Updated on January 2, 2017
Day 9 of Turkey Vacation: Hot Air Balloon and Green Tour of Göreme on August 27th, 2016
The second day in the beautiful Cappadocia region.
The plan of the day was to take the signature hot air balloon ride for an aerial view of the spectacular landscapes of Cappadocia, and then take part in the Cappadocia Green tour.
So at 5am we were picked up by the balloon company, that ferried us from our cave hotel to their headquarter just outside the town center of Göreme, where we were given a buffet breakfast, typed our names (for insurances purposes, and for it to appear in the certificate after landing)
Maccan Balloons Breakfast Lounge
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Updated on December 28, 2016
Day 8 of Turkey Vacation: Red Tour of Göreme on August 26th, 2016
This morning, much to our displeasure, we found Metro company dropped us off at the Nevşehir Bus Station (which was on the outskirts of the city of Nevşehir), rather than in the center of Göreme Town. And to our greater displeasure, we were reminded to get off the bus not by the bus conductor, but by some travel agent guy at the bus station. (One possible explanation other than the bus company’s blatant unprofessionalism was that the bus conductor didn’t speak English very well, which we took it.)
Then we were informed (by this travel agent guy) that Metro company would provide us free shuttle to Göreme Bus Station, but we were supposed to wait at Nevşehir for the Istanbul bus to come, and/or that the shuttle vans of Metro company wasn’t currently available. Well, since he’s basically the only one at the station that spoke English, we sort of had to trust him.
That was quarter past 6 in the morning, and the whole bus station was literally a ghost town. The Istanbul bus and our shuttle van came at quarter past 7, and during that hour some magic happened (yes, I was summarizing it this way) and the travel agent guy somehow managed to persuade us to book tours with him, since he was offering better quotes than our hotel (80TL or 90TL for red tour, I forgot the details) and we hadn’t finalized all the tours with our hotel yet.
Conclusion, tours around Cappadocia should be better booked in person than through emails, and to do that it’s better to arrive in the afternoon (or evening) than in the morning.
Cave Hotel CellarThe first time my hotel put two beds on separate floors.
Updated on December 22, 2016
Day 7 of Turkey Vacation: Side on August 25th, 2016
Last day in Antalya.
The plan of the day was to visit Side, an ancient Greek city on the Mediterranean coast East of Antalya. On the way back there were two other major attractions, the amphitheater of Aspendos and the ancient city of Perge. But these two sites were all off the major D400 Route, that plus some difficulties in finding the right bus in Manavgat meant we only managed to visit one of them.
Pedestrian Street of Antalya
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Updated on August 31, 2017
Flight Log of Tianjin Airlines Flight 7860 from Wuhan to Tianjin on December 8th, 2016
I only stayed in Wuhan(武汉) for one night before rushing back to Beijing.
Wuhan Railway Station Exterior
My trip back begins at Wuhan(武汉) Railway Station, where I took the subway to Hankou(汉口) Railway Station, then Hankou-Xiaogan(孝感) Intercity Railway to Wuhan Tianhe Airport.
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Updated on December 21, 2016
Flight Log of China Southern Airlines Flight 3138 from Beijing Capital to Wuhan on December 7th, 2016
I was suddenly informed by my parents that I needed to go to the city of Wuhan(武汉) to sort out some family matters, and that was one day before my trip. Immediately I went online searching for tickets, and found tickets for overnight sleeper trains were sold out (apart from the ones that arrive at 4 in the morning), yet airlines were still quoting around 300+CNY for morning flights to Wuhan. So with little hesitation I booked China Southern’s morning flight to Wuhan.
Check-in Counters at Beijing Airport Terminal 2
Updated on December 29, 2016
Flight Log of Delta Airways Flight 129 from Seattle to Beijing Capital, and Diversion to Anchorage on November 5th, 2016
This post follows on the previous ones about flight DL129 from Los Angeles to Seattle.
Since the previous flight from Los Angeles departed pretty much on time, we arrived at Seattle half an hour early, which meant plenty of time to go just from one terminal to another by tram.
Hainan Airlines A333 (B-8118) At the Gate
Updated on January 10, 2017
Flight Log of Delta Airways Flight 129 from Los Angeles to Seattle on November 5th, 2016
Time to head back (so that I don’t miss too many lectures).
Comparing the different options, I thought a Lyft ride was the best way to get to the airport from downtown (Yes, I’ve got the free ride credits for new users). And thank God, the traffic was smooth all the way to the airport.
LAX Airport Driveway
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Updated on December 14, 2016
Flight Log of Delta Airways Flight 4940 from Seattle to San Francisco on October 27th, 2016
This post follows on the previous one of flight DL128 from Beijing to Seattle.
Learning the experience last time of flight AA186 to Chicago, this time I wasted no time after getting off the plane, race-walked my way to the customs.
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Updated on November 22, 2016
Flight Log of Delta Airways Flight 128 from Beijing Capital to Seattle on October 27th, 2016
I wasn’t expecting to go back to the States so soon.
No, I wasn’t, but somehow I messed a crucial part of the application process, and only way I could remedy that mess was to make a visit to the States during the school session.
Thankfully, the class schedules for senior-year undergraduates were usually pretty empty. Also, since it’s not peak times, the airlines were offering jaw-dropping rates across the pacific.
Yes, I thought a return trip to the west coast from Beijing at 3485 CNY with Delta Airlines was pretty much bottom, until I searched for flexible days at found the Hainan+Alaska combination offering 29XX CNY options. Well, I found consolation that the 29XX CNY rates came with overnight transfer at Seattle on the return trip.
Also, since the US Embassy bought into Cornell’s month-long “conference” and issued me a B-type visa, it saved me the burden of paperwork and presumably lies on the visa part.
Updated on November 8, 2016
Picnic in Stewart Park, Ithaca on August 4th, 2016, and Night Views in Cornell
I’m not sure, but somehow it seemed that the organizers of the month-long workshop at Cornell thought there should be some unique activities each week. So for the last week, the organized a picnic at Stewart Park, a local recreational park on Lake Cayuga.
There was food (sadly I guessed this unproportionally summarized the picnic for quite a number of us), ball games offered by the wonderful professors at Cornell, and breathtaking views of Lake Cayuga under a setting sun. There wasn’t much to talk about for the picnic, so this post would largely be a photo display of sunset at Stewart Park, together with the birds that dwelt in it.
As with Chinese convention, the two of us from Tsinghua joined the procession of SJTU students, and laughed our way for 2.8 kilometers to Stewart Park.
Lake Street
Welcome!