simple dinner

since i have been sick the past few days our dinners have consisted mainly of soup. my mom sent me some new recipes and last night i decided to give one a try. this recipe was sooooo simple and it turned out perfect. it is one of my new favorites and i think it will be great cold in the summer. it is such an easy recipe and leaves lots of room to plan around with the ingredients.  here is the recipe, penne rigata with broccoli, give it a try and let me know what you think. 

xo cbe

guilin, china

after we left hong kong we flew to guilin, china. we had heard so many wonderful things about guilin but had no idea what to expect other then what we had seen and read online. 

we flew in at night so we were unable to get a good idea of our surroundings. we stayed at the shangri la and it was amazing. the staff was so sweet.  when we checked in we met with the concierge and planned out our time there. we wanted to tour the li river and see the rice terraces. we set up a private tour with a guide to take us down the li river in a speed boat to the village of yangshuo.

we got up the next morning and met our guide, david. he took us to the river where we met our captain and got a first look at our "speed" boat. it looked like anything but......

we spent the morning and into mid afternoon cruising down the li river. it was so beautiful. everywhere you looked was picture perfect and completely overwhelming. it is one of the most beautiful places i have ever been and one of the coolest experiences of my life. when we arrived at yangshou we walked around the village and then had lunch. it was a perfect day. 

the second day we planned to tour the rice terraces 2 and half hours outside of guilin. we met david in the morning and began the drive. the road was windy and narrow. david told us they have a saying in chinese, "old driver, new car", and after that drive i completely understand. we arrived at the rice terraces a little before 11am and began to make our way to through the small village and up to the top of the mountain to view all of the rice terraces. 

it was once again breathtaking. we had perfect weather. once we made it to the top we took in the views and then made our way back into the village for lunch.

after we left the rice terraces we went to the reed flute caves. i have never been to any caves before and was blown away. 

here are some of my favorite pictures from our time in guilin. it was such a beautiful place and i hope i can go back sometime in the future. 

xo cbe

our speed boat 

ready for our adventure

water taxis, they were everywhere. they were basically small rafts made out of pvc pipe and lawn chairs. 

reed flute caves

hong kong

so yesterday was not as productive as i had hoped. i seem to have caught a cold in my travels and spent most of the day in bed. boo.

so here are some of my favorite pictures from our days in hong kong. it was so much fun to have davis show us his neighborhood, school and favorite places in hong kong. it was so great to see him so comfortable and knowledgeable about the city. he made a great tour guide. 

some of the highlights of hong kong were taking the tram up to the peak and getting the most amazing view of the city. trying new foods ant some of davis' favorite restaurants and taking a boat around the harbor at night. the city was so gorgeous and i can see why davis chose there to study. 

it is such an amazing experience for him and i am so glad that we

got to be a part of it. 

xo cbe

the peak 

davis's favorite burger place, said it tasted just like back home. not so much.

dad checking out his burger

i opted for fries :)

out front at davis' school. it was a very cool setting, lots of activity. 

a side street by davis' apartment

mom and her chai :)

biggest beers ever. 

a great meal at one of davis' favorite places. we got a bunch of grilled

veggies and davis ran down the street for fried dumplings. yum. 

a view of the city from on top of the peak. it was the perfect day. 

view of the harbor at night, not the best picture. but it was beautiful. 

home sweet home

we arrived last night from beijing, much later then expected. 

collin picked us up from the airport, i was so happy to see him.

today i have been unpacking and doing laundry.

i have so many stories and pictures to share. 

i promise i will post them later today once i get situated. 

here is a little sneak peak......

yum yum

frozen yogurt with strawberry and green tea mochi and mango juice filled pearls

turkish coffee and rice pudding

grilled corn, eggplant, jasmine cucumber and chicken with ramen and fried dumplings

stick salad

french fries

pizza 

i was so worried that i wouldn't be able to find anything to eat but it turns out davis knows all the best spots. i have been trying new things and pushing myself but its nice to get some of the comfort foods that i love. it doesn't always taste the same as back home but its pretty close. 

hong kong

today is our last day in hong kong and probably the last day for internet. we have had such an amazing trip so far. hong king has completely blown my mind. it is unlike anything i could have every imagined. davis has been a great tour guide. it's so great to see what he has been up to the past 3 months. he has showed us all of his favorite places to eat, his school, neighborhood and apartment. it

is amazing to think that he has learned his way around such a large city in such a short time. 

tonight we leave for guilin. we have heard so many wonderful things about it from people in hong kong and i can't wait to see it. our taxi drive told us last night that it looks just like drawings. it should be wonderful. 

i will post a few photos just to show a little of what we have been up to. i'll will post a bunch more when i get home. 

xoxo cbe

the four of us at the peak overlooking hong kong

stanley

killing time.......

sitting in the san francisco airport. got my pete's and a big water. plane is delayed.......

away we go........

barely slept at all last night, felt like the night before christmas. 

we leave for the airport in about an hour or so, i'm up making sure that i'm not forgetting anything major....won't really know until we get there i guess. 

i am so excited to get this adventure started!!!! 

i will try to update as much as possible, davis said that its quite difficult to blog over there. if not, i'll have a million stories and pictures when i get back.

and off we go!!!

p.s. to all my friends that i didn't get to say goodbye to, i'll miss you!!! xoxo

p.p.s. to collin and gigi, no wild parties, ice cream for breakfast or eating cookies in bed while i am away ;). i love you both and miss you already!!!!!

excited to have the 3 be 4 again. 

happy birthday gigi marie

today my little puppy turns 4! i can not believe it! 

she is growing up so fast!

happy birthday gigi!!

xo mom

p.s. today is my last day before the trip. i feel like i haven't gotten anything ready or like i am forgetting something really important. hope not!