“There is a problem with the engine” said the Captain not long after we had passed the half way point aboard our ferry from Hong Kong to Macau. Quite a commotion followed; the hosties weren’t quite sure what to make of the alarm or the reaction of the people on board, namely Chinese people who were terrified the ferry was going to sink. Lots of life jackets were donned and photos taken. A few people became quite irate when there was another pipe made “We are sorry for inconvenience but we will now be arriving three hours later than expected”. This [View Full Entry]

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We made lots of friends at the campsite. Callum had a little girl friend he played his drums with and they had some fun with the orange bubbles and the swing. I made two friends called Jasmine and Jonathon. We played together at the campsite and went for a big hike. They have a dog named Rocky who is a real rascal. They invited us to see Madagascar 2 at the Cinema on the weekend. We liked the movie and after that they showed us a big bookshop called ‘Page One’. Another day we were invited to their home and we [View Full Entry]

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After a week in a hotel on Hong Kong Island, we moved out to a campground near a small seaside village called Hoi Ha in The New Territories. It was about a 35minute walk from the village to the campsite we chose. To say there were a few people out camping for the Christmas Holidays would be somewhat of a major understatement! The campground was a sea of tents. We found a spot on Christmas Day and then enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. Callum salvaged some rope and wood from the coastline and we made the boys a swing on [View Full Entry]

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Enjoyed seeing out the last of the old year after recovering from a hairy bus ride from the nearby village and a good walk along the coastline, when the clouds cleared and I saw planet Venus and the spectacular crescent moon for the first time in a week. The Australian's noted the lack of beer in the campsite and the Chinese would have noted the lack of Bai Jiu (rice wine that tastes like petrol). People from Hong Kong seem to enjoy excess of food consumption in favour of alcohol. Callum went to bed saying "it's Happy New Year tomorrow". When [View Full Entry]

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We had some visa issues so it was time to leave mainland China and rest a few days in Hong Kong while making plans for the next part of the journey. We made it to Disneyland on the last day before the school holidays, which meant relatively smaller crowds. The 3D glasses they gave for the night lights were very clever. Every light looked like an angel with a trumpet and when you moved the glasses, the angels flapped their wings. They even pumped suds out from the rooves along Main Street to make like it was snowing! Hong Kong is [View Full Entry]

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Late in the evening, I was in the computer room wearing a pair of John Lennon glasses posing for a photo by entrepreneur and budding photographer Jamal, a Brittish boy, when Mark entered. "Kath, WHAT are you doing?!" he asked and Jamal wasted no time making the most of someone new to chat to "Hey man, where's your tool?". After a long silence he added "You know, your camera!", some funny introductions followed, "So you're from Jamaica" Mark asked. "Well, I have some history there, but you know I'm from London". Jamal proved to be quite a character and I slipped [View Full Entry]

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I went on a long train trip with Gretchen, who I haven’t seen nearly enough of since Chinese people work too much; and Ashley, an arty friend from the Kindergarten. Our excursion took us to Tai An in Shandong Province, a town at the base of a beautiful mountain I climbed 4 years ago. We eventually arrived at an area I am looking into having some clothing made up in. I have a vision of a sewing community there and this was the first visit to suss it out. I’ve done a fair bit of research into a suitable area that [View Full Entry]

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There is this buffet place we can go for dinner near our house called Origus. I think it is American. They have lots of pizza, even chocolate pizza! Franca and I like the spicy potatoes best. The pasta sauce is really spicy too. You can eat all kinds of fruit and salad and dip it in a chocolate sauce. I always eat too much but I like to go there for dinner sometimes! If you come to China I can take you there for a big feast. [View Full Entry]

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I’ve enjoyed a five day yoga program (my Christmas present from the boys) with a lady called Sarah Powers, from the U.S. She has done a lot of her studies in Tibet. The Yang style of yoga is the more fluid style that is more often taught with the Asanas. Yin style is something else. Something like a traditional yoga pose though you hold the pose for much longer, like at least 5-10 minutes. I’d like to explore more of this. I think it’s good for someone like me that needs help with slowing things down! Felt so great after these [View Full Entry]

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Had a really wonderful time at the gig tonight. Went with Franca to see the Chinese band called New Pants. Prior to the gig they had a movie doco that they stared in that was very well done. Quite a take on social life in China; girl and boy shyly hooking up, going to the markets to buy 'new pants' together, having a laugh etc and then the girl moving to Beijing city, ending up working the 'extra' shifts at the hairdressers where men get much more than their hair cut and a shoulder massage. The boyfriend came to look for [View Full Entry]

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