China Bound

Day 1

We are China bound! We had an 18 hour layover in Vancouver, so just enough time to rest and grab a bite. It will be nice to break up the trip this way because rest is much needed since we had a very stressful day getting to the airport and were running off of 3-4 hours of sleep. We are already making an unforgettable journey!

The plane ride from Chicago to Vancouver was a bit bumpy at times but the views were incredible. We gazed out the window with amazement. The land below was full of mountains, rivers, and lakes and its so green. I Love seeing the land from this perspective. You realize how small you really are! I could live on top of the clouds and look over the country forever! There's so much to see. 

We did land safely and had a nice dinner on the river behind our hotel while the sun was setting over the water. We had delicious food including a salad that was so fresh it tasted, smelled, and looked like the chef went to a patch of greens in his backyard and pulled a handful of his land up and threw it in a bowl. True Food in Phoenix has a salad that is just as fresh. I would love to learn the art of making salads like this. I'll put that on my bucket list!

There was a little path between the hotel and the restaurant and we wanted to see what we could while the sun was out so we got a few pictures of the views. I totally love the different kinds of evergreen trees. I wonder what kind of trees, and landscapes we will discover in China?!!

Well, we are extremely exhausted and we have a long flight to Beijing from here in the morning. I hope to keep you updated here on my blog while we are exploring the great country of China. The frequency of updates will depend on our internet access. So come back and visit and keep us in your prayers!

hello spring

some of the things i love about spring is being outdoors, 

shedding a few layers of clothes, and sunshine-y days of outdoor living.

it's a time to dust my camera off after a few months 

of hibernation and put it to use again!

there's a bit of green peeking through here and there.

i guess that calls for some of us to flex our muscles!

i was so excited to see a few blooming trees and plants.

a bit of colorful paper and yarn too. 

i think once everybody returns from their spring break adventures

it will be a nice change of scenery.

heritage walk :: temples

so, i am going out of order here on this time line of our trip. but not too far off the line.

one morning some of us got up extra early for a heritage walk. 

i was one of those who did. and i never did regret not getting those few more hours of sleep.

our first stop on our heritage walk was this temple (it kills me that i can't remember the name of it). we had to first take off our shoes to enter. 

the lovely guide we had didn't want to give us facts when taking us through the temple 

but rather tell stories of the the history behind it.

the stories are all beautifully carved onto these temple structures that were bursting with color.

it was all so fascinating,

and a great opportunity to learn about the Indian culture!