Chicago, USA - Arriving 10th January 2008

Known as the windy city, and at this time of year a very snowy city, this will be our first stop in our round-the-world trip and we will be arriving here on the 10th of January 2008. Chicago is also home to some of the major US exchanges including the CME, CBOT, and CBOE.

New York, USA - Arriving 18th January 2008

One of the major financial capitals of the world, New York is also known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, art & theater scene, and as home to the world famous Statue of Liberty. We’ll be staying in this magnificent city for a month so we can truly experience New York Living!

Miami, USA - Arriving 18th February 2008

A semi-tropical paradise which is a favorite holiday destination of the rich and famous, Miami also boasts a large Hispanic community, complete with traditional food and music! There are also some major wildlife attractions nearby such as the Everglades which we hope to visit while here!

Mexico City, Mexico - Arriving 26th February 2008

One of the biggest cities in the world, and also one of the highest at an altitude of 7,349ft. It was originally built on an island on Lake Texoco and eventually the lake was drained to make space for the expanding city. We hope to get to see as much of this amazing city in the 2 weeks we are there!

Cuernavaca, Mexico

Known as the city of eternal spring, Cuernavaca has beautiful weather all year round, and if that’s not enough, it sits among some of the most beautiful and culturally rich areas of Mexico. We plan to meet up with friends and relatives here and explore some places together.

Santiago, Chile - March 2008

Surrounded by the Andes mountains, with some of the nearby peaks reaching a height of 21,555ft, Santiago itself sports a Mediterranean climate and one of the most modern infrastructures in South America. This is a city to chill out, try some of the famous Chilean wines, and enjoy life.

Easter Island - April 2008

Grace: Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to visit Easter Island. I’ve always been fascinated that the inhabitants were able to build and move such enormous stone statues without metallic tools.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sometimes referred to as the “Paris of South America”, Buenos Aires has strong European cultural influences, art and theater. Learning the Tango is something many people who visit Buenos Aires do, and if we have the time, we might give it a try.

Quito, Ecuador

At an altitude of 9,350ft, Quito is the second highest capital city in the world. And while we hope to enjoy the town, we’d also like to use this as a base to explore the Amazon Rainforest!

Madrid, Spain

Both of us have had wonderful memories of this place which we have visited many times before. From the renaissance masters displayed in Prado to the beautiful gardens of El Retiro, this is a city to be explored at leisure.

Rome, Italy

We came here a few years ago and we just couldn’t get enough of this beautiful city.The streets are literally littered with ancient Roman ruins. You can have dinner outside the nearly 2000-year-old Pantheon, or have an evening stroll by the Forro Romano and wonder about the people who walked where you are are now walking 2000 years ago.

Cairo, Egypt

Traveling in Cairo is like traveling back in time. You see things built by the ancient Egyptians more than 3000 years ago, crusader fortresses, ancient muslim citadels, and churches and mosques built over the last thousand years.

Giza, Egypt

The only ancient wonder of the world to still be around, the pyramids of Giza are something we have both wanted to see for quite a while. In fact, we almost booked a trip to Egypt in 2007, but we had to postpone it for work reasons. Finally we will get to see the handiwork of ancient Egypt!

Amman, Jordan

Now the capital of Jordan, Amman has a long history dating back to 6500BC. It was once the capital of the biblical kingdom of Ammon, and is rich in Roman and Byzantine ruins. We both love exploring historical places and this presents a treasure trove of things to see.

Petra, Jordan

Pedro: When I was a kid, I used to imagine living in the ancient city of Petra, carved out of solid stone, fending off invaders from the cliff-top windows. And very soon I will be able to see this wonder of the world!

Bratislava, Slovakia

Pedro: I last visited when I was about 12 years old, and what I remember most was the drive down from Poland. We drove through mountains so steep that many of the old vehicles on the roads had their brakes fail and we could see smoke coming out of their wheels.The next most poignant memory was stopping at the Bratislava Castle at night and admiring its architecture which was exquisitely lit.It’s been a long time, it’s time for some new memories

Krakow, Poland

Pedro: As a child I lived a few years in Warsaw, and occasionally I would come down to Krakow with my dad. On one of these trips I read about some ancient parchments that had been found hidden in the roof of one of the very old churches. After that, I always imagined I would find some antique treasure under some stone in the city.

Livingstone, Zambia

Named after the famed explorer Dr. Livingstone, the city of Livingstone sits next to the famed Victoria Falls. The Zambezi river to the south contains some beautiful wildlife including Hippos and Crocs, and we look forward to taking a nature cruise down this river.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

If Zimbabwe is politically stable enough at the time we get to Livingstone, we will try to cross over by road and see the falls from the Zimbabwe side. If things look ok, we might even stay longer and explore a bit more of Zimbabwe

Johannesburg, South Africa

Pedro: One of my childhood friends has been doing charity work here for the past few years. We’d like to meet up with him and see if we can lend a hand.We also want to see some of the famous sites which were so important in the struggle against apartheid.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

One of the highlights of our trip will be visiting a massive wildlife sanctuary in a malaria-free zone near Port Elizabeth. We hope to spend a good few days of solid nature safaris and get to see some of the beautiful and endangered animals that are protected here.

As we drove down the windy road up the mountain to the giant buddha, it didn’t seem like we were in Hong Kong. The air was crisp and fresh with the smell of salt and there was none of the smog and smell of exhaust fumes that are so common in most of Hong Kong. And of course there was the scenery, there were none of the high rises that are so common elsewhere in Hong Kong, and all that can be seen are hills, mountains and the sea, a sea filled with islands shrouded in fog.

Once up the mountain the view was even more impressive.

Here’s the giant buddha sitting like a crown at the top of the mountain.

While the climb started on a dry, albeit misty day, as the day progressed the mist turned to full blown rain clouds and we experienced why it is called a rainforest. The rain however, did give a mystic aura to the climb. And while it seemed cool and rainy, we were sweating under our raincoats.

Don’t I just look so photogenic here I’m sure you can tell I’m enjoying every moment in the rain Watch the video aobve to see that I’m really enjoying myself!

One of our main reasons for climbing Mt. Kinabalu was to see the nature there. It has such a wide array of flora and fauna that it is considered a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Seeing the rare Red Langur (aka Red Leaf Monkey), was definitely one of the highlights of the climb. Even our guide was pretty excited to see one and he goes up the mountain almost every day!