I have recently changed roles and the new project requires a lot of interaction between various offices, so I traveled to our office in Ankara, Turkey to meet the team and see how they intend to complete this project. They were sooooo incredibly nice! They definitely spoiled me by taking good care of me for two days. It really reminded me of my old office in Ventura, California and I got a little nostalgic and even homesick. It was quiet and easy paced, and everyone seemed to respect and value each other. Though they work fairly long hours! The office was located in the older downtown area near the embassy, with great views over the city. However, they have a new office that is being completed and will soon move there, out of this area instead. ... read more

Our last day in Mongolia was going to be quite busy until our late afternoon flight. I think we all skipped breakfast, a couple people sick (I personally think it was the milk tea from the camp, but not sure, I just can't imagine drinking too much of it is good on your stomach if you are not used to it). E and H picked us up from the hotel, bags packed and we made our way to our first stop. Chenghis Khan Just outside Ulaanbaatar is the largest equestrian statue in the world. The statue is located where legend says he found a golden whip and is pointed to his supposed birthplace. It was constructed in 2008 and is a stainless steel structure 10m. Below the statue itself is a museum, which was actually quite ... read more

The second half of the trip was joining our Trekkup group travelling to Mongolia. I had heard that this was a great trip from a few people, but no one could really tell me the details as to why. I got it later - it was just beautiful country, fun to camp in the gers, good (meat heavy) foods, friendly people, and just so peaceful. But there was no one moment that stood out above the rest really. It was all just a good time - we did a lot, yet it was a good, comfortable pace. We also travelled with a small, good group of five people, including our super friendly hyper guide E and our funny awesome driver H. Leaving China First thing was to get to the airport for our flight. I think ... read more

After a solid night of sleep, we got typical chinese breakfast again in the hotel - fried chicken, noodles, stir-fry veggies, not too shabby. Then we made our way to the metro and down to the east gate of Temple of Heaven. Temple of Heaven For some reason, I thought it was an actual Temple, but it is a collection of buildings in the park built in the early 1400's. We got our tickets easy enough (we were there soon after it opened) and walked through the gate. The first location to the right was the Animal Sacrifice Pavilion, which we skipped. Then we saw the seven-star stones, which have mountain motifs engraved on them, symbolizing the seven peaks of Mountain Tai, and intended to show a united country. The main site was the Hall of ... read more

For my next short weekend Trekkup trip, my friend and I decided on Cappadocia. I had long wanted to do this trip and, while I had initially planned to do the trip on my own for a more extended period, I figured why not. Trekkup trips are generally packed and so I should get to see what I wanted without having to spend too much time organizing it, including the balloon rides, which I was not initially planning on, but now was excited about. It was a small group of 6 going and we all got along pretty well, which is crucial for small groups! This was my first time in the other Istanbul airport, Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), which is located on the east side of the city. We had a 4 hour layover and ... read more