Train to Guilin, South China (train journey 1,327 miles; total: 8980 miles)

China's transportation solution for it's 1.3 Billion people: Trains. It is said that at any given time, China's train system is carrying 10 million people. Fortunately, they weren't all on our train. In fact, we had exactly 4 people in our cabin.
China has 4 types of service on it's trains: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper, and soft sleeper. Most Chinese locals buy the cheap seats. We opted for the highest level (soft sleeper) for our 28 hour journey from Beijing to Guilin. Two Chinese men shared the 4 bunks in our private room in carriage number 9. The accommodations in the soft sleeper class are simple and comfortable. The rooms are about 8'x6' and air conditioned. The beds are upholstered in crushed blue velvet. It is just as soft (and stylish) as it looks.
The rocking of the train made it surprisingly easy to sleep. Our rest was only occasionally interrupted by violent rattles and shakes as the train changed speed – taking up slack space between the carriages, perhaps something to do with the age or style of these trains.

Outside the window, we saw a huge variety of Chinese farms, towns, and factories. We crossed the Yangtze river. Flew by rice paddies, geese and there herder (who knew?) and some oxen. The windows were dirty, so we didn't get any good pictures from the train.

The dining car had limited options. We dove into the packaged food we brought from the states for the first time. Mmmmm Quaker Instant Oatmeal never tasted so good. =) For lunch we had noodle thing with rice. Noodle thing consisted of brown spongy food, a duck egg (it had a green shell), steamed veggies, and unidentifiable fatty meat scraps. It was delicious. Our chopstick skills are really coming along and we impressed our Chinese cabin mates....until we dropped and sticky pile of rice in our Lonley Planet book. Now the Hunan Province is all stuck together.

We enjoy seeing the country fly by outside our train window. Also, on a budget conscious trip the train is a great option. This trip cost about 1/4 of what we would have spent flying (and we were in 1st class on the train!!). It cost us even less if you consider we didn't have to pay for a hotel room the night we slept on the train. Booking the China train tickets was tricky. There is very little English in the train station. We have a list of our destination cities written out in Chinese. There is a lot of grunting and pointing to get our point across. Also, The Man in Seat Sixty-One (expert on train travel) made our planning much easier.

From Guilin, we head to Yangshou. There is a beautiful river there where we will take a tour by bamboo raft and go mountain biking. It should make for a good weekend. Then we get back on a train southbound to Vietnam. That trip should only be about 10 hours. A walk in the park after this journey.

Wedding Pictures!!

Wedding update: Our photographer, Ashley Smith, has posted some of the wedding photos on her blog. They are great! Thanks for the photos, Ashley. Also, thanks to everyone for sharing the day with us! We will be posting more pictures soon! Stay tuned.

Hutong Tour

Today we biked in Beijing. At first the traffic looked a bit insane, but once you get on the bike it all began to make sense. Lesson one, there are no rules. You can pull out to pass anytime -- even into oncoming traffic. Cars/bikes/people just move out of the way. You can ride/drive up the wrong side of the street. You can ride/drive on the sidewalk. Bikes and mopeds can also use the crosswalks. Once you get to the intersections everything moves very slow. This is the only way this chaos doesn't end in squished bikers, pedestrians and dented cars. It takes a bit of getting used to.

We rode with a guide through the old alleys, or hutongs, of Beijing. You could spend hours wandering around this area. At one time, each hutong was its own community. Many were purpose built -- manufacturing specific goods or housing workers, like the emperors secret service. Today, many of the hutongs are being replaced by modern buildings. The ones that remain today are residential and business districts. There are a few that still look like traditional living quarters. The houses are small. Seemingly, most are still without plumbing. Bathrooms are communal and centrally located. The streets are narrow and winding. This is what we expected Beijing to look like.

Beijing Pearl and Silk Markets (7,653 miles)

Today we hit the Silk and Pearl markets with Aji and Katie. The pearl market is just what it says it is, floors and floors of pearls. The silk market is a touch misleading. It is shop after shop of knock-offs: purses, shoes, jackets, jeans. You name it and its in there, or at least a cheap imitation. I hear Dolge Gabbana is all the rage this year! Both places are an experience of culture shock. Vendors call out as you walk by, some grab at your wrist and pull you into their nook if they manage to keep hold long enough. Pick something up and it is almost impossible to put it down again. People will continue to put it back in your hand. They would hold onto your arm and drag you from item to item until they found something you liked. The only thing that seemed to stop them was the statement: “You don't have what I want.” Anything thing less than that would encourage the aggressive sales pitch. Make the mistake of trying something on and then not buying and you really feel the lash of their tongue. Those ladies looked sweet, but could rip you apart in seconds. To make matters worse, everything was priced at 50-90% more than you needed to pay. Haggling was required. You had to start with an opening bid at 10% their asking price. We ended up paying about 20% of “retail” on most items. It was tiring.... But we found some bargins and brought home some hard fought souvenirs.

Crazy Engrish Signs....just as fantastic as promised:

(click on the images for a larger view)

The Great Wall (7,583 miles)

Today we walked the wall, ate a state supervised lunch, and toured the Summer Palace. The Great Wall is breathtaking. It winds effortlessly up and down the mountainside. Leslie, our guide, pointed us in the direction of a short hike and we were off. The steps are unpredictable. The idea that anyone would run a marathon on this thing is shocking. We sang the Rocky theme and ran about 100 feet before we stopped...for photos of course. Again, we were the only westerners and we were popular. Aji and I were ok, but the Chinese, they looooooove Chris. Maybe it is his blond hair, rugged good looks, or they think he is Russell Crowe. Whatever it is we spent a great deal of time posing for photos and shaking hands with all our new Chinese friends. If this is fame, sign us up. We got to hear some pretty cool drumming. Aji is hoping to be their next protege.

Later in the day, we went to the Summer Palace. It was a huge lake surrounded by temples and ornate buildings. Along one side of the lake is a very long walkway. It was an incredibly peaceful place. Within the arch of the walkway there were over 7000 individual paintings. Some of them told famous stories like this one: The Story of the Straw Warriors: There was a small army on a boat approaching its enemy. Low on ammunitions they felt out gunned by their enemy. On the boat, the leader ordered his army to make many straw men. The army set the straw men on the deck of the ship and then moved into attack position that night. Onland soldiers saw a boat filled with soliders approaching. They quickly moved into attack mode and began showering the ship with arrows. By morning the ship escaped taking all of its enemies arrrows with them. The were able to collect the arrows from the straw dummies and use them to stage an attack the next night.

Beijing, China (7,462 miles)

Chinese customs was a breeze. All that work at the Chinese Embassy in London paid off. We hopped a cab to the Hilton to drop our stuff. It was early, so we decided to head to Tiananmen Square. The subway system in Beijing is very easy to use. Although it early on a Saturday, the subway was already crowded. At Tiananmen Square we discover why -- every Chinese national is there. Apparently this is a big travel season.
They are were in groups and identified by their matching hats. (usually baseball hats -- but some got more creative. We especially liked this group with their stylish plaid.) Each group is led by a flag waving tour guide. They were proudly grouping for photos. The atmosphere was party like. We were taking it all in when we are approached by a Chinese gentleman giving the international sign for “Please take my picture in front of this historic landmark” We move to let him pose for his shot and he gets all flustered waving us back into the photo. Confused we step closer to him and he organizes us around him and his friend snapped the shot. Suddenly, we are part of their tour. We didn't think to get our picture with him.

China Air... not as bad as it sounds.

It was simple. We ate chicken and rice for both meals. No fancy personal entertainment systems. -- There was one large screen with a kung fu movie playing for what seemed like the entire 12 hour flight. The seats were slightly bigger than a coach seat on a BA or Virgin flight. We were able to sleep a lot overnight when they turned the lights out. We flew over the international dateline. We left LA Friday at 1:40 am We arrived 12 hours later in Beijing on Saturday at 5:30 am. That will take some adjustment.

Encinitas, CA (1,001 miles)

We met up with our good friend, Bill Ivers, in at D Street Grill and Pub. Ate some fantastic food and had wonderful conversation. It was great hanging out with a friend while we are on the road. We understand why Bill picked Encinitas to live. The town is beautiful and we have not met a nicer group of people in a long time.

One last shot at all of our paperwork, our final travel shots and we headed to LAX for our 1:40am flight. Everyone in the world seems to know what we just learned. LAX is a junk airport. Avoid it if given the chance. The guard at the security check said he felt sorry for people that flew out of LAX.

We agree with him.

U.S leg over (1,182 miles)

California is a bit of a blur.

It is a sprint to the finish of the U.S. leg. We have a first aid kit to build, mosquito net to buy and assorted other knick knacks to find. It will be a rush to the airport Friday morning.

Las Vegas Baby (629.4 miles)

Vegas always seems like a good idea....and then you get there. Lights, traffic, noise, noise, noise. After the calm of the Grand Canyon, Vegas was a bit of a shock. It didn't help that our first few nights at the tables were a bust. Darn you lady luck! After far too many hours trying to find a suitable hotel on the strip during convention season we finally settled in and got to business: craps, burlesque shows, steak and MORE CRAPS. We didn't lose our shirts, but we aren't going 5- star for the whole trip either. This is the only photo we took in Vegas. There is evidently no time to take photos in Vegas.

Hoover Dam (roughly 600 miles)

Hoover Dam is wicked. That is the whole truth. The tour is pricey. The traffic is horrendous. There are almost no concessions and the water fountains were out of order. Go. Pray you go on an off day, but even if it is the height of tourist season it would be worth it.

A few words about Southern Utah (446 miles)

Neither one of us know much about Utah...until now. We were flying along the highway, about 30 miles from the park and come upon a guy in an orange hunting jacket. He is about 150 feet from the shoulder of the road pointing his sighted rifle straight up the road. (at us!) Concerned about this we mention the wacked out hunter to the ranger at the park entrance.

“Where you from? You know anything about southern Utah?” he asks.

We do now. Thanks for playing.

Wild Tame Buffalo at Zion Mountain Lodge (444.6 miles)

Parts of the canyon feel like the national park services answer to Disney.

Zion National Park

There is a beautiful drive through Zion National Park. Wish we had time to stop and hike a bit, but we are a bit pressed for time and a bit parked out.

More Crazy Arizona Landscape

It looks like Mars, or the moon. Lots of dirt, weird little plants and rocks.... everywhere.

Rock and earthen houses built into the landscape.


Chris keeps an eye on this one...

Grand Canyon, North Rim (332.1 miles)

Just about in the middle of nowhere sits Jacob Lake Inn. If you ever find yourself in the middle of nowhere I highly recommend the lemon zucchini cookies. They have two types of milk shakes: Regular & Extra Thick. The regular is very think (and yummy!). They are hard to beat. Skip the dining room. The food was ok, but this is not the place for cloth napkins. We heard the other Inn on the North Rim (Kaibab Lodge) has better food. We will check it out next time.

The north rim of the canyon has considerably more tree and plants. The ground is still powder fine, but the views are completely different.

The pine trees give the north side more of a forest feel.

Both sides of the canyon are absolutely packed with wildlife. Heaps of deer, rabbits, elk (not moose Ranger Pat confirmed), the biggest ravens in the world, crazy squirrels and semi-retarded tourists that would hop out of their moving car if it meant they could snap a photo of an elk 300 yards away with the Canon Elph. Professional nature photogs beware...you have stiff competition in the crazies that visit the Grand Canyon.

The deer make for fairly treacherous driving day and night. They stand perilously close to the road. Never has the phrase “Deer in headlights” made more sense to me.

Cameron, AZ sucks (176.4 miles)

Don't bother with the “Largest Trading Post in Arizona”. It's full of crap. However, the huevos rancheros were the real deal and we have not come across something so tasty since.

Sunrise: Desert View (141.7 miles)

We saw a couple of sunsets, but it was this sunrise at Desert Point that blew us away. We caught the Sunset on our first day there. We set our early on our last South Rim day to catch the Sunrise at the Eastern edge of the park.

Sunset at Yavapai Point


Sunrise at Desert View


The Tower at Desert View at Sunrise


It's cold! Time to find some coffee!

Grand Canyon, South Rim (86.1 miles)

The Grand Canyon is...what can I say, Grand. We arrived and went to the closest lookout point. The view was huge and impressive. We thought we had see it all, but began to realize that it just keeps going. Across was fixed, the easiest bit to comprehend. Side to side the canyon seemed to expand forever. The south side is DRY! There aren't many trees. All of the plants are small and low to the ground. We hiked into the Canyon with the fabulous Ranger Pat Ramsey. We loved it. We have quite a bit to learn before our rim-to-rim hike, March 2010. Mark your calendars!

Ranger Pat gives us pointers along the way.

Taking a break about 1000' below the rim.

Forest Fire (36.8 miles)

Arizona is dry and flat. You can see for miles and miles. Check out the forest fire in the distance.

Williams, Arizona (30.8 Miles)

Williams is a small town on old Route 66, just West of Flagstaff. We stayed at the historic Grand Canyon Hotel, founded in 1891, is th oldest in Arizona. It is still family run and the whole place feels like your gandma's house. The lobby is full of finches, parakeets and fish tanks. The guest rooms have themes. We stayed in the Paris room. It has the softest bed and a eiffel tower key chain.

Flagstaff, Arizona (0.0 Miles)

Quick reminder... Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet. In mid-October, it is COLD. Coming from Austin, it was a bit of a shock o the system. Flagstaff is a tiny airport. There was a 30 yard walk from our prop plane to the terminal. Somehow, we forgot what 30 degrees of biting wind feels like. Brrrrrrr. Looks like we will have to do some shopping. That will work out well because it will be Winter when we get to Beijing late next week.

We Got Married!

And what a wedding!! Everyone we spoke to over the last 2 years told us that their wedding day just flew by. We worked hard to slow things down so that we could spend time with as many people as possible. Because that is what is really all about for us.

It worked! We had a GREAT time. We hope you did too. Our photographer will be posting her pictures online soon, keep an eye out for updates.

Now it is time to honeymoon. There are a few legs to our tour. First we head West: from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, Vegas, and LA. Then we head to China, Vietnam, and Thailand. It should be a great adventure!!! We will keep everyone up to date on this blog, so stay tuned!