Several years ago we took a group to China. We started out in Shangai, then cruised the Yangtze River for 4 days, went to Xian, where we saw the terracotta army and ended in Beijing. Climbing up the steps to the Great Wall of China was awe-inspiring! This was definitely a trip of a lifetime. The walled city of Xian is so beautiful. One day while there we went to a local park on a Saturday afternoon. There were crowds of people there who were dancing, practicing tai chi, painting, exercising and singing. When we approached the group of people who were singing they invited us into their group and encircled us. When we told them we were from the U.S. they sang the only songs they knew in English, which one of them was Edelweiss. After we left that group we were invited into several other groups, learning dances, tai chi moves & even Taiji Jian, which was exercise moves with a sword. It was such an amazing experience! I highly recommend going to China. But pack some snacks & protein bars because, in my opinion, the food just wasn't like we're used to here in the states!
April of 2016 we traveled to Vietnam with a great group of friends. This is another one of those destinations that I highly recommend that you put on your "bucket list". We found the people to be so friendly and the price-point for this vacation was incredibly cheap!! We started out in Ho Chi Minh City and toured the Cu Chi Tunnels while we were in the area. From there we flew to Da Nang and traveled to Hoi An, a World Heritage Site. This beautiful town is filled with shops, restaurants, pagodas & temples. After leaving Hoi An we traveled to Hue where we took a Trishaw (cyclo) tour of the city. While in Hue we had dinner at a local restaurant owned by a gentleman who is also a photographer. As soon as we sat down he came up to us and said that he was a fire fighter for the American troops and was thrilled to have us in his restaurant. We ended up buying 4 amazing pictures from him at $2 each and they are hanging proudly in our family room. After leaving Hue we traveled to Halong Bay, a UNESCO Heritage Site. Unfortunately it was very cloudy the day we cruised around the bay, but it was an incredible experience, nonetheless. We ended our tour in Hanoi. While here we went to a water puppet show (which I wish I would have skipped, to be total honest with you!). We spent an afternoon in a small hillside town called Sai Go Village, which was very interesting. This is where most of the rice noodles were made. Hanoi is a huge city where you can shop & eat until your heart's content.
I had no idea just how much I was going to love this vacation!
April of 2016 we traveled to Vietnam with a great group of friends. This is another one of those destinations that I highly recommend that you put on your "bucket list". We found the people to be so friendly and the price-point for this vacation was incredibly cheap!! We started out in Ho Chi Minh City and toured the Cu Chi Tunnels while we were in the area. From there we flew to Da Nang and traveled to Hoi An, a World Heritage Site. This beautiful town is filled with shops, restaurants, pagodas & temples. After leaving Hoi An we traveled to Hue where we took a Trishaw (cyclo) tour of the city. While in Hue we had dinner at a local restaurant owned by a gentleman who is also a photographer. As soon as we sat down he came up to us and said that he was a fire fighter for the American troops and was thrilled to have us in his restaurant. We ended up buying 4 amazing pictures from him at $2 each and they are hanging proudly in our family room. After leaving Hue we traveled to Halong Bay, a UNESCO Heritage Site. Unfortunately it was very cloudy the day we cruised around the bay, but it was an incredible experience, nonetheless. We ended our tour in Hanoi. While here we went to a water puppet show (which I wish I would have skipped, to be total honest with you!). We spent an afternoon in a small hillside town called Sai Go Village, which was very interesting. This is where most of the rice noodles were made. Hanoi is a huge city where you can shop & eat until your heart's content.
I had no idea just how much I was going to love this vacation!
