Xinyue Hotel Beijing

... of our crew push on into the night, eventually ending up at the much-talked about Russian club called Chocolate. Chocolate can cause sensory overload; therefore, it's best described in word bursts: "midget doorman," "Scarface decor," "Eastern European mobsters," "mesh-clad go-go," and "gold-plated urinals."

We have high expectations, and we end the night satisfied.

In America, I know a great family --- Mark, Valerie, Nico, Emily & Fred. They hosted me very well. They make my goal clear and I havea clear view for the future such as a good university and a better llife. I'm grateful for them!
I miss them forever!

Valerie told me that there's websites called Facebook (www.facebook.com). But I found it closed in China. It's really a pity! I hated the ...

... hour was spent in quiet personal time. The second hour was full of singing, laughter, and stories.

Our first stop was the Great Wall of China. If it were stretched out in a straight line, it would span the distance between the east and west coasts of the United States! We took a gondola to a middle elevation on the wall, then hiked to the highest point in our area. It was BREATHTAKING. Stunning. Trying to describe its scope and ...

Well, we're still alive! China has been nothing but fun so far, with only mild facial paralysis... -7 degrees today. Despite taking 3 flights to get here, funnily enough the taxi trip from the airport posed the greatest threat to our lives. Drivers here are maniacs, but perhaps the police drivers are even worse, driving on the wrong side of the road. The trip to our hostel was memorable... our driver pulls up ...

... side roads and back alleys before my pedal starts coming loose. Thankfully the bike shop is close by and I have it fixed in a flash. Next I ride down along the river front past the seemingly never ending array of public exercise equipment. Then I ride up to the confluence of the two rivers in the valley that Miyun resides in. Next I ride along what seems to be a new park underdevelopment or maybe it is an old park being left to go to waste. It is so hard to tell here in ...

... the tide of nationalist fervour is rising to fever pitch as the torch enters the final stages of its epic and controversial journey to Beijing. Given the highlighted unrest in Tibet, the protests in Europe and the Sichuan earthquake, which brought a route diversion, the Olympic flame has come to represent one of the most tumultuous years in modern Chinese history. Originally intended to highlight the organisers' "one world, one dream" message of international harmony ...

... for about 120 Y to Jinshaling and have him wait for us in Simitai. We arrived in the town at 10 am, and started looking for a cab. We must have asked about 20 people, and none were willing to go down past 200 Y, even though we though we knew how to bargain by this point. We finally agreed with a fellow on 170 Y and were on our way. As we approached our destination, it became obvious our driver did not know where to go. He asked a bunch of people and they would not ...

... say it was very helpful of them and the people (apart from taxi drivers) seemed to be very friendly. The Girls walked with me for nearly 30 minutes directing me to my hotel. Afte struggling for so long and being on an overnight train i was pretty tired and just said thank you to them & they then disappeared. I should have offered to buy them a coffee or something as small reward if only so that they'll help the next lost soul. The staff at my ...

... unveiled to you as you go down the steps is deff worth the wait! In the evening (no mistakes on the ticket here) we flew back to Xianyang. Over the next few days we did the tourist things in Xian again. On one night one of my friends who I play badders with invited me and Mike to his house for a meal. So we went and it was like a New Year party, they fed us and gave us lots of alcohol. We learnt to play a Chinese card game, which I'm not 100% sure of the rules, but hey ...

Continued from ; Arriving in China 24th February 2004 Ever prepared, I have the name of the Far East Youth Hostel written on a piece of paper in Chinese. The taxi driver takes me past Tiananmen Square and noses down a maze of narrow lanes ( hutong ) that are clearly so old they were never intended for cars. The preferred mode of transport in these old enclaves is still predominately peddle power. I venture out into a perfectly alien world and eat ...