4 posts tagged “vacation”
Last Wednesday Stef called with an offer that I couldn't refuse, purchase a ticket to Vegas and everything else would be covered for the 4th of July weekend. Her manager was flying there with a high roller friend and apparently two hotels were covering all of their expenses. Crazy! They put the two of us in a suite one floor below the penthouse at the Palazzo, the new Venetian towers, with a fantastic view of the strip. We treated ourselves to lots of pool time, the spa and several decadent meals. It was fabulous.
I've known Stef for a few years now but this was the first time that we've done a solo thing together. I feel kind of special that she thought of me for the trip. It was a great time and we got along so well. We're more alike than we first realized and I know this is the beginning of a close friendship. Here are highs and lows from the weekend:
- Our suite came with three flat screen TVs including one in the bathroom, remote controlled curtains and a walk-in closet
- The lounge chairs directly in the pool were awesome. Who needs a cabana when you can sit in the water all day?
- Ran into a friend's bachelor party and got to hang out with friends that I haven't seen in years
- A very drunk girl fell into a friend’s birthday cake and then wiped her hands on my dress
- Went to Jet at Treasure Island as a favor to Stef's manager and discovered it was the "5’4 and under" club
- Pulled an all-nighter on Saturday to fly out at
7:30am on Sunday. I felt a little crazy
at the airport but well that's how Vegas is done I suppose
- My feet still hurt from dancing in heels all
weekend. Heh.
I purchased the book without reading any reviews or hearing any recommendations from friends. I picked it up mostly because of all the historical details of seventeenth century China. Her portrayal of China and its customs would intrigue anyone with an interest in ancient and modern China.
While the book is categorized as historical fiction, it borders more along the lines of fantasy and the super natural. Most Asian and Buddhist customs contain heavy elements of life after death, so it's not surprising that the book focuses on that. This may not be everyone's cup of tea but Lisa crafts a very good story from these ancient traditions. Some reviews note that the prose is too flowery but I found it very fitting to a historical period drama with lovesick maidens, an enamored poet and an epic opera. It's sweet, informative, and leaves you aching a bit in the heart.
I leave for Puerto Vallarta this Thursday. It was a great deal especially considering how expensive other locations such as Playa Del Carmen or Hawaii are right now. I paid $800 for the flight plus five nights at a really nice hotel with an all-inclusive package. All-inclusive food is usually just okay but getting the beverages and alcohol covered is where it's at. Friends say Puerto Vallarta has a ton of great restaurants so we'll likely be eating out a couple of nights. Can't wait! Checked the weather out last night and it was 80 degrees even at night. Hurrah. Kind of wish it was a longer vacation, just an extra day or two since my days are pretty action packed. When I booked three weeks ago I was kind of afraid of sitting on the beach for five days with nothing to do. Eeeek, what if I got bored?? There would be the usual tanning, building sand castles, playing frisbee and reading. And Nick would be there so it's not like I wouldn't have conversation. But what else? What else?!! Food. Beer. And?
So I bought a travel guide (because as hard as I try I cannot travel without doing the homework first). For a few extra dollars, we'll now be spending our days riding zip lines across the jungle, driving VW buggies to San Sebastian, snorkeling and kayaking around Marietes Island, and I left one day for hanging out on the beach and walking around town. :D Hopefully I'll come back with a little bit of color.
Vacations start out slowly but end much too quickly. After just two weeks in China, I'm back at work catching up on emails and fighting through the never ending cycle of meetings. I was amazed to find myself in the same mental and physical state riding bart home as when I was leaving for vacation. Tired, hungry, and a bit sad to be departing.
With just a few days in Shanghai under my belt, I decided that I wouldn't come back to China. It was full of smog, rude people, and the food wasn't any better than here in the states. Perhaps it was my jetlag that made me respond quickly because by the end of the trip I didn't want to leave. We spent three days in Shanghai walking through Huangpu, the French Concession and Pudong districts. Each area has it's only unique architecture and class of people.
We took a bullet train south to Hangzhou where I spent four days including New Year's walking around the lake and drinking Chinese beer. The people were really friendly and the food was amazing. And so cheap. I tried real Szechuan chili peppers for the first time. It leaves a tingling sensation all over your mouth, including that burning feeling in the pit of your stomach. Delish. We rode a gondola to the top of the hills where you could see miles of tea fields dotted by the pagodas of Lingyin temple.
New Year's eve was pretty uneventful as the Chinese don't celebrate it like we do way. It's all about Chinese New Year in Asia. They are really into Christmas however. Santa and Christmas tree decorations were up everywhere and eight days into the New Year, the decorations still hadn't come down. Nick and I drank bad champagne in our hostel and did the countdown at an expat bar downtown. It was smoky and filled with techno tunes, but I woke up not hungover. Pretty good start to a new year!
We took a cross-country train from Hangzhou to Xian on New Year's day. It's a 24 hour train ride where we had to share bunks with four other people. I was about to rollover and die when the old men started snoring and the faint odor of feet permeated into the car. Once we upgraded to private sleeper bunks, it turned out to be well worth the long ride. The countryside is beautiful and changes quickly once you get into central China. Xian is a really fun and easy city to navigate. I'd love to go back and spend more time there, as well as explore more of the Shaanxi province. The Terracotta Warriors in Xian were one of the best parts of the trip. It's a sight to see and these pictures don't do it justice. The rest of my photos are up on Flickr if you want to see more of me eating yummy food.
