Bangkok to Beijing and home again.....

28 May 2013

Its been kind of quiet around here....
you may have popped in and seen nothing but cobwebs..
and the odd cricket chirping.

That was because Ian and I were on the most amazing holiday with out dearest QLD friends...
We were away just over three weeks...
and had THE most amazing time.

I swear I may have been Asian in another life time...
I loved it...well of course we all did...
The people....the smells....the food...the history and the adventures we had.

I took one or two photos on out travels...so here is a snapshot....

Bangkok- Thailand

Highlights included:
Floating Markets
Bridge over the River Kwai
The Grand Palace
The Tiger Temple
Various other Temples.

Singapore-

Highlights -
Changhi Prison museum
Raffles Hotel and our $122 Singapore Slings (that was for 4)
China town
Marina Bay Sands Hotel skypark


Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - Vietnam
Highlights - the lacquer factory..

Nha Trang - Vietnam
Highlight - Pedicab ride...
and I have to say....we were amazed at what could be fitted on a scooter... check out the fridge!

Hong Kong

Highlights -
The Peak Tram
The Big Bus tour of the city
Stanley Markets
Sampan tour
The amazing city and harbour at night.

Shanghai - China
Highlights -
The Super speedy Maglev train at 300km/hr
The worlds tallest observation deck at 474 metres
The beautiful gardens and streets...
The architecture...Shanghai is a beautiful city.

Nagasaki - Japan

Highlights -
The Atomic Bomb Museum
Ground Zero - where the bomb exploded
The Nagasaki ropeway (a cable car) that gave us a spectacular view of the city.
Beautiful peaceful Nagasaki and its lovely helpful and friendly locals.

Busan - South Korea

Highlight:in Busan was definitely the fish market...
Such a bright and colourful stopover... 

Beijing - China
Highlights -
The Great wall
The Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square
The Summer Palace
The Temple of Heaven
The Ming Tombs
The Night food markets and their very interesting menu
The Silk Markets
The Jade Factory
The Hutong Tour
Acrobatic Show
The Freshwater Pearl Gallery
The Birds Nest - Site of the Beijing Olympic games

So now we are home again....and back to work....dreaming of where to visit next.
I felt so touched in some way by our trip to Asia...
The people were beautiful...the history was amazing....

I came home feeling as though I had too much stuff...
We consume too much...
We surround ourselves with too much....
Does it make us happier?
I doubt it.

20 comments

  1. Sounds incredibly magical Mardi... and the photos are just gorgeous... we have just come back from Bali... and can so relate to your last paragraph... I too, came home with a renewed desire to live even more simply... lightly and with more gratitude... beautiful post...

    Jenny ♥

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    1. Hi lovely...thanks for popping in.
      I have never been to Bali but I have heard such beautiful reports...I bet you had a wonderful time.
      I think we really have a lot to learn when it comes to just being satisfied...we seem to just 'want' far too much hey.
      Mardi x

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  2. What beautiful photos mardi. I know what you mean every time we come back from another country I feel like we need a simpler life. My family love travelling to Asia. I can't wait to go with hubby. Thanks for sharing!!! Welcome home. M xox

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    1. It is nice to be home....but I have been longing to go back already....checking out all the holiday deals...LOL
      However it will be quite some time before we head away again. I hope you can get back there soon too.
      Mardi x

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  3. What an amazing vacation! The photos of Bangkok took me back to when we were there several years back. Exploring Asia certainly gives you a different perspective, doesn't it! And, yes, whenever we've travelled through Asia we've been struck by how cheerful and happy the people are.

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    1. Hi Kathie...Isn't Bangkok wonderful!
      We really saw so little even though we crammed in as much as possible....I could go back to each and every place and explore more.
      Mardi x

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  4. WOW you did all that in just over three weeks!! Looks like you made so many memories. I would love to get up close to a tiger like that. The history of some of the places you visited would be great to see.

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    1. I know Louise....it seems ridiculous to think we did all of this in the time we had.....it was a fairly hectic pace....but we loved it.
      Its amazing to think their countries are 1000's of years old...and little old Australia is only in the 100's
      Mardi x

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  5. Mardi what beautiful photos.I am so glad you had such a great time.can't wait to see some of the scrap pages that you may do of your trip.It's true what you said that we have and spend too much you really notice it when you travel and see how others live.glad to have you back safe-love dee x

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    1. Yes...lots of layouts to come no doubt...I have so many wonderful stories to tell now.
      It was such an amazing eye opener....it opened our worlds right up...
      Thanks for the welcome home Dee
      Mardi x

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  6. We had the best time hey - looking back at this I can not believe how much we did ... and it is so true that we do have too much "stuff"... xxxx

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    1. We had THE MOST AMAZING time hey!
      Loved that we did it all together too... we are bloody fantastic travel buds aren't we!!
      Missing you lots...
      Mardi xx

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  7. Hi Mardi,
    Loved looking at your pics and your wee blurbs :)
    My hubby and I went to Thailand on our honeymoon 7 years ago and we stayed on the River Kwai and too went to the Tiger Temple... such fond memories, thanks for sharing :)

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    1. What a beautiful honeymoon spot Teryl... we are so keen to go back one day...there was still such a lot of magical Thailand we didnt get to see...and I can imagine just spending more time like that would allow you to absorb it even more.
      Mardi x

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  8. How on Earth did you squeeze all that in?! Gorgeous pics!

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    1. I know!!....it was a CRAZY pace...lol
      (Totally worth the exhaustion though)

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  9. Oh my goodness! You walked a tiger!
    What an amazing holiday! You packed SO much into it!!

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    1. I know....how crazy is that!!
      Ian reminded me that tose togers could have killed us in one swat if they wanted...but it was all so calm and spiritual there.
      Mardi xx

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  10. Oh Mardi I am so thrilled you were able to do this and share it with special friends as well. It looks like you were able to experience so much! Your photos are wonderful. It certainly gives me the bug just looking at them. Love the shot of the fellow riding with the fridge. The Great Wall is on my bucketlist. One day...

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    1. We were so lucky Lea....it was my dream trip...and I know future travels will be just as amazing....but to me...Asia was at the top of my list.
      We really did cram a lot in....we came home buzzing after weeks of go go go....and with a whole new view of how wide and varied this earth is.
      Mardi x

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