Happy New Years from Las Vegas. Its a freaking madhouse down here!!
Category Archives: Travel
Shanghai, China
So we arrived in Shanghai at 1:30 p.m. The flight was very smooth and on time (15 hours flight). As we landed in Shanghai, a doctor and six fully clothed nursess in white uniforms (from head to toe with face masks) boarded the plane to take everyone’s temperature before we could depart the plane. They were being careful that no one came in with the new flu virus. This took about 30 minutes to check everyone on a full plane.
It took an hour in the Shanghai airport going through customs and getting our bags. We spent about 30 minutes trying to locate the right bus for the hotel (after asking four different people and getting four different answers). Finally, we boarded the bus and spent an hour in the bus during late afternoon traffic rush. Once at the hotel, it took another three people and about 30 minutes to get connected to the internet. It was 6 p.m. and we were both very tired. At least the bed was comfy!
Shanghai’s got the best skyline in the entire world. Hands down, nothing can beat the sweet buildings that line the river here – The Bund. At night all the buildings light up and catamarans float down the river, illuminating the river with their own neon.
Shanghai is China’s economic capital and the largest city in the country. It’s polluted as heck and there are 18.2 million people living here.
The futuristic, rocket-like building that can be seen in my various photos of Shanghai’s skyline is the Oriental Pearl Tower. It’s almost half a kilometre high and in my opinion, it looks like aliens put it there. My other favourite building in Shanghai is the Shanghai Financial Centre. It looks like a gigantic beer bottle opener.
Ahh Chicken Pot, one of my favorite restaurants of the trip. They definitely need to open one of these in the states!
*Droooool*
Here’s a view from the Jin Mao Observatory tower. The Jin Mao Tower
Goodbye Dubai
Goodbye Dubai! In the words of Ahnold…ill be back!
Ski Dubai
No im not in Aspen…im still in Dubai! Yea this place is so ridiculously over the top and lavish they even have an indoor ski arena. The place is called Ski Dubai, a man made indoor ski-slope with real snow and its very own snow park where there are a few children
Dubai Dubai
*Dubai Airport*
So ive never been to Dubai and decided it was time to visit. I think I picked the wrong time of year to go. It was very hot both in day and evening. One of the local folk said that this was maybe not the best time to visit. All in all it is very interesting place. I only stayed a couple of days but did enjoy myself a lot.
*The Burj Dubai*
One note, this place is NOT cheap. Holy crap was it pricey, from the hotels, to the food…this is like New York squared. If you’re into the upscale lavish lifestyle, then you’re definitely going to love Dubai. Some of the skyscrapers they’re building are absolutely out of this world ( The Burj Dubai is ridiculous )!
Home Sweet Home
I’m back home and jumped right into my life at home. Its funny how happy I am to be home but also how quickly I miss Southeast Asia. When I first came back it was a beautiful day. People kept asking if SE Asia was more beautiful than home but I just said it was different and where we live is very beautiful in its own way. Well, I’ll finish the story of my trip and the first couple days back home.
When arriving home somehow my Dad and I missed each other in the airport and then my Mom showed up randomly so I left with Mom. We tried calling Dad but he left his phone in the truck so Dad ended up waiting in the airport for 3 hours, leaving after he heard a page that I did for him in the bagage claim area. It was a strange way to come home but after all the confusion was over everything was great.
So what am I going to be up to? Take some time off, relax, and then its back to Vegas baby! Ill keep you guys updated.
Viva Las Vegas
Im back in the city that never sleeps, after quite a long absence. I really did miss this place…a lot! Decided to stay at MGM ( couldnt turn down the $59 a night rate ). Going to meet up with some friends later tonight, maybe hit up a buffet, go lose some money at Blackjack, have a few adult beverage and just enjoy life! Wish me luck at the tables!
Sunset Riverfront Foot Massage
Ahh perfect. Relaxation at its finest! Foot Massages are something I definitely don’t get around to do back home, but here…its so cheap! $7.00 usd an hour?? Wow. And after all the walking we do, this helps a LOT!
Traffic Anyone?
Ha Hows this for traffic?? Think La is bad? Well you haven’t been to THIS city! Can you guess where it is? This beautiful city was actually ranked 4th on a list of cities with the worst traffic. Yea I believe it!
Asia Awaits
This is my first blog for my trip to Southern Asia. I’ve never done a blog so bear with me. I’ve been to Asia numerous times but this is the first time ill actually be blogging about it! I’ve been wanting to do a trip like this for years and now its under a day away. I’m leaving tomorrow noonish. From there I’m traveling around a bit and then visiting a few friends. I’ll also be sampling a nice variety of cuisine ( and Southeast Asia is the perfect place for that! ).
Thats the kind of stuff I want to share on this blog. Its a bit of an open way to express personal feeling and experiences, but I want to share this experience with whoever wants to read, so hear it goes.
First I plan to travel around China for a month before some friends are arriving. I’ll travel with a few of my close friends and then see where I go. Probably Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, but not necessarily in that order. After that I plan to travel in Malaysia, see Singapore, and then explore Indonesia. In Indonesia I would like to see Sumatra, Java, and Bali. From there I would like to move to a different part of southern asia. Ill keep everyone updated with daily blogs of my activities. See you soon!