Chingchai and Dan are great hosts: considerate, kind-hearted and humorous. A week before our arrival, Dan contacted to offer the detailed guidance of travel and check in. The 100-year old house is very well located, and decorated with both exquisite Oriental and Occidebtal artefacts, suggesting the scope of the places our hosts have travelled and their elegant tastes. The most impressive part is the painting Chingchai have painted, beautifully permeating the house. Coming from China, we might be able to easily empathize with the theme, the water color and the style of Chingchai's painting -- one telling example is one painting of the lotus in a pond bathing in the warm moonlight -- the same painting appeared 4 or 5 times in different places in the house, but only painted in different time: one of them in 1995 which is in the dinning room; the other in our bedroom is painting in 2001. Different style of the same theme, different mood of the same artist imply that there are things exist in the world that are the same but simultaneously offers the alterity of itself: the Other. The lotus and pond are typical Eastern scene, inevitably and inescapably arousing our nostalgia. We also play Chingchai's piano: the sound of music and appreciated Chingchai's performance of Beethoven's moonlight sonata, 1st movement. Dan is a delightful host to talk to, who recommended nice restaurants, and allow us to watch the presidential debate on the TV with a big screen in another bedroom. Such great time for our first stay in Washington DC! Hopefully we can come back soon to stay with Chingchai and Dan... we don't want to leave but that is all travel is about: trust there is something to discover -- penetrate the space -- extract newness and turning to ourselves. Thanks very much Dan and Chingchai provided an opportunity for us to realize the essence of travel. We wish you wonderful guys all the very best! :-)