一雙兒女遊世界

Both my hu*****and and I love traveling around the world and experiencing different cultures. With two little ones in tow, that has proven to be challenging. However, we still try.

This journal attempts to chronicle the places we have taken the kids to over the years. I certainly hope the experience would somehow leave a positive mark on their lives, even though I know that they don't really remember anything about the places they visited at a very young age.

Given the number of photos, I am going to divide this journal into three parts. Part I would end with Japan when I was preganent with my son. Part II would pick up after that to include our European trip. Part III would record the trips after that.

Our very first plane ride with my daughter was in March 2005 to New Orleans when she was barely a year old. This was Jackson Square before Katrina. The Square is named after Andrew Jackson whose equestrian statue is in the center of the park but unfortunately only partially seen in this photo.



The trip to China in September 2005 marked my daughter's first international trip. We visited Grandpatents on Daddy's side as well as Beijing. I am amazed that we were able to capture her walking on the Great Wall all by herself, given the number of daily visitors there.



Then in March 2006, my daughter took her first trip to a tropical beach in Maui. We rented a condo by the beach. Even though I lost my voice for the first few days, we still had a great time!

My daughter's footprints on the beach in Maui.



The next trip was in May 2006. We took her to San Diego and visited the Sea World, among other things. I was pretty impressed by the Shamu show. However, I don't think my daughter was quite into it, perhaps due to her age or the fact she was a bit sleepy at that time.



My daughter's second international trip was to Japan in late October/early November 2006. We started in Kyoto and went to Hiroshima, Hakone and then Tokyo. Miyajima just off Hiroshima turned out to be my favorite on this trip. Torii gate, in the picture below, is one of the most famous symbols for Japan, definitely the most famous for Miyajima.



The red torri gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha, just off Kyoto. Isn't it gorgeous!



 

The beautiful Kinkaku-Ji in Kyoto.



We stayed in a ryokan,  traditional Japanese lodging, in Hakone. We were quite dazzled by the presentation of the food served at dinner.

This next one, of course, needs no introduction.



All along, my son was safe and snuggy in my tummy :-). Given his fascination with trains and cars, I have told him that he rode on Shinkansen in Mommy's tummy, and he is really thrilled about that :-).

To Be Continued.

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