International Hotel Guigang

... looked back just as baffled, why would they be looking at us? China is eqaul sometime to the Zoo, except sometimes you are the main attraction.. We docked at Yangshuo 4 hours after deparcher and were then accosted by the usual Chinese welcoming committee of street vendors and beggars etc, really overwelming actually.. 5y for a photo of an old dude with a bamboo shoot across his back and 2 cormorants strapped to it.. (I wonder what cut the birds get?).. on the whole, I don't think that ...

... 2/3 of the way to the top you pass through an enormous semi circular hole in the rock, then carry on to the top for some magnificent views of the surrounding area. Even better, if you can time it for sunset, most of the annoying touts that follow you around and pester you with water/coke/beer (even if you already have some) have already left, and you can actually appreciate the views without someone ...

... there it was, way in the distance, a little M, a sign from the heavens, McDonalds!! how henriette saw that sign without her glasses on, i dont know, but as always, Mcdonalds never fails! Shenzhen scared me a little, this was our first taste of real china, we were walking with our backpacks on, the only westerners around, sticking out like sore thumbs. every begger and homeless person apeared on thast little walk, harrasing us for money. there ...

... Yangshou has turned into one of those odd, backpacker hangout places, like Pai in Thailand, or Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. It's a bit of a break from the frustrations that travelling around China can bring - the level of English here is a lot higher than average, most restaurants have proper English menus and the main drag, Xi Jie (West Street), is lined with cafes and shops selling the usual junk at extortionate prices. Oh ...

... a couple of fellow aussies that had just finished their stint and were hanging out in Yangshuo. We get talking about Aus, then it happens. "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" by The Angels comes on. So here I am. In China. Drinking a few local ales. Sitting on a table full of aussies singing "No way. Get ****ed. **** Off." What a great end to a great day. Soundtrack The Angels - Am I ever gonna see your face again Venom - Live Like an Angel Die Like a Devil

... All up around 8 hours. I met up with Leeanne (Pingguo) and Karen (Guigang Aussie) and the Guigang crew for a weekend of beer, food and fun. They now have a western bar called the Nirvana bar. Cool music, good beer and good chat. Many many beautiful girls too. All can speak English to a certain degree. Must say, a big ...

... faces Leeanne and I realised what the fashion in Nanning is....or maybe for a better word, not what but WHEN. It's the fully fledged 80's! Honest, the hair, the clothes everything. We discussed it for a short time and Leeanne made the statement 'the 80's are back'. No No No I said, your wrong, 'THE 80'S HAVE JUST ARRIVED IN CHINA!' Twenty years late, but hey, better late than never. No in fact, I didn't like the fashion ...

... being rudely awakened Monday through Saturday mornings; part of our Sunday morning ritual (the only day that 'Joe' sleeps in) now includes being force fed Chinese music through some cleverly concealed speakers that resemble small, lantern shaped lights in the shrubberies. Sometimes it's not bad, other times it sounds like a drunk singing karaoke, which isn't so good. At first we thought that some delinquent kid was abusing the parents' stereo while they were out ...

... about 2 or 3 degrees during the night and a little warmer during the day. It might get as high as 6 or 7 Celsius but that might be stretching it lately. The biggest problem, besides the low temperatures, is that it's so consistently damp. It's the kind of winter damp that you feel the most when you're not doing anything particular, when you're not moving around too much, when you're just sitting on your backside working or playing on the computer for instance... Another ...

... by the front door of the office. So at the end of the day we stand at the bus stop outside the office and we know that it will take us within a five minute walk of home. The confusion arises when we want to get TO the office because the #4 does something that the #8 doesn't do. It does a 'U' turn in the middle of an intersection right by where we board. This means that due to our location we can catch the bus on either side of the street and it has absolutely no ...