Shane and I arrived in Iceland after our short 5 hour overnight flight to Keflavik airport just outside of Reykjavik. Thanks to the time change, we arrived just at the crack of dawn- or what would have been the crack of dawn if the sun actually set at night. Yes, we were in the land of the midnight sun, just a few days shy of 24 hour daylight. Instead, we were trreated to about 22 hours of daylight and a sun that barely sets, but just skims across the horizon. After figuring out the airport shuttle buses, we were on our way to the Centrehotel Klopp just off Reykjavik's main drag, a hotel we picked thanks to it's location and great price. Arriving there long before check-in, we were told to leave our bags and check ... read more

We awoke to a beautiful and warm sunny day in Shanghai. After our first- and last- attempt at the hotel’s breakfast, we headed out to the French Concession to follow a walking tour laid out in our guidebook which encompassed all the major sites. The walking route was kind of difficult to follow and we found that we had ended up walking by the major points of interest before we had even realized it. Oh well. It was still a great day for a walk and we stopped in a small café for a snack and coffee, and went to a bakery to pick up treats for the following day. We took the subway back to the Bund area and continuously got lost. I usually have a very good sense of direction, so I have no ... read more

For our last full day in Beijing, Shane and I decided to head just outside Beijing to the Summer Palace. We were lucky to have a beautiful and sunny day to explore the Palace. Entrance was a cheap 60 Yuan, but we did not get a map which made the grounds hard to navigate, even with our Beijing guidebook’s map of the Palace. Lots of tourists and we kept walking in circles only to wind up back in a line with the same large tour groups. Veering off the beaten path, we found ourselves on a peaceful climb up a hill, at the top of which was a temple filled with locals singing and playing instruments. Another man was practicing tai chi while another created beautiful calligraphy on the floor of the temple with water and ... read more

The Great Wall of China is what defines China. And today we were finally going to get a chance to step on to thie piece of history. Shane and I hired a cab from the Sha Tan hotel with our new travel friends (just under $90 Cdn from central Beijing) to Mutiyanu where a less-visited and older section of the Great Wall is. We opted to hire a cab and get there on our own instead of being crammed into a bus with other toursts and given a limited time at the Great Wall. This was one of the best decisions we made and a HIGHLY recommended way to visit the Geat Wall at your own pace. Setting out for the approximately hour-long cab ride, our driver, though he spoke next to no English, drove along ... read more

By our 3rd day in Beijing we were already exhausted. Walking the grounds of the Forbidden City had tired us out so we opted for a more leisurely day- one fo the benefits of independent travel. After our daily stop for breakfast at Alley Cafe, we decided to take a trip across town to the Panjiayuan Market aka the Dirt Market. Panjiayuan Market is known for antiques as opposed to the overly touristy souvenirs (although there are still plenty of Mao watches to be found). We mixed in with mostly locals and the odd Westerner as we browsed the stalls. The market is broken into sections: artists, books, textiles, and jewellery. Shane and I picked up a beautiful scroll for our house for more than half the price of what they were selling for on the ... read more