Lihua Town Guest House Beijing

... that day we relaxed at the hostel and enjoyed a mandu night where the hostel set up a place in the bar/lounge where you could make mandu. It was cool to be with other travelers and our own group too. We ate the mandu, swilled some beers, and then slowly one by one we all drifted off to be content that we had already had our New Years Eve in December and this Chinese New Year was just another night...party poopers. I was so tired from the last two days I was ...

... you don't stray from your route or get sidetracked by things they would rather you don't see. And there are no exceptions to that. If you're a tourist, there is no moving about on your own in North Korea.
And that gives importance to those few travel agencies which have specialised in organising package trips to Hermit Kingdom, as the west fondly calls the country. They cut through the hassle of paperwork, which is obviously an uncharted territory compared to procedures required ...

... their 10 minute piece with a London Bus suddenly bursting open and an aging Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin thundering out Rock and Roll riffs, you couldn't get a greater contrast with China! It got us very excited and already planning our next Olympic experience - London here we come!!! The whole night finished relatively early so we got home at the reasonable hour of 11.15, ready to put the kids to bed and be up earlyish the next morning to fly to Hong Kong.

Today I set off on a fairly long bike ride into the mountains north of Miyun. I rode about 35km north to the Beijing First Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in the Beijing provincial area at 65m in height. The ride was ok and I had not alot of problems. The climb into the hills was steep but not too bad and I was able to comfortably complete the ride. Several bread loaf drivers stopped and offered to cart my up the hill, albeit for a fee. I was in fine spirits so I decline. For most of the ...

... than 2 hours, we arrived in Beidaihe, a beach rumored to be the location of many government officials' summer homes. Immediately we found the ticket window and crossed our fingers hoping there were tickets back to Beijing for later in the day. Our alternatives were a sketchy bus or an expensive 1000 RMB taxi ride. Fortunately, we were able to get some of the last remaining tickets: 59 RMB for a 7 p.m. slow train. We gladly took them. Once we'd settled our business ...

... en matant un film!!! et apres on dort dans d'immenses canapes dont on ne ressort jamais! ( j'en veux un pareil!) et vous pouvez recommencer depuis le debut autant de fois qu'il vous plaira pendant 18h d'affile!!! Et quand vous partez, on vous demande 13 euros!!!!! Le reve! Si je fais un stage ou travaille un jour en Chine, j'y habite a l'annee!! Sorti de ce ...

... to set up stalls anywhere in Beijing. Therefore, it was a precious experience for me when I grabbed the opportunity to snatch a few roasted sweet potatos from the illegal street vendors in front of that yet again compulsory shopping destination. Lots of walking was needed to get from place to place. Everywhere was jammed full of tourists, coming in hoards. The palace was impressive and majestic. This is definitely not a child friendly destination. Strollers are near impossible, so we ...

... Chinese Lunar calendar to seek the blessing for a fruitful year, and again in the winter solstice to burn sacrifices (read: a whole bullock) and report of the previous harvest. So we saw the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest which was gorgeous and the three tied roof was made without a single nail or screw, just interlocking slats into the columns. It was closed unfortunately, so I don't have pictures of inside. We also saw the Round Altar where ...

... got too close to anyone else, didn't encounter higher stress levels than your own, it was an incredibly relaxed atmosphere. Plus, the staff and security guards and attendants were cheerful and smiling constantly, so it put all of us travelers at ease. Just as I signed onto the free wireless internet it was time to board the plane, where I sat for the next three hours writing journal entries, sipping a glass of complimentary white wine, and rocking out to music ...

Mountainyoga_still there Hello dear readers, I am still at the Mountainyoga center... No you are not reading the old message again!! During the last weeks I have decided that focussing on myself (fysically,mentally and internally) was more important than seeing the China sights. Also after talking to my brother and A (his girlfriend) I have changed my travelplans even more. They have great difficulty in finding an institute/person to ...