We awoke at about 10am and got ready. Checked out of the hotel and got a ride from the shuttle at noon. We could not check in for our flight until 2:45pm and it was only just afternoon, so we grabbed some snacks from Jamba Juice and sat around. ICN airport is a great place for just that! It has been voted one of the top airports in the world and I can see why. We had some lunch up in the food court area above the ticketing counters. It was Asian cuisine and was very good. After our lunch, we had some ice cream. When it was time to check in, we went over and were cleared for business class at the ticket counter. We went into the secure concourse about an hour before departure ... read more

We awoke early and went up for the great breakfast buffet again. After that, the girls went to the room while I went to see the Temple of Heaven. I do not know why they did not feel like going, but they really missed out. This was my favorite part of the trip. The park grounds are amazing and I enjoyed people watching while walking through to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. I spent two hours here admiring all of the beautiful structures. After my visit, I rode the subway back to the hotel and picked up the girls. We then went to Tiananmen Square and walked all over, before going into the Forbidden City. It is hard to believe what is behind the walls. There is so much to see and lots of ... read more

As the 14 hour flight continued, we were given another meal an hour before arriving and then our plane had to hold a short time for traffic. There was fog mixed in with the pollution and so it was real bad this day. It looked like a forest fire was burning. We cleared customs and immigration within an hour and then caught the express train into the city. It was about a 30 minute ride and then it was a few metro stops to our hotel, which was the Novotel Xin Qiao. After checking in, and then showering and changing clothes, we went out to eat. We ended up eating at the Beijing Hotel and having some local dishes. It was very good. After the dinner, we went to Tiananmen Square and walked around. There were ... read more

I awoke early at 6am in order to get showered and ready. The hostel only had two showers so I did not want to have to fight for one of them. It turns out it was too early though. I was all ready to go by 6:30am and I really did not need to leave until 8am. So, I just surfed the net for a bit and made sure my flight was on time. I checked out of the hostel just after 8am and headed for the metro. I rode on the green #2 line from Novokuznetskaya to Belorusskaya in order to get the Aeroexpress train back to SVO airport. I arrived at the airport at 9:35am and was checked in by 10am. This flight was wide open for stand-by travel so i was not concerned. ... read more

I had wanted to visit Moscow since my youth, I mean who wouldn't want to? The visa process always turned me off though, but I finally figured that it must not be too bad. People go all the time, so how difficult can it be? It was actually easier than I though it would be to get the visa and they have eased restrictions recently. They now even offer three year visas! I had planned to go in early Fall of 2012, but I had the business of life come up. I was then going to wait until Spring and bring my family with me. They told me they had no desire to go, but said I could go if I wanted to. I could not wait and so I braved the cold winter and put ... read more