Hong Yun Hotel Foshan

i knew it would happen, but only four days in and sarah has chinitis, all the smells, tastes and intruguing aspects of CHina have resulted in symptoms including vomiting in front of a chinese family in Qingping markets. we walked through a really really fascinating marketplace full of kittens, puppies, tortoitses, so many fish, salamanders, chip munks, every manner of claw, dried lizards, mushrooms, fungi and bunny ...

... place that had no english menu, and we got what we wanted, dumplings! we are going to a black market today, were we could buy puppies and monkeys if we wanted! and we do! tonight we are catching a sleeper bus to guilin.

ohh and simon got in trouble from the police for taking bananas across the border, and got a special stamp in his passport for disobeying the law!

zai jian!
good bye

Enjoyed our meetings and colleagues. Went to dinner at a typical Guangdong/Canton restaurant. Menu was very creative. Plenty of exotics - baby pigeon, sting ray, fish guts, beetles, snakes, chicken feet. Was a bit naseous, but likely because of jet lag.

... doesn't speak English nor does the lead of the sim-card mafia, but he jumps in the front seat after I negotiate 200 yuan for the ride into the city using the hotel's chinese character address. Guess he just made commission on me. 30 minutes to GZ city center

... As you can imagine I nearly had heart failure worrying! I had visions of him being turned back from China (this might have been a blessing in disguise!) and just when I thought he was gone forever a load of chinese people in white suits from head to toe (think astronaut) appeared from the room he was in......thankfully Ollie appeared a few minutes later looking unharmed but with a white mask clamped to his mouth...hilarious sight!

... Guangzhou. Using it simply as a hub to fly into Thailand that evening saw us say goodbye to China.

The last four weeks have been quite an experience and an enjoyable one at that. China is a country with a lot to offer. Our accommodation has been excellent & the food incredible. But it now somehow feels like the holiday is really about to begin – the sunshine is calling!

... by those who found extreme wealth as salt merchants or painters during the Qing Dynasties. Foshan Liangs' Gardens are one of four ancient gardens with Lingnan style and were established from the Jiaqing period of the Qing dynasty (AD1795 to 1850). This garden was built by Liang Airu and his three nephews who were all local calligraphers and painters. At its golden period the garden covered 130,000 square ...

... the kid who failed in his attempt to **** on me (he got my shoe a little bit hehe) and the kid who tried to punch and bite me (i dodged him like Rocky Balboa) so all in all it was brilliant. The school was very modern and even featured a large convenience store, not for commercial activity but to teach the children how to buy things in the real world. I thought it was awesome. After all these fun and games we went back to pack for our trip to Shinzhen (a Chinese city only 25 yrs old ...

... as soon as we get a day off to look around there. We did manage to visit a temple/kung fu museum the other day, and a ceramics museum/ancient kiln another day. School officially begins for us tomorrow, the 9th, with our demonstration lessons/open house for the public. Regular classes should begin the next week and our first holiday is in October. We're trying to plan something fun for that! Take care everyone, and thank you for reading. We appreciate your emails!

Saturday

Awoke in the morning to a great view of Hong Kong from my bedroom window. Ate an early breakfast then took a local bus to Kowloon Station. Kowloon is the stepping off point for China and you do all the formalities before boarding the train. Lots of people in the crowded train station and took a while to find the immigration and departure areas. Went through passport control, checked my bags in and hung around for the train to leave. Once the train ...