Page 3 of ElyseandPete Travel Blog Posts


Latest Experience

Published: May 31st 2012Asia » China » Beijing
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ElyseandPete
May 20th 2012

This blog will be a little different as it will be an interview style. Pete is over writing blogs so I "interviewd" him about his recent 5 day trip to Beijing, May 16th-20th. Reason for going: to visit Yalin, business contact we met in our 1st visit to China in September 2007 and to see Riley, a friend from CTLC 2009-2010. How was Beijing different this time than the past 3 times you have visited? This was the 1st time I didn't go to a section of the Great Wall as I have seen 3 different sections: Badaling, Mutianyu and Jian something 3-4 hrs from Beijing. The only tourist attractions I saw were to walk around Tiananmen Square and free sections of Forbidden City with Mike, as this was his 1st visit to Beijing. How were ... read more



Weekend to Myself

Published: May 31st 2012Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou
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ElyseandPete
May 19th 2012

While Pete was in Beijing, I had a nice relaxing weekend to wind down from the busy week of working after we returned from Bali. It was cloudy and rainy most of the weekend so it forced me to stay inside and start to sort through things in our apartment. I made 3 piles: going to the US, staying in the apartment and donate to friends in China. On Saturday afternoon, I went to the nearby Xixi Wetlands with 2 of my trainees from FESCO and their friends/family. We spent 4 hours at a little cafe just talking about life, cultural differences and anything that came to mind. I was able to give Leo's friend an English name as he didn't have one. I gave him three options: Kevin, Connor and Cooper since they sound similar ... read more



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ElyseandPete
May 13th 2012

We left on a fast boat from Gili T after it arrived almost an hour late due to the bad waters and dark skies that covered the strait between Bali & Lombok. Thankfully we were able to be 2 of the 8 people that sat on the upstairs outside covered part of the boat so we got lots of fresh air, no motion sickness for either of us again which was good as it got pretty choppy during the ride. Once we made it to Padang Bai harbour we were shuttled in a van with 5 others to Sanur, about 60-75 minutes away for our last night in Bali before departing on a jet plane for Hangzhou. We were the 1st of the 3 groups to get dropped off at our guesthouse, Sindu Guesthouse, in Sanur. ... read more



Gorgeous Gili T

Published: May 16th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Lombok » Gilli Trawangan
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ElyseandPete
May 12th 2012

2nd Stop Gili Trawangan (Gili T) May 8th-12th Quick intro to Gili T thanks to Wikipedia " Measuring 3 km long and 2 km wide, it has a population of around 700. Of the Gilis, Trawangan has the most tourist facilities; the pub Tîr na Nôg claims that Trawangan is the smallest island in the world with an Irish pub. On Gili Trawangan (as well as the other two Gilis), there are no motorized vehicles not even real roads,only soft sandy paths. The main means of transportation are bicycles (rented by locals to tourists) and cidomo (a small horsedrawn carriage). For traveling to and from each of the Gilis, locals usually use motorized boats and speedboats. The economy of Gili Trawangan centres on tourism, as the island is too small to support any broad scale agriculture, ... read more



Lost Path in Lombok

Published: May 14th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Lombok
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ElyseandPete
May 10th 2012

We took the public ferry from Gili Trawangan (Gili T) to Lombok Island for 10,000 rupiahs each ($1.10) around 9am, the trip across the strait was about 35-40 minutes. The ferry doesn't leave until it is full thankfully we were about the last ones on the ferry. We were the only 2 Westerners on the whole ferry and enjoyed the company of a few very cute Indonesian toddlers, who loved us. Once we arrived in Lombok, we knew to pay only 70,000 rupiahs ($7.50) for a scooter for the day per our hotel on Gili T. The first guy off the boat said 250,000 rupiahs and we laughed then kept walking. We have noticed if you don't say anything the price of things have dropped instantly and quickly down in Bali, Gili T and now Lombok. ... read more



Stunning Sunset

Published: May 15th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Lombok » Gilli Trawangan
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ElyseandPete
May 9th 2012

On Wednesday evening, we walked 30 minutes around the island to view the sunset. We were told the sunset was around 5:30-5:45pm and that the sun disappears quickly, so don't be late. Pete and I arrived around 5pm to an area that looked like it could have been an amazing bar/restaurant area that had been abandoned. There were only 4 other people there, so we picked out our spot and enjoyed a bottle of Pineapple Selak wine from Sari Organic in Ubud. More and more people showed up the closer the time to sunset arrived and by the time the sunset occured there were around 100 plus people enjoying the views. We have experienced many amazing sunsets but this was one that I will always remember. The sun sets to the right of Bali Island where ... read more



Birthday Bike Tour in Bali

Published: May 20th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud
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ElyseandPete
May 5th 2012

We had such a fun time on the bike tour and I shot lots of video clips to "TRY" to capture the countryside and the local life.... read more



Ultra Amazing Ubud

Published: May 14th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud
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ElyseandPete
May 4th 2012

Our theme for this 10 day vacation was to chill, relax and enjoy each other on our last big Asian vacation before we return to the USA. It was accomplished and I hope you enjoy all the photos. Bali is one place we WILL return to someday, I don't say that for every place that we have visited so it truly made a lasting impression on me (and Pete). 1st Stop Ubud May 4th-7th A little info about Bali but why create my own when Wikipedia says it so well already: "With a population recorded as 3,891,428 in the 2010 census, the island is home to most of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. In the 2000 census about 92... read more



Like Wine, Better with Age

Published: May 19th 2012Asia » China » Zhejiang » Hangzhou
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ElyseandPete
May 3rd 2012

What better way than to make up a class (since we took off a week of school to go to Bali) than watch a movie and eat birthday cake? The students loved it off course and so did Pete & I. There were a few little hitches trying to get the cake and then serve it but it all worked out in the end. That evening I had invited friends from different parts of my "Chinese" life: foreign teachers from HDU, teachers from WXP & HDU and trainees from FESCO (my part time job.) We met at Burton Cafe and had a wonderful 3 hours of eating, drinking and enjoying conversation and everyone meeting new people. I even gave a birthday quiz, the teacher in me, since everyone at the party knew me for different periods ... read more



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ElyseandPete
May 1st 2012

You all know that we are always busy planning our next trip..so here are our Summer 2012 travel plans. Tuesday, June 26th - Arrive in Seattle from Shanghai Tuesday, July 10th - Fly to LAX to see Family & Friends in So Cal Friday, July 20th - Chris & Yvette's wedding in Bay Area Tuesday, July 24th - Fly to Chicago (7/24-26 in the City, 27th head to the Farm) Tuesday, August 7th - Return to Portland, OR Everyone is welcome to Portland anytime to see the Beautiful Pacific Northwest and us of course! **Sorry to all our East Coast friends as our budget and time sc... read more






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