http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/thecalgarianbarbarian/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from thecalgarianbarbarian en-us Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:31:47 BST Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:31:47 BST I have been back for a little over a week now.Things are the same things are different. My friend Haley posted a note on Facebook that summarized a lot of my memories from my exchange so I am going to post it here and fully credit her brilliance Before we all get lost somewhere between now and nostalgia Irsquod like to take a minute to reflect on my time over the last year at HKUST and Hong http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Calgary/blog-285204.html I am sitting in the Hong Kong airport I am completely sleep deprived and in denial. Make that depression. Make that euphoria. It was horrible saying goodbye to everyone yesterday. I woke earlyish as I didn't go out the night before. The lot of us were too tired on Tuesday from the array of exams we have been writing to raise any hell. We all went to UniBar the only oncampus barrestaurant http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-285191.html Tomorrow I have my Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management final Pray for me. I don't care who your diety is or if you pray to a toaster... just pray.The Chinese have Budda on their side.Exeunt. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-280381.html All semester I have been trying to explain the difference between 'How are you' and 'How old are you' to a six year old named Rachel.And every class she would gaze at my like a deer in the headlights before declaring that today she was six years old. Every class that is except for today. Today she jubilantly declared that she was 'Fine thank you' after hearing twelve of her peers announce the s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-279543.html Today during my Judgement and Decision Making final there was a Chinawide three minutes of silence observed at 238 the exact 1 week anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake. A beep went off on the announcement system and everyone dropped their pencils and stopped flipping papers and sat in silence. I had wondered how it was going to work initially I mean during an exam it is typically pretty http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-277761.html I have been going nonstop since the 17th of last month1723rd of April get back at 9pm Chengdu24th 130 pm Finance assignment due 24th28th Frantically scramble to write a 30 page group paper for advertsiing management. 3 group members flake out one is out of town one admitted to hospital ok not flaking out per say and one is a Parisian jerk who sends me mean emails making is seem li http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-276480.html 'Death Toll Raises in China Quake The most powerful earthquake to hit China in 30 years has killed at least 10000 people in southwestern Sichuan province with thousands more trapped.'httpnews.bbc.co.uk2hiasiapacific7397489.stmExeunt. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-275703.html httpnews.bbc.co.uk2hiasiapacific7395496.stmBig earthquake near Chengdu Doesn't sound like anybody got hurt though. I don't think that we felt it here... but maybe I was asleep.I still have like three more days to cover from the Beijing trip and two from Sichuan... I will do it but right now I have a group paper that the locals have dumped me with due in 23 hours an advertising manageme http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-275310.html We got to a slow start this morning. I stayed in after the race and slept yesterday and the rest of them went out with the others from our school who are in Beijing there are about 30 of them...Kristin and I agreed that we didn't want to tour with the group. I want more than the Beijing 'McExperience'. I don't want to be in a bus and have my hand held as I tour the city. She felt the same way http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Tian--anmen/blog-273160.html Today we left campus for Beijing. The flight is at 930 tomorrow out of Shenzhen so we are staying at an overnight spa called Queen's Spa. You pay about 12 CND to go to the ultimate Disneyland for girls and boys our age a full service luxury overnight spa with unlimited free fruit and ice cream. You change into jammies they give you and sit in luxurious lazyboys and watch movies in the movie th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-273149.html 'You can't be called a hero if you've never walked the Great Wall'The way my logic goes...Walking the Great Wall One becomes a HeroRunning a Half MARATHON on the Great Wall SuperHERO InsaneAt 6 we woke up to catch our 630 bus for the race. We ate bread and peanut butter in the bus and slept. We arrived at 1030 where the cheerful if somewhat confused race organizer declared 'Ok... so we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Great-Wall-of-China/blog-273139.html I left campus at about 445pm on Thursday. 7 Hours later I was in Chengdu singing a Chinese song to the employees of the KFC in the Chengdu airport as I waited for Walid's flight to get in. This was my first encounter with a persistent dilemma in China no one speaks any English.I was prepared for this before I left anf looking forward to it very much. Pretty much everywhere I have travelled I http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Sichuan/Songpan/blog-269855.html I am in China and LOVING it I don't really have time for the long posts but I have been keeping notes and should have some interesting entries to post in a week or two to fill you in on this trip. Topics that will be covered Just to tease youTIBET I was in an area full of Tibetans not actually in Tibet but pretty darn near close... very interesting local insights AND I met a journalist http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Chengdu/blog-268575.html Last weekend I did some cool Hong Kong things. On Friday night I went to an asian film called 19977222832004335211408452136830002 or 'Three Kingdoms Resurrection of the Dragon'. Basically this dude named Andy Lau is the shit over here like Brad Pitt or Will Smith. In true Asian style he is not only a movie star but also a cantopop star who has released a lot of successful http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-266733.html In my Arabic class we go around the room taking turns sounding out Arabic words. I noticed today that some asian students count what number their turn will be and while others are sounding out their words they work on theirs. This way when it is their turn their pronounciation is pretty good. I on the other hand listen to the rest of the class struggle through their words and then when my tur http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-264627.html Overall I give it 5.5 out 5 Chuck Norris Judo Kicks worth of gut busting awesome On my last day I managed to take it easy and enjoy Phomn Penh at a more leisurely pace. I went to an awesome cafe off the main strip still catered to tourists but I feel like in Cambodia a majority of places that are safe for foreigners to eat in have to be that way. There was a used bookstore next door so I ha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-263335.html Last night was a complete gong show.Amaury and I were supposed to stay overnight here and the rest of the gang planned to head to Saigon before nightfall... but of course this is Asia and the cab took two hours to show up at the guesthouse and then the driver refused to take the boys to the border because it was likely to be closed before they could get there.Of course most of them lost it. I don http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-260010.html This morning Amaury and I got up early and had breakfast on the beach discussing French politics and hockey. We rose the rest of the lot at 1030 who were hung over after staying out until 4 in the morning and having a gigantic meal right before bed. Our van left at 11 and we made our way back to Phnom Penh.Of course on the way we had to stop at the hospital. The big Austrian Tino was still nur http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-259635.html Who knew Cambodia also has fabulous beachesThis morning we left Phnom Penh at 530am for Sihanoukville which is about 4 hours south of the capital. We got here around 10am searched around for a hostel ate. Rented a boat and a guide and went snorkelling.Unfortunately I think that since we paid bargain bin prices we got bargain bin snorkelling material. It consisted of a lot of sea urchins and c http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/West/Sihanoukville/blog-259239.html I am in love with Cambodia. There is so much to do here in the capital... I would need at least a week here to do it properly.Today I hopped on a bus with the boys at 6am out of Siem Reap. I am still travelling with the 5 of them from UST. By 1pm we rolled into Phnom Penh. Cambodia is complete chaos especially here. Cars and tuk tuks create six lanes out of a pothole filled country road. Markets http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-258880.html