Last Week of Seattle Restaurant Week

More than 100 Seattle restaurants join hands and offer promotional 3 course dinners for $25, and some also offer 3-course lunches for $15.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/seattlerestaurantweek/?cmpid=3083

We joined Top Pot Doughnuts 5K Dash

at Green Lake yesterday, all four of us. It was a gorgeous day yesterday, sunny and 60 degrees. Perfect for the run. After one Top Pot donut, a cup of coffee, a bag of potato chips, and two lolli pops, we were all in sugar high and couldn't wait to run. Tyer dashed out first and finished within 30 mins, Robert was trying to keep up but soon found Tyler disappered in the crowd. He finished in around 32 mins. Sofia and I knew our own "potential" very well, and set our minds on walking instead of running, but exceeded our own expectation by running half way, walking the other half and talking the whole way, and both finished in 41 mins. We all had a great time~

There are many Run and Walk activities in Seattle. The benefits of such activities are usually donated to certain foundations. We will like to do more in the future. And the one we most look forward to attending is Jingle Bell Run & Walk. We can wear holiday themed custumes and tie jingle bells to our shoe laces. It'll a fun way to celebrate the holiday season and make some donations.

Hola Mexico

As winter still lingers in Seattle in April, hubby and I had a warm break in the “sunny always” Yucatan Peninsula. We had a wonderful time trekking through Mayan ruins, snorkeling in caves, sampling tortillas, sipping margaritas …We also discovered a sad fact that Yucatan isn’t sunny all the time. It was supposed to be dry season now, but it seemed to rain more than Seattle when we were there. But we were glad that most of the rain dropped while we were in the car, in the resort or at a restaurant. We even got a pretty good tan in the less than ideal sunny condition.

We flew in Cancun and stayed in Playa Del Carmon (Playa means: beach in Spanish). All the signs along the road shifted to Spanish from English right away. I was in a total loss. It was a miracle yet a bless that my hubby figured out everything even though he never took a day of Spanish. Some locals even complimented his pronunciation. LOL.

We visited three ruins: Tulum, Coba and Chichen Itza. All of them are truly impressive, but we seemed to like Chichen Itza the most, then Coba and then Tulum.

Chichen Itza is in the inland of Yucatan. It was a good 3 hour drive from Playa Del Carmen if you are lucky about finding the entrance to the highway. The roads in Mexico are not well marked and the few marked ones are in Spanish, which doesn't help either. But if you have a husband who has a GPS built in, finding where you need to go is a piece of cake.  My hubby is certainly a road hero! Chichen Itza welcomed us with beatufiul sunshine and amazing classic Mayan architectures. We were blown away by how well preserved and restored most of the ruins are. We were also impressed by the variety of buildings at Chichen Itza - a gorgeous pyramid, two beautiful ball courts, an intricate observatory, a huge nunnery,  a stunning warrior temple with 1000 columns, an astonishing platform carved with countless skulls, a sacred cenote (sink hole) used to scarifice people for the god, and many other smaller-scale buildings. It's a shame that all the buildings are closed for visitors, so we can't climb or go inside of any of them any more. Our guide told us that The inside of some of the buildings is covered with beautiful colorful carvings just like their surface. The carvings tell the story of how Mayan played their brutal ball game, how they made their offering to the god, etc. Our guide was very knowledgeable in Mayan culture and history. He even featured in NatGeo Maya program. He is a native Mayan who can speak Spanish, English, Mayan and Italian. He nicely explained to us how the Mayan calendar works and cleared our doubts on whether 2012 was the end of the world like some Hollywood movie depicted. Just to you know Mayans never said that 2012 is the end of the World! Never! Have a long and good plan for your life.

Our #2 favorite is Coba. Coba is less recommended by travel books, because it is the least reconstructed major ruin site and some stone sculptures have worn off and have become impossible to make out. We actually found Coba especially interesting because of its rustic look and thick surrounding jungle. The site of Coba is large and spread out. The best way to visit them is to ride a bicycle like what we did. Coba holds three beautiful pyramids and two almost intact ball courts. We fell love with Coba the moment we set our feet on the hundreds of year old staircases of the pyramids. Nohuch Mul pyramid is the tallest one in the Yucatan Peninsula (58 feet).  Using both hands and feet, stepping on the narrow and worn out staircase, we climbed all the way up to the top of Nohuch Mul pyramid. The entire Yucantan Peninsula was below us. We saw jungle covered pyramid poking up through the thick forest canopy all around, which was a highlight of our day.

Our # 3 favorite, #1 favorite to many other travelers, is Tulum. It's a stunning small site that perches on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean. Tulum doesn't hold any pyramids, but its structures have their own beauty. Quite a few of them are covered with stucco. We really liked the Temple of Frescoes,  which contains interesting colorful wall paintings. We started our visit to Tulum in the rain, but half way into the trip, the sun broke the clouds and came out. Every stone seemed to shine in the sun. There is a stretch of white sandy beach nearby. Although we didn't bring swimming suit, we still jumped in and got our feet wet.

In Yucatan, you can swim not only in the ocean, but also in cenotes - fresh water sink holes. Just imagine swimming in water-eroded caves. We were amazed by how clear and blue the water is. We snorkeled at Dos Oojs (Two eyes) - two cenotes with connected underground water channel. The water temperature stays 24/72 degrees all year long. It might be a bit chilly when you first dip in. but once you put your head in the water, you will be distracted by beautiful underground stone pillars and swarms of little fishes. The water was so blue that I almost forgot I was snorkeling in the fresh water not in the ocean. My skin felt soft and smooth after the swim, because cenote water is very rich in minerals. I just love it!




Mexico is still fairly poor in economy. It reminds me of the China when I was a child, kids playing in the dirt, parents working in the fields, police men manually control traffic lights in the middle of the roads... But Mexico is certainly rich in culture - its Mayan heritage and Spanish influence. Walking in the street of Mexico is like walking in colors, cars are of all kinds of colors, so are the buildings. Food is rich in flavor. Shredded pork with tortilla was our favorite! A must try! Beer is the most successful Mexican export. Mexico is the hometown to Corona, Sol, Superior and Dos Equis. We found time to sample them all.

We loved every bit of our trip. If you are interested in going and looking for travel tip, shoot us an email and let us know. For more pics, click here.

Earth Day Craft

It's Earth Day today. Besides using less water and electricity, what else can we do to help"heal the world and make it a better place"? Craft Queen Martha Steward has many brilliant recycle ideas, here are my favorite ones.

1. Cork Trivet

What a brilliant idea! You will need around 50 corks to make a medium sized trivet. Don't start to drink today. It might take a while to get 50 corks. 

Step 1: You can just start to collect. Ask for corks when you go to a bar or a restaurant. You will find people are happy to give them away.

Step 2: Surround corks with an 8- to 10-inch metal hose clamp (sold in the plumbing section of the hardware store)

Step 3: Tighten the clamp to bind the corks together and then trim the excess clamp with metal clippers.

2. Cereal Box Organizer

Every American family has cereal for breakfast and then toss the box in recycle bin. Maybe you can start to make use of empty cereal boxes by turning them into handy holders for your desk. Large boxes work well for books, small ones for supplies.

Step 1: Cut box with a utility knife at desired angle and height. 

Step 2: Wrap decorative or contact paper around box to see how much you'll need; unwrap; cut. 

Step 3: Secure paper with double-sided tape; trim excess. 

3. Piggy Bank

I have been storing coins in cups, plastic bags and trays. Time to make my own Piggy Bank. Easy peasy.

Step 1: Find an adequate plastic bottle; rinse and let dry.

Step 2: Cut features like eyes, nose, ears and body from construction paper; glue them to the bottle.

Step 3: Hot-glue empty thread spools on for legs. 

Step 4: Cut a slot at the top for coins, and a hole in back to insert a pipe-cleaner tail.

4. Bottle beauty

How many glass bottle do we throw out everyday? How many times do we go to IKEA to buy a vase? You can transform everyday vessels into elegant vases by coating their interiors with glass enamel.

Step 1: Wash the bottle inside and out with soapy water; let dry.  

Step 2: Buy dishwasher-safe enamel paint, which can be found at most crafts stores.

Step 3: Pour in a small amount of the paint's surface conditioner, which primes the glass for the enamel. Swirl to coat fully, then pour out excess. Stand bottle upright, and dry for an hour. 

Step 4: Pour in enough enamel to easily coat the inside. Swirl, and return excess to container for reuse. Dry bottle upside down on a paper towel for 48 hours, periodically wiping excess enamel from the rim with a damp cloth during the first hour. 

5. Doorbells

They look cute, don't they? And they are made of egg holders. A total green idea.

1. Cut the cone-shape pieces that separate the eggs out of a cardboard carton (one egg carton will produce five bells).

2. Paint each divider, using acrylic or poster paint. Let dry; apply glue along the edge of the divider, all over the outside, or wherever you like, and sprinkle with glitter.

3. Thread an embroidery needle with yarn, poke a hole through a bell's crown, and pull yarn through partway. For a clapper, slip a jingle bell onto the end of the yarn; tie a knot above the jingle bell. Tie several bells around a doorknob, staggering the lengths of the yarn.

6. Tin-Can Jack-O'-Lantern

You don't need to buy a big pumpkin to add some Halloween atmosphere. Let's take advantage of our empty coffee cans, soup cans... We can create a new Halloween tradition by punching robotlike faces into cans. Add votive candles, and the heads come to life. Place in window, or stack as a centerpiece.

Step 1: Clean empty coffee or soup cans and removing labels. Fill can with water, and freeze. 

Step 2: Steady frozen can on a bag of rice, and punch holes with an awl and hammer. 

Step 3: Defrost and dry. 

Step 4: Paint exterior with oil-based enamel.

Enjoy being an earth-friendly person, not just for today!

iPad Accessories

This post is for my father-in-law, who owns an iPad and absolutely adores it. Maybe I can "persuade" him to invest in some iPad accessories :)  Here are my picks.


1. Reviews all say that iPads are susceptible to finger prints and scratches, maybe an invisible shield and a some cleaner. 
My suggestion for shield is BODYGUARDZ, a really thin clear protective film that comes in a tube. Find more about BODYGUARDZ, click on here. 
My suggestion for cleaner is iKlear. $29.95 for a kit of 6 oz of liquid bottle, and 2 oz of spray bottle, 12 travel singles and 5 different sized polish clothes. Not cheap. But it keeps your iPad clean and new.


2. Although an iPad battery lasts 5 times as long as an iPhone battery, it still needs juice from time to time. InCase brought out a hybrid car and home use Combo Charger for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the price of $40.  Again, not cheap, but is such a good companion for your i-family products. 

3. The official iPad Case you can find at any apple store. It serves as a cover and a stand, and sells at the price of $39. A lot of reviewers say they like the case as much as they like the iPad.

4. iPad Wireless keyboard. Yes, the wireless one not the dock one. But same price at $69. Why be confined to the space of the dock when you can free yourself with wireless?

5. Camera Connection Kit. It makes download pictures from cameras to iPad incredibly EASY! A must have at $29.

6.  An iPad T-Shirt.  If you like your iPad, wear it and let people know that. :) 

10 things holdouts should now about the i-Pad

I'm a holdout for the Apple i-pad. Finally tried it the other day at U-village apple store. I really like its sleek look and fast process speed, but  still hope for some additional features, such as built-in camera, 3G, microphone... I know I've been picky, because, to be honest, I admit i-pad is a genius invention. It ultimately improves people's travel life.  Just imagine, when you are lying on the beach, would you like to hold a laptop or an I-pad? If you are a business traveller, an i-pad might make a check-in your bags or carry-on your bags difference. If you are still debating on whether to get one or not, check out the article below. It's a very good summary of i-Pad reviews.

Three types of people are holding off on buying iPads at this point: those who don’t see the iPad’s value, those who are interested but waiting for a new feature—perhaps the version with 3G—and those who won’t buy in until there’s a price drop. Regardless of which camp you’re in, this article may be of interest to you: it’s designed to provide an honest, objective discussion of 10 real life iPad usage details that you might be surprised to know. Five of the points below are unexpected positives, and the other five are negatives, each discussed with a little more detail than you might have been aware of from reading early iPad reviews.

10. The iPad Will Change Your Relationship With Your iPhone or iPod touch. Tens of millions of people consider themselves to be iPhone and iPod touch addicts—“pry it out of my cold, dead hands” users who wouldn’t leave their homes without these pocket devices. Trust us, we know the feeling. Yet as hard as it may be to imagine, the iPad actually breaks this addiction: even the latest iPhone and iPod touch devices suddenly start to feel like compromised, crippled alternatives that have only pocketability as an advantage; for the first time in years, we’ve found ourselves leaving these devices in their charging docks and using the iPad instead. Web browsing, apps, and videos are just so much easier to enjoy on the iPad.

The “want to use this all the time” feeling is so strong that we’ve been itching for a persistent “anywhere” connection for the Wi-Fi-only iPad, the exact solution that the 3G-ready iPad will enable later this month. Moreover, because AT&T has dropped the ball on offering iPhone-to-iPad data tethering as an option, some of us are seriously considering the once-unthinkable act of dropping AT&T for iPhone 3G data service and just using the iPad as a full-time 3G data device on the go. No, it can’t fit in a pocket, but the quality of its maps, applications, and other features make the iPad worth carrying around.

9. Apple Did Release A TV, And It’s The iPad. If you believe the rumors, Apple has been working on an HDTV with integrated Apple TV/Mac functionality for a couple of years; Apple COO Tim Cook recently stated that Apple had no interest in being in the TV market. But once you use the iPad for a few days, you’ll start to realize that this has already happened: the only things that prevent the iPad from being a TV are its omission of a stand and a TV tuner—offset, of course, by its ability to acquire TV shows, movies, and much more on demand from the Internet. Mount it next to your bed, angle it near your bathroom sink while you’re getting ready for the day, or put it in your lap, and you may really start to wonder if you need to use a bigscreen TV any more. We couldn’t believe it, but this has actually taken place.

It’s obvious now why Apple tried to woo TV networks to drop their per-episode pricing to $1 per show: backed by the amazing library of current and old TV content offered through the iTunes Store, the iPad has come tantalizingly close to replacing the need for a cable subscription, and the rapid content discovery it enables via web browsing, apps, and the Store feels light years ahead of the sluggish, dolittle Apple TV—all the iPad comparatively lacks is the ability to start watching a video while it’s still downloading. After some research with the iPad, we almost bought the entire HBO series The Wire from iTunes, but flinched at the price, ultimately grabbing it from eBay for half the cost—the exact scenario Apple and networks should be trying to avoid with more appropriate iTunes Store pricing. If and when TV shows fall to $1 per episode, networks will finally have a viable cash flow from paid downloads, and cable companies will deservedly be in the sort of subscription-bleeding trouble they’ve deserved to suffer for years.

8. Gaming Is Much Better Than Expected, And A “Big iPod touch” Can Actually Be A Good Thing. We’ve played lots of iPad games over the past week, and though the lack of a traditional controller remains a huge issue—one that is crippling the quality of iPad games just as it did on the iPhone and iPod touch—there are moments that are downright exciting for any gamer. Playing Labyrinth 2, N.O.V.A., Geometry Wars Touch, and Mirror’s Edge on the iPad turns out to be far more exciting than we’d originally expected, thanks to impressive (and rushed) work done by their respective developers. Other developers such as Laminar Research have taken a bunch of separate iPhone releases and bundled them together, with improvements, for the iPad. There are actually reasons that people will want to spend more than $5 on iPad games.

More amazingly, even unedited iPhone games—particularly puzzlers such as Drop7, but also action-intense games such as Tilt to Live—fare at least as well upscaled as they did on the smaller 3.5” touchscreens. Will iPad-specific versions be better? Almost certainly. But just being able to experience last year’s pocket games on a bigger screen is surprisingly compelling. A lot still needs to be done to move the iPad forward as a gaming device, but apart from the need for a wireless controller, most of it can be done in software. That’s really great news.

7. Books On The iPad Transcend iBooks. As much as we like the concept of iBooks in its current, Amazon Kindle-aping form, the iPad’s potential as a reading device goes far beyond the capabilities of boring eBook readers. There’s already a ton of evidence that the iPad will be not only the conduit for replicating magazines, comic books, and newspapers, but evolving them forward with new interfaces, superior multimedia content, and levels of user-adjustable detail that might well have been unthinkable in print. A bunch of early iPad comic, magazine, and news apps have already appeared, and they collectively demonstrate more creativity, depth, and horsepower than anything that’s been released on a competing tablet-based reading device. Even a reskinning of Alice in Wonderland demonstrates how the iPad can completely transform classic books into valuable new experiences; edutainment is truly taken to new heights on this platform.

The only problem: the exciting stuff isn’t happening in iBooks—in fact, developers are being forced to create these experiences outside of the iBooks application. Consequently, these next-generation publications lack the sort of unified store, unified browsing app, and device-to-device portability they need—they should really all be a part of iBooks 2.0, complete with Mac and PC playback within iTunes. As chilling as the thought of Apple as a monopolist media gatekeeper or vendor may be for many people, some things really do benefit considerably from the company’s paternalistic involvement, and converted printed content is now at the top of this list. The alternative will be a proliferation of numerous different comic book, magazine, and newspaper apps with different stores, subscription models, and display technologies, generally with limited or no ability to view and store purchased content on a computer. Apple can and should fix this, very soon, before the “why do I have to re-buy my publications?” question becomes a huge problem for users.

6. Flash Isn’t Much Of An Issue, After All. We noted as much in our review, but after even more browsing and testing, we need to say it again: Apple has done a surprisingly effective job of reducing the need for Adobe’s Flash on the iPad. Part of this was the result of its simultaneously public and private initiative to convince content providers to switch from Flash to HTML5, which was accomplished more rapidly—if incompletely—than many people would have imagined, but part is due to the iPad’s current status as a “not quite computer.” Ninety-five percent of the web sites we visit don’t need Flash, and the remaining five percent can either be done without or used on a full-fledged computer. We feel confident that this will only improve over time.

5. Glare Is A Very Real Problem, As Are Fingerprints, But There’s A Solution. We touched on it in our comprehensive review of the iPad, but Apple’s glass screen is a double-edged sword: beautiful for videos, though dangerously shiny in cars, and even more of a fingerprint magnet than might have been guessed in advance. Consequently, we’ve spent the last week very actively testing Incipio’s Anti-Glare Screen Protector for iPad, and it’s an almost unqualified winner—it mitigates fingerprints, diffuses glare enough to make the iPad more usable outside, and fits the face of the iPad near-perfectly. You’ll still want to wipe finger oils off the screen, but half or a third as often. Even with the Protector on, passengers will need to be careful using the iPad in a car, but it’s as good of a solution as is available for the time being.

4. Multitasking Is The Biggest Omission. If there was one thing we could change about the iPad right now, the absence of true multitasking would be it. And we’re not sure that what Apple has announced for the iPhone in iPhone OS 4 is going to suffice for the iPad: having to switch screens back and forth for instant messaging, Twitter following, and multiple web pages is currently the biggest pain point when using the iPad during the day. If you’ve been holding off on buying an iPad because of this omission, we totally understand where you’re coming from; it’s the single biggest reason we would discourage some people from going out and buying iPads right now. Having to wait until this Fall for a fix is going to be painful.

3. Mail Sucks, Especially In Portrait Mode. As fans of Apple’s Mail for Mac OS X, it’s hard to believe that Apple could screw up an e-mail application, but it’s happened: the Mail application was never great on the iPhone or iPod touch, and it has stayed virtually identical on the iPad—apart from gaining, at least in landscape mode, a second pane. There’s no junk mail filter, no unified inbox, no advanced rich e-mail composing tools, and it’s as boring to look at as a starched shirt. Out of all the apps on the iPad, it has received the least improvement, and desperately needs at least the unified inbox of the iPhone OS 4application. It’s the one app we dislike using on this device, and almost comically bad in portrait mode. If other iPad apps had looked as bad and done as little as Mail, the device would have been in a lot of trouble.

2. Wi-Fi Issues And Persistence. Shortly after the iPad was released, some users began to report problems with Wi-Fi connectivity, and Apple has acknowledged that dual-band routers may be one of the causes. Though we wouldn’t describe the problems as terrible in our own experiences—and one of our editors has experienced no issues whatsoever across single-band and dual-band routers—we have seen evidence of dropped connections that fall more into the “annoying” than fatal flaw department, with one editor reporting the need to reconfigure his iPad for the network once, and another experiencing brief, unpredictable disconnects with rapid reconnections thereafter, both on Apple dual-band networks. Our impression at this point is that the iPad’s new 802.11a/b/g/n drivers need fine-tuning, and will receive them in a bug fix update. That said, it’s also worth mentioning that Apple’s iPhone OS 4 presentation made a fleeting on-screen reference to “Persistent Wi-Fi,” which may suggest that the OS will let users choose whether to conserve power by repeatedly dropping and picking up Wi-Fi connections, or maintain the connection to improve network stability at the cost of power. We’ll have to see.

1. Replacing and Repurchasing Apps. One of the bigger iPad user experience surprises might have been anticipated by some users, but probably didn’t dawn upon others: previously downloaded iPhone and iPod touch applications need replacement or repurchase for the iPad more often than one might think. This is sometimes completely painless: Shanghai Mahjong for instance was a completely free update to a previously paid application, and a number of free and paid applications have released either completely or partially new updates at no cost. Other times, however, developers are charging for the upscaled iPad versions: Gameloft’s entire family of “HD” releases are paid upgrades, sometimes deservedly so (N.O.V.A.) and other times not (Uno), while EA has gone even further by charging up to $15 per game for its “For iPad” re-releases. On one hand, iPhone and iPod touch users probably never expected to get tablet computer-quality graphics and UIs for free when they bought their pocket-sized games; on the other hand, iPad buyers probably don’t realize just how little of the iPhone and iPod touch software they previously purchased will actually be worth using on the device.

Some key iPhone apps, such as Facebook and Tweetie, are in desperate need of updating but have no ETA for iPad releases, while others—including AOL’s AIM—have received updates that generally work, but don’t make great use of the device’s screen. Second- and third-wave iPad adopters will no doubt see most of these issues resolved by the time they buy in; those of us who are actually using iPads will be waiting with bated breath for the improvements, and enjoying all of the great things the devices already have to offer.

Lost in Seattle - Real time search engine

I bumped into Lost in Seattle while searching on Google. There is nothing fancy about the site at first sight, but try to search something on the site, you will be impressed! It's a real time search engine about shops around Seattle. 
Let's say you would like to find a frame shop in downtown Seattle. Let's input "Framing" at What, and select "Downtown" at Where

and then enter. Here is what you will find: 

20 results in downtown Seattle. You can find out if they are open and their address. You can even further click to find out the details of the shops, including weekly operation hours, website, address and contact number. 

Enjoy Lost in Seattle! You can hardly get lost here then. 

The best discount coupon site in the US - Groupon

There are many discount coupon sites & i-phone applications, but none of them offers really steep discount, until I discovered Groupon. Most of the discount starts from 50% off. How great!


Go to www.groupon.com, input your email and select your city, and you will be informed daily of the discount at your city. 


Let's see what's been around in Seattle recently. 

Groupon covers only 70+ cities right now. Don't be discouraged if you don't see your city on the list. Reach out for Groupon, maybe your city will be added to the list next month! 

One thing I REALLY like about the US is ...

... its ICE CREAM. They are rich and creamy, coming out in different sizes and various flavors. Haagen Dazs is a common brand you can find at most of the grocery shops here. In China, one pint bucket of Haagen Dazs is usually sold for 75 yuan ($12), but my dear friends in China, it's sold at $3 here in Seattle.  Wahoo, I can eat ice cream for all three meals a day. But Haagen Dazs isn't my favorite brand here. The ones I like the most are:

Brand              Flavors

Dreyer's          Dulce De Leche, Cookie Dough, Caramel Delight

Starbucks        Caramel Macchiato

Ben & Jerry's  Triple Camamel Chunk

You probably have realized that I'm a big fan of caramel. Oh yay, I am! If you haven't had the flavors above, you gotta try them. It's all right to intake some calories once a while.  Ice creams make you smiley and happy. Believe me!

Visa Free Countries for Chinese Passport Holders

It's such a hassle to travel overseas if you are a Chinese passport holder like me. But there are actually a few countries that do not require a visa even for the Chinese. The list of visa free countries is as below:

1. ANDORRA. But we have a little problem here. It is a small country with no international airport. Thus, you need to enter the country from Spain or France. However, it is hard to get the European Schengen Visa to France and Spain.
 

2. ARUBA. Not only Chinese citizens but also other tourists from the world enjoy the privilege except people from Bengali and Afghanistan. In addition, you have to bear in mind that you are only allowed to stay in the country for 14 days.

3. BENIN. Chinese citizens are allowed to stay in that country for 3 months with valid passports.

4. COOK ISLANDS. Chinese citizens can stay there for 31 days. However, there is no direct airline to that country. If you want to go there, you had better have a plan first. My suggestion is to go through Manila.

5. DOMINICA (not Dominican Republic). You can stay there with your round trip ticket.

6. MALDIVES. Get your visa upon arrival with no money. You can extend your stay but you need to submit your application to the emigrant bureau at least 3 days in advance. To extend your stay, you have to pay MVR750 and you are allowed to stay there for 90 days at most.

7. MAURITUS. You can stay there for 15 days with your valid passport.

8. MICRONESIA. You can get your visa after arrival and stay there for 30 days.

9. NEPAL. It is the same as MALDIVES. You can get your visa after arrival with no pay and are allowed to stay there for 30 days.

10. SAMOA. You can stay there for 60 days. Your visa will be issued after your arrival.

11. SEYCHELLES. You can stay there for 30 days and your visa will be issued after your arrival. However, there are some requirements: Hotel Reservation Form, round trip air ticket and at least 150 dollars expense per day.

12. SOLOMON ISLANDS. You can stay there for 3 months and the VISITORS PERMIT is issued when you arrive. 

13. SRI LANKA. You can stay there for 30 days.

14. SYRIA. The visa on arrival is for free. For traveling purpose, you have to book individual or group travel through Syrian travel agencies in advance.

15. TURKS& CAICOS ISLANDS. You can stay there for 30 days without visa. To be honest, I don’t know where it is.

16. TUVALU. After arrival, you can get the tourist visa and stay there for one month.

17. VANUATU. You can enter that country without visa. The officer in the emigrant bureau has their say on how long you can stay in their country.

18. EGYPT. Actually, Egypt has severe requirements on visa. However, if you enter Egypt from Sham El Sheik, Tabu or Sant Katherine on Sinai Pen. and make sure that you won’t go anywhere out of Sinai Pen., you can stay there for 14 days.

19. RUSSIA, only for group travelers. I went to Russia this way in 2006, and it was visa free. 

But if you are a US Permanent Resident like me, you are entitled to travel to the additional countries below visa free. You just need to present your Permanent Resident Card and your Chinese Passport at the port of entry.

1. Canada

2. Mexico

3. Bahamas

4. Jamaica

5. Eastern Caribbean States

If you are curious about which passport is most useful to travel with. Continue to read. I found a list of the ranking and the number of countries the passport holder can travel to without a visa.

1. Finland 130
1. Denmark 130
1. United States 130

2. Ireland 129
2. Sweden 129
2. Germany 129

3. United Kingdom 128
3. Italy 128
3. France 128
3. Japan 128

4. Spain 127
4. Norway 127
4. Switzerland 127
4. Belgium 127

5. Netherlands 126

6. Luxembourg 125
6. Austria 125
6. Canada 125
6. New Zealand 125

7. Portugal 123

8. Singapore 122

9. Malaysia 120
9. Iceland 120
9. Greece 120
9. Australia 120

10. Liechtenstein 116

11. Korea, Republic of 115
13. Hong Kong 110
14. Chile 109
18. Israel 104
19. Hungary 101
19. Argentina 101
20. Brazil 99

21. Mexico 98
28. Croatia 84

34. Romania 73
37. South Africa 65
40. St. Kitts & Nevis 62

46. Dominica 52
46. Turkey 52

55. Taiwan 42
62. United Arab Emirates 35
62. Russian Federation 35
64. Serbia and Montenegro 32
65. Saudi Arabia 31
67. Thailand 29

71. India 25
71. Bosnia and Herzegowina 25
72. Egypt 24
75. Jordan 21
78. China 18
78. Korea, Dem People's Republic 18
79. Pakistan 17

81. Iraq 15
82. Iran 14
83. Afghanistan 12

Sad to know the mobility of the Chinese is as limited as that of the North Koreans :)

Unexpected US experiences #1

I was carded at a bar tonight! Despite my effort of showing the bartender an e-copy of my ID on my i-phone and showing my hubby's ID and our wedding rings, I still didn't get my beer. What a bummer!

We were at this nice tap house, which has a collection of 160 beers from all over the world. I wanted to try their beer sampler - 6 different beers. Instead, I got a lemonade. Ugh...

Tonight I learned: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Bring your ID with you because you will be carded when buying alcohol at a bar or at a grocery shop.