Blogs from China, Asia - page 2233

To fully get across stuff in this latest tome I probably have to aquaint you better with the rest of my travelling companions. As you might recall I wasn't that enamoured with them on first encounter which just goes to show what a judgemental git I can be, cos as time has gone on familiarity has certainly not bred contempt. On the whole, though we may be a large group we are a happy little band of wanderers. Firstly you have Richard and Stu. Richard, (sometimes goes by first name Neil), having been made redundant last year, (worked at Albright and Wilson for a while after college), took himself off for a 6 month stint around the world and is nearing the end of that now and is soon to return to the UK to look ... read more

So! Picture the scene, having only just escaped almost certain death trying to cross the Yangste on foot we were now all taking shelter in our bus on the edge of the harbour, the inclement weather buffeting our vehicle and Stu spurting blood all over the spot. (See earlier blog if you dont know what the heck I'm on about). Over the last week I've spent a fair bit of time with Stu and Rich, and though I think there is still stuff to realise, have had time to kind of suss their characters. Rich is the more rumbustious of the two, (sure that's a word), little bit more adventurous, outgoing, a bit more boystrous shall we say, where I'd be inclined to suspect Stu might be a tad more sensitive in a crisis. So there's ... read more

Flying over and then driving into Beijing all I could see was grey: grey buildings, grey people, grey covered trees and grey air. The atmosphere was thick and I felt my lungs protest. I arrived through a traffic jam of bicycles in a dusty grey alley or hutong where my guesthouse, Red Lantern, was located. Inside it was like another world, a pretty little courtyard laid out with seats and tables, running water and plants. Around the edge were two floors of rooms with veranda and balcony. I decided to wander the local streets to get my bearings and an initial feel for being in China. Road signs were luckily in both English and Chinese but very little else was. The shops were full of modern skirts and tops but few people seemed to wear modern ... read more

Hello! Did you think I'd dropped off the end of the world? (There are times when it's felt like I have)! I've been in distant territories, had lots of adventures, lots of experience, but sod all internet access!!!! After leaving Yangshou last week we set off, (via three bus transfers), to Longsheng, still very rural, but very different in landscape. Here the countryside is mountainous and forrested, with deep valleys, gorges and fast flowing rivers, where the local inhabitants live a mountain existance in villages hard to reach in any other form than on foot, and where the hillsides have been cut into to form terraces for rice growing. I had no idea what kind of treat we were in for, as I said we had to change busses a number of times, our final one, ... read more

The American Postal Office has a service called "the M-Bag". A strong and frosted plastic sack provides the opportunity to send books to China cheaper, in larger and heavier quantities. The use of this service helps to keep the weight of my travel-luggage to clothing, personal items, and gifts. I am carrying a 4 cup coffee-maker with me, along with a few pounds of coffee as well as the lap-top. Men have become very loyal to their personal toiletries, and I will be packing a several month supply. Visiting a number of stores around the College on the last visit to Taizhou, I noticed few empty shelves and ample wares around the city. The consumer-selections do have limitations, and if one might look for "fresher" markets, plan on not being dissappointed. For a Western first-time visitor, ... read more