Steve LePoidevin
After teaching many years in Canada, I moved to China in 2007 for a different experience. Teaching a few more years, and seeing a bit more of the world at the same time, seemed like a better idea than retiring. I am now in my fourth year at Wuhan Maple Leaf International School where I teach Mathematics and am head of the Math Department. An avid motorcyclist (over 60, 000km of North American road trips during the last five summers), I now ride a Chang Jiang 750cc sidecar bike here in Wuhan. This blog was started to keep our friends and family informed about our adventures. I hope anyone else who stumbles across it also enjoys reading about our experiences in our new home. chinacanuck
Travel Blog Posts
August 11th 2011
It has been almost a weeks since we arrived back home in Wuhan and two weeks since we started the journey back from Sackville, New Brunswick. Guess it's about time to finish off my travel blogging for this last summer trip! The last week in July found us heading back along the southern Gaspe coast by bus from New Carlisle to Pointe-a-la-Croix at the Quebec-New Brunswick border. The scenic coast is an anomaly in the province of Quebec, with English speaking towns interspersed along the way. The names give it away; New Richmond, Carleton, Chandler, Hope, etc. Although French is definitely the dominant culture, there is no shortage of English families that stretch back for several generations, starting with the arrival of Channel Island immigrants in the 1750s. Although a beautiful area in the summer, I ... read more
July 24th 2011
It has been a great few weeks since we left home in Wuhan for a month of holidaying in Canada and the US. After a layover of four nights in Vancouver, we headed to Ottawa and then on to Missouri for a week with Nancy’s family. From there, it was back to Brockville, Ontario, for a week with my parents. While there, we fit in a one day visit to the wine country of Prince Edward County. The small island/peninsula of Prince Edward has dozens of estate wineries. Like any wine area, one can spend hours touring and tasting. Most places charged a couple of bucks per taste but didn’t seem to charge anything if you purchased a couple of bottles of wine. The countryside was beautiful and the wines were great. Prices varied from $15-20 ... read more
May 20th 2011
My sister, Karen, paid us a visit for a couple of weeks so it was a good excuse to go to Beijing. I know, everybody wonders how we have been in China for four years without ever going to its cultural hub. It was a great place with lots to see but everywhere we went, people tried to rip us off. The taxis were the worst. We had to be really careful to remember to insist they put their meters down or we were taken for a ride in more ways than one. That is one thing we never have to worry about here in Wuhan. It seems that in these tourist places, the locals seem to think that every Westerner has "stupid" stamped across their forehead. We took the subway from the airport and transferred ... read more
March 12th 2011
Spring has sprung and the days are beginning to warm up around here. This weekend, and for the next few days, we are looking at temperatures in the high teens so summer is definitely around the corner. Friday night found us at yet another party. This time the excuse was the fact that one of the staff couples got engaged over the holidays last month. So fifty people or so piled into Bryn's apartment for a few hours of R & R. His "penthouse" is located on the 18th floor of the building, which makes for great views of the surrounding complex and city. Partway through the night, a couple of party goers set off a fireworks display inside the main Vanke complex just below us so we could watch from the balcony. They lit the ... read more
A romp through Penang and Bali
Published: February 12th 2011Asia » Malaysia » Penang » Batu Ferringhi
February 11th 2011
Once again, it was our winter break and we headed for warmer climates. This year it was off to Malaysia and Indonesia after recuperating for the first week of our holiday at home, getting over a cold ( I thought!!). As we flew into KL, the only thing visible from the plane were miles and miles of palm oil plantations. It is the largest agricultural product in the country. The airport is located 60-70 km from the city but only an 8 MYR (about $3) bus ride away. After landing, we hopped on the LCCT-KL Sentral bus and headed for the city. Once again, mile after mile of palm plantations greeted us out of both sides of the bus. From the bus station, we walked to the nearest monorail station and took the short trip to ... read more
January 5th 2011
Last weekend we actually got three days off for New Years so Nancy and I and a dozen others headed for Sanya, our favorite get-away spot, for a New Years weekend of partying. It's only an easy two hour flight from Wuhan and a 30 degree increase in temperature. I had already looked after booking a few rooms for everyone at the same place that Nancy and I have stayed on previous visits. Once again, we were not disappointed. The spacious three-bedroom place was incredible with two floors of breathtaking views of the ocean and tons of room for the five people that shared it. We shared our two-bedroom "apartment" with Janice and were also very impressed with everything. The three single rooms were also very nice. Everyone always has a view and it is pretty ... read more
December 17th 2010
img=http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/72704955.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FD3D6E8E24F8AD364CE4A3FED40F05E8434E17D391174706014A5CA3D98B00E0B3 It is the week before Christmas and all through the town, Very few people realize what is coming down. One tree can be seen at our nearby large mall It's not really a tree, but at least it's quite tall. Covered in plastic candy, and circles and bows, And cone-shaped and colorful, it even quite glows. Metro has some tunes that it plays as you shop But it's only three songs and they don't ever stop. How many times can you hear the same Christmas song Before you go crazy.....but don't get me wrong... Christmas in China is not that bad And there are many things for which I am glad The weather is great, high teens every day No snow to shovel leaves more time to play. Friday off this week and only four ... read more
December 4th 2010
Life is still good in Wuhan! December 5, temperature in the low 20s, riding the motorcycle every day, and another week of sunshine in the forecast. This weekend was more great food and parties along with a ride to a local motocross event. Yes, you heard it right, a ride to a local motorcycle event on my bike...with my summer clothing on. Of course by the end of the weekend I had caught fire, smashed a friend's scooter and badly burned my fingers on my exhaust pipe. And that is why I am going to sit still now and write this little blog entry. I don't dare move for fear of something else happening. Although I have hit my three now! But let me back up a bit... Friday night we had yet another party at ... read more
November 3rd 2010
Yes, this is officially blog number 100 since my first entry on February 18, 2008 . 66057 words and 1816 photos later, the China saga continues! We have certainly settled in to life in China and feel quite comfortable getting around compared to when we first arrived. Ok, so this one is a little late in coming but better late than never. What with personal issues combined with the end of term, it has been a busy couple of weeks. This is the third Halloween party we have had at the school. We have come a long way from "What the hell is Halloween?" to where we are now. It is not a big deal here, which is surprising, since most people love to dress outrageously at the best of times and the ability to get ... read more
October 25th 2010
Another first term is coming to an end and another Sports Day is over. Here are a bunch of shots from last week and a little video of our fast food lunch being made on a nearby food street!... read more
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