Blogs from Asia - page 15626

Day 5 (29 July 2005) We left Fuh Chun Hotel early today to make our way to Sun Moon Lake. A bus outside the hotel took us to Puli before we change yet another bus to Sun Moon Lake. Breakfast was egg and ham sandwich & soya milk purchased at a roadside stall in Puli. Really yummy though may not be the most hygienic. The lake itself was ……BIG. After getting ourselves acquainted at the information office, we proceed to engage in a boat tour around the lake together with 3 fellow Taiwanese. Not much people today so the 3 idyllic stops around the lake was ‘longer’ than usual according to them. The rest of the afternoon was spent browsing through the souvenir stores and taking in the fresh cool air the area had to ... read more

...and the return to Chiang Mai Presently I am slightly frustrated...I thought I found the ultimate deal 20 baht (the Thai currency) for an hour of internet access. Sounds splendid, yet I cannot access my primary email account, thus I am unable to retrieve my password for my blog. So very tragic, but alas, if this is the worst of my problems...I could only hope that is the case. At the moment I am making use of the computer access to write my entry, and I will find another computer and add the entry later (at my swank hotel in Chiang Mai they charge 50 baht for 10 minutes which equates to a dollar twenty-five). More than you probably need or want to know.... Today was filled with splendid adventures...but perhaps I should begin where I ... read more

After the tour group left for Hong Kong we spent a couple of quiet days in Yangshuo. We explored the town, walking along the river bank and enjoying the local cafes. I was very pleased to find some book exchanges and second hand bookstores. A few happy hours were spent choosing some books to replenish my library here. We bought 20 books with us but I had read most of them (I have been rationing myself!) and English books are impossible to buy in Wuhan - unless you enjoy the classics. I enjoy reading them but not to the exclusion of everything else. Though quite expensive I bought a selection and posted them back to school. We didn’t do the boat trip down the Li River when the rest of the tour did it, mainly because ... read more

No matter what I do, I can't get used to this life in China. I know I've only been here for 9 days, but I just.. can't. Teaching has been going alright. Some days are better than others, as is the case with most jobs. I like the kids, but find teaching very tiring. When I teach 6 hours in a day, I go home and all I want to do is sleep. The little kids are fun though. Lots of energy. I've found a few interesting places, some places to eat that remind me a bit of home.. and some places that don't so much. Last night I tried this cold, sweet, milky rice and tofu soup that I wasn't too fond of, but it's good to try new things. It's been a very difficult ... read more

Apologies if the nonsense to photo ratio goes to DEFCON III in this article - I just couldn't be bothered lugging my camera around Singapore. Lots of lovely photos of Bali and Lombok coming in the next report, plus the odd briny tale of adventure and derring do. To my recollection, which is not always the best, the only time I have been served a pint of foaming ale by a completely stark naked barman was in the Tumbledown Dick, Farnborough, Hampshire. I had just left college and was sharing a flat with two other young men of (fairly) like mind, in a splendid mansion-like property slap bang in the heart of middle-class, middle-management commuterdom. Our large property was divided into four separate flats, with a grand drive, allocated parking spaces and leafy gardens. Although we ... read more