Blogs from China, Asia - page 2239

First off, many thanks to all of you who have commented on the blog so far or sent us e-mails. It's nice to see that so many of you are enjoying reading it. Keep them coming! We arrive in Yangshuo and are amazed by the local scenery, which is mainly comprised of limestone karsts. These are medium sized hills that spout from the otherwise flat landscape and when in groups resemble mini-mountain ranges. On our brief walk through the town we immediately notice that there is a high proportion of westerners as this is a popular backpacker stop. On first impressions the town looks busy, full of shops, cafes and bars. We check in at the hotel and are surprised to find that bathroom and toilet in our first floor room has been designed a bit ... read more

I climbed the Great Wall of China! I can't believe it! What an absolutely amazing day it was....I was in awe the entire time. It was a difficult climb at times, but I think I was too dumbstruck by the beauty and coolness of it all to notice any pain! Our hostel offered a trip to the section of the Wall called Simatai, built during the Ming Dynasty. It is the furthest section away from Beijing, and we had a three hour drive ahead of us. We left at 6:40a.m. with water, snacks and sleepy heads. Although the early wakeup was a little much, it turned out to be a bonus. It took us far away from "tourist land"!, and gave us a more original experience. Simatai is a quiet and remote section of the Great ... read more

To say good- bye to my friends and students at Coral Gables High School is one of the more difficult things I have to do. Though I'm very exited about the prospects of teaching in China, part of my heart will always be with the very special people, who brought challenge, joy, and satisfaction to my job as the German Teacher and Foreign Language Dept. Chair of our High School. There is no vocation I can think of, that provides such a sense of accomplishment with few regrets. Preferring the accumulation of good will, rather than the gathering of great wealth, a teacher's commitment has always been under-appreciated and under-valued by society, yet their dedication will become the catalyst for the success of future leaders, needed by all cultures, who seek progress and advancement and enlightenment ... read more

Hi, We are now in Beijing. Got here yesterday morning and spent most of yesterday walking around, getting our bearings and visiting Tiananmen Square. On first impressions Beijing seems a lot more open and cleaner than Shanghai. Our hostel is very nice and we have a double room for half price (not quite sure how we managed this!). It's just as good that it is nice because Paul will be seeing a lot of it today as he is not very well. I think he may have a bit of heat exhaustion because it was very hot yesterday and he burnt a little bit. So he feels quite wishy washy today and needs rest. So I'm playing nurse and forcing him to drink gallons of water! We ate very yummy Peking duck last night and then ... read more

From the Terracotta Warriors to The Great Wall in 3 Days Whilst we were loving the natural beauty, wildlife and urban landscapes of south and western China, by the time we reached Xian, there was a mumble amongst most of us... when will we start REALLY feeling like we're in China. Well, we got it. An absolutely exhilarating span of a few days hurtled us from Xian to Beijing and some of the most amazing treasures of over 2,000 years of history. No time for sleeping, most mornings we were on the go at 6am, for either a long bus, a long train or an early visit in order to try to miss the throbbing crowds - as we had just entered Golden Week - The week where 1.3 BILLION people are on holidays - and ... read more