Tuesday - Built Monument - Baoan Temple

We had an amazing time today at the Baoan Temple. We splurged and got scooters to ride around on today for 3000 TWD a piece! I was really excited and almost immediately after renting them from the shop, Noah, Mark and I challenged each other to a race! I came in second because Noah went up on the side walk to go around a red light.
Our site for today's built monument is the Baoan Temple. The main reason for choosing such an odd named place is that they were picked on Lonely Planet's top things to see and because they have ornate dragon carvings and who doesn't like dragons?

The roof was very interesting at the temple because many of the Asian roofs are modeled after the same style. The concept of a tiled sloping roof with upturned flaring corners houses many carved dragons and beasts to protect it.

Located in the Datong District of Taipei, the Baoan Temple (link to official website) is the oldest in the city, having been open since 1765. The temple is devoted to the Paosheng Tati, who is considered to be the God of Medicine. We noticed that the care of the temple is exquisite. Kristen couldn't find a drop of dust on the whole place.
Although it was a smaller temple, it was so amazing to see all the intricate carvings and most especially the dragons!

We purchased lunch across the street at a place we could not pronounce. Alex got rice noodles with dumplings, Kristen bought Chinese Chicken stew, Mary Beth got the roasted duck, Noah bought the crispy meatballs with questionable meat, and Mark got Nantou slender noodles with shredded chicken. We all split white gourd cake and sugarcane juice.

The total for the lunch was 1507.75 TWD = 50 USD.

Total for the day was 3000*5=15,000 TWD plus 1507.75 = 547.43 USD.

Monday - Natural Site - Shuangxi Park

After another short flight over, we all decided on a traditional garden as the natural site for Taipei.
The Shuangxi Park and Garden was spectacular! It is located in the Shilin District of Taipei and approximately 2 hectacres. Although it was built in 1974, the place has a wonderful ancient feel to it. The old Chinese architecture style really brought it to life. It is covered with numerous pavilions, old arch-style bridges and winding corridors. <sup>The main motivation and reasoning behind visiting this site is because of the stone marble lions guarding the land. Noah and I thought it would be so cool and it reminded us of the giant stone lions at Trafalgar square in London. These have a samurai battle feel to them. The Chinese belief behind these lions is that they represent authority and power as main guardians to the gardens.

The other really cool part of the park is the main tower and pavillion. It hosts local art and gardening techniques that have been around for centuries. Mary Beth and Kristen were particularly excited about seeing a pruning demonstration. Mark joked that they could go home with that information and start up their own Chinese gardening business in the States.
The intense eye to detail is one of the essential rules to the arrangement of the gardens. All aspects must be balanced in height and size according to Fengshui. Noah was really getting into it, imitating the old man groomer of the bushes balancing on one foot to lean over. The full aspects of the garden are what brings it together through the plants, rocks, and winding stream.

We walked over from the hotel, it was about a 15 minute walk and all bought rice bowls from a local vendor on the street.
Mary Beth, Alex and Kristen bought chicken with rice and vegetables.
Noah bought duck and rice.
And Mark bought one with steak.

Total cost of rice bowls: 1057.32 New Taiwan Dollars (TWD) = 35 USD</sup>

Hotel

So im sure im not the only one to notice that we have yet to spend half of our money, and were on the second to last leg of our trip. So with that in mind I booked us one of the nicest hotel rooms in Taipei, We are staying in a Double superior deluxe room at the Hotel Sense in Taiwan. This room wasn’t physically the nicest room that we stayed in, but this room was different than any other room we had stayed in , we had a Butler named Greg. Greg stayed in our room the whole day until we dismissed him. We had 4 queen sized beds and the comfiest of couches for me to sleep on. We had 2 bedrooms, Mark and Alex stayed in one and Marybeth and Kristen stayed in the other. We had a full kitchen as well as 4-plasma television, one in the living room, 1 in each bedroom and 1 in the master bathroom. The hotel was a “Asian “ style layout, but the rooms were very modernized. The hotel had a coffee shop on in the lobby, and a full bar downstairs in the restaurant.

2,035 USD per night

Whole stay = 12,210 USD – 368,545. Taiwan dollars

Gregs Tips = 103 USD – 3,108.94 TWD

total usd:12,313

total twd: 371653.94

FLIGHTS

$329 + $80 taxes & fees = $409 USD per person

	Thu, Dec 1	China Eastern Airlines 5052
	Depart: 8:55am Arrive: 9:50am	Seoul, Korea, Rep. of (ICN) Shanghai, China (PVG)

1 stop

• Economy
• 1hr 55min
• Airbus A330

Change planes. Time between flights: 2hr 40min

		China Eastern Airlines 5007
	Depart: 12:30pm Arrive: 2:00pm	Shanghai, China (PVG) Taipei, Taiwan (TPE

Economy

• 1hr 30min
• Airbus A340

Total duration: 6hr 5min

The plane had free snacks, so we didn't have to spend money on food for the trip.

$409 USD x 5 people = $2045 USD = 61738.4584 New Tawain Dollars

Wrap up: Friday

Wow! This week in South Korea was exciting! First of all because we felt like high rollers because the dollar is worth so much, we were millionaires!
This week was sort of laid back because we went to the local monument, the mountain park and the national museum. We didn't do anything too extreme, but received a wonderful cultural experience.
I hate to say it, but my favorite park of the week was enjoying McDonalds and seeing the Namdaedum Gate. Mickey D's wasn't the United States recipes on any food item, but still greasy goodness.
I'm so glad we found a Taekwondo fight. Noah and I were trying out the moves back in the hotel room and practically broke a lamp falling off the beds. Mary Beth turned the crack in the lamp around and pushed it to the other side of the dresser hoping the hotel staff wouldn't notice.
I was really pleased with Kristen's decision of the hotel. I really enjoyed the gift shop.
Friday was our chill day and we all basically hung out around the pool. Noah and I purchased flag t-shirts from the shop and continued our taekwondo fights at the pool. Mary Beth and Kristen bought dolls with Korean dresses and Mark got some super dark and cool glasses that had an image of the South Korean flag in it when the sun shines through.
We are catching the hotel van to the airport for our flight this weekend to Taipei, Taiwan!
Looking forward to our second to last week traveling.

Shirts, dolls and sunglasses: 30 USD = 33765.00 South Korean Won
Flights: 990 USD = 1,114,245.00 KRW
Hotel:$2,792.04 USD = 3,120,000.00 KRW
Sites for the week: 165 USD = 185,707.50 KRW

Total for the week: 3,977.04 USD = 4,476,158.52 KRW

Left from last week: $60,308.51 USD
Minus $3,977.04
Amount left: $56,331.47

We need to spend some money!

Thursday: Recreational Site - Taekwondo

Today we wanted to see something athletic, so we researched Korea, and found out that their national sport was Taekwondo. We tried to find a big competition, but there wasn't one. So instead, we decided to go to a smaller competition that was being put on for competitors in their teens and early 20s. It was being held down the street, so we walked there. We went and sat in stands in the streets pretty much, and watched the competitions. It was exciting to get to see a new sport, because none of us had ever watched this before. One kid got kicked in the face and he started bleeding everywhere. Kristen and I had to walk away because we didn't like the sight of all that blood. But after they cleaned the guy up, when came back and continued to watch the rest of the competition. They lasted until mid afternoon, and by then we were starving. We all decided to go eat at a Korean restaurant that was locally known. None of us could read the name of the place, or the menus, but we decided to be adventurous. We all ended up liking what we got, even though we really had no clue what we were eating. Afterwards, we started joking that we could have been eating cats and dogs, and we would have never known. The total cost was $50 US dollars. After our late lunch, we went back to the hotel and decided to go swimming in the hotel. It was so relaxing to just lay there and swim. We swam until it became night time, and most of us were still full from out late lunch. Alex and Noah decided to go get a snack from Mcdonalds, and spent $5. We all took turns taking a shower, and then went to bed.

Total for the day: $55 USD = 61536.74 Korean Won

Wednesday: Cultural/Historical - National Museum of Korea

Today we wanted to learn about Seoul and South Korea, so we went to the National Museum of Korea. We woke up and ate complimentary breakfast at the hotel. The hotel also had a van service, so it drove us to the museum. The museum is free, so we all went in and started to wander around. It was established in 1945, and is said to be the most accurate representation of Korean history in all of Korea. There are 3 floors, so it took us quite awhile to get through the whole thing. Actually, it ook all pretty much the entire day. We looked at the first floor, which was the Archaeological Gallery. Noah and Mark were really interested in all of the artifacts, so it took us awhile to get them to go to the next part. It was already lunch time, so we decide to eat lunch in the museum. They had a cafe with sandwiches and chips, and it costs us $25 for all 5 of us to eat. After lunch, we strolled to the second floor where there was the Donation Center and the Fine Arts Gallery I. They have a lot of the religious art in this section. The Fine Arts Gallery was divided into four sections, so it also took us awhile to get through. After we looked at all the art, we went to the third and final floor, which was the Fine Arts Gallery II. The floor mainly consisted of Korean Buddhist sculpture and craftwork. Kristen really like all the art and cultural aspect of it all, so we had to practically pull her away from the exhibit when it was time to leave. We got the hotel van to pick us up, and we stopped at McDonalds on the way home. We all got quarter pounder meals, and it was also $25. Once we got back to the hotel, everybody showered and got ready for bed. We all watched tv for awhile, and then we eventually all fell asleep.

Total for the day: $50 = 55,942.49 South Korean Won

Tuesday - Natural Site

We had some trouble finding something nature-related to do around Seoul. Although South Korea offers the chance for many nature experiences, most would require at least a full day or two because of the far travel distances. Instead we ended up hearing about South Mountain Park, about a 20 minute walk from where we were staying. South Mountain Park is located at 100-177 1ga Hoehyeon-dong, Jung-gu Seoul. We headed over around noon and grabbed some lunch snacks from a small market we passed on the way. The park is mainly a nature park with trails for walking and hiking. We were surprised when we came upon it, as it is literally right in the middle of the city. After a minute walk on the trail we felt as if we were in the middle of a dense forest. The park was beautiful and well-maintained for the high use it receives. Many flowering trees and small ponds were spread throughout the park. We spent a few hours wandering the trails, getting lost in the beauty of nature, and eventually decided we should head home before we got stuck in the dark. Overall we had a great day and were glad to be able to experience nature after being surrounded by buildings and city-life the past couple of days.

Snacks = $20 USD : $22,370 KRW

Day Total = $20 USD : $22,370 KRW

Monday - Built Site

Today we headed to the Namdaemun Gate located at Namchang-dong, Seoul. This gate is listed as the number one national treasure for South Korea so we figured it was worth a visit. We took a taxi down to the general area around sunset as we heard the gate looks astonishing when the sun goes of the way it’s lit. The gate was completed in 1398 and was initially used to great foreign emissaries and keep out tigers! During the Korean War the gate was severely damaged and was closed to the public until March 2006 when it finished being rebuilt. Apparently in 2008 a big fire broke out and the pagoda on the top of the gate was extensively damaged and restoration had to occur once again. Regardless of the troubled, yet interesting history of the gate, it was quite a sight at night and we will definitely all remember this magnificent structure. The Namdaemun Market is located right next to the gate and was bustling busy even into the night. We decided to check out a variety of different Korean foods and snacks and spent a little money trying different things.

Taxi (there&back) = $10 USD : $11,142 KRW

Market food = $30 USD : $33,426 KRW

Day Total = $40 USD : $44,568 KRW

Hotel

The flight was not bad this week. I was feeling kind of home sick this week when I was booking the hotel so I decided to make it a comfortable week and kind of splurged. We are staying at the Hyatt Regency Incheon Hotel it is less than 5 minutes from the airport and downtown so it is very convenient. It is by far the nicest hotel we have stayed in. When I originally booked this for us the lady I spoke with said that it would be no problem to squeeze 5 into one room but when we got there the hotel manager was not willing to do that so we ended up getting two rooms that had a conjoined door (so basically one big room). We had four twin beds and a pull in cot. We drew straws for who got the cot and Mark lost so he slept on the cot. There are three restaurants inside the hotel and multiple bars throughout including the ones in our rooms. There is also a casino inside the hotel and a golf course that is outside. There is also a spa and pool. The hotel was absolutely beautiful and we had alot of fun at it and it was definitely worth the money. It was $1396.02 per room for the week so $2792.04 USD for the week. This included complimentary breakfast everyday as well as one drink voucher per day and choice of a complimentary round of golf of hour massage and also complimentary transportation anywhere within 10km. Also since the manager felt bad that we got incorrect information about only having to get one room he gave us all a free entre coupon at the "Cucina" restauraunt in the hotel which was delicious Italian food that was cooked in front of us.

26000.00 KRW per night = 1560000.00 KRW total per room
1560000.00 KRW x 2 rooms= 3120000.00 KRW total

1560000.00 KRW per room= $1,396.02 USD per room
3120000.00 KRW total= $2,792.04 USD total

Saturday: Flights

Saturday we had a night flight, so we had our hotels shuttle drop us off at the airport 2 hours before our boarding time. We had some time to kill so we ate a light dinner in the airport. Kristen and mark both got a teriyaki wrap, Alex ate McDonalds and Marybeth and I ate pizza. Then we went and boarded our flight. It was a short stint in the air; a quick hour flight gave us just long enough to look over all our pictures from the previous cities and share a few ideas for the upcoming Seoul Korea.

China Southern Airlines	From	To	Time	Non-stop
Flight 675 321	Dalian (DLC)	Seoul Incheon	645p-845p	Coach- 1 Hr flight

192 USD per flight x 5 = 960

214.96 Won per flight x 5 = 1,074 South Korean Won

30 USD spent on food = 33.59 KRW

990 total USD = 1,107.59

Weekly Wrap Up

This week our group spent the week in Dalian, Lianoning, China and had quite a great experience. Having never been to Asia before, none of us really knew what to expect, but then again, that’s how it’s been for most of the trip! The flight wasn’t too bad, especially compared to the previous week. We only had to stop twice. Upon exiting the airport, we all realized just how busy and heavily populated China is! It felt like an even more crowded version of Times Square. Checking in to the hotel was not a problem and we were able to adventure around a bit and try some exquisite Chinese cuisine. Deciding to grocery shop has been a smart decision on every trip as we end up saving a lot of money in the end. Monday’s adventure was very fun and awe-inspiring. LaoDong Natural Park is a beautiful place and the seat-lift up the mountain allowed us to see just how amazing the views could be. The sled ride back down was intense and got everyone’s adrenaline going by the time we reached the bottom. Tuesday was a bit more laid back as we casually made our way through the city and checked our all of the massive buildings located in Zhongshan Square. After being in Kenya where there are not many tall buildings, this felt like a whole different world. On Wednesday Noah forced us to learn some history, but thankfully it was actually exciting and interesting as it was in regards to the ongoing battle between Russia and China. We were able to experience Russian cuisine and lifestyle while in Dalian! It was somewhat eerie, as we felt as if we were in the aftermath of where war had once taken place. Thursday we took it easy and hung around the hotel. It’s nice to take a break from the adventuring every now and then and re-collect our thoughts and energy. On Friday we didn’t hold back though. We spent the day at Happy Snow World and shredded the slopes for hours on end. Thankfully no one got hurt on the crowded slopes. To end the awesome day we were able to partake in a delicious Chinese buffet before heading back to the hotel. I’m not sure about everyone else, but I’m quite sure I gained about 10lbs in straight Chinese food, which by the way, is MUCH better than the “Chinese food” that is served back in the ol’ US of A! Overall Dalian was an awesome experience and I’m glad I finally made it to Asia! Definitely will make a trip back again in my life.

Money:

Arrival:

Flight = $2,867 USD [18,209.46 CNY]

Food:

Hotel Breakfast = $197 USD [1,250 CNY]

Grocery = $440 USD [2,795 CNY]

Meals & MSIC = $100 USD [632 CNY] + $25 USD [158.92 CNY]

Hotel:

Room= $2,653 USD [16,860 CNY]

Misc:

Souvenirs = $58 USD [368.38 CNY]

Ski trip = $90 USD [600 CNY]

Taxi = $15 USD [95.27 CNY]

Total: $6,240 USD [39,632.73 CNY]

Trip Total: $66,548.51 - $6,240 = $60,308.51 USD

Friday: recreation

On Friday there was practically nothing planned on schedule so after doing a little research I found exactly what I wanted. We are going to HAPPY SNOW WORLD. Were going skiing and snowboarding for the afternoon. After we all bundled up we set off for the hotel shuttle, we had to wait a little bit for the shuttle but that’s fine because Kristen forgot her new hat in our room so she had to run back up to get it. Once we got to happy snow world we had to find a way to get lift tickets, this was a challenge. Not to many people knew English so we were forced into walking around for 30 minutes trying to find a way to get our passes. Once we found out where to go we had to figure out how much all this was going to cost. It was 120 Yuan / weekday price / this sounds expensive but that’s only 18 $ USD and this was for rentals too. Me, Alex and Mark all rented snowboards and Kristen and Marybeth rented skies.

We got our gear and headed up the mountain, me and mark and Marybeth have all done this before but Kristen and Alex were floppin’ all over the snow, we had a blast, we ran the slopes for a few hours and went into the buffet dinner hall. Meals came with our lift tickets so we all sat down and ate a Chinese buffet (authentic) we ate our food and relaxed by the fire for a little bit. Then went back out to the slopes for a little bit more until we had to shut it down. We turned in our gear and waved down a taxi. We took a taxi back to our hotel and called it a night.

600 Chinese Yuan on our lift tickets – or 90 $ USD.

Our taxi home was 95.27 Yuan – or 15 $ USD

wednesday : Historical site

On Wednesday I was in charge of taking us to a Historic site in china, after doing a little research on china I found something that really stood out to me. Now on a trip to china we experienced a lot of Chinese’s culture, but here’s something about the Chinese culture we had yet to experience. RUSSIAN. The Chinese and Russians have been at war for some time, and Russians took over this part of Dalian, for our historic site I decided to take us on a adventure to Russian street. Russian Street was just a few streets away from where we were staying. So we decided to walk on over. We got to experience all this Russian food and shops as well as entertainment and the heritage around us. We sat down at a American style dinner. We had a window seat for the jugglers right outside the window. Kristen ordered a cheeseburger, Marybeth orders a hot dog and fries and mark orders chicken tenders. Me and Alex both ordered bacon cheeseburgers. we ate and left the dinner and walked into some stores to buy some souvenirs .Marybeth and Kristen both bought winter hats from a duty free store , Alex bought a pair of sunglasses , Mark bought a shirt and I bought a pair of shoes . After we a did a little shopping we sat down and watched a group of performers put on a show. We walked back to the hotel with souvenirs in hand and American food in our stomachs.

We spent:

25 $ for food --> 158.92 Chinese Yuan

14 $ Marybeth and Kristen’s hats --> 89.0 Chinese Yuan (their hat is featured to the right)

5$ on Alex’s sun glasses --> 31.69 Chinese Yuan

9 $ on Marks shirt --> 57.20 Chinese Yuan

30 $ on my shoes --> 190.70 Chinese Yuan

73$ spent

total--> 464.06 Chinese Yuan

Tuesday's Built Monument: Zhongshan Square

Today, we went to Zhongshan Square. It is located 700 yards from our hotel, and it is home of the cities financial district. It is surrounded by some of the best examples of colonial-era architecture in Dalian. We walked around and looked at the buildings and learned about their past. We found out that the square was first laid out by the Russians and most of the buildings around the square were built between 1920 and 1920 by the Japanese. Talk about a mix of cultures! We walked back to the hotel for lunch and ate left over chicken and rice from the night before. Once we were all full, we walked back to Zhongshan Square for the evening. The square served as a social spot and the locals all gathered to play hacky-sack and watch football on the big screen televisions above the Dalian Hotel. It was strange to see the square during the day when it looked so old and peaceful and then at night when it was full of liveliness and noises. The square is currently under construction, but it still was a great place to visit. We went back to the hotel that night and ate shrimp and vegetables. We all got a fortune cookie. Mine said that I would soon meet the love of my life! Too bad I don't believe in those things. We all had another great day, and ended up spending no money once again.

Monday's Natural Site: LaoDong Park

Today, I was in charge of taking us to a natural site. We decided to go to LaoDong Park. We were really lucky at it was only 800 yards from out hotel, so we just walked there. We had the option of walking up the mountain, or using a seat lift. We decided that we would use the seat lift up, and walk back down. From the seat lift we got to see how pretty the park was, and how tall the mountain really was. Once we finally got to the top, we went to the Reach Sightseeing Tower, where we went up even higher and got the most amazing view of the park. It was such a beautiful day and it was awesome to see everything from so high up. We stayed up there for quite a while. When we got ready to walk back down, we saw a sign for the "First Land Sled" which everybody said is the best and most exciting way to get down, so we decided to do that. I was a little scared at first, but it turned out to be awesome. The park also had a lot of other cool things like the world's largest football! There was skiing, but we decided we were too tired for that. They had rides for little kids, and we even saw one of the ride operators get arrested. They have a big problem there with ride operators try to daylight rob people with the prices of the rides. It was excitig to see the Chinese police in action. It started t get pretty dark, so we went back to the hotel, walking of course, and cooked dinner. Kristen and I decided to cook for everybody that night. We made chicken and rice, which was simple, but everybody seemed to really enjoy it. After that, we got ready for bed and went to sleep. It was a great day, and we ended up not having to spend any money! I think I'm getting pretty good at saving money after this trip.

Dalian China Ramada Plaza Hotel

We are staying at the Ramada Plaza Dalian this week and it is a beautiful hotel in the heart of the city!
It is just 100m from the railway station and only 11km from the airport. There are 366 recently renovated guests rooms including 30 Executive Suite rooms. Each room is equipped with 5-star hotels facility such as free ADSL/safety box and flat screen TV. The indoor swimming pool and exercise facility are free for all the of our in house guests. Guests may also enjoy either International or Asian cuisine at our newly renovated -Windows on the Square-. The Ramada Plaza Dalian is the really ideal choice for leisure travelers because local food choices and attractions are abundant and there is even an American Breakfast Buffet for 136 Chinese Yuan (CNY)!

We were able to get the package deal and secure a week of breakfast for all five of us for 250 CNY a person, so 1250 CNY/week = $197 USD!
We were able to book 2 rooms, one with 2 queen size beds for the girls and one with 2 beds and a pull out sofa for the guys. The price for the week is 16,860 CNY which equals $2,653 USD.
Alex slept on the pull-out couch but got prime television viewing as it was right in from of the couch. All he watched was Chinese Baseball, cartoons where everything was blown up, and Chinese game shows. It was fun to watch the game shows because the boys would bet on whether or not a contestant would make it through the challenge. We even got the girls in on it and Kristen gave Noah a run for his money, correctly guessing 5 obstacle outcomes in a row!




As far as dinners go, we did the traditional Asian cuisine the first night.
The restaurant was beautiful. It looked out on the skyline in Dalian, all the hustle and bustle down below.
Alex had kung pao chicken, crispy noodles, and won ton soup. Kristen had sweet and sour shrimp with fried rice.
<---- Mary Beth had Stinky tofu or chòu dòufu, a form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. She thought it would be interesting since the couple next to our group had it and it turned out to be great! Mark and Noah both ordered Peking Duck and ate one whole duck platter. Kristen was grossed out by the sight. The night's bill wasn't bad at 632 Yuan which equals 100 USD. We were so overwhelmed with all the fascinating trips we had planned for the week, we decided to just go out and buy groceries for the rest of the week. We cooked everything in the kitchen in the lounge on the 7th floor of the hotel.
Our grocery list included:
5 pounds of white rice
10 pounds of chicken breast
5 pounds of pork
4 packages of wonton wrappers
3 containers of spicy chile sauce
4 heads of lettuce
4 containers of cream cheese
2 pounds of crab legs
5 containers of pre-made wonton soup
5 packages of egg noodles
5 pounds of shrimp
4 packages of pre-mixed frozen vegetables
8 liters of Coca-Cola
20 small sponge-cake treats
One bottle of chinese mustard and
one large box of Fortune Cookies with a happy panda on it
Total for the food: 2,795 Yuan or $440 USD.

Not bad for a market trip for 5 people.
We all took turns cooking. Alex had a cool idea to make homemade egg rolls and crab rangoons! Turned out really tasty. Kristen made crispy noodles by frying up the wonton wrappers in chicken juice and mixing in the meet in the fried noodles.
Noah was the best at making hot chile fried rice that really burned on the way down. Good thing Mark suggested we get some Coke, so we would have a recognizable drink! Mary Beth stayed away from the Stinky Tofu this time and make some killer roast pork and tossed vegetables!

The grocery mart we shopped at:

Total for the hotel + food: 21,537 Yuan = $3389 USD

Flights

The flight was pretty long, but we just slept most of the time so it made it go by quicker. The plane tickets were $573.40 per person. This totaled to $2,867. We were able to get the Ramada Hotel shuttle for free since the hotel is just 11km from the airport! Traveling to Dalian
Sat 29-Oct-11
Nairobi (NBO) Depart 3:20 pm	to	Dubai (DXB) Arrive 9:35 pm Terminal 1	2,204 mi (3,547 km) Duration: 5hr 15mn	KQ Flight: 318
3Economy/Coach Class , Boeing 737-800
Sun 30-Oct-11
Dubai (DXB) Depart 1:40 am Terminal 1	to	Guangzhou (CAN) Arrive 12:30 pm	3,629 mi (5,840 km) Duration: 6hr 50mn	CZ Flight: 384
3Economy/Coach Class , 772 - BOEING 777/200
Guangzhou (CAN) Depart 4:40 pm	to	Dalian (DLC) Arrive 8:05 pm	1,191 mi (1,917 km) Duration: 3hr 25mn	CZ Flight: 6262
3Economy/Coach Class , Airbus A320
Total distance: 7,024 mi (11,300km) Total duration: 15hr 30mn (23hr 45mn with connections)

Wrap Up

We are now on our way to Kenya! Our flight was so long. We were flying for 17 hours and 31 minutes, but the whole trip took 35 hours and 36 minutes because of layovers and waiting for connecting flights. We got to fly buisness class though, so it awsn't too terrible. We had delicious food that was turkey and macaroni and cheese, and a variety of movies and American on demand channels to watch. We finally arrived in Kenya a little before 3 pm Monday afternoon. We got a van to take us to our hotel, which cost us 100 dollars. Our hotel was the Safari Park Hotel and Casino. We were are extremely tired after checking into the hotel so we all decided to take a nap. Well, except for Alex who decided to wander because he was too restless to sleep. After everyone woke up, we decided to catch a shuttle to the Uhuru Gardens Memorial Park. We saw a lot of monuments, and everything was so pretty and relaxing. After we looked at all the monuments, we decided to take a walk around the lake and just talk about our trip so far. After we felt completely refershed, we got back on the shuttle and went back to the hotel. We were still tired from the previous days flights so we decided to eat and go to bed so that we would be well rested for an early day the next morning. We ate in the hotel. I had a chicken pasta dish, Kristen had steak, Alex and Noah had hamburgers, and Mark had a salad. We all took showers and got ready for bed and went to sleep. The next morning, we woke up at like 3 am to get ready to go to our natural site, the safari. We went to the Tsavo East National Park. Out hotel had a shuttle service that went straight to the park, but we had to beg them to take us at 3 in the morning. They eventually gave in and took us for 25 USD. Noah surprised us with a hot air balloon trip because he didn't want to disturb the natural environment of the safari. We arrived at around 5 am and had to take a safety course. Because we paid for an all day tour, they gave us a champagne breakfast that was delicious. After we completed the safety course, we went up in the hot air balloon for the first part of our tour. We stayed up there for around 4 hours. At first Kristen and I were scared of the height and the small basket that we were in, but after a while we relaxed and started to enjoy the scenery and the ride. We got to see "The Big 5" of the safari which were the buffalo, leopard, lion, rhino, and elephant. It was amazing to see things so big in their natural environment. After the 4 hours we went back down to stretch and use the bathroom But, we quickly went back up to enjoy the safari. We ended at around 7 pm, and because it was already dark, we got a candle lit dinner. It was so delicious. We all got chicken and mashed potatoes and ice cream. We all got a t-shirt and a souvenir photo included. I can't wait to show everyone my picture because it is so cool. We headed back to the hotel and showered and went to bed. On wednesday, we went to Lamu so that we could see something cultural in Kenya. We were all too excited to eat breakfast, so we decided we would just stop somewhere on the way. Once we were in the taxi, everybody decided that KFC was a good choice. We all got the chicken platter to go, and quickly got back in the taxi. Once we got to Lamu, we ate our food on benches in front of a beautiful stone building. We also people watched, which was pretty funny to me. The food was good, but everybody agreed that the chicken tasted different than our KFC at home. Somehow, Kristen talked a group of guys into giving us free donkey rides to the beach. It was so pretty. It was so cool to see all the dolphins and they kids paying on the beaches. We joined them with their games and just took in the beautfil scenery. We wanted to climb up the dunes, but decided we didn't want to mess them up. The water was warm and one of the prettiest blues I had ever seen. We stayed so lte tht we got to watch the sunset. Our new friends let us drink with them and we joined their cook out for dinner. After dinner, it was dark, so we thanked our new friends and caught a taxi back to the hotel. We all got ready for bed and fell asleep fast because of the long day we had. Thursday we went to Moi International Sports Centre to watch the local Mathare United football game vs. Nigeria. I don't really enjoy soccer every much but it was so cool to see everybody so intense and into the game. The game was in the afternoon, so we got to sleep in for the first time in a long time! It felt nice to just sleep all morning. Once again, we skipped breakfast because we didn't want to get out of bed. Once we got to the game, we decided to eat. Kristen has cheese pizza and Noah had meat lvoesr pizza. Alex, Mark, and I all ate fried chicken again. We thought it was weird that they served fried chicken at the concession stand. The opened a KFC which was the first American Food chain in South Africa. The stadium had just reopend after being renovated, so it was very nice. Even though they lost 3-0, it was still very fun to experience the excitement of a soccer game. It was also exciting to ride a Matatu, which are privately owned mini buses. They blasted African music which was new to all of us. After the game, we went back to the hotel. The hotel was having a celebration for one of its employees, so we got dinner for free. There were so many cool new foods to try. Kristen and I were kind of picky, but everybody else tried everything, even the tuff that looked nasty. I couldn't pronounce any of the foods' names, but it was still fun to look at and try some of them. After the celebration, we went back to our rooms and got ready for bed.

MONEY

Flight:

Total price for plane ride: $13,187.50
Average price per passenger: $2,637.50
Total cost of an airport van in Kenya to hotel:100 dollars.
Total flight and transportation: $13,287.50

Accommadations:

$123 (per person/night) x 5 (adults) = $615 USD
$615 x 5 (nights) = $3,075 USD
$3,075 + $20 (taxi) + $500 (meals/food) = $3,595 USD
$3,595 USD = 365,180 Kenyan Shilling

Safari Adventure:

$500 flat rate + $25 tip for shuttle = $525
252379.90 total kenyan shillings total w/ tip

Lamu Adventure:

Transportation (Taxi): 25 US Dollar = 2,528.89 Kenyan Shilling
Food (KFC): 19 US Dollar = 1,921.95 Kenyan Shilling
Total: 44 US Dollar = 4,450.84 Kenyan Shilling

Soccer Game:

Ticket price: 812.317 Kenyan Shilling per person which is 8USD
Tickets Total: 4,061.585 Kenyan Shilling = 40USD
Transportation: 2,550KsH = $25.64805USD.
Food: Lunch (2 slices of pizza, 3 fried chicken plates, 5 drinks) came out to a total of 2,843.11 Kenyan Shilling = 28USD.
Total : Transportation: $26 + Ticket :$40 + Food: $28 = $94 USD

Total For Kenya: 17, 545.50 USD = 1,750,157.12 Kenyan Shilling

$84,094.01-$17,545.50=$66,548.51 after trip