Eastern Thrills: Xi'an

Our next stop was Xi'an to see the ancient terracotta warriors and get a taste of the people via street food. This we did, in excess. 

We were so jet lagged that we arose every morning around 6 AM. We would promptly hit the streets to find caffeine. If we were lucky we would run in to these early morning eats.

Fried everything.

My favorite meal: Mongolian Hot Pot. I guess ever culture has their version of fondu. 

Everybody needs an egg now and then.

Skewered octopus.

Barbecued street meat. 

Wonder what type of meat it was?

The highlight of Xi'an was  exploring the ancient archeological site of the Terracotta Warriors. These relics are said to be 'funerary art' which were buried with the first emporer of China in 210 BC. They were sculpted to be his army in the after life to protect him.

There are literally thousands of warriors with no two faces alike. 

Mind blowing.

Finally, the city of Xi'an is known for their markets, namely the Muslim Market, in the Muslim Quarter, which is the biggest Islamic community in China. Of course this was during the National Day holiday, so the streets were packed.

Stay tuned for the next stop: Shanghai.

Eastern Thrills: Beijing

I typically HATE the fall time. I know I know, you are thinking how sadistic is she, who hates fall? Alls I know is every fall without fail I can't sleep, I stress about everything, and I am grumpy. So this year, I planned a trip to Asia with my dear travel companion and friend, Hughes. I figured if I left the country and refocused, I might be able to stand the fall, and let me tell you this was best decision ever. 

Hughes and I landed in Beijing after a fourteen hour flight, with massive cankles and swollen eyes, ready to charge this city of 24 million peeps.  Good thing we slept the entire flight because little did we know we were in for an epic few hours. We arrived at 2 AM with no where to go. I forgot to mention earlier that we were so busy reveling in our excitement, or twiddling our thumbs, we forgot to make reservations for our first night there (?). Okay, so yeah, yeah, yeah, H and I have traveled a bit together, and yeah, yeah, yeah, we have had some pretty epic National Geo style treks and adventures, but WHO THE HELL lands in Beijing at 2 AM with no where to go. It was also National Day, not to be confused with the singular day, but rather SEVEN days of the country being on holiday. Needless to say, "No Reservations" meant "No Vacancy." So, once again we were leaving our future to luck and western ignorance. We lucked out after a few hours of trekking around the city with our white skin, english speaking, backpack carrying selves, and found a great place where we stayed for the duration of our time in Beijing. 

This was just the beginning of our attempt at this ancient and curious city. Here are a few stories that illustrate my fav parts of Beijing.

PRC flags everywhere on bamboo sticks.

We stayed in a Hutong, which is an alleyway with courtyards where traditionally people lived . Red lanterns paint the sky.

Our first day outing to a series of Buddhist and Confucius temples. Yes, we are wearing matching  gringo outfits.

A little taste of Shangrila.

Great Wall of China. To the left Mongolia, to the right China. 

Such a highlight to see this magnificent wall. Stunning.

Mongolian mountains. Never forget the red dominance.

Bikes were so ubiquitous in the city. 

Night lights.

This may have been right before we were victims of an attempted robbery.  Smiles turned to frowns quickly. 

Blowouts every few days. The chinese know how to give the hair some love.

Rickshaw riding.

Taking a break at the Forbidden Palace; the fortress of the Ming Dynasty.  

On the streets,  bok choy prepping.

Tiananman Square, the largest public space in China and home to many socio-political historical events. 

This guy.

Bikes for every occasion.

Dumplings for every occasion.

Early morning commute.

Most amazing doors I have ever seen.

Everyone eats sunflower seeds, no package needed.


Stay tuned for the next stop: Xi'an, China. 

Weekend Habits

Empire of the Sun

On wednesday, the husband surprised me with a night of delicious Korean food at Cha'an, and then to the Paramount for a fabulous visual and audio experience by Empire of the Sun. I had never heard of this band before but now I am totally hooked!

Here are two of my fav songs already. Don't be fooled by their 'over the top' antics, the artistic experience in their live performance is perfection!

Jelly inspirations

I'm back on American soil!! I had an absolute BALL in China and I promise to blog about it soon. Until then I had to share this adorable halloween costume idea for all ages. My fav this season so far.

This totally inspires me to dress up this year!

And what perpetuity! It can act as a fun glow in the dark jelly.

1.3 Billion - here I come!

Tonight I leave on a jet plane to the world's most populous country, China! I will be adventuring for a few weeks through Beijing -> Xi'ian -> Shanghai -> Yangtze River -> Hong Kong, and everywhere in between. I hope to update my blog often in route, but we'll see how ubiquiteous wifi is. I am so excited to eat the food, smell the air, meet the people, shop in the cities, venture in the country, and explore!

Here's to a great trip!

NIMBY?

With all the uproar regarding the burgeoning Ballard development, no wonder people are in an tizzy around Apodments aka microhousing. Flooding into Ballard, these developments are certainly unsightly, but pretty dang financially and environmentally resourceful.  I mean, I'm typically a big fan of urban density development, but now that they are in my backyard I don't know what to think. The verdict is still out on this one...