Blogs from Fujian, China, Asia

A beautiful and relaxing day in Quanzhou, Fujian, at the beginning of April. Good life with Becky! Like every year around Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qingming Jie) the weather around Fuzhou was rainy and pretty unpredictable. We got up at least 3 times at 6am to go to Quanzhou but as it was raining, we ended up going back to sleep every time! But finally one morning the sky was clear and blue, so we took the fast train south and enjoyed a wonderful day in Quanzhou! I really enjoyed this city and wouldn't mind going back in the future for more hiking. Quanzhou is like a little Fuzhou. The fact that it is much smaller than Fuzhou makes it very convenient to get around. People seem very laid-back and we didn't witness any traffic jam... It's ... read more

Dopo oltre un mese di viaggio, tra tavolette riscaldate, coperte elettrificate e finestrini congelati, mi dirigo finalmente verso il Sud della Cina, dove le giornate si allungano e la colonnina di mercurio e' libera di schizzare gioiosamente verso l'alto. Unica tappa intermedia tra me ed i tropici e' la teoricamente imperdibile citta' di Shanghai, se non fosse altro per la sua breve ma ricchissima storia e l'importanza che ha rivestito nel corso di tutto il secolo appena trascorso. Seppur situata a meta' strada tra il Nord ed il Sud della Cina, il suo clima continua a rivelarsi decisamente gelido, con temperature costantemente attorno allo zero e fiocchi di neve che arrivano fin qui dalle piu' fredde campagne circostanti, gia' imbiancate da una spessa coltre bianca. La metropoli e' senza dubbio interessante, attraversata da fiume HuangPu che ... read more

Elien oli taas sellainen päivä, että sitä miettii millä on selvinnyt hengissä tähän asti. Lähdin töistä viideltä ja vasta puoli seitsemältä huomasin että olin jättänyt tietokoneen työpaikan pöydälle. Tässä vaiheessa en vielä tiennyt mitä olisi edessä. Muutaman puhelinsoiton jälkeen tietokone oli pelastettu työkaverin avustuksella ja seuraavaksi lähdinkin onnellisena salimarkkuilemaan. Markkuilun jälkeen aloin etsimään puhelintani , mikä oli tietenkin hukassa. Pienen etsinnän jälkeen se löytyi pukukaapin perältä, enkä tässäkään vaiheessa vielä manaillut huonoa päivää. Kun puhelin oli löytynyt, niin seuraavaksi oli hukassa kotiavain. Mun kotiavain on sellain hotellityylinen kortti, joka tietysti hukkuu helposti tälläiseltä sähläriltä. Avainta kuumeisesti etsiessäni pukuhuoneeseen tuli pari kinkkiä, jotka pienen ihmettelyn jäl... read more

When i get back from Xiamen Jasmine fills me in on the gossip that i've missed and the best news of all - Chef has finally walked out! Yes! He has been replaced bya grim faced Chinese woman who stands and stares with her mouth in a line – then starts shouting at me incomprehensively. There is nothing as scary or indeed as loud as the sound of a Chinese woman shouting at you. Old timers know the drill already – they are seated before the gong has gone to get their share of rice and meat/veg that is put on sharing platters in the middle of the table. By the time I get there there is nothing left. Alison gives me some of her rice and I find some meat and veg eventually but nothing ... read more

We arrive into Xiamen at about 10 at night. A man on the bus recognises Emily from Scott's bar (she has been working behind it for some of the summer) so we ask if he can recommend any hotes and he calls around for us and finds us a place where we can share rooms for around 100 yuan a night. We get a cab with him which takes us to the university district. We hang around outside and the man calls the hotel on his phone. We stand on a street corner and debate whether or not to buy some fruit. Eventually a surly looking women with a child on her shoulders comes to find us and lead us back to the “hotel.” The entrance is down a dirty alley way (there isn't another kind ... read more