A few pictures from Beijing

Here are a few pictures from our time in Beijing, we didn't do a lot of the touristy things while we were there, but we still had a great time. The city is very easy to get around, the subways are awesome and the people are very friendly. We arrived during a national holiday (big mistake on our part!!) and it was pretty crazy, Beijing is already a very populated, big city, but the holiday made it that much more congested! 

We did't try any of these!! 

-M

The Great Wall of China

Well hello there again blogging world! It feels like it has been months since I last posted... oh wait it has been; I'm a bad blogger, but I'm ok with it, I was off having a fun summer! If you have been following along with the peachy pear you may have noticed that Ali spent part of her summer in Europe (fun!), and I was also lucky enough to get in some travelling this summer too. I spent some time in Asia; China, Vietnam and South Korea in particular, and had intentions of blogging my trip along the way. Unfortunately blogger (the platform we use for this blog), is prohibited in China so I thought I would save the blogging for when I was home, wishing I was back travelling.

We started our trip in China, Beijing in particular (I will share pictures soon) and then made our way to the Great Wall (this is what I was MOST excited to see of all the places we had planned). We visited the Jinshanling section of wall, which is about two hours out of Beijing. We travelled this far so we could see the wall in it's un-restored beauty, and it was well worth it! There were very few other people on the wall which let us explore it as much as we wanted. There are a few other sections that are closer to Beijing, but they have been restored and because they are so close, are super busy.

^^ the scenery was great, the food however, was not spectacular so we survived on ichiban ;) ^^

 

^^ B is pointing to the part of the wall we wanted to hike to, it is the Simatai section and is said to be the best section, unfortunately it was being restored and we were only able to make it half way there^^

^^snack time^^

^^ a steep climb ^^

^^ the wall all to myself!^^ 

I hope to see you again one day Great Wall!

-Mel

Travelling through Asia - Travel Shoes

I'm writing this still a little undecided about whether I'm packing too many or too few pairs of shoes for my trip, but I will share them anyway. Normally I live in flip flops in the summer and I find them comfortable enough to wear for most activities, but since we plan on doing a bunch of different activities on this trip, I've decided to bring a few more pairs.

I'm packing a pair or Birkenstocks, the Arizona's, this is my first time wearing Birkenstocks and so far they have been really comfortable (I'm working on breaking them in before I leave). Im also packing a pair of Nike Free running shoes, they are the most comfortble runner I've ever worn and they will be great for hiking and biking and exercising (if that happens :P ). The flip flops that I'm bringing are the Sanuk Yoga joy sandal (they are made from the same material as a yoga mat and are really comfortable). I'm bringing a pair of converse sneakers too for casual days, and a pair or simple leather sandals. I tried to keep them all pretty neutral so I can match them with almost anything...I may be crazy to bring white shoes, but they look better a little dirty anyway, right? ;)

-M

Travel must-haves // make-up

Ali has already posted a few times about her travel preparations (travel shoes and travel medication), for her trip to Italy! I am also doing a little travelling once our exams are over, B and I are heading to Asia!! We haven't planned our trip out exactly, but we know we are visiting China, Vietnam, and South Korea. If you have any suggestions of things to do or see, please let us know! If you want to follow our travels, Ali and I both plan on documenting our trips here, the best we can anyway!

Here are a few essentials that I am bringing with me travelling, it's not a lot, but since we are backpacking I don't have much room, and I don't like to wear too much makeup while travelling anyway. I'm bringing a little more than what I have pictured here, but these are my go-to items for busy travel days!
1. Sunscreen!! This ombrelle kind is great because it is really runny and easy to apply to your face
2. Loose face powder and brush- This is the best for a light finished look (wear over foundation or alone)
3. Mascara- will help wake up tired travel eyes
4. Eyebrow gel- I have pretty wild eyebrows so this stuff helps keep them under control
5. Lip color- these are coloured moisturizing, almost chap-stick like pens, I love them because they come in so many funky colours

That's all for now! I will posting about my travel shoes soon too...I'm still trying to decide what to pack...

-M