Beijing Hong Kong Hotel

... at the hotel.

We went to another Peking Duck restaurant tonight: Quan Ju De Restaurant. We met with Victor and Carol at around 4:30pm in our hotel lobby to take us to there. Carol's mother tongue is Mandarin and she was the one who ordered our food. It was quite nice to have someone communicate with the staff what we wanted. Colin and I were finally able to relax during this last meal in Beijing.

We ordered a whole ...

... camp fire and unpacking. “It” was perched amidst the wilderness on the mountain opposite to our tower. “It” was large enough to be discerned on the opposite mountain, although “it” still seemed small. I say “it” because there is still argument for whether the thing was a mountain fox (which I believe… or wolf even) or simply a squirrel. (but really, what does Robert know?) Anyways, “it” flew down the mountainside at a ...

... surrounds Beihai Lake; with an island that has the White Pagoda where Kublai Khan's palace used to be. A refreshing site in the city.

After the tour, we went to the Silk Market where Irah got harassed by vendors and where we found bargain costume jewelries. You have to bargain well though...say, the amount should be at least 15-20% of the original price! yes, you read it right!

Dinner time was hosted by Irah's friend Lin who took us to a Schezuan resto for authentic ...

... Market, so a few of us decided to spend our last 30 minutes enjoying an American dish to hold us over until dinner.             It is hard to describe the graciousness of the Chinese people. Nina was so grateful for the small gift I gave her and was so interested in what America was like and wanted to know exactly what life was like for me in the states. Also, even in the markets and stores, the Chinese people are so kind and gracious and excited to see Americans ...

... Beijing, China From Lisa: China! What a thrill! The Olympics were amazing - from the moment we arrived in the airport and were met by the Fuwas (the cute Olympic mascots) giving hugs to everyone! So many incredibly nice people, very proud of their city and of the fact that they were hosting the games. One World - One Dream was this year's slogan and it was everywhere, but after a few hours, you really began ...

... excels in describing the PR successes and failures of multinationals doing business in China, although he also covers media and government absurdities. This past winter, when Chinese media was fixated on the posting online of hundreds of nude photographs taken by, and in some cases, showing, Hong Kong actor/singer Edison Chen, Imagethief offered the following advice to young people: "The Internet is like a gravity well for nudity, and there is a 100 percent ...

It was a bit surreal that the news of Tibet bomb dived into international newspapers that day (it would ot be reported in China until a couple of days afterwards), because the night before I had spent four hours talking about it with a Chinese friend. Anyone who has tried to talk to a Chinese friend about this will wonder that I lasted for four hours. For those who have not yet had that pleasure, let me say that the Chinese believe that Tibet is ...

... discuss the various options on offer, from the modestly priced 'puer' tea (not a spelling mistake) to the more extravagant specimens that cost as much as a coffee in a western Starbucks (£2+ per pot). We plump for our favourite puer (pronounced 'pu-ar') and proceed to learn about tea making ceremonies, including the correct methods for men and women to hold the cup and why some folk have a collection of animals in their tea sets as ...

Sunday, July 15, 2007 Beijing at Last! Dear Readers: We last saw our group of intrepid Toto Tourists stranded at the airport in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. It is 1am when we finally start boarding the plane, and almost 3:30am before we land in Beijing. We're in the hotel at 5am. One guy just stays at the airport because his schedule departure from the hotel was at 5:30am. No point in driving into the city ...

... bottom of my heart..."I know that you will always be with me no matter what happens. I love you very much. Will you marry me." She's a bit taken aback and like a woman...she says..."I'm still in my pajamas! Of course I'll marry you! Now, I'll have to keep these pajamas for the rest of my life." LOL! I guess I should have waited for a more romantic setting but I thought this was pretty memorable....in a different sort of way ...