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Xitang & Suzhou
Oct 18, 2018 to Oct 19, 2018From Shanghai, we traveled 2 hours west to Xitang, an ancient water town with more than a thousand years of history. Known as the “Venice of the East”, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou form a triangle consisting of ancient towns that mostly built around the complex canal systems, rivers and lakes. Xitang, together with with Zhouzhuang,… Read more…
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Shanghai
Oct 17, 2018Since we arrived a night before, we had a whole day to explore Shanghai. Similar to the tour setup in Beijing, we had a different set of tour guide, driver and transportation to cover the upcoming 4 cities: Shanghai, Xitang, Suzhou and Hangzhou. We spent the entire morning wandering along the Shanghai Old Street and… Read more…
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Beijing
Oct 12, 2018 to Oct 16, 2018We finally made it to China! It all began with Angelina’s dad wanting to revisit China. After taking a few months to plan this intricate 13-day trip, we were able to make it a reality. There were 13 of us: parents, San Gu and San Gu Zhang, Yien Gu and Yien Gu Zhang, Eng Gu,… Read more…
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Camping in Scenic State Park
Sep 6, 2018 to Sep 9, 2018A week prior to this camping trip, we had been watching the weather forecast intently because it had rain the entire week due to the slow moving tropical storm. Fortunately, the cold front from Canada prevented the storm from moving further north and we were spared from having to deal with wet days throughout the… Read more…
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Kayaking on Zumbro River
Aug 25, 2018Spent a splendid day kayaking on the Zumbro River with Cristine and David. We parked our vehicle in Hammond before hitching a ride with our friends to Zumbro Falls. After renting our kayaks at a nearby outfitter for $30 each, we leisurely floated for a little more than 3 hours. The Zumbro River between Zumbro… Read more…
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Calgary
Jun 29, 2018 to Jun 30, 2018We contemplated the decision on whether to spend an extra day to explore Calgary or to head home immediately after spending 10 days in the national parks. In the end, we chose the earlier because it would be rather unlikely for us to come back here in the near future. Since the first day we… Read more…
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Jasper National Park
Jun 24, 2018 to Jun 28, 2018From Banff, we departed early in the morning and headed to Jasper. We stopped by at the Columbia Icefield along the way. Although the drive from Banff to the icefield took about 2.5 hours and an additional 1.5 hours to reach Jasper from the icefield, we made several wonderful stops along the Icefields Parkway, considered… Read more…
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Yoho NP & Kootenay NP
Jun 22, 2018 to Jun 23, 2018During our 6-night stay in Banff, we spent the last 2 days covering the less visited neighboring national parks: Yoho National Park and Kootenay National Park. Although they are located in British Columbia, these 2 national parks still observe Mountain Time Zone instead of Pacific Time Zone. So, we did not gain an additional hour… Read more…
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Banff National Park
Jun 18, 2018 to Jun 21, 2018This trip that took us more than a year to plan… has finally come to fruition. The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, recognized into the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its “exceptional national beauty” and “striking mountain landscape” in 1984, comprises 4 national parks (Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay) and 3 provincial parks (Mt… Read more…
A Peek Through Dirty Lenses
