Sunday July 11, 2010 Today Rich and I are alone, no interpreter, no driver just the two of us and two bright Red Guide books that say Beijing. I think they also say in Chinese: Lost Traveler, Money, Westerner, Gullible! Honestly you would think Frommer's and Fodor's would start making travel books that look like Pride and Prejudice written in Mandarin. They would be hot sellers. So we get going around 9am and grab a cab outside our hotel and head towards Tiananmen Square. The weather was overcast but honestly it is hard to tell what is weather related and what is pollution related. Those great little guide books had told us to enter the Forbidden City from the Tiananmen Square side. Since we also wanted to spend some time in the square we felt this ... read more

Friday July 9, 2010 So the day started out pretty quiet, Rich had to meet folks in the lobby at 10:00 am. I slept in until around 11:00 am. I had decided that I would spend the day getting used to the time change, unpacking and getting acclimated to the hotel. The hotel is absolutely beautiful inside one can only imagine the cost of construction. Once outside it is a totally different experience. As I stated previously we are in the area called the BDA. The Government decided that large Fortune 500 business would locate here and build the equivalent of our Technology Corridor. Large Businesses have been here for some time but their were no hotels. The Pullman is the only five star hotel in this area, at times Rich and I feel like we ... read more

Ever since Rich had the chance to travel to Beijing he had told me how beautiful it was. So about three months ago he told me he would be heading to China again in July and would like me to join him.....Well it took me all of two minutes to find my passport and start my planning!! Tours in place, shots taken, luggage packed we are on our way. So tomorrow is the day. We leave out of Atlanta at 4pm and head directly to Beijing arriving 11:10 pm on Thursday evening. We will be in Beijing until July 19th and then head back to Singapore until the 26th. I have been craving chicken rice from Singapore since my last trip! I truly never thought I would be back and get to indulge in this gastronomical ... read more

Monday, October 19, 2009 Manley Beach Well folks, I fell in love today, but not to worry not with another person. I fell in love with a place called Manley Beach. Manley Beach is a twenty-minute ferry ride from Sydney Harbor. Once you reach the dock you walk about two blocks down a lovely boulevard and find yourself looking at the most beautiful ocean you have ever seen. The water is as blue as blue can be with beautiful homes and condos on cliffs over looking this vista. Along the street are wonderful pubs, restaurants, condos and shops. This is the area that our new friends Dennis and Diane live; I am not sure why they would ever leave. After our walk along the beach we stopped at a pub called Kelly’s Bar to try out ... read more

Saturday October 17, 2009 Sydney We (or I should say I) awoke this morning with a some butterflies in my stomach because today we would finally climb the Harbor Bridge over looking Sydney. It had been quite windy this entire week so I was feeling somewhat apprehensive. When we pulled open the drapes not only was the sun shinning brightly, but the flags did not seem to be blowing too much and there was a beautiful cruise ship in the harbor. I think we chose the right day for our climbing adventure. We are to be at the bridge by 12:30 pm Saturday afternoon. (9:30pm Friday night for our friends at home). We are told the whole experience takes about 3 - 4 hours. Most of the time is spent prepping for the climb. Everybody has ... read more