Whistler - September 2015

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
A park for thrill seekers. Walking across the Capilano Suspension Bridge over the Capilano river, up to 200 ft above ground. The bridge wobbles with each step. The most adventurous bridge crossing I have experienced to date. On the other side of the bridge is a temperate rain forest, with platforms spanning the trees and they are stable. Nice birds eye views of the rain forest. The park also has a cliff walk, a walkway on the side of the cliff.



Whistler
Started the day in a tour group, riding the peak to peak gondola and hiking on Blackcomb trails near the top. We saw several hoary marmots, ground squirrels living in Whistler mountains. The marmots make a high pitched whistling sound earning them the nickname "whistler". Many believe these whistling marmots contributed to the resort being named Whistler. After lunch at Roundhouse and watching a video on the construction of the peak to peak gondola, it was up to the Whistler peak for more hiking and great views.

Next day, visited the Whistler Museum. It is a large exhibit detailing the history and development of Whistler resort. Development started in the 1960s with the hope of someday hosting the winter Olympics and Whistler opened to skiing in January 1966. Known primarily as a ski resort, Whistler recently saw increasing growth during the summer months, mostly from mountain bikers. I also did a ziplining tour featuring 6 lines including the newly opened Sasquatch zipline which spans Blackcomb mountain to Whistler mountain. Sasquatch is 7000 ft long and up to 600 ft above ground. I completed the line in 120 seconds for an average speed of close to 40 mph, but taking account the speed build up at the beginning and slow down near the end, my top speed was probably over 50mph (record is around 85mph).


Zipline video

Flight, Vancouver to Los Angeles
On this flight, we flew near Mount Ranier, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood.

Independence Day in DC

Celebrating the nation's birthday in the nation's capitol. I stayed at Hotel Monaco the first 2 nights, then the Hotel Donovan the 3rd night. Of the hotels, the Monaco is more central to many DC sights and monuments, plus across from a metro station. The Donovan has newly renovated rooms and a rooftop pool.

Saw the concert rehearsal on July 3 at the US Capitol. It is a dress rehearsal for the July 4 concert and is open to the public. Performances are the same as the concert but the Capitol is less crowded.


Visited the Archives and signed the Declaration of Independence at Archives. Also sampled chocolate from George Washington's time - it is a rich spicy chocolate drink.


Watched the amazing fireworks from a party boat. The boat sailed along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers with views of Nationals Stadium, Navy Yard, and Reagan National Airport. The parked near the Washington Monument for the fireworks show. The dock is around 30 minutes walk to my hotel. For the 4th of July fireworks in DC, stay in a hotel that is reasonable walking distance to the show - the metro gets super crowded after the fireworks.


DC Fireworks Video Part 1
DC Fireworks Video Part 2 - look for a smiley face near the end of the video

Visited the Arlington Cemetery, which included memorials of Pan Am 103, Challenger and Columbia accidents, and JFK. There are great views of downtown DC and the Pentagon.


Arlington Cemetery - changing of the guard


More DC Pictures

China

I was part of a group of 32 people from Texas, on a 9+ day adventure in China.


Flights
Air China flight Houston to Beijing on a Boeing 777-300ER, departing at 1am and flying 14.5 hours overnight. The business class seats recline fully flat, turning into a bed for quality sleep. Most of the flight was over land; the plane flew northwest through Alaska, then over Russia, and entering China.




Xian
Terracotta Warriors and Horses, discovered by a farmer who was digging for water.


Wild Goose Pagoda, a temple for Buddhists.


Ancient City Wall, which divides Xian into its inner and outer parts. I got to bike on top of the wall.


Jade Presentation
Shaanxi History Museum
Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show
More Xian pictures

Guilin
We stayed at the Grand Bravo Hotel in Guilin. This hotel looks like a palace.


Li River cruise Guilin to Yangshuo. Nice scenic landscapes along the Li River; lots of green on the land and the river had a green shade - very appropriate since it was St Patrick's Day. On the cruise, they had bottle of snake wine. I did not drink it as it looked too scary; instead I had the Cherry wine, a sweet red wine.


After the cruise arrived in Yangshuo, some of us got foot massages (which ended up being near full body massge) and then we did a bike ride. I definitely got a taste of dealing with China traffic. We biked to a farm and got to meet local farmers.


Reed Flute Cave, consists of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by colored lights. One rock formation is shaped like a lion. There is another formation that reflects in the water - it is called the New York skyline.



Some of us climbed to the top of Fubo Hill (over 300 steps), where we enjoyed nice views of the city.


Visit to a local tea farm, where got to pick tea leaves then had a sampling of Chinese teas.



Shanghai
Canal ride in Suzhou, the Venice of the Orient.


Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The unique feature of the TV Tower is the 2 pearl shaped structures. The observation deck is in the higher pearl, giving nice views of Shanghai on a clear day. There is also a glass floor for the thrill seekers.



Maglev train, a bullet train that goes from the Shanghai airport to downtown Shanghai in 7 minutes (compared to 30-45 minutes by bus). Top speed was 301 km/h, or 187 mph. While the train is moving at top speed, when another train is passing by on the other track you can feel the train shake.


Yuyuan Market and Garden
ERA - Intersection of Time show

Beijing
Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City. The emperor controlled who had access, and most citizens were forbidden from entry hence the name Forbidden City. It is now a large palace complex.


Great Wall of China, near Badaling. More than 2000 years old and spanning 4100 miles, the Great Wall is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The wall was originally built as a fortress during battles. It is a great place for a workout; steps can be very steep.


Summer Palace, which was a park retreat place for emperors and is now used for tourists to walk around or relax. It consists of temples and mansions surrounding Kunming Lake. We took a dragon boat ride across the lake.


We did a Pedicab Tour (a bike with carriage) through Hutong neighborhoods. Hutong symbolizes ancient China where people lived. We also had lunch with a Chinese family at their home.



Panda House
Sacred Road
Olympic Site
Peking Duck dinner