We visited the Grand Canyon National Park just for one day and it was intense. We flew to the Canyon from the city of Boulder (Arizona). We were expecting to fly over the Canyon but actually most of the time we flew around it so people siting on the right side of the plane had a very limited view of the scenery. We were in an organized tour and when we arrived at the Canyon we were put on a bus with 40 other tourists and taken to areas where buses can go. The tour included an I-Max movie about the Canyon and that was 'cool'. So far in our travels we have been pretty much independent and decide what to do by ourselves so it was a bit of a shock to be told we ... read more

Day 75 we slept at Bishop as the drive from Yosemite to Death Valley was far too long. We played bowling and mingled with locals. The next morning, very early we headed to Death Valey. Contrary to what the name suggests, Death valley is not a valley per se, where a river flows or has flown. Death Valley's current landscape is the result of slow, massive changes over many centuries. After faults formed in the earth's crust, exceptional folding and volcanic action uplifted the mountain ranges and lowered the valley floor, creating a graben. The depth and shape of Death Valley contributes to the hot temperatures observed here. On average, Death Valley is the hottest place in the world, July being the hottest month with an average of 116 F (46.7 C). We had our pic ... read more

We left Hong Kong on 2nd of July with Cathay Pacific flight CX880 at 23:40 to Los Angeles. We arrived on July 2nd in LA at 21:20 after an almost a 13 hour flight! Hong-Kong being 15 hours ahead of LA, this kind of mathematics is possible... As I am writing this text on July 10th I am still jet lagged, but that will be fixed over time. The next day we went to a small town called Tulare, close to Sequoia National Park. We had a great time hiking within this park, among the giants, some of them are several thousand years old! During one of our hikes we met a young black bear and on 2 occasions a dear. Being alone in the forest with these wild animals certainly is an experience we won't ... read more

Coming from the jungle in Borneo, the transition couldn't be greater! We were suddenly in a city, a big and crowed city and we loved it. One could say that it is the perfect city with a mix of British efficiency and oriental dynamism. When you see “look right” written on the street you are crossing or “please mind the gap” when you exit the metro carriage you might think that looks familiar. But then when you see the skyscrapers, the numerous road flyovers, the aerial walkways where as pedestrian you don't need to cross any street or the mid-level escalator which bring you a long way through buildings and over streets and when you consider the numerous and colourful neon advertising with Chinese characters you definitely understand that this is Hong Kong. We had to ... read more

We had a great time in Phnom Penh and were more than looking forward to arriving in Angkor. Some people advised us against taking the coach from Phnom Penh to Siem Riep and some said it was fine. Our guide book for Cambodia, Footprint, was a bit outdated but recommended the Mekong Express as a reliable company, and, indeed, it was. The ticket costs only 11 dollars per person and the bus is decorated with flowery curtains . There was on board service, bottle of water, refreshing towels, breakfast and bilingual guide providing geographical, economic and touristic information all along. I suppose Vietnam airlines could learn something from Cambodian bus companies. Anyway, the trip lasts six hours only and you have a good view of 'rural' Cambodia. The stop for lunch was a great place close ... read more