Travels

You have to love the Chinese attempt at making the common sign more enlightening and multi-lingual. This makes me wonder what our signage translations look like to eye of the native speaker….Oh Wait!!!! We rarely put our signs in any other languages…what does that say about us Read more

The variety and color variations on the common insect here are incredible. Almost like being on another planet. Enjoy Read more

Our train ride was uneventful. We rested, watched TV on our computers, read, ate one last “very” Chinese meal and then woke up in Beijing. We booked a traditional hutong style hotel called The Beijing Soluxe Courtyard Hotel. For an inexpensive 3 star hotel, it was lovely. Very close to the subway station with a Read more

Here are some of my favorites from Kailin’s photo shot with Renato. It was a fun few hours….Renato you are the best Read more

This month began with both a high and a low. We both finished and fluffed our forms, but we were both sick. What started out as sore throats and sniffles turn into a full blown flu and cold combination. We don’t usually catch things but the whole school was sick: Chinese and Foreigners. I was Read more

Beauty: thy name is Wudang: There is so much beauty here. I will let these flowers tell the story Read more

April began with snow melting and us finally making the climb (20,000+ steps) up to Golden Top from Nan Yan. We have wanted to do this since we arrived last August, but our knees and general fitness were not up to it. I am proud to report that we did the walk that Master Guan Read more

We arrived late and spent the night at a hotel near Wudang Gate. No one is allowed up after around 6pm. The next morning was spectacularly beautiful, and not as cold as we expected. We did a bit of shopping: bought a rice cooker, as it will be nice to have more food options, and Read more

Our journey began with a very early 5 hour train ride to Poiphet, a border crossing town into Cambodia. There is only one train that runs the route, and it is a local train. This means the amenities are minimal. We spent our time sitting on straight back, wooden bench seats that gave a whole Read more

This is just a small aside. Pictures will never do justice to all the amazing flowers and their equally amazing smells, but here is an attempt to share. Also, I only seem to be able to photograph reptiles, bugs, amphibians, and mammals that hold still; But know that there are stunning birds on the loose Read more

These past months have been excellent and routine oriented. I know I promised to blog monthly, but the circle of our days and how tired we were after running/boxing/swimming and yoga made blogging somewhat un-attractive. The good news is now I have loads to share. In my last blog I talked about daily life at Read more

I love islands, beaches, warm moist air and sunny days, but we have gone from one extreme to another. The mountains have thickened our blood to where Thailand feels quite hot, especially since we have no air conditioning. We will get use to it! I have to say the ocean is perfect here. I can Read more

Sunday morning we left the mountain with Christy. She is heading to India to teach accounting to street children that have been taken in by this couple that runs an educational orphanage of sorts. It is good to have her with us. We spent the day in Shiyan eating. It was so good to have Read more

This was our last week on the mountain before we leave for Thailand and adventures new. We have been packing and trying to decide what we might need to take and what to leave behind in storage. We are definitely traveling light. We also packed and sent our first box of stuff back to England Read more

This week has been pure routine so I thought I would take the opportunity to describe daily life in this part of China. I say this part, because China is BIG and varied. Much like the USA only they have vastly different cultures and traditions. They even have different languages, though Mandarin is suppose to Read more

What was the big event? Yes, I turned 50 this week! On the 20th I arrived at what, optimistically, is 1/3rd of the way through this life. The first 18-20 years I was a child and a wonderful childhood it was. This means I have only been practicing being an adult for 30 years, of Read more

It has been decided. We are going to Thailand. We leave the mountain on December 5th. It will take us 4 bus rides, 1 train ride, a flight to Kuala Lumpur (Malasia), 4 days here to get our Thai Visa’s, another flight and a car ride to end up in Phukett. We will find sun Read more

It is that time: time to renew our Chinese Visas. This means pictures, a trip to the police station and money. $400 for two – 3 month visas. Ouch! It is way more expensive for Americans. If we were from Norway it would only be $50. Apparently, they base what they charge people on what Read more

This week was filled with comings and goings. Lyn (Chinese) had a great leaving dinner at one of the little restaurants by our temple. It was our first time eating there. The food was excellent and Lyn was the perfect Chinese hostess: lots of food and drink. The Germans also left and we all had Read more