Grand Metropark Hotel Hangzhou

... is a challenge in itself as there arn't many breaks in traffic and the next pedestrian crossing is sometimes a fair walk away. Dinners continue to be a mixture of many different foods, but seem to always feature rice, chicken and beef. I am certainly not going hungry and havn't been to McDonalds once.

Today we walked on the other side of the west lake near where I am staying and took some beautiful pictures of the lake. Unfortunately the area is in constant fog, so it ...

... very happy to see me. She hasnt seen many foreigners in her lifetime.

The next night we went to a fancy restaurant which is called 'Grandma's'. There is usually a 40 minute wait to get in, but the cousin got there early and her husband picked me up. They order many different foods once again, such as fish, chicken, rice, pork and so on. We also got some potatos shaped as a face, in ...

Last night we rushed to the middle of Hangzhou city to see the main tourist area and meet Monica's friends. The shops were all selling chinese bits and pieces from special chopsticks, to umbrellas, lollies, food and bits and pieces. Mum would have really liked some of the shmonser shops, with an endless supply of buddha and buddha related accesories. Although it was the main tourist area (aside from the actual west lake itself), I ...

... from the walk today, the key to the apartment wouldn't work. I didn't panic, but was quite worried. I went over to the office of the building to see if they could help me. The lady and man at the office had no idea what I was on about, despite my brilliant charade skills. I was actually starting to think that I'd be locked out until Monica came back. Luckily a man walked past who could speak some english, explained to them the problem and they helped me get into the apartment. Hooray.

The Holiday Inn in Beijing had one great amenity: free internet. Other than that, it wasn't anything like our stay at the Crowne Plaza in Beijing. The beds were smaller, the pillows lumpier, and the breakfast was a poor imitation of the varied and delicious spread in Beijing. In short, it was a lot more what we are used to when we travel!

The first stop of the day was at the silk factory to see how silk ...

... Most narcotics aren't going to cut it. I had no idea when it was going to end. The entire building was empty with the exception of our room, which kept on rocking until after 2am. Guantanamo Bay detainees have caved under less pressure. Jill had a great time.

We are very grateful to our employers for the invite and their generosity but here's hoping that there will not be a TGH3.

... was running a half-marathon, so three of us - Quinne, Stephanie and I - went along. We took a speed train on Friday afternoon right after school and arrived around 7:00. The three of us had booked a hostel for the evening. We found a taxi easily and he delivered us to the exact address we requested. However, when we got out, there was NO hostel! There was a large archway and a walkway leading toward the lake. We began walking through it, thinking it would lead to the hostel. It was ...

... aren't too helpful with no idea about trains leaving this place and they refused to speak to places in <Macau for us for booking our next place. But we got there in the end, the internet is a useful tool! Just booked a place in Macau for a couple of nights, then four in Hong Kong as it's cheaper (hostels don't exist in Macau). And the drawback for no trains is that we have to fly from here to a port near Macau - expensive even with an 80 ...

Arriving in Hangzhou pretty late I grabbed a bus and a taxi to the hostel. The taxi driver didn't really know where it was but eventually dropped me at the back entrance. Walking down a tiny, dark and dismal alley, I did wonder where I'd come too, but the hostel was really nice and clean which was good. Checked in then headed straight to the trainstation to get my ticket to Shanghai for the next day. It was ...

... make our 7pm train departure (overnight sleeper train) from Shanghai to Beijing. We've got 1 week left... wow. I can't wait to see my family; and friends; my dogs; and drink things with ice, and not worry about eating things with peels/without peels; not feel like a moron at all times because im not a native mandarin speaker; wait on lines without thousands of people bum-rushing the front; enjoy personal space; have my own seat without some crazy lady ...