China – Ullan Adventures

Interview with Beckett – A Year of Travel Wrap-up

Kirsten / June 5, 2014

Interview with Beckett at the end of our year of traveling (age 7)

Q: Have you enjoyed traveling this past year?
Beckett: Yes. I’ve enjoyed traveling because you can go a lot of fun places like Turkey and Thailand.

Q: What do you like most about traveling?
Beckett: That I get to do fun activities like paragliding and ziplining and stuff. And elephant camp.

Riding an elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Q: What did you like least about traveling?
Beckett: I have to pack and unpack my bag. And as soon as I find somewhere fun, I have to leave.

Q: What toys/games are you happy you brought with you?
Beckett: Stuffies! Stuffies is like everything I brought.

Q: What were your favorite places? Why?
Beckett: Thailand because we went to an elephant camp and took care of elephants for a day and cleaned it, checked the poo, ate lunch then bathed it. And I also went ziplining through the trees in a jungle. We saw gibbons through the trees.

Turkey because I went paragliding and they have delicious pancakes – yum yum. The paragliding was so fun – you were 6000’ up – but the drive was really scary.

Santorini because we went ATV-ing. And Morocco because we went ATV-ing out in the desert and because of the cobra show.

Watching a cobra in the Medina in Marrakech, Morocco

Q: What were your least favorite places? Why?
Beckett: Istanbul. There was just nothing really good to see there. And Spain, there was just nothing really good to do around.

Q: What were your favorite experiences?
Beckett: Ziplining. Taking care of elephants for a day. Paragliding! ATV-ing. Going up the Eiffel Tower. Walking on the Great Wall of China and taking the toboggan down. Ice cream show in Turkey. Yee Peng. Tigers. Turkish Bath.

Beck and Mara running on the Great Wall of China

Q: What were your least favorite experiences?
Beckett: My least favorite experience was trying new foods. The ferry from Rhodes to Turkey – I hate that. I did not like Pamukkale. The scary drive up the mountain to paraglide. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul were boring.

Q: Did you enjoy being homeschooled?
Beckett: Uhhhhh… don’t know. It was ok.

Q: What was your favorite homeschool subject?
Beckett: Science

Q: What was your least favorite homeschool subject?
Beckett: Writing

Q: What have you learned from your travels so far?
Beckett: That traveling can be fun but also not fun. How bad the ferry from Rhodes to Turkey was. How boring plane rides are. How fun ATVs are. How fun paragliding and taking care of an elephant is. How fun ziplining is.

Q: What were some of your favorite foods?
Beckett: Turkish pancakes. Crepes. Mac n’ cheese from Hotel Letoon in Fethiye, Turkey. Baguettes. Food-go-round. MK in Thailand.

Eating Gözleme (Turkish pancakes) in Calis Beach, Turkey

Q: What do you miss the most about the USA?
Beckett: Having a house and not having to pack your bags every once in a while. And unpack them. Finding friends and not having to leave them.

Q: What will you miss the most about traveling?
Beckett: Going fun places and doing once in a lifetime experiences.

Q: Where do you want to travel next?
Beckett: Go on African safari.

007 — Me-O Veterinary Clinic in Kidzania in Bangkok

118 — Making curry paste at Sammy’s Cooking School in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Washing MaeBonChon in the river at Patara Elephant Camp in Thailand

416 — Feeding a baby tiger at the Night Safari in Chiang Mai, Thailand

FC Barcelona futbol game at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain

Beckett and his magic genie lamp in Marrakech, Morocco

467 — Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

228 — Crossing the Mekong River in a longtail boat from Thailand to Laos

063 — Going Viking at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway

Fresh squeezed OJ from #63 in Marrakech, Morocco — Fresh squeezed OJ from stall #63 in Marrakech, Morocco

Feeding pigeons at Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Tree "snow" in Paris — Tree “snow” in Paris

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Interview with Mara – A Year of Travel Wrap-up

Kirsten / June 5, 2014

Interview with Mara at the end of our year of traveling (age 9)

116 — MaeKwan at Patara Elephant Camp in Thailand

Q: Have you enjoyed traveling this past year?
Mara: Well… it’s fun at times. But sometimes I miss just having a house. But it’s great – I love traveling the world and it’s amazing!

Q: What do you like most about traveling?
Mara: Going new places and experiencing new cultures. And I love to try the different foods. And the different treats are always fun.

Q: What did you like least about traveling?
Mara: I don’t get to have much stuff and it’s kind of hard to make friends when you know you’re going to be leaving soon. Sometimes I just miss having friends and having a real house and being able to decorate it.

Q: What toys/games are you happy you brought with you?
Mara: Well, I’m happy I brought my stuffed animals. Or some of my stuffed animals. And I’m happy I brought my Barbies. That’s pretty much all I brought.

Q: What were your favorite places? Why?
Mara: I loved Thailand because there were so many adventures and there are lots of crazy markets. I loved Paris because I wanted to go there all my life and I SO LOVED going up the Eiffel Tower. And I loved Hong Kong because there was a restaurant we called “Noodle Girl” and it was soooo yum! Santorini was AM-AZ-ING!

Me in front of the Eiffel Tower for the first time!

Q: What were your least favorite places? Why?
Mara: Well, that’s kind of hard but Spain was the worst place we went. But it was still pretty darn good. And in Istanbul, all the restaurants served Turkish food which got boring. Plus the Grand Bazaar was just ok. There are so many stray cats and dogs which got scary.

Q: What were your favorite experiences?
Mara: I loved the elephant camp in Thailand. It was UNBELIEVABLY cool! And I also loved the crazy markets. I liked the Noodle Girl restaurant in Hong Kong – it makes me so hungry for grilled steak. Yee Peng was amazing! Great Wall of China! Marrakech ATVs were awesome! Seeing my family paraglide was neat. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France was amazing! It was so cool. And there were lights on it that blinked and made it looked like it sparkled.

All smiles while warming up after the Forbidden City

Q: What were your least favorite experiences?
Mara: Pamukkale (in Turkey) was ok. And Tiger Kingdom was ok. I really disliked the Louvre, Notre Dame, and La Sagrada Familia. The Alcazar (in Seville, Spain) was bor-ing. The Parthenon was boring. I disliked the ferry from Rhodes to Turkey because the sea was so rocky and wavy and over half the people threw up. Climbing up the Kotor wall was just so long and boring.

Q: Did you enjoy being homeschooled?
Mara: Yes because less school hours. And I don’t have to wake up early, early, early. I have the nicest teacher in the world. I also liked the way she taught multiplication and division.

Q: What was your favorite homeschool subject?
Mara: I don’t have one. I do like multiplication.

Q: What was your least favorite homeschool subject?
Mara: My least favorite was spelling.

Learning about Ancient Greece and hosting our own Olympics

Q: What have you learned from your travels so far?
Mara: A lot about how boring planes are. And how rocky and wavy ferries can be. And how annoying it is to wake up early. I also learned a lot about geography. I also learned how to negotiate. And how fun tuk tuks are. And I learned how annoying it is to have everything you own fit into a suitcase. And that elephants are fun and amazing creatures.

Q: What were some of your favorite foods?
Mara: Pizza in Fethiye, Turkey at Nil Bar. Steak at “Noodle Girl” in the Hong Kong airport. And Nic’s in Chiang Mai, Thailand had great meatballs and pizza. The baguettes we had in Spain were AMAZING! Mint tea in Marrakech. Mmm mmm. The crepes and macarons in Paris – yum! The gyros in Santorini and the olives in Athens were good. I also liked sushi and coconut milk straight from the coconut in Thailand.

I did NOT like the orange hot dog under the Eiffel Tower. Blahhhh.

Q: What do you miss the most about the USA?
Mara: I miss being able to talk to kids in English. And I miss English TV. I miss going to swim team. Girl Scouts! Toy stores!

Q: What will you miss the most about traveling?
Mara: I’m going to miss the food and the cultures and going new places.

Q: Where do you want to travel next?
Mara: Egypt to see the Pyramids. And Russia – I like snow.

139 — Cooking Thai food at Sammy’s Cooking School in Chiang Mai, Thailand

454 — Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

224 — Longtail boat trip on the Mekong from Thailand to Laos

Riding a bull at a carnival in La Herradura, Spain

Asia China Educational Favorite Moments World Travels

Day Trip to Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing

Chuck Ullan / December 9, 2013

When we were booking our trip back from Chiang Mai to Washington DC, we found an itinerary that had a connection in Beijing. Putting on our maximizing hats once again, we realized we could create a 13 hour layover – enough time to go see some of the sights.

China has a 24 hour transit visa that lets you go into the country at certain airports without a pre-approved visa, as long as you can prove that you’re leaving the country within 24 hours. We just went through the normal foreigner immigration line, told the agent what we were doing and breezed through. No fees, no hassle.

Once through immigration, we grabbed breakfast and met up with our guide and driver. No way we were doing this on our own!

Here’s how our itinerary stacked up:

5:40am Land
5:40-8:00am   Clear immigration, eat, get cash, meet up with guide
8:00-9:00am   Drive to Forbidden City (slow this day due to morning traffic)
9:00-10:30am   Explore Forbidden City
10:30am   Drive by Tiananmen Gate and Tiananmen Square (We didn’t walk in – just a drive-by)
10:45-1:00pm Drive to Mutianyu section of Great Wall, with stop at McDonald’s for lunch. Yes, it’s shameful to eat McD’s there, but it was quick and time was of the essence, plus we knew the kids would actually eat.
1:00-2:30pm Hike the Great Wall
2:30-3:00pm Souvenir shopping and pit stops
3:00-4:00pm   Drive back to Beijing airport
6:30pm   Fly from Beijing to Washington Dulles

This itinerary worked very well for us, especially considering the weather had temps in the 40s with a stiff breeze. On a nicer day, we’d have liked to have more time at both locations.

Kir was super excited about seeing the Forbidden City especially since seeing the movie “The Last Emperor”. We entered through the East Gate then walked around the moat to the South Gate. Unfortunately the stiff breeze made it super cold and Beckett didn’t have a hat so he was miserable the entire time. So instead of continuing quickly through the whole city and leaving through the North Gate, we opted to turn around almost halfway in and exit through the East Gate.

Moat and wall protecting the Forbidden City

Outside the South Gate of Forbidden City

Hall of Supreme Harmony
Check out Beckett covering his ears – poor kid was so cold

Throne inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony

Throne inside the Hall of Preserved Harmony

096 — I love seeing the modern city of Beijing in the distance

112 — These metal pots stored water for firefighting, since the building interiors were mostly wood. They’d light a fire under them in winter to prevent freezing.

Next stop, the hat store to get hats for both the kids so they wouldn’t freeze on the Great Wall.

We really enjoyed driving around Beijing. Some things reminded us of Thailand but many others were just like you’d expect Beijing to look:

A quick stop at McDonald’s for lunch.

Finally, after about a 90 minute drive, we got to the Great Wall.

224 — Chair lift up, toboggan down and Great Wall in the distance

After about 1:15 of hiking, it was time to take the toboggans back to the bottom. Beckett had to share a toboggan with Kirsten but sat in front and got to steer the whole way down. Mara was next followed by Chuck. The kids LOVED this and begged to go up so they could ride down again.

Uh oh! The Mongols are waiting for you at the bottom!

Overall, this really was a perfect day trip. We had some nervousness about a number of aspects but everything worked out fine. The kids were very cold at the Forbidden City, which was our fault for not getting them geared up correctly. Both of them LOVED the Great Wall. Even though our time was limited at each attraction, we were delighted to get a peek into China.

Asia China World Travels

Hong Kong

Kirsten / June 15, 2013

I first flew into Hong Kong in 2005 when I flew from Washington D.C. to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was back when the airport was in the middle of the city (and one of the most dangerous airports to fly into in the world) and I could see the city all lit up at night thru the big picture windows from my airport terminal. Unfortunately it was such a brief layover that I didn’t have the time to leave the airport and never got to actually see the city.

Fast forward 18 years and Hong Kong was a stop on our flight from Kona, HI to Bangkok, Thailand. We had a few choices of layover times so, of course, I took the longest layover time of about 16 hours.

We flew in at night and immediately went to a hotel nearby (the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriot) for the night. We’d already flown from Kona to Honolulu to Guam to Hong Kong and were all pretty wrecked.

After a good night of sleep, we got up early, had breakfast at the hotel then ventured into Hong Kong. We rode the Airport Express right into the center of Hong Kong island.

From there we wandered to the Star Ferry terminal and took the famous Star Ferry over to Kowloon.

After walking around Kowloon for maybe 30 minutes, we rode the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong, then took the Airport Express back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and back to the airport for our flight to Bangkok. Of course we stopped off for some tasty ramen at the airport before our flight!

Even though I was only briefly in Hong Kong, and it was so overcast and miserable, I was happy to finally see the city with my own eyes. Maybe some day I’ll return, but for now, I’m satisfied.