Blogs from Hunan, China, Asia

After my expensive Starbucks the previous morning, I headed to McDonald's for my caffeine fix. Much cheaper, but a lot scruffier. I took the subway to Yingwanzhen station, which is near the start of the trail up Yuelushan mountain. There were a lot of people heading to the mountain. There were entry gates and it was the same mini program as the one I was unable to use for Orange Island so I just snuck through when the gates opened for the person in front of me. The mountain isn't much of a mountain, more like a big hill. The first part of the trail was along the road and just a gradual climb. I passed the entrance to the cable car that can take you to the top, but it was closed for maintenance. The ... read more

An unexpected few days off work meant I was able to visit Changsha. I had wanted to visit in the National Day holiday but train tickets were impossible to get. Changsha seems like a popular city for Chinese people to visit, but not really known so much outside of China. The train journey itself was nondescript and after a couple of hours or so, I arrived in Changsha. I was mildly irritated that I had had been unable to set up the subway app on my phone as it only worked with Chinese ID numbers. Luckily, ticket machines in all the subway stations were plentiful so it was easy enough to get a ticket, it just meant I had to know where I was going at all times. Exiting the subway station, I was in one ... read more

Hi All I don't know! Go away for the weekend and the city floods. There has been heavy rain in southern Hunan which has swollen the two rivers which pass through Shaoyang City causing some localised flooding. It was a surprise to go down to our local market this morning to find it closed and under a metre of water and to see the army in boats rescuing people from their homes and cars. As the day has gone on the river near our home has swollen even more flooding more shops and homes causing misery for many people. With more rain forecast for the end of the week things are looking pretty grim. I'm grateful that our campus is on top of a hill and is in no danger whatsoever. Enjoy the photos Jah Bless ... read more

After a great night's sleep, I was ready to explore more of Shaoshan. First though, we needed breakfast. We headed to a small restaurant, not too far from our guesthouse. Eventhough, these small restaurants are allover China, I felt like I was in Southeast Asia. It must have been a combination of the heat, humidity, and the fact I was on holiday. The place did a variety of noodle soups and other breakfast items. I opted for the fatty pork noodle soup. I was hoping that the fatty pork would be like the pork in Hong Shao Rou, however the pork in thr dish had zero fat on it. I couldn't be disappointed though as it was really good. I was sweating by the time I had finished it, which wasn't a pretty sight. We made ... read more

Od 2 lat nieustannie nie opuszcza nas powinowactwo do wszelakich kataklizmów. Dwa lata temu w Japonii musielismy uciekać przed dyszacym nam za plecami tajfunem Chaba. Rok temu wzbierajacy wulkan Agung i towarzyszace mu wstrząsy dość kategorycznie zmienily nasze plany. Jakże miałoby być w tym roku? Jednak zanim o kataklizmach, muszę cofnąć się do przedwczoraj. Przedwczoraj silny organizm mojej żony pokonał zdradziecką chińską bakterię i, mimo, że jeszcze osłabiona postanowiła zapalić zielone światło dla dalszej eksploracji Narodowego Parku Zhangjiajie. “Jak najmniej chodzenia bo jestem słaba jak żart z brodą” zaznaczyła Basia przed wyjściem z hotelu. Niestety jej słowa nie znalazły potwierdzenia w rzeczywistości. Przewodniki twierdza, że aby obejrzeć park i zaliczyć wszystkie jego rejony potrzeba wiecej niż 2 dni. Jednak gdy my odpalimy już silniki to konsekwentnie, na zasadzie “... read more