This year, we decided to have a snow Christmas in Harbin. However, it turned out to be an ice Christmas. The city of Harbin was icy and we only got to see snow falling down for a few hours during our stay.

Harbin is the largest city in the northeastern part of China. It has a strong Russian influence and was also occupied by Japan during the Second World War. Harbin is a city with dark yet important history to visit once in a lifetime. We experienced many things that will definitely stay with us as a tale to talk about in the future.

One of main purposes for us to visit Harbin was to see Ice and Snow Festival. The whole city turns into winter wonderland filled with Lego-blocked ice buildings with snow sculptures all around. Since the temperature of Harbin stays well below freezing (-20 degrees to -30 degrees Celsius) the sculptures are in no danger of melting. Of course, we knew it officially starts in January 2014. Yet, there are supposed to be many events starting around the 20th of Dec. 2013. So, we took a two hour bus from Tangjia to Shenzhen, stayed one night in Shenzhen, took a four hour flight to Harbin, took another an hour bus from Harbin airport to Harbin railway station, and finally took a 20 minute tuk-tuk from Harbin railway station to our hotel. It was quite a trip but the cold and crisp air (and people spitting) kept us awake the whole journey.

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After visiting New Jersey, we took a NJ train to New York City.  Billy’s friends, Patrick and Karen, were kind enough to let us stay at their apartment in Chelsea and treated us so well.  Their lovely dogs, Ellie and Buster, also entertained us day and night.  It was also a great to see other friends who came out of their way to see us.  It was a very short time but we really appreciate the time we spent together.  Although Chiz has been to NYC before, she had not been to Brooklyn so this was a good opportunity for her.  Bobby and Gabrielle took us for an amazing tour of Brooklyn including Billy’s old neighborhood, Coney Island and the Promenade. It was also good to meet their beautiful daughter, Isabelle. Lastly, we got to see Billy’s Uncle Michael and Aunt Leona. They were not only nice enough to store our luggage while we were visiting New Jersey and NYC, but were also nice enough to take us to the airport. Before heading to the airport, we had breakfast together at a ‘traditional’ dinner where we enjoyed our last supper in USA! It was a great trip! Check out the pictures below:

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The 4th of July means a lot to all Americans.  Yes, it is an independence day. The typical way to celebrate the 4th of July is BBQ but this year we celebrated it like Thanksgiving. The main reason why we chose it was that we always wanted to cook turkey.  We tried once when we were in Australia but unfortunately we missed the right time and could not get an opportunity to cook a turkey. Also, since we have been missing Thanksgiving, it was a good way to celebrate both while we are here. Of course, we did not miss the 4th of July fireworks at Lenox Square Mall. It was the most American day in history!

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Since we are in Atlanta with family, we decided to take this opportunity to take a family road trip to the capital of US, Washington D.C. and stayed for 4 nights and 5 days. We drove to Washington D.C via South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. On the way to Washington D.C., we spent one night in North Carolina but on the way back to Atlanta, we drove through for 10 hours making a few stops. Billy and his family have been to Washington D.C. before, but it was my first time. We stayed at a lovely hotel in Virginia and ‘commute’ to Washington D.C. every day. Public transportation in Washington D.C. was quite good but all metro stations were quite dark. Most buildings looked very historical and have got impressive architects and interior design. We visited the Mall, the US National Capital, Lincoln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool, US Memorial, the Supreme Court, some of the Smithsonian museums, and the Newseum. We were also lucky to have a couple of friends who live in Washington D.C. to visit and have dinners and lunch. This truly gave us good insight of Washington D.C.

4 full days were not enough to cover all attractions that Washington D.C. offers but enough time to experience and learn about the capital of USA. Besides, the trip brought us together as a family and we surely enjoyed our ‘alone’ time together. It was fun and has become a very memorable piece that we will talk about it in the future.

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