Blogs from China, Asia - page 2312

Distances in West-China are huge. So transport is often overnight. From Kashgar to Urumqi a fast (22h) connection is by sleeper bus. I haven't seen this kind of bus before. It contains three rows of bunk beds. A single bed is not to big, the feet are in a box below the head of the man in front. But it's still a lot more comfortable than a bus seat. Even nicer is going by train, hard sleeper. This possibility I used from Urumqi to Beijing. You get a good, long enough, clean and quite comfortable bed. And you can really sleep, the train is modern and smoothly supported. For having your instant noodle soup, a cup of tea or a porridge there is hot water onboard. So while the desert was passing outside I enjoyed my ... read more

We spent the morning having lessons again. Btwn lessons and enrichment courses, we visited the bio lab. OKay.. it was pretty freaky seeing those stuffed animals but.. praise my guts coz i din faint nor puke. It wasnt that bad actually, just a little spooky when we first stepped in. Coz of reflection, most of my pictures came out really bad, except for this one. Er... please dun come screaming at me for cruelty to animals... it wasnt ME that did the stuffings alrite! :P We went to the library nxt but there really wasnt anything special abt it.. so... pass. We were scheduled to go to the Lu Xun Memorial Hall in the afternoon. While waiting... again... bored to death so we just took crap pics. Lu Xun Memorial Hall is pretty cool. The exhibits ... read more

Jian Feng is the mini-Mt. Fuji that watches over our university, and this weekend I finally mustered up the will to trek up. Hiking buddies were fellow distinguished academics Jenny and Dave; we make quite a set. They are retired school teachers from Darwin, Australia, who wound up in that sunny local after they ran out of money on their round the world trip from the UK, and just never left. They taught in several rural Aboriginal communities so in addition to really unique perspective, the experience has the added bonus of providing them with many a delightful story about a crock encounter, misadventure with a rogue wallaby or comical boomerang moment. Poor things, though, the English vocabulary re-education that they have to give me on a daily basis must be exhausting. Yes, the mountain. Rumors ... read more

The girls had lessons in the morning and an interesting session of learning the art of sewing from a master - the trick of sewing it right is that they have to look beautiful both upside and down as well...Ruo Shuang thot she did a good job until her buddy pointed out to her...hmmmt the underside needs to be just as nice :) A tough job for our nygh gal! U can see a sample in the pix below - but remember these are professionally sewn... Night time - some of our girls were given a treat to crabs - it being the season to eat crabs in Suzhou now.. More pix of the girls with their foster parents...cosy, comfortable and well taken care of...in fact many of them felt very happy that they can have ... read more

Mon Oct 24 I happen upon the fabled West Lake, one of china’s main tourist attractions during an early afternoon stroll. I am surprised to discover it here one block away from the studio. Shimmering in the afternoon glare, tourists saunter along its edge. Tourist boat operaters wait patiently for the next client interested in taking the trip to the manmade island across the water. The usual curio shops, common to any tourist destination, dot the esplanade. An old man intercepts me from behind greeting me and inviting conversation. I am startled and a bit humbled at the same time by his presence and his interest in me. He struck me as more than just another curious native. His English is functional and we are able to communicate. His face is ageless, his comportment reverent and ... read more