Blogs from Shanxi, China, Asia - page 3

A leisurely start saw us hopping onto the coach at a very lazy 10.30am!! First stop was the Little Wild Goose Pagoda - a tranquil place that we were allowed to saunter around at a delightfully meandering pace. Lunch was at the equivalent of a Chinese Cavery - where the chef makes (very elaborate process), cooks and dishes up noodles instead of meat!! After our meal we went for a calligraphy demonstration and then onto the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. In the evening we experienced the Xian lights - a kind of techy version of Blackpool Illuminations. It took our breath away - light/sound fountains, lit up buildings and a mind-boggling animation display on the celing of one shopping arcade I have now come to terms with Chinese zebra crossings - one has to realise that drivers ... read more

Most good stories start in the beginning....this isn't a good story yet, but that's where we're going to start anyway. The day had arrived and I was packed and ready to go. The flight from Tampa to Houston was pretty uneventful. I made it on time and that's all one can ask for. In the Houston airport I had a chance to speak with some other teachers to be, and have a few drinks before my flight to Beijing. It was going to be a 14 hour flight, so a few beers were more than necessary. The other teachers I talked to were destined for other areas in China. So, most of our conversation was centered around how little we know about China. Boarding the flight to Beijing was a snap. Found my seat with a ... read more

Geo: 37.21, 112.17Ráno je opět tady, ale tentokrát jsme se aspoň vyspali a docela i pohodlně, takže spokojenost a můžeme vyrazit vstříc novým zážitkům. Hned na nádraží se ale raději ptáme, odkud, že nám to jede večer vlak do Xianu, protože pojedeme rychlovlakem a na lístku, který jsem koupil v předstihu ještě v Beijingu, je trochu jiný název stanice. U okénka se dozvídáme, že to musíme přejet na nové nádraží a máme použít bus č. 3. Super, lepší to zjistit teď než odpoledne na poslední chvíli. Využíváme tedy místních toalet k ranní hygieně a vyr&aa... read more

1.6.14 YANGZHOU: Distance: 102 Kms SubT. 1,691 Kms Bal 10,302 Kms Road Condition: Good Weather: fine Time in Saddle: 4.5 hrs Av Speed: av. 22.5 kph. Av Cadence. Rpm Elevation: e 1000 m up; Calories burned : Endeavour to upload photos with most blogs, but often internet is to weak to sustain upload. PLEASE NOTE NAME OF PLACE IN FORMAL BLOG TITLE MAY NOT RESEMBLE ANYTHING CLOSE TO THIS TOWN NAMED ABOVE. I DO NOT KNOW THE NAME OF THE PROVINCE, BUT THE SITE WONT OPEN UNLESS I PUT SOMETHING IN THE BOX. THIS WILL LIKELY BE THE FUTURE!!! NB. Apple auto correction changes words after I have written something else. Hopefully this explains why sometimes it seems senseless. Last night in XIAN a few of us went in the evening to the Muslim street market, ... read more

Another day, another province in China… This time we were driving to Shanxi, a province somehow forgotten or lost in time it would seem as an estimated three million people still live in caves around here! And you don’t really need to be driving around for a long time trying to find the caves as they are spread everywhere around the province, you can easily spot them once you drive through the region – cave dwellings all around. Our group leaders were saying the day before that it was going to be a long drive that day – it could be a 5-hour up to 8-hour drive depending on the road conditions, whether we would fit through one place or whether we would have to drive around it... hmmm… It didn’t make sense at the time ... read more