Hongshuwan Hotel Zhanjiang

... cool. It is almost time for the harvest so the terraces are golden.

We walked from one village to another. It took us about seven hours of climbing but it was well worth it. The sights were breathtaking. If you get a chance you should visit here.

... and body language are getting us through many conversations. Another adventure is meal times as we wait to see what will appear on the table for us to choose from! Ken is surviving on rice, steamed fish and a little steak and Sheila is enjoying the many flavours and trying so many different tastes.

Tomorrow we head off for four days in Gulin with a group of 7 other travellers - we are looking forward to be seeing more of China.

... flight very much. Arriving at Shenzhen airport I took the coach to Wanchai, via the border controls. The ride was very nice in the air conditioned coach, and I arrived within 100m of my hotel.

The hotel was very posh and nice, a great break from the hostels I had been staying in, and I had a twin room, even though it was just me, so loads of space and a TV :)

I'll put the rest of the HK stuff in the HK stories

... off in the distance. I followed some people across some grass (not easy with a wheeled suitcase) & eventually came in sight of the airport for which I was grateful. This flight had no assigned seating, just 1st come, 1st served. You think you've flown economy before?? If you wanted to eat, well you just darn well had to buy it from them. My travelling companion this time was "The Burp Lady" who was determined to drive all the air out of her body through her mouth before reaching Kuala Lumpur.

... with other participants. We are about 65 people from New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Oman, Iran, Sweden, Germany, Holland, United Kingdom , South Africa and of course the USA . Can you imagine the difficulty these locals have understanding our English with the different accents when we have difficulty understanding each other. God Bless America!

... yhteensa 4 tuntia. Olis ollu helponpaa laittaa ihmisia junasta laivaan. Laivalla menna yli ja sitten vaihtaa toisella puolella taas junaa. Olisi ollut paljon nopeampaa. Junassa oli Kiinalais porukka joka osasi ihan muutaman sanan Englantia. Yksi heista osasi jotenkin kirjottaa englantia. He tulivat aamulla juttelemaan minun kanssani. Minulla oli Suomi Kiina sana kirja. Ja sen ja paperin kanssa yritimme kommunikoida. Oli siina valilla pokassa pitelemista ku ...

... ollu. Naytettiin talle kuskille bussi asemaa kartalta ja se lupas meijat vieda sinne 10 yanilla. Ma seurasin kartasta minne ollaan menossa ja aloin sit ihmettelee mihin taa kaveri oikeen ajaa. Se pysahty meijan jotellin kohalle ja sano et bussilla 11 paasee. No niin jouduin sitten ensimmasta kertaa huijauksen kohteeksi... Bussi tuli ja mentiin siihen. Selvittiin bussiasemalle. Vaikka kuski ei kylla ainakaan osannut paihteita vaihtaa eika ...

... many people from different countries to go to Hainan. I hope to bring new customers i contact with the company. I will also give practical advices about going around among scenic spots and cultural places worth seeing, likeThe End of the world. These will be stories about how a person from Sweden with pleasure and in a safe way can travel around Hainan without any guide and without the original language, among Chinese people who don't speak English.

... We then took another bus back to Silver Beach. It was quite a different scene, with hardly anybody on the beach apart from the pearl-sellers. The weekend was over and the weather had turned chilly, with a cold north wind blowing. We found out later that it was no better in Hong Kong, which had recorded that day as the coldest in 43 years. We were pleased to get out of the cold into the Beach Hotel's restaurant. We had planned to order ...

... as the Chinese opera was to us. At the end of each act, the flowers were quickly returned to the flower-seller, to be sold again during the next performance. Presumably this is how the performers get paid for their work. The show was still in full swing when we decided to call it a night. We heard that a performance takes place every night except when the weather is too cold or wet. For some reason, Tuesday was recommended as the best night to come. Raymond's Travel Page