Mzungu

This morning it was another early start and a trip to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren we also had a quick stop in Ennistymon before heading to Doolin for lunch. We liked Doolin so much that we decided to spend the rest of our day there. We found a really fun pub with live music that conveniently had a B&B next door. Since we wanted to visit the Aran Islands the next day and there was a ferry that left right from Doolin we decided to spend the night in Doolin too. Unfortunately when we woke up the next morning we found out the sea was too choppy for the ferry to leave from Doolin but lucky for us there was a ferry that would be leaving today from Rossaveel which was only a ... read more

After our overnight flight poor Kevin had to adjust to driving stick on the opposite side of the road through downtown Dublin. Luckily he had some practice while we were in South Africa so after only one minor mishap we made it safely to our hotel. We decided to splurge for the beginning of our trip and stayed in the Westin at College Green which is directly across from Trinity college and pretty close to Temple Bar. After quickly checking in and ditching our bags we decided to start our trip with a tour on one of those double-decker hop-on/hop-off buses. Since we were only in Dublin for one day this proved to be an easy and quick way to see a lot of the city. Our favorite stop was the Guiness Factory. We also explored ... read more

After one night in Johannesburg we flew into Livingstone. We were picked up at the airport and taken back to the Zambezi Sun which was to be our home for the next 3 days. We looked around the room briefly threw down our stuff and decided to get a look at the falls. It was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel and although it's the dry season we still thought they were awesome. By the time we got back to our room it was trashed. Apparently one of the housekeepers had left the balcony unlocked and the baboons decided to break-in and snatch our fresh fruit platter as well as root through the rest of our stuff to see if we were hiding any more food. They tore open one of our bags and ... read more

Today we are flying back to the States. In Tai'an we spent a day visiting the Dai Temple complex and traveling to the summent of Mt. Tai, a mountain that has been considered holy for centuries by Taoists, Buddhists, Confucianists and Maoists. This was my favorite part of the trip. We took a cable car to the top and the views were spectacular. Are Tai'an we visited Daming Lake in Ji'nan and traveled over the Yellow River on an overnight train to Suzhou, a city filled with cannels that many refered to as the "Venice of the Orient" We went to a silk spinning factory, the Garden fo the Fishing Net Master and took a cruise down the Grand Canal. We also had a chance to wonder through the town on our own and do a ... read more

We left Beijing to explore the Great Wall. It wasn't what I expected at all. I knew that it wasn't flat but I had no idea how uneven the steps would be. By the time I got to the top I was using my hands to get up to the next step. I enjoyed the veiw and a cold drink at the top before heading back down. Our next stop was the Sacred way leading to the Ming Tomb. The next day we visited the Tempale of Heaven and then took the train to Ji'nan which is the capital of the Shandong Provience. There are over 1,000 springs and lakes throughout the city. We went to Qufu where the home, temple and cemetery of Confucious are located. Tonight we will take the bus to Tai'an. ... read more

We finally arrived after three days of traveling. We almost thought we wouldn't make it because of the hurricane on the east coast so we left for San Francisco a day early. The plane ride was long and I had the displeasure of sitting behind a women who decided to sing opera throughout the flight. Who does that? Once we arrived we found out that we would be stuck with her for the next 14 days because she was part of our tour. Luckily everyone else seems very nice. They are a bit older than the people that I'd normally choose as travelling companions but there are a few that I think will be fun to hang out with. Today we saw Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. They were setting up for National Day (October ... read more