Blogs from Tonglu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, Asia - page 2

So I just wrote an entry but then the site crashed so it's disappeared. The gist is: It's really hot today. I think it's 32 degrees and not a breath of a breeze. Nabila, Kjersti and Jessica arrived last night. It was not without difficulty but I'm not going to type it up again just now. So that's it for today. ... read more

I had a moment of panic at Glasgow airport this morning (or yesterday morning infact) with my visa and ticket details not matching up but the nice lady at KLM sorted me out so I got into China at least. Now need to figure out what to do so I can stay here, and so that the girls get over okay. Anyway, I arrived here at 7.30am this morning, having left the UK 24 hours previously so was shattered. My stopover was in Amsterdam and because it was 7 hours I popped into the city. I do love Amsterdam and didn't do much apart from enjoy the sunshine and admire the buildings. The flight over to Hangzhou wasn't too bad, I had an empty seat beside me so could put my feet up, but couldn't sleep ... read more

Did I tell you that I went for a full body massage a couple of days ago? I'd been really looking forward to it but it turned out to be one of the most bizarre experiences in my entire life. The place was a bit how I'd imagine a low rent swingers hotel to look - ornate rooms but a bit shabby with two large double beds and a telelvision screen and DVD player. I couldn't see any two way mirrors which was a bit of a relief! My lady was in her thirties, tiny but well built. She didn;t speak any English and my Chinese is still limited to just a few words. I changed into some old pyjamas then lay down on one of the beds in anticipation. She started with my feet and ... read more

United Easy Systems is the Chinese equivalent of Mcdonalds. Given that most Chinese food is fast food (and by the I mean cooked and served quickly, not nutrionally suspect!) it seems like such a restaurant would not be necessary, but it is quite popular. The layout and seating is very similar to a KFC or MaccieDs but very, very clean and with loads of staff. We've had really good fresh meals there, steak n pasta for 3 pounds, mixed rice, sweet and sour chicken. (Incidentally, Tarik has just read this over my shoulder and says by comparing it to McDonalds I am 'such a foreigner!' oops) Anyway, today he asked for vegetarian rice for me. The Chinese struggle with the concept of vegetarianism so he explained it really clearly to three members of the counter staff. ... read more

I am SOOOOO full. We went to a foreign restaurant today and I had macaroni cheese, soup (it was a freebie), chicken satay and some chips (shared with Taz). I did go to the gym this morning, but I somehow don't think I worked off enough calories to justify such a massive meal...oh well, I'm on holiday. And I don't really eat much when we have chinese food so... I do moan a bit about the food here, but there is a lot I can enjoy and it's so healthy. The fruit here is amazing so sweet and fresh and generally makes our stuff at home seem watery and insipid. However, there are some weird foods and I have been freaked out by all the fish heads and wee creatures that have been placed on the ... read more