prepost's VirtualTourist Home Page

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*** Update (July 2008): I now live in Abu Dhabi, UAE! ***

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(For a quick jump to my Cuba page, click here!)

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A Little Background Info About Me...

Okay, my name is Shu and I am the one from right in the above pic. (It was taken during a ski trip in Feb 2005.)

I grew up in Jinan, China and moved to Toronto, Canada with my family when I was 18. I consider myself very flexible - I can do cities, outdoors, parties, sports, arts, chats, etc. - basically a little bit of everything.

Since my very first trip to Montreal in 1999, I have decided that backpack travelling will be something I love to do for vacations. No all-inclusives, no big groups, no tour guides. It will be just my small backpacks, big plans and experiences unique to me!

[My Shout-out] Given my family background (Chinese girl and the only child in the family), I absolutely love my parents for their 110% support in whatever travel decisions I make, no matter how crazy they may sound. Their trust helps build up my confidence, which in turn helps me in dealing with all kinds of unexpected situations. So for that, I want to say "Thank-You" to my mom and dad - You are the best! :)

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California - Sept 2006
We're back to California again!

Netherlands - July 2006
We're back to Netherlands again!

Minnesota and San Francisco, USA - May 2006
Bob and Monnette's open house in Minnesota - with literally their whole life on display; rollercoaster-like cable car ride down the hilly San Fran; two sick love birds took care care of each other - those are some sweet moments from the trip. Very relaxing, very pleasant.

Jinan and Yantai, China - Mar 2006
One-week trip to visit my grandparents. Expect a very packed schedule - pretty much an "In and out".

Chicago, USA - Dec 2005
Had a great time during a 5-day trip with my friend Daisy. With its wonderful music, food, and architecture, Chicago is officially my most favourite US city. I love it! Here are the photos.

Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, USA - Dec 2005
I had a great time touring the Southwest States with Q (qlog.nl). Grand Canyon is the place to be. Please do yourself a favour and find your way there somehow. :) Here are the photos.

Houston and Dallas, USA - Oct 2005
Gained 10 pounds in two weeks. Oh, the horrior! *shudders* Anyways, don't go to Texas if you are vegetario, don't drive or didn't vote for George W. Bush. Here are some photos.

The Netherlands - Sept 2005
For 10 days I pretty much re-built my impression about the Netherlands and the Dutch people from scratch. In short, the Dutch are a lot of things, but they don't wear clogs and smoke up, well, at least most of them. :) Special thanks go out to Q for being an absolutely amazing host. Here are the photos.

Washington D.C., USA - Sept 2005
The city is essentially one giant museum. People would go visit or work there, but nobody really lives there. Good for tourists though! Here are the photos.

Montreal, Canada - July 2005
Enjoyed a fabulous long weekend trip to Montreal with my friends Ada and Criana. Here are the photos.

Jinan, China - Apr 2005
Took a two-wk family trip to my home city. Here are the photos.

Vancouver - Apr 2005
Spent a weekend in the beautiful B.C. Definitely will go back again to the Stanley Park, and Granville Island, and many other spots yet to be discovered. Loved it! Here are the photos.

Banff - Jan 2005
It didn't take me long to realize that only two days was too short for Banff. The amount of stuff you can do there was absolutely overwhelming. My experience with the amazing Canadian Rockies was definitely "love at first sight". Here are the photos.

Cuba - November 2004
For three weeks. Met many other travellers and had some tastes of rich Cuban culture. Simply loved its sol 'n' son (sun and music).

UK - August 2003
For two and half weeks. It was my first solo trip and I had a great time in England and Scotland. I met up with Hongjing, a high school classmate, in Edinborough for a few days, so that was nice. Never would I forget my implusive bike ride between Inverness and Loch Ness Castle.

China - June 2002
For five weeks. Even though it was my home country, I had never travelled anywhere in China until this trip. It was a relatively trouble-free because of the family/friends connections .

New York City, USA - March 2001
For a week with Leslie, one of my friends and classmates from university. I remember it was quite windy, but we still managed to go to a lot of places. Just off the top of my head, I remember the lovely Central Park, Conan O'Brian show taping, and the awfully small hotel room. Note it was just before 911, so we were lucky that I had a chance to visit the WTC before it was gone forever.

Montreal, Canada - Dec 1999
For a week with Donna, one of my best friends. Montreal is a magical place especially during Christmas season. It's still a mystery how we never felt cold there with so much snow!

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I have this sticker hanging over my computer, it says "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain".

To the least it applies to my travel plans. I will continue to explore the world in my own style, and to challenge myself. So wish me luck!