TRAVEL ADVENTURES OF A LIFETIME
The Chinese treated us like celebrities. Really, we are just two retirees living out our dream of exploring the world.
– STORY AND PHOTOS BY RENEE MOYD –
I have never been one to seek the spotlight. All the cameras, lights and fanfare? That glitzy stuff is reserved for celebrities and famous dignitaries — or, so I thought.
In some respects, I got a solid taste of the pop life while in China with my husband, Jonathan. Upon seeing our brown skin while walking around, locals immediately stared at us, flocked our way and excitedly gestured with their cameras while exclaiming, “Picture! Picture!”
One woman even grabbed my arm. Perhaps, if I were a celebrity, I would have had a bodyguard to keep her at bay. A Secret Service detail would have certainly done the job.
In all seriousness, such protection wasn’t needed. That’s because the Chinese people we encountered were kind and sweet. They were just excited to see foreigners, especially people of color — a seemingly rare occurrence in their country. With a smile, we gladly obliged to their camera requests.
Those animated photo ops are among the many noteworthy experiences Jonathan and I have had over the past month as we embarked on a months-long worldwide sightseeing excursion. It has been a major goal of ours to travel the world extensively in retirement. Well, the moment is here, and I’ll be sharing the jet-setting adventures with you through “Where in the World is Renee?” – my series of periodic written reflection pieces.
Our first few weeks included the People’s Republic of China, the United Arab Emirates and a quick taste of the State of Qatar. Following are more reflections, along with some of our favorite images.
This map shows the locations of the countries Jonathan and I visited during the first month of our global journey. China is highlighted in red. United Arab Emirates, or UAE, is shaded green. Qatar appears in purple.
DABBLING IN QATAR
Our adventures began in the Middle East region of Asia — in Qatar, where we spent one night after flying in directly from Miami.
Qatar (pronounced “kuh-TAR”) is a peninsular Arab country of roughly 2.8 million residents. It borders Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, and shares a maritime border with the United Arab Emirates (via the Persian Gulf). You may recall Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Jonathan and I maximized our lone day there by taking a nighttime guided tour of Doha, the capital city, where most of the country’s citizens live.
The Doha Bay seemingly divides the city by old and new. Amid the exquisite architecture, I quickly realized how clean Doha is. You’d be hard pressed to find trash on the streets. In addition, all accounts indicate the city is incredibly safe. You can apparently go jogging alone at night and not have a concern about safety.
We would love to return to spend more time. Despite the abbreviated stay, we feel good about officially checking Qatar off our “countries visited” list. Here are a few photos and a video from our nighttime tour of Doha. (Tap or click on each photo to enlarge.)
The next day, it was time to move on to another Middle Eastern nation state.
ON TO THE UAE
We flew from Qatar to nearby United Arab Emirates, or UAE. Our multi-day stay there began in Dubai, the country’s largest city, with 4 million residents.
Overall, UAE has a population of more than 10 million. The country borders Saudi Arabia and Oman by land, and shares maritime borders with Qatar and Iran (via the Persian Gulf) and with Oman (via the Gulf of Oman).
About 90% of UAE’s residents are originally from other countries. English is widely used there, making it convenient for Americans to acclimate. People were gracious and incredibly eager to help us during our stay.
Although situated in the Arab desert, Dubai looks incredibly Westernized, and its skyline is stunning. Did you know Dubai features the world’s tallest building? It’s called the Burj Khalifa, which is more than half a mile tall. Talk about breaking your neck to see the top!
Jonathan and I stayed in an Airbnb along the Dubai Marina. While in the area, we visited the Museum of the Future, rode camels and four-wheelers in the desert, and enjoyed a safari dinner. The experiences were so much fun!
This was the view from our hotel room, located along the Dubai Marina.
“Although situated in the Arab desert, Dubai looks incredibly Westernized, and its skyline is stunning.”
Renee Moyd
WORLD TRAVELER
We made our way from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, the capital and second-largest city in UAE.
While the temperature in Dubai got up to 103 degrees Fahrenheit, the number in Adu Dhabi reached 121! Within mere minutes of stepping outside, my mobile phone warned that it needed to shut down because of overheating. It was the most intense heat I have ever experienced in my life.
However, the heat and humidity didn’t stop us from taking in the sights. If you’re a fan of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, you may have recognized Adu Dhabi’s skyline, which was prominently featured in the “Furious 7” film.
We toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, an architectural marvel named after Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAE’s founding father and first president. He died three years before construction was completed. We later checked out natural hot springs in the nearby Al Ain mountains. The views were beautiful!
Like Qatar, we found UAE to be clean and safe. It’s also affordable, believe it or not. Food is super cheap there! While English is widely used in those two countries, that wasn’t the case in China, our next stop along this epic journey.
TWO WEEKS IN CHINA
The bulk of our time during our first month of global travel was spent in China – the world’s second-most populous country, with a population greater than 1.4 billion. (Yes, that’s billion with a b!) The East Asian country is also the world’s fourth-largest by area. It’s massive, as it shares a land border with 14 other countries, including Mongolia, Russia and India.
Jonathan and I began our two-week Chinese stint in Beijing, the country’s capital and second-largest city. More than 22 million people live there!
We toured the sacred Forbidden City, which was home to 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. Dating back to the 1400s, it is the world’s largest preserved royal palace complex. While there, we saw many women dressed in traditional Chinese attire, which is apparently a big deal. They were incredibly pleasant and more than happy to take photos with us.
We later visited the Beijing Temple of Confucius and the Imperial College Museum. The temple, named after the heralded Chinese philosopher, was built in the early 1300s.
“It’s mind blowing to think how all of that came to be, especially given the tools and technology back then.”
Renee Moyd, reflecting on her visit to the Great Wall of China
The next day, Jonathan and I walked a mile along the Great Wall of China – the seventh World Wonder we have been blessed to visit. What made this particular experience extra special was that it came on my 65th birthday.
I couldn’t have planned a more exciting way to celebrate. It felt like a true moment of completion. The wall left us in awe. For miles upon miles, you see nothing but wall in multiple directions. It’s mind blowing to think how all of that came to be, especially given the tools and technology back then. Seeing it in person was a “wow” moment, for sure.
Other noteworthy sights and activities during our time in China included:
- The Terracotta Army, a collection of life-size sculptures depicting armies of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. It is unofficially called the eighth Wonder of the World.
- A date night in Xi’an, where we enjoyed a tasty dinner and captivating live Chinese theater in the form of song, dance, drama and acrobatics. The talent on display was off the charts.
- A tour of Chongqing, where we took a cruise along the Yangtze River, the third-longest river in the world. Chongqing is the world’s largest municipality, with a population of 33 million. There were so many bright lights! The magnitude of illumination makes New York City’s Times Square appear modest.
- Shanghai, the world’s second-most populous city; Tianmen Mountain of Zhangjiajie; and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
While in China for those two weeks, we didn’t see many other people of color. But when we did, I tried to speak with them to find out where they were from. The ones we met were from various African countries and were vacationing in China.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, the locals reacted to us with unparallelled excitement, as if we were celebrities. It was in Zhangjiajie where the woman grabbed my arm and motioned for a picture. After our photo op, she gestured toward me by forming a heart with her hands. Language differences didn’t stop us from connecting in such a soulful manner.
Speaking of the language barriers, though: Jonathan and I don’t speak a lick of Mandarin, which is China’s official language. We relied heavily on our amazing tour guides, who helped us seamlessly navigate across the country and throughout each locale we visited. Without them, we would have been lost.
Unlike in Qatar and UAE, we barely saw the English language featured in China – whether spoken by natives or superimposed on public structures. Keep that in mind if you are considering a visit there.
China is definitely a place I could visit again. Our two-week visit scratched the surface of all the gems the country has to offer. After a marvelous stay, it was time for our next adventure. Where in the world did Renee end up? Stay tuned to find out. Jonathan and I are just getting started.
Renee Moyd and her husband, Jonathan, are spending the next several months traveling the world on a continuous, multi-continent excursion.
Visit SVwords.com/Renee to follow their journey.