So then on the 12th I was still in Hong Kong and went for "dim sum" breakfast with Caroline. The waiter was exceptionaly rude but the Dim Sum was ok, steamed buns and stuff. I then got the express train to Guangzhou and went to a hostel. This new hostel is actually more like a palace, without doubt the nicest hostel ive ever stayed in and at under five pounds a night you cant argue. The hostel also has its own hair dressing salon which also offers 'massages'. When I get to my room I started talking to a guy who [View Full Entry]

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Hi Everyone!!! Sorry it has been so long!!!! I finally have internet access in my flat. Communication here is not the easiest, phones work in the local area so while I am here please contact me by email. When I make visits to Hong Kong I will have my mobile (with the Hong Kong number) very confusing, I know so it is probably best if you just email me! Well life here is Zhongshan is interesting. The school is ok, a little unorganised at times, but everyone there is lovely. Summer school starts on Monday so it shall be rather hetic [View Full Entry]

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I am sure Guangzhou is a very nice place, but I don't know. I got a smelly bus there, arrived walked for about an hour and a half got mcdonalds for lunch (groan) then walked another hour to find hostel where I wanted to stay, only it wasn't there. So I decided to go find a temple and Jade market I thought would be good. Only my map was wrong, I could find certain streets but others just didn't exist. I wandered for ages, got lost and then the torrential rain started. I realise, I am in a strange city, where [View Full Entry]

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Na de Karstgebergtes hadden wij een volle dag bij Bart in Shenzhen. Bart had ons al gewaarschuwd dat er niet bijzonder veel te beleven valt in Shenzhen. Het is namelijk 1 van de 'Special Economic Zones' opgericht door China om tegenwicht te bieden aan de verschillende westerse kolonies in China, in dit geval Hong Kong. In de jaren '70 was het niet veel meer dan een vissersdorpje, maar nu is het uitgegroeid tot een mega-stad met meer dan 12 miljoen inwoners. Bijgevolg is het allemaal nog iets te nieuw en te artificieel en is het voornamelijk gekend als een zakenstad. Bart [View Full Entry]

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MORE PHOTOS HERE Now, even though I failed to mention the bloody dead cow's head that traveled in a transparent plastic bag on the bus with us between Swaziland and Mozambique, as well as the folkloric "chapa" (minibus) trip to the hotel, if you thought, like me, that that 8-hour bus odyssey between Manzini and Maputo was an adventure, think again, and keep reading! (yes, this one is a bit long, but, as my trip, worth the while, I think!) Lost in Translation - The Real, Real, Thing OK, I asked for it, you might say. I knew that going overland [View Full Entry]

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This used to be called Canton, which is where Cantonese food comes from. I can't really tell the difference between the food here and elsewhere, although no doubt Sinophiles could explain it with ease. No matter, it's all good. China is an endless culinary festival. Guanzhou doesn't seem to offer much in the way of tourist sites to visit, so I've just been hanging out on Shamian Island. This was a British/French concession in the 19th century, a teardrop-shaped island in the Pearl River that you can walk around in about half an hour. Architecture here makes me feel at home. [View Full Entry]

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I came to China to join my husband who was working here as a general manager, and wasn't sure about the teaching opportunities. Being in an area that has few foreigners, in fact I know of no other Americans here in this city, my first priority was to just get acclimated to my new location in a new culture where I did not speak the language. After several months I was asked to teach for a language company in a school nearby. Naively I said yes, but after only 2 days decided that this was not for me. The class size [View Full Entry]

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Two more days until we leave for Beijing and everything seems organized. We got our russian visas without much difficulty, yet the tickets for the train were another issue. Supposingly the price of the tickets changes due to inflation and so we were supposed to pay 757 USD instead of 666. We thought that would still be alright, and so we asked our agent how we could pay this in RMB, since getting 757 USD in China can be quite the hassle. He told us to transfer 9324rmb into the China Duty Free bank account, which sounded a little bit bizarre. [View Full Entry]

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After a bit of a sleep in and breakfast we decided to have a bit of a wander around Shatin. There is a river next to the hotel so we wandered down there hoping not to be caught out in any more downpours. Strolled through the cultural museum and saw lots of old stuff which was actually quite interesting considering New Zealands heritage of note barely stretches back more than 150 years. We caught up with John again at around 4.00 to catch the ferry to Zhuhai, China at 7.30. This involved the normal customs things like passports, boarding gates and [View Full Entry]

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The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway. In the summer of 2006 I traveled to China for the very first time in my life. In addition to the technical and vocational challenges that I knew I would face I had a strong desire to get to know the people and culture of China in a much deeper way than just a visit. The people of China have proven to be friendlier and more interested in me (a westerner) than I ever was expecting. Because of that I have learned so much and experienced things I [View Full Entry]

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