do not wish to updates when I post from China just let me know and I will delete you. More from China after we touch down on July 11. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-414394.html We made it safely and smoothly to Thailand yesterday. The road was bumpy through Cambodia but we made good time and the border went smoothly as well. Last night we had our final family dinner a block north or Khao San Road what a circus that place is. I was tempted to get a pair of fisherman's pants braid my hair and tatoo every limb but sanity prevailed at the last moment. I may go for a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Eastern-Thailand/blog-305397.html Yes that's what we call it. We began yesterday at sunrise trying to catch the classic photo of Angkor Wat in the reflecting pools continued to Angkor Thom remember Angelina Jolie's big tree in Tomb Raider Ta Phrom Bayon holy sweet mother of all temples Preah Kahn and then Pre Rup for sunset. As we watched the sun set we were sold cans of beer by an enterprising young Cambodian man ru http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-304624.html We made it to Seam Reap and had a free afternoon yesterday. Eager to see some temples I went alone by motorbike to Beng Melea and had an Indiana Jones experience. This morning we went to Angkor for sunrise and will return in a few moments for an entire day of Angkor Wat Ta Phrom Bayon and the other temples and temple complexes. I think you may have to wait until I come home to see photos a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-304170.html Toul Sleng Prison and Choeung Ek are brutal gritty sites. There are no words to describe the experience I had today. I felt schizophrenic as I wondered how many continents countries cultures have mass graves like the ones I walked through today How many regimes have tortured and murdered people using the same techniques as I saw today What makes man capable of such cruelty Is that seed http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-303554.html We made it to Cambodia via boat and much sweating xraying of luggage stamping bribing etc. One of the members of our group did not have enough extra passport pages for her Cambodia exit stamp but for an extra 20 they gave her the Cambodian entrance visa. When we got to Phnom Penh our leader took her to the Embassy to get extra pages added to the passport so that she will be able to leave t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-303371.html After a long travel day yesterday we board a motorboat on the Mekong to travel into Cambodia today.Saw frogs and rats yes to eat in the market last night. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-302911.html I have never met a more dysfunctional group. When Samantha and I arrived in Hanoi we joined a group that had been traveling together for about 10 days through Thailand and Laos. We have one tour leader and another in training. In Hanoi the leader invited us to spend our extra day with them on the last day for some of that group on the Ho CHi Minh Masoleum tour. So they were losing members and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-302501.html So imagine yourself at the Cu Chi Tunnels. You begin by viewing a 1960's Vietnamese propaganda video that refers to the Americans coming at Vietnam like crazy white devils. You progress to a site where a man in a green uniform pops out of a tunnel built underground. Then members of your tour group and others pop down the hole for photos. You put your camera away. At the next stop fat white http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-302222.html We made it on time to Saigon last night the flight was uneventful. Today we have a morning tour of the Cu Chi tunnels where we will crawl around underground as well as have the opportunity to fire automatic weapons and buy war souvenirs. No thanks. After lunch we will visit the War Remnants Museum touted as the best in Saigon. I think it's going to be a long hot serious day.So you ask is i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-302006.html This morning we spend the morning cycling through rice paddies to the beach and then check out of our hotel at noon. We will have 4 sweaty hours in Hoi An to eat more lovely food and collect all of our purchases that haven't been shipped home. This afternoon we fly to Saigon where we will visit the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels over the next 2 days. The weather has been very good. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Hoi-An/blog-301599.html