Among all the places I have been to, picked my Top 12 adventures in 2017 to share with you. (Majority of the photos credit to Jamie @thecrazychinaman:)

Top 12: “Live” the Rajasthan Life. Jaipur, India

With tips — “take malaria pills”, “drink only bottled water”, we arrived in India for the first time in April 2017. I was swept away by how one could touch and feel the history in India, especially in Jaipur, the “City of Pink.”

Our guide would casually sit down on the five-hundred-year old stone stool at Amber Fort telling us the story behind the glittering wall we were leaning on. There was no fence, no guard, you were allowed to gently touch the history, seeping in the same air as centuries ago. We were lucky enough to stay in Samode Haveli, a residence of the local rulers built 175 years ago. In the center of bustling Jaipur, this urban oasis set in a verdant garden is still occupied by the rulers’ descendants, who turned this place into a heritage hotel for portion of the year.

We had our last dinner in Jaipur at Rambagh Palace. More than just another luxury hotel, it is an architectural masterpiece echoing with history with its culture and elegance personified. Once the residence of the Maharaja, it is a living monument of Rajasthan history. Sitting on the front lawn having virtually the entire area to ourselves (the perk of traveling in India during a low season), I was mesmerized by the marbled corridor, the lit up garden and the authentic Rajasthan music. I only wish my awesome husband did not drink himself to sleep not even half way through the dinner, but dined with me as their majesty Maharaja and Maharani!

Top 11: “ A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time” — Taj Mahal. Arga, India

When I was little, the first photo I have ever seen about India was this gigantic white marbled architecture — Taj Mahal, which became my entire beautiful imagination of India since then (you too?). They call it the epitome of love, the symbol of enduring love that transcends time. When we were finally standing in front of it, it did not disappoint. Even with a sizable tourist crowd next to me, I was showered with a strong sense of calmness. We marvelled at its shimmering magnificence — those intricately inlaid and carved white marble inscribed with verses from the Quran and the of course story behind. In the 17th century, Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a tribute to his favorite wife. The Taj is not Shah Jahan’s vision of the world as it is, but rather as it should be — harmonious, graceful and pure. This architecture immortalizes one man’s love for his wife and the splendor of an era. I am not really a fairy-tale person growing up, but breathing in the air around Taj Mahal with Jamie was a romantic and soul searching few hours. Not just to tick off our bucket list, we would be looking forward to returning on a boat when the tide is high next time!

Top 10: There is No Other Place like Camps Bay. Cape Town, South Africa

We kicked off 2017 in “the Mother City” Cape Town, a place that has became our most favored destination and later frequently appreciated in our daily conversations. We have been secretly planning on maybe moving there one day! Stayed in this beautiful Airbnb house facing the ocean with the city’s landmark Table Mountain at back, in one of the most scenic neighborhoods- Camps Bay. Camps Bay used to be a whites-only beach during the Apartheid period, but now, though majority of the residents are still white, it is a place loved and enjoyed by all color.

Two scenes deeply struck me: we arrived on a major public holiday in Cape Town. As we drove to the beach, I felt like entering a movie set, a live musical.The entire Camps Bay was flooded with happy souls, dancing, laughing, and singing under the warm African sunshine. They were people of all colors, content and at present. Second — early morning of the second day, standing at the rocky end of Camps Bay Beach looking forward, the entire beach and the layering mountains of Table Mountain National Park were soaked in the sun and mist. What a beautiful melody singing Cape Town into a new day. When I searched for the most stunning ocean mountain view I have so far witnessed, Camps Bay on that day is always the answer!

Top 9: Lion’s Head — Once is Not Enough! Cape Town, South Africa

We loved this hike so much that we did it twice two days straight. The first time was quite scary for me. I did not expect to climb up a metal wire for one part of the hike, and I am horrible in any kinds of rock climbing. The second time, I was much more confident and a lot faster. Once we got on top of Lion’s Head, we were rewarded with a 360 panoramic view of the city, Table Mountain and the surrounding Atlantic coast. Sitting on the peak cliff could feel quite daunting but nothing beats the top of Lion’s Head, the best vantage point of the Cape Town. We lay down for a rest, and took off the drone from the top, trying to capture the exciting views. For every place we travel to, our favorite thing is always to find the best lookout spot of the city, and just chill, close our eyes taking it all in.

Top 8: Stunning View Everywhere — Adventure Trio Around the Cote d’Azur! South of France

Last June, @theCrazyChinaMan’s instagram post let us and our friend @Sixuaner figure out we were mins away from each other in Paris, hence an adventure together around the South of France happened! Flew down to Nice, drove passed Antibus, stayed in St. Tropez, later got to Cannes, walked around Eze, gambled at Monaco, crossed the France-Italy border to dine. That was a fun 4 days with great conversations over beautiful drive, spectacular view, abundant delicious wine and seafood. Could not ask for either a better weather or a better company!

One of our favorite spots is Lac de Sainte-Croix, which I found out when checking out instagram hashtags (thanks social media!) — highly recommended for anyone in the region. Driving North around 2 hours from St. Tropez, we were startled when this glittering green jewel appeared in our sight — dramatic limestone cliffs and azure waters, with people swimming, kayaking, sunbathing, rock climbing, jumping off the cliff, in the scene. No wonder people say it is one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe, and France’s answer to the Grand Canyon.

Jamie has a persistent passion to look for the best lookout point wherever we go. He found out this incredible place to oversee the whole Monte Carlo, as below. On a cloudless sunny day, that was one stunning panoramic view of this country and the Mediterranean Sea.

Top 7: Party Up with Forbes Under 30 Crew. Manila, the Philippines

Extremely humble to be included in the Forbes Asia Under 30 List last year, I got to spend this incredibly fun and inspiring weekend in Manila in July. Meeting young, super motivated and achieved peers from across countries and industries, and learning about their drive and stories expanded my horizon and challenged me on multiple fonts. I have made some great friends and stayed in touch ever since, my startup buddies. Ups and downs on this journey, I am more at peace with the challenge, the chaos, the unexpectedness. Two things I repeatedly tell myself: 2) be grateful that I am healthy, 2) life is supposed to be hard anyways. I have also learned that my mind is more at ease when I am doing 2 things right: 1) efficiently running at a full speed, 2) pushing myself really hard to be physically exhausting.What else makes the party great? Delicious & creative food & drinks, excellent DJ and performance from the attendees.

Top 6: Water falling from the sky — Southland Falls, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Wherever we go, we always grab a copy of Lonely Planet during planning. We collect those LP travel books the way we collect magnets for all the places we have been to. On the cover of Lonley Planet New Zealand, this big greenery mountain covers the whole page with a beautiful blue round lake in the middle. Water falls out from one side of the lake into the deep valley. When we check in at Milford Sound Lodge, what a pleasant surprise to find out that helicopter could take us all the way to the top of this waterfall and land right by the lake. One of those times that money can buy happiness!

Southland falls has a cumulative drop of 580m in three distinct vertical leaps from Lake Quill, making it one of the tallest permanent waterfalls in the world. Sitting on top of mountain, we got this rare opportunity to view the entire waterfall. Now closing my eyes, I could still hear the sound of water dropping down from the sky.

Top 5: “You Jump! I Jump!” Queenstown, New Zealand

Never thought I would do a bungy jump, it was just too frightening for me! I am someone who is too scared to even have my eyes open on a roller coaster. But one thing about me, I love pushing myself to do things that my consciousness would tell me otherwise. So when we drove pass the landmark Kawarun Bridge, we made an impromptu decision to jump (our wine tasting earlier of the day might also have made an effect).

On the last day of 2017, I was properly tied in tandem with Jamie on our lower legs, and jumped off the 43m high Kawarun Bridge together– apparently the site where bungy got started. I had so much fun overcoming my own fear and making that move. The scariest part is not the jump itself, but all the thoughts, preparation and the anxiety built up till the second I was off the bridge. Looking back, 3 things helped me : 1) looking at people from all ages jump without fear (apparently the oldest person that have jumped from Kawarun was 93 years old! And people over 70 are allowed to jump for free); 2)the thought that I would be forever wondering how would bungy feel was unbearable; 3) we both agree that doing it together made the whole thing a lot less scary. It is indeed a bit addictive…I don’t think this will be my last bungy jump for sure!

Bringing true love to the next level? Okay! Then “you jump, I jump”!

Top 4: Riding on the Mysterious but Bizarrely Beautiful Metro. Pyongyang, North Korea

During my marathon trip in Pyongyang in April, we were taken to experience a ride of the Pyongyang Metro — one of the deepest and most mysterious transit systems on earth. I heard that for years foreigners were only allowed to travel for 2 stops, sparking conspiracy theories that the whole metro thing was purely for show. It was claimed that the metro is only an elaborate setup, with commuters posing as actors! We just would never know the truth.

After passing through thick steel doors, descending over 100 meters below the central district, accompanied by a soundtrack of patriotic anthems booming from antique loudspeakers, we reached the platform of Puhung Station. Weird to say, the design and decoration itself is bizarrely beautiful, taken much from Moscow’s metro system. The station features mosaic murals of Kim II Sung’ stories or socialist ideology, whimsical chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, marble pillars and pretty much all what the regime wants its people to listen to.

Throughout the whole ride, many locals passed us, but there was no eye contact, no laugh or smile, no chatter. When one local girl saw me looking at her, she immediately looked away as if she just did something terribly wrong. Everyone looked so occupied, rushing somewhere — where were they heading to?

Top 3: One Insane Long overnight Hike of Mount Fuji. Tokyo, Japan

We for sure underestimated the difficulty level, the total time required, and the physical endurance required for this overnight Mount Fuji Hike. I always have a picture of Fuji in my mind as a mild mountain that is peaceful, beautiful, and friendly. It certainly was not friendly 3am in the morning and raining! After a packed week and 3–4 hours of sleep the night before, we went straight into the hike after landing, all the way from 9pm till 1pm the second day. 16 brutal hours without proper hiking boots on the mountain with a 15-min nap in a toilet as the only luxury! The toughest part was going downhill in lose ground — it just messed with your knees. All the factors combined, it is by far the most exhaustive trek we have done yet. That’s probably why they said, climbing Fuji once is wise, climbing a second time is dumb. The best part of the 16 hours? It has to be my awesome company — one of my most inspiring friends Jen and my clown husband Jamie. Well, one thing to appreciate is they got vending machines on the summit, thanks to great Japanese hospitality.

On a side note, a couple of months later, when I was reading Nike founder Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, I could very much relate when he described his Fuji hike during his first Japan trip — a trip when the whole Nike story started. The hike was exactly the same 40 years ago!

Top 2 Watching Sunset at Mount Everest Basecamp, Tibet

The very thought of watching sunrise and sunset over Mount Everest is sacred. Weather in the Himalayas can be highly unpredictable. We were told it’s not uncommon for travellers to visit multiple times to the peak of the world, but still end up with foggy at best or simply pouring rain days. We lucked out, and felt extremely blessed that the weather could not be more perfect. There was rarely a piece of cloud within the 24 hours we were around the area. October 2017, we had an epic trip over Tibet with 7 other friends who we know for years, and we all agree that night at Everest was the highlight, though the toughest.

We got to see Mount Everest from sunset, shinning over the top, against starry nights, sunrise. It was my second time seeing Everest, the first time was a only glimpse when I was flying from Nepal to Bhutan back in 2013. After the sun completely set, I wrapped myself up with 6 layers camping out with 2 dedicated photographers from our group, sitting in the minus ten degree, admiring Everest under starry nights. I would be forever grateful for the peace. It is moments like this I love and treasure our planet.

The road to Everest was also magnificent. We drove up this newly built highway across the Tibet plateau, making over a hundred turns at 5000m elevation with incredible views of five of the world’s tallest peaks, each towering 8000m over sea level. This drone photo capture by Jamie is surely one of my favorite photos of the year.

Up on the 5300m, 10 of us squeezed with 6 other people in a temporary tent set up by locals. This is how we slept, as a group of hospitalized people.

Top 1: Running across the streets of Pyongyang! North Korea

On April 9 (coincidentally my birthday), Jamie and I ran the 28th Pyongyang International Marathon in North Korea! I somehow managed to finish as №7 for Women’s half. It was the 4th year this international race opened up to international amateur runners. However, the Korean peninsular was at a critical time as North Korea just carried out several nuclear tests, and the news reported that the US warships were deployed to the region. We were thinking about cancelling the trip even just 2 days before departure. If there is anything that really is once in a lifetime, running across the streets of Pyongyang in April 2017, only to be interviewed by CNN afterwards probably is.

That morning of Pyongyang carved into my memory. Around 9am, after 2 hours of wait in the cold, more than 2,000 runners from all over the world (yes, including many Americans) began moving into the King II Song stadium for the start of the race. We were welcomed by synchronized applause of more than 50,000 ordinary Pyongyang citizens who filled up the entire stadium. Men dressed in the identical grey suite with red pins, women in traditional Korean wear together clapping in unison, waiving, singing, smiling and cheering loudly at us. Adrenaline spun through my entire body.

As the race began, we moved away from the stadium, and ran through all the major attractions of Pyongyang — Arch of Triumph, Changjon Street, Kim ll Sung Square, Grand Theatre, before returning to the stadium. Two sides of the race route were packed with the curious and excited Pyongyang citizens from all age cheering for all the runners. It was our third day in this mysterious country. Unlike the cold, emotionless people who did not make any eye contact with us we encountered in the public areas, the crowds on the race day were drastically different. They were passionately waving, shouting, high-five at this big group of foreigners who were running all over the city.

How did it even start it? Why did we go to this crazy country that dares to threaten the most powerful, most military capable nations in the world, country that is reportedly having massive famine, using the cruelest tactics to silent its citizens? I probably write it up separately, but in short, with this marathon opportunity, we wanted to witness first hand a nation that is completely closed to the world, its people who have been brainwashed for three generations. I believe running a large scale international marathon would probably be the best opportunity interact with locals (even with thousands of eyes watching us).

Hope you enjoyed reading this! Feel free to ask me anything about these trips. Look forward to learning about your adventurous as well!!