Before my wings were clipped....

 My last post was February, 2019. Over the next year, I continued to travel. I took a lot of little trips within Europe and I also visited family in the States. Here were a few of my big highlights: 

April 2019: China

I spent my spring break in China! There I fulfilled a dream - being abandoned by a taxi driver "near" (aka about 750 meters) my hotel at 2:30am.....  Oh wait. Yes, that really happened.. but I actually fulfilled the dream of walking along the Great Wall of China.  I started my trip in Beijing, staying near Tiananmen Square and then flew to Chengdu, home of pandas. I also got to spend a bit of time with my friend Troy and see how China was treating him.

My top 10 experiences in China

10..... The Panda Channel on TV, all day, every day...pandas! 

9.... Failing miserably with Google Translate 

8.... Seeing live Pandas (it was really hot, they didn't really want to come out much)

7.... Getting my feet scraped "clean"

6.... Eating Hot Pot in Chengdu

5.... All the temples

4.... Visiting the Leshan Giant Buddha

3....  Seeing so many incredible unique foods at the open air markets

2....  Visiting Tiananmen Square 

1.... Climbing the Great Wall of China

I definitely learned a few things in China that really surprised or intrigued me:

- Everyone carries a bottle for tea. Even security guards had tea bottle holsters on their belts!

- The outer doors separating the subway car and platform shut with serious force. (I sported a nasty bruise from them on my arm for a while - just a temporary souvenir. 

- Evenings are for dancing in groups on street corners.

- There are a lot of tofu dishes, but they are not always vegetarian!

- China is loud and the lack of lines can be intimidating, but most people are really willing to help out foreigners! <3

October 2019: Albania

The plan was Georgia and Armenia. However, as my break drew closer and I realized I had nothing booked or planned, I decided I should save that trip for better planning in the future. Searching a map, I realized that Albania was. not too far and offered up a new country to explore. Honestly, I knew almost nothing about Albania before I went and despite the trip being planned on a whim, it was well worth it! 

I flew to the capital, Tirana and stayed four days in the capital before heading to Rome and Venice. (I packed a lot into 9 days!) Tirana still has a very Soviet feel - lots of concrete and slower infrastructure. I immediately loved it! As I often do when I first come to a new city, I took a walking tour of the city and really began to understand it's history and culture.  In addition to my walking tour, I visited the Bunk'Art bunkers (original and 2), the main city market and also saw a lot of street art and sculptures. The food was delicious and I appreciated the warm, welcoming feel I found in Tirana. A few months later, when Tirana was hit by an earthquake, I was even more grateful having had the chance to visit this city before that destruction occurred.

December 2019: China

About a half of year later I was on a plane bound back to China. This time, Harbin. My friend Troy flew from Chengdu to Harbin to join me. Harbin is a city of ice in winter! The city is filled with incredible ice sculptures and exhibits. We spent Christmas among the snow and ice and visited the huge light-ice sculpture park Harbin is also known for its white tigers. We visited the Harbin Tiger park to see the tigers - traditional and white. I definitely had some mixed emotions about this park. I did not buy a goat or a chicken to have fed to a tiger, but I saw feeding happen none the less. The animals were magnificent.  

Harbin presented some challenges with transportation - taxis were challenging to get and couldn't be fully trusted. One taxi driver drove us to some house where we could "buy tickets" to the Tiger Park. When we declined, he just left us there. Another taxi got into an accident and then once again we were just left. Luckily our hotel wasn't too far from the center of town with the ice sculptures and so we just walked. We found a place with traditional Szechuan food, and so Christmas dinner was delicious hot pot! 

 

December 2019: 22 hours in Seoul

After leaving Harbin I had a 22 hour layover in Seoul, South Korea. The airport actually offers free tours and so I got to see so much more than one normally can do in less than a day! I visited the football pitch where the World Cup had taken place, I saw future K-Pop stars performing on the streets, hoping to be discovered, I ate delicious food and I visited a small temple near the airport. Plus... I slept a full night's sleep. This visit to Seoul was just enough to make me want to come back for a proper visit!

December 2019 - January 2020: Mongolia

My main reason for heading back towards Asia was a trip to Mongolia. This was an adventure! My colleague Lynn and I signed up for a tour into outer Mongolia. First stop, the capital city Ulaanbaatar. The best part of that was getting out of the well developed city center and into the neighborhoods, where we were able to visit a volunteer youth organization founded in the remains of an old quarry. One of the things that surprised me most was to see Mongolian language is written with the Cyrillic alphabet. I expected otherwise. It is because during Soviet occupation they were forced to do so. The art of Mongolian script in the traditional language is sadly being lost.

After a day in the city, we headed out beyond the city into outer Mongolia. Our tour was a small group tour with just the two of us, a driver and a guide. The vehicle was an old Soviet van, converted into a comfortable space for a tour group. We used an ethical, responsible tour company that hires women and provides for education and the opportunity to earn money. Our guide spoke English and our driver, although he spoke little English was always friendly and helpful. The van was incredible. We drove over ice and snow and throughout the mountains, there were times when it seemed like no vehicles could ever drive in the conditions we were in, but we kept going. 

During the tour we stayed in family yurts, rode camels, rode horses, tried traditional Mongolian foods, learned how to make traditional Mongolian dumplings, used long drop toilets and wore traditional Mongolian clothing to stay warm. At one point on our tour we were given access to community showers in a small town. Our tour included celebrating New Years, which involved a lot of vodka, and ended with a traditional Mongolian ceremony, which also involved a lot of vodka.  Everyone we met was friendly and truly welcoming. It was an experience like no other. I want to go back. Plus, the Genghis Khan museum was closed, so I hope to one day return to visit it.  

February 2020: Thailand

My February break loomed and the words "Covid 19" were all over the news and on everyone's mind. I questioned if I should even go, but in the end, I decided that Thailand's infection rates were low enough to risk it. 

I flew first to Bangkok and spent some time with my friends & former colleagues Jamie and Veronika. In Bangkok, they helped me to hire a trusted private taxi driver who took me around to see many of the big sites including the Wat Phra Rattana Satsadram, The Royal palace and the traditional markets. I was able to try traditional Thai foods and really enjoyed the warm sunshine. 

After Bangkok I flew to Krabi. Now it was time to relax on the beach. I swam in the water, took a boat out to sea, kayaked in Ao Luek (including kayaking in a cave) and enjoyed traditional Thai massage. In Krabi the weather was fantastic, the food was delicious and people were living life as if Covid did not exist. It was a relaxing, energizing experience. 

I loved being in Thailand and hope to return and visit more of the country. I really want to visit Chiang Mai. 

March 2020: Estonia

Despite the news about COVID-19, February 2020 was one of my most traveled months. I was in Bucharest, Warsaw, Berlin, Bangkok, Krabi and Tartu. Early in the morning on March 1st, I woke up in Tartu and headed to the bus station. I boarded the bus back to Riga. Little did I know, that was the last time I would cross the Latvian border until mid-late July 2020. Just days later, flights and events around Europe began to be cancelled. Shortly thereafter school was moved online and we were in lockdown. Although I would travel briefly to Germany to buy a car in 2020 (and then drive it home through Germany, Poland and Lithuania), I would not be on a major international flight again until July of 2021 when I flew back to the States to see family and meet my 1.5 year old niece who had been born at the cusp of the pandemic. My wings were clipped for quite some time.  

Cusco Cuzco

I arrived in Cusco after flying all night from Indianapolis to Peru. Needless to say, I was shattered, but this was my opportunity to see Cusco before heading on my trek, so after showering off at my hostel, I headed out. Cusco is a city at an elevation of over 12,000 feet, and so it takes us flatlanders a day or two to truly acclimate to the altitude. Additionally it is a city built in the mountains, so the streets are steep and many sidewalks are steps. 

I headed downhill to the Plaza de las Armas and began to explore. The plaza is lovely, the sun was bright, the water in the fountain sparkled and people sat around enjoying the day. 

Off of the Plaza is the Basílica Catedral. This cathedral was recently restored. Inside, I was given an iPad to use for a self-guided tour. During this tour I learned that Cusco was built by the Spaniards to serve as aseat for which they ruled the colonies. The main altar within the cathedral is made of cedar and sycamore wood and covered (not painted) with leaves of 24 carat gold. The Basílica took over 100 years to construct. Inside were a number of beautiful altars and paintings. I was not allowed to take photos.

Afterwards I continued to wander the city and explore some of the other small squares. It was a nice city to explore, but I know that I really only saw the tip of the iceberg. 

The Windy City

I'm writing this post from Chicago's O'Hare Airport, yet the experience is about 20 days old. Simply coicidence. At the start of the  month, I visited Chicago with some of my colleagues. 

The journey began in Columbus, Indiana at 5am on a large bus (coach for my British readers). Spirits were high, but quite honestly, I just wanted to sleep. I actually almost backed out of the trip, but in hindsight I am quite glad I did not. A million hours later, we arrived in Chicago. 

As we drove into the downtown area, I recalled immediately why I love Chicago and would move there in a heartbeat if a job was available. Chicago is a vibrant city. It has such great energy and everywhere you turn is something to see. Chicago is a great mix of urban development, waterfront, and nature. I challenge one not to find something to love in Chicago.

For the majority of my colleagues, this trip was a shopping trip. They had a route planned, lists written and intended to give their credit cards a workout. They invited me to join them, but this was not my plan. I wanted to see the city and experience all it has to offer, to see and take in.

I began my journey from the hotel to the central downtown, bound for the bean. Before reaching the bean, I took some time to walk along the river and admire the buildings around me. Under one bridge, I found that the entire panellling was reflective mirror like tiles. Needless to say a photo was 'required'.

I finally arrived at 'the Bean'. Officially called 'The Cloud Gate', the  bean shape structure attracts thousands to it. Because of it's curved nature at some points it looks as if you are simply seeing the city and at other points it greatly distorts images. Everyone wants photos of themselves reflected in the bean. Looking trustworthy, I was asked by at least 10 different groups of people to take their photo, however I took most of my own photos. Situated in Millennium Park, the Bean is a great place to people watch. I watched visitors wave at their reflections, buskers sing for spare change and kids run around. I probably spent nearly an hour just taking it in. I must also admit the bean allowed me a perfect opportunity to play with features on my camera, play with the idea of reflection and also recall the science behind concave and convex lenses. I even returned to the bean later in the day. This was by and far my favorite spot in Chicago.

From the Bean I headed to a great December tradition in Chicago, the Christkindlmarkt. This German-style Christmas market is one of the best known and largest in the USA. Here I met up with one of my colleagues, Judy and we enjoyed traditional Gluhwein. Gluhwein, which literally translates to "glowing wine", is a hot, mullled wine served at the holidays. Judy and I walked around the market a bit, but it was quite crowded and hard to maneuver. Before leaving the market we sampled some of the German-style potatoe pancakes. Not quite as good as  the real thing, but delicious none the less.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, I walked around more, went to a German Beerhall style restaurant and ate traditional Chicago deep dish pizza. I also, very very briefly, got to see my friend Olga, who lives in St. Louis and was in Chicago with some of her students. Later that evening I headed to the Wallis Tower, formerly known as the John Hancock Building. Judy and I met up again and took the elevator to the top. As the sun and set, the view was of the city at night and it was spectacular. From the tower I could see downtown, Navy Pier and the city around us. 

 

The next morning I awoke and headed to the Adler Planetarium. One of my good friends is a volunteer at the planetarium, she and her fiance Tim met me there. Because Carrie is a volunteer, she not only got us in for free, but it was also a bit like having a private tour. The planetarium has so much to offer visitors, my favorite part was when we got to go inside of a starmap globe. This globe shows accurate points of the stars based on direction and season. It was used during WWI to train pilots to navigate by the stars. From the Planetarium, one sees Navy Pier. Outside of the planetarium is a series of  bronze sculptures featuring all the animals of the Chinese Zodiak. This ring of figures reminded me of the figures one sees in the palace gardens of Salzburg. Of course being born in the Year of the Dragon, I had to pose with the Dragon.

As Tim and Carrie drove me back to my hotel, I saw one last display of public art that intrigued me. It looked like a crowd of people, most of whom were cut off at the legs. The majority of them stood together however there were outliers. Not to far from this art was a sculpture of a head. Neither Tim nor Carrie knew what it was, and unfortunately I did not have time to properly visit it. I only had time to take a photo from the car and hope to return on my next trip. 

Shortly after, I boarded the bus and we headed back to Columbus, IN. The trip to Chicago was less than 48 hours in total, but it was a wonderful experience and one that I will hopefully repeat in the future. 

Why I love Berlin