Nusa Dua // Bali, Indonesia

To an extent, the town of Nusa Dua is comparable to the Beverly Hills of California.  This area is more geared towards tourism. On the peninsula sits a park built to represent different countries. Each tree in the park was planted by a different country. On the opposite side is a trail to the waterhole. Even though we were close to the water, the humidity and heat was overwhelming.  It was nice to be able to swim everyday in such tropical beauty!

Elephants Rides Ubud, Telalang, Bali // Indonesia

The Bali Zoo. 

The Great Wall of China~ Mutianyu

The first day in Beijing was a hard hitter!

We stayed at the Red Wall Garden Hotel; this villa like living space is deep in the local community of Beijing.  It was built in resemblance to a hutong, a street or alley way in which the local Chinese people would reside as well as sell goods; a community that all works together.

fabulous courtyard

We enjoyed a nice breakfast in the courtyard and then headed straight for The Great Wall of China !

congee, bao, shomai, egg fried rice, yam

The drive to central Beijing to Mutianyu took about 1 1/2 hours. We got to see the green countryside along the way.  Since the Wall was so high up on the mountain, they had a ski lift that would carry you to the wall, which I highly recommend rather than walking up there yourself.  You would expend all your energy walking to the wall, that there would be little left to actually walk on it.  Whats better was the toboggan ride down: a huge slide you can take on a sled all the way down the mountain.  For a round trip ticket, it cost about 100RMB, which is about $16.

The lift was absolutely terrifying, but equally terrific. The green mountains are so surreal.  Yet, the best was yet to come

No words to explain how amazing the wall is. We climbed for about an hour or so before we decided to head back.  I definitely underestimated the rigor, and I think a developed a new fear of heights. A solid workout to say the least.

The Toboggan was definitely my little sisters favorite part.  SO fun!

My dad got ripped of for some local dried fruits, and then we headed back to the city! We stopped by the great Olympic Park.  I think its corny to say that you can just feel the sense of awe in the nest; You just stare and think about the all world class athletes making history in this place.  Architecturally it is a phenomenon.  The bubbly aquatic center was transformed into a water park, swim club, and theater.

Rough and tough day, but so satisfyingly good 🙂 I think the exhaustion definitely helped me catch up with the time change.

More to come!

Much Love,
Maddi

A Day in Taipei

HAPPY ONE YEAR to the blog

Today we landed in Taipei, Taiwan-our layover stop.  Since we landed in a country we will probably never vacation again, my dad figured we might as well spend the day to explore the city.

racing the sunrise

This is my second trip to Taiwan; a beautifully green island with the best pineapples and kiwis I have ever tasted.  I spent about ten days here on a mission trip; so it was cool to being able to recognize some of the places, and nice to have a little knowledge about where we were headed. From Taoyuan International airport to the heart of Taipei was about a 45 minute taxi drive.  We originally wanted to step into YongKang St., an area known for the sort of retro asian, antiquey kind of feel.  It was difficult to communicate between the taxi driver and us, so while we got to enjoy the sights of the local streets and people from the car, we decided to venture into a more public area solely in fear of not being able to get a taxi back.  We stopped at the magnificent Taipei 101, the third tallest building in the world with 101 floors.  It stands like a dinosaur among the other buildings.  Inside holds the Taiwan Financial Center & Stock Exchange, but (more importantly) a gigantic mall, and fabulous food court.We got there quite early, and enjoyed some traditional dried pork skin filled buns.  The milk tea, and the beef noodles are a must try!

Then we took the Guinness World Records fastest elevator to the 89th floor of the building-89 floors in 32 seconds.  It costs 500 Taiwanese currency to go up, which is about $20, but I’d say the view was well worth it.  We were lucky enough to come on a sunny day, and we’re able to climb up to the 91st floor, where the outside viewing platform was. You can gaze over the whole city and beyond into the mountains and forest and all.
My dad’s sole goal of the whole day was to enjoy some dumplings at the infamous Din Tai Fung restaurant.  Chains all across the world, the line was already piling up an hour before they opened. But I honestly think I could eat those dumplings for the rest of my life.

s’cute

A perfect day to kick if all off. Can’t wait for our next stop, BEIJING<3

谢谢 (thank you)

Maddi

Carry-on Essentials

Packing is always such a daunting task, but the things I put in my carry-on are nearly always the same.  It is important to think about the things you want to have on you always, and it is kind of like holding a piece of home with you on the plane.  Personally, I carry the valuables on me; the things I would die if they got lost on the plane.  While many of these do’s and dont’s may be a little obvious, it is nice to have some sort of list of needs/wants/can’t live without.

DO bring 

• the valuable electronics such as your laptop, phone, and camera.  While together these seem like a lot, I usually always put them in my carry-on just because they are too valuable to lose.  The laptop is also nice to have during the hour of waiting at the gate to load pictures or catch up on social media.
  • the CHARGERS are important to carry as well! I will leave the camera charger and extra lens in my actual suitcase. Those charging packs for your phone are a good idea!
• The strings: earbuds, phone chords, laptop charger chord. I know I could not live without earbuds on the plane because for one, music away from the crowd, and two, plane earbuds are not nice.
• gum (duh)
• Medicines, glasses, or a pair of contacts (if you have one): I wear contacts, so I keep a spare pair in my luggage and one in my backpack because I simply cannot see without them.  Same goes for medicine, daily medication you need to take everyday cannot simply be lost.
• Warm sweater or cardigan: if you’re going somewhere hot and tropical, like Bali orCabo, wearing a long sleeve or pants does not exactly sound ideal.  The plane will be cold, so even thought it may be 90℉ at your destination, it is a good idea to have something that will keep you warm!
  • I always bring fuzzy socks because my feet are always too cold & that
• Little nonsense: pens for luggage tags or a journal and for those visa cards to fill out if you’re going international, little hand sanitizer, hair ties, & facial wipes.

NOT to bring:

• pillow pets: I’ll admit I have carried mine on a plane once before, but probably will not again just because it was a nuisance to carry around. When there was already so much in my bag, it is just another unnecessary thing to hold onto, and its too big to pack unless you want to waste precious souvenir space.
• no brainers: sticky foods, things that could spill, water bottles. You can buy them after security.
• jewelry: too easily lost and equally too valuable to lose

MAYBEs

• A journal
• a book/magazine
• sunglasses: after a long flight, your face may not be your best friend. Or if your stopping somewhere spontaneous between trips, they’re good to have on you!
• that being said.. maybe some touch up makeup. BUT if you’re going to bring powder PUT IT IN A ZIP LOCK or closed off bag. the chance of the powder breaking in your bag is terrifying.

Anything else? Comment below 🙂

Getting ready for my trip to Asia! Will be posting about it daily 🙂 see you soon

Much Love,

Maddi

Top Tourist Stops // Beijing, China

Beijing-the heart of China.  Dating back to almost 3 millennia, Beijing is home to some of the most ancient architecture-teeming with rich culture and tradition.  So many wonders to see! From Tiananmen Square to the Great Wall, here are some of the top tourist must sees 🙂

Tiananmen Square  is the largest square in the world. As the main entrance to the imperial palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties, it is truly a grandeur.  And although this is true, there is a little forced sense of joy in the face of the massacre that took place.  We also got to delve deeper into some of the history at the National Museum of China just across the street.

The Forbidden City is absolutely jaw dropping. I remember standing in complete and utter awe at the intricacies of the palace buildings.

The Temple of Heaven was equally as beautiful.  The sacred temple has been so well preserved, the age is evident in the musty smell that rests in the temple rooms.

 

out of all, my favorite would have to be

The Great Wall-our guide took us to more of the rural side of the wall, where tourists rarely go because this stretch was so extensive in climbing.

SO sick

At the end of this trip we got to experience the traditional an infamous Peking Duck! This is the must-try dish 🙂

These are just some of the must dos in this truly grand city.

In about one week, I will be traveling to Taiwan (which I have been to), China, and Indonesia.  I am SO STOKED to return to Asia, head up for more posts and pictures! 🙂

Much Love,

Maddi