Kunlun Hotel Beijing

“If your son isn’t good,” rejoined the old lady, repressing her tears, “it is naturally for you to exercise control over him. But you shouldn’t beat him to such a pitch! Don’t you yet bundle yourself away? What are you dallying in here for? Is it likely, pray, that your heart is not yet satisfied, and that you wish to feast your eyes by seeing him die before you go?”
These taunts induced ...

... large clean park which contained several temples, halls, and gardens filled with flowers. It was huge. The pictures will explain most of it but one thing we didnt manage to (or want to) capture was a man squatting in the open grass area beside a public toilet doing a poo... and the guards and cleaning ladies shouting what could only be abuse at him and ushering him away whilst doing his trousers up.

The next day we were eager to see the Forbidden City near ...

... Planet Beijing tour guide and left the situation as soon as the exorbitantly priced menu arrived at our table in the tea shop. After sitting in one restaurant that only offered dog dishes, I found a Thai restaurant, ate a spicy chicken cashew dish loaded with veggies (and surely MSG), and returned to my hotel on foot. By the time day one was said and done, I'd walked at least 8 kilometers, and was ready for another day of exploration.

... føler jeg mig meget tryg. Måske mere tryg end man burde føle sig, men overfald er vist uhyre sjældne her. Spørgsmålet er, om det skyldes at kinesiske mænd er i besiddelse af en mindre mængde kønshormon (det virker i hvert fald sådan), eller om det skyldes et noget hårdere straffesystem. Jeg kom hjem til en meget mørk lejlighed, da strømmen lige var gået. Heldigvis har vi centralvarme. Jeg havde ikke specielt lyst til at stå ud af min dejlige skandinaviske seng næste ...

There's a big push to use tourism in less developed parts of China. While this will no doubt help these 'backward' areas develop further, often locals aren't able to share in the benefits of tourism. Instead, outsiders from more wealthy areas of China, and larger companies, invest in these areas. Sure, some investments don't pay off - I can think of cablecars in places in Yunnan which have very few customers - but many are able to be viable ...

... the magazine. There were many ads for chinese films, but movies like "Ratatouille" and "The Simpsons Movie" or TV shows like "24" and "West Wing" were included. I had fun skimming through the characters and checking with the girls to see if I had them right, then trying to pronounce them. I think I wish these girls could teach me Mandarin! We left at around 5:00 pm and were free for dinner until the service (Kenny) at 8:00 pm. FRIDAY Class and lunch (as ...

... relatively close to the city. We have been very good here and not bought much really apart from the Beijing olympic mascots that K would like there hasn't been much that we have wanted and the people hounding after us on the streets are so annoying that we don't stop to look at the stalls. Tonight everyone is going to the Beijing opera K and I declined we both feel that they sound like cats in an alley, definately not ...

... a touch of European in terms of the French Concession and buildings scattered along the bund, and finally a sense of China. My five days and four nights in Shanghai were pretty packed. From an accommodation perspective I spent a total of 4 nights at the Ming Town Youth Hostel - which was about a 5 minute walk from the Bund. The hostel itself was pretty good and served some nice food as well as cheap beers. Plus at $3 per night it was a ...

... of eyewear shops. I had a pair of funky glasses made, and then we met the group for a night train to Shanghai. As a side-note, I don't think I can emphasize enough the importance of the forthcoming Olympics to the the Chinese. They are making incredibly drastic changes to their capitol - construction cranes abound and new subway lines are being built. The pressure is felt to show the world that China is a first-world nation.