To new blogging beginnings!

First and foremost! I'm sorry! To those who, for the first year, consistently checked in on my regular blog updates, the last 12 months I have let you down in epic proportions and I know that visits to my blog page bookmarked on your browser have left you momentarily (for 12 months) disappointed! I'm sorry!

How the slackness started is quite blog worthy in itself. It began with India! Looking back at the last blog post about India, I remember thinking how I knew the  forthcoming 2 months there were going to give me so much fodder to ingest and verbally regurgitate however, I just ended up with all of my senses overwhelmed, a serious blockage to my writing ability and verbal indigestion due to the overload that India was. For so long I tried to write about India but I couldn't justify the experience through mere narrative, the personal emotional and spiritual journey I took had to also be explained and for that I just couldn't find the words.

This was the last thing I wrote while in Cambodia…..

"Here begins my last attempt at writing a blog for my 2 month Indian adventure. It comes very late and overdue. Many words have been typed and many paragraphs discarded as I struggled to describe what was one of the most intense, challenging, frustrating, character building, eye-opening, incredible experiences of my life!  Many times the words have escaped me as I sat there and tried to work out how I felt about the whole journey. I still don't know, I am still incredibly unsure. But more than any adventure I have had so far I feel this one needs to be written about and if I don't get something down in this attempt the memories will fade, the emotions discarded and a true, accurate and heartfelt depiction won't be given and in turn my friends and family will not truly understand the journey that was "Incredible India".

That is all I could surmise. My most successful attempt at journaling about the experience resulted in 4000 words, however, this was just the first week. It was just to hard. Another hard thing about it was that the majority of the photos taken were lost due to getting some sort of virus while transferring them. I was devastated. But when you are travelling so far and wide, these things are bound to happen. For me, my India experience stays alive in the memories I retain, the reminiscing with good friends met and made along the way and each time a cultural reference is made of which I can relate. It certainly must have made an impression because bookings have been made and I am heading back in January 2014 for round #2 (more on that later). By then I think I'll be ready for India once again.

As a result of my missing journal entries about India, it didn't seem right to continue on with Thailand, Cambodia and my return to China without first finishing India (my OCD once again reared it's ugly head). So these blogs also remained unfinished and for this I apologise. But sitting here on the eve of another year's end, I figure a quick summary of the year that was is called for.

2012 began overlooking the Arabian sea. On a little beach in a little town called Gokarna all the hippies…..and us…..sat together welcoming in the new year. I sat there fairly unimpressed with the fireworks, the crowds, the craziness of it all but happy to be in the company of my darling friend Vanessa and our two brand new Dutch friends who also doubled as our neighbours in our guesthouse. New Year's day we managed to charter a boat to take us to a secluded beach with no prying eyes, no crowds and really nothing except our gang of six, our sunscreen and a frisbee to keep us entertained for the day. Couldn't think of a more perfect start to the new year. The following morning was also hard to forget, morning yoga on the beach, a swim in the Arabian sea and breakfast in a beach café with friends. So perfect.

Thailand was the next stop! I couldn't have been more excited to meet my two best friends in Thailand. Anna coming from London and Sarah coming from Australia to meet together and enjoy a couple of weeks in the land of Thai. Also catching up with Megs and Andy in Koh Samui.  We covered Koh Samui, Bangkok, and Kanchanaburi taking in the warm welcoming smiles of the Thai people, soaking in the sun and enjoying the familiarity and company of old friends! It was a great little holiday!  

Cambodia was amazing. It has to be one of my favourite places so far! It was an amazing experience to be able to spend a month working at New Hope Cambodia. I met so many amazing people, had a fantastic time and it felt more like home than anything for the time I was there. The people in Mondul 3 (the village the NGO specifically targets) were just amazing. Working there confirmed everything in my heart about my future career aspirations in education and development. I was reading a paper by the World Bank the other day, it said "Education is the ultimate liberator…..education is the ultimate equaliser". This was so evident in the lives of the people in Mondul 3. Education can do so much for the people of a community to have a better chance.

I finished my time there in early February and after 6 months of travelling and no money left I was so excited to get back to China - which felt like home more than ever before. A new city and a new job with a new school kept me excited for the year to come, although I was a little worried about what it would mean for me to sit tight in one place for a year! Little was I to know that events would change my course for the year and have me back in Australia for 4 months of it.

Getting back to China, in the North where I was to make my new home, also meant coming back in mid-winter! Oh dear! I arrived back with a single jumper and layered all the clothes I possibly could from my 6 months in SE Asia only to have to travel back to my old city in China the following day to retrieve my winter clothes. Let's just say it wasn't the most carefully planned strategy! That night it snowed!

After three months of settling back into life in China, I got the phone call that every person dreads when they are so far from home. Dad had had a stroke. If there is one thing the universe can throw at you to make you feel so small and insignificant, helpless and alone, it's that something tragic has happened to someone you dearly love. Up until this point I had been so sick of hearing bad news from home. An uncle had passed suddenly , a cousin had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, a friend's husband had tragically passed away because of a football accident and now this! By this point, I couldn't have felt more helpless, more angry at the universe if I tried! At first my family was telling me to stay put. Dad's situation looked fairly good considering and everyone was optimistic about a speedy recovery but then complications occurred and I was on the next plane home. For how long I was uncertain until a couple of weeks later I rebooked my flights back to China for 4 months later.

There was a lot of lessons in this whole process for me! The biggest of all was how we should never take anything for granted. Be grateful for our health, our family, all that we have in it's present condition because in a matter of minutes it can all change. 7 months later, dad still doesn't have the function of his left arm but he has everything else and most importantly, his life. It was a hard decision to come back to China and leave the family to continue the journey, but I know the four months I did stay was the important part and with my family's blessing, I know I still needed to continue the journey I was on!

Although unexpected, Australia was fun! I got to spend my birthday with my beloved QLD crew, go skiing, take road trips to see old friends, spend time with besties from my childhood and reconnect with my beloved Oz after so much time away. It was good to make the most of a bad situation.

It's been three months since I arrived back in China! Back to a very familiar life! I missed everything about China so much and it felt so much like home coming back for the third time. The last three months have flown by and the end of the year is looming. I re-signed another contract with my school and I will be staying on here until about this time next year, cutting my contract short by a month to get home for a friend's wedding!

A month after I got back to China we had a national holiday here which like all good national holidays should do, went for a week! So six of us took a trip down to South China to check out what all the fuss was about in Guilin, Yangshuo and James and I had to make a trip back to Chengdu at the end to commemorate where our friendship began! It was a crazy trip, trying to pack in more than we could fit. It ended up being more transit time than holiday time but we all had a great time together, making the most of our 25 hour sleeper bus journey, numerous flights and the beautiful natural sights of China!

Guilin

Oh and I got a new tattoo! :) 

"Women hold up Half the Sky"

Uni has been manic! I just finished one of the busiest semesters of my whole degree. But well worth it to catch up on lost time from travelling and my return home. After I get back from Europe I will have 9 months of study left and then apart from my internship when I come home, I am done! It's such a great feeling!

Next year is turning out to be epic!

It's only 8 weeks until Eurotrip #2. For the month of February I will be heading to Europe to catch up with friends I have met along the way and tick off a couple of must see destinations along the way. I will be spending a week in Stockholm with my gorgeous Swedish friend Betty who I met in Cambodia. Hitting Prague to catch up with the boys from TEFL in Feb '11, making it 2 years since then! Crazy! I will be doing some quick trips to Berlin, Budapest and Vienna and then finally ending in Holland to see my dear dear dear Dutchie friends who I met in India. I couldn't be more excited. This trip will make for some  more blog worthy moments - this I am sure of!

April is placement in Hong Kong for me! 3 weeks at the Australian International School Hong Kong. Really looking forward to that.

August (our summer) is looking like some time spent in Greek Islands (Eurotrip #3) with a bestie who has booked some time there!

October is a cycling trip on the Chinese tropical island (yes, we have a tropical side to China) of Hainan with one of my best mates here in China. More on the cycling thing later.

December is the return to Australia for wedding fever and some fundraising for yet another cycling trip in India (Jan '14) to support Tejas Asia (the NGO I worked with in Delhi). More on that…….

Cycling….yes cycling….those of you who know me well will be raising your eyebrows, but also thinking "here goes HJ with another hair brained crazy idea of hers". I really wanted to do a cycling Charity Challenge on my way home and the more I got thinking, the more I decided that instead of putting all the hard work in to support a random cause, I would organise my own and support Tejas Asia, a cause I truly believe in and have been trying to think of ways in which I could do so...from China. You know me, I don't plan things small. My friend and I are looking into purchasing touring bikes next year and have decided we are going to train for a couple of cycling trips, enough to get me ready for the 600kms India has in store for me. The trip is booked, the bikes are in the process of being purchased and the training will begin as soon as this disgusting winter is over. On my return home I will do a couple of fundraising dinners to raise some funds and throughout next year gather support and sponsorship for my trip! So be warned, oh dearest friends of mine, I will be hitting you all up for sponsorship sometime next year! This is one heck of a challenge for me and I will be seeking the support and sponsorship for my much needed motivation!

So that's the year that was and the year that will be in summary! Time is flying! My return home will mark three years since I departed on this crazy journey abroad! I am sure the following 12 months will bring me many a story to transcribe into a glamorous tale fit for the "Adventures of HJ".

Love to you all! 

HJ xx

Delhi Love

My India adventure began….2 weeks ago…when my friend Marlo (and sidekick, Prasaad)  picked me up from a surprisingly  flashy Delhi airport (contrary to prior reports…thanks to the Commonwealth games) and whisked me back to the south of Delhi where he and his wife Sheril are stationed. In true HJ fashion, my stint with Marlo and his NGO Tejas Asia was organised a good 12 months ago so it was highly anticipated - something I have been especially looking forward to since deciding to include India in my adventures some time ago. I got connected with Marlo and learnt about the work he was doing through some friends some time ago…my brother and best mate made the trip over here but it wasn't until a few months before coming overseas that I got to meet him at a fundraiser dinner and got to hear his heart for what he is doing here in the streets and slums of Delhi, India. Marlo and Sheril are the founders of Tejas Asia..a grassroots NGO here in Delhi. Being a young organisation, I was immediately interested in coming over to take a peek at the work they were doing and get stuck in to help however I could. Seeing my interests and career aspirations lie in education and international development, it was the perfect opportunity to combine a visit to India, a friend and a chance to lend a hand, doing what I know how to do….loving kids…and teaching some ABC's.

My first chance to get into the projects was at Tughlakabad. Last year, Tejas had the opportunity to rent a small building in the slum that is Tughlakabad. They took their school from an outside, dirt area to a building which was an awesome step in their project. The small school was painted and done up to resemble something of a school with three small classrooms, an area for assembly and a small kitchen to cook daily meals for the children. Stepping into the slum area was confronting yet not as confronting as I had imagined it would be. I suppose I pictured this scenario for so long and had also been exposed to poverty (although no where as extreme) in China, somehow I had subconsciously prepared myself for it all. The children are amazing…living in such poor, wretched conditions, yet they laugh, play, are cheeky and best of all, love to learn. In the walls of the school building I was in my element with the laughter of the children….stepping outside to look around was when my heart lurched as I saw kids who weren't in school, naked, dirty, crying children walking around the slum alone, parents sitting in front of their homes (mere tents) and hungry children banging on the gate at lunch time. It's in this time you realise that you have taken for granted every single crumb you have ever eaten, every single lunch your mum made for you, every single pencil you got for school, the ugly uniforms you never wanted to wear, the school you didn't want to go to in the morning, and most of all the free healthcare you complain about when you have to wait a couple of hours.  It is in these moments you realise you live the most privileged, blessed life imaginable.

Over the last couple of weeks I have got to see all the projects that Tejas have started and are supporting. It is amazing to see the sacrifice that is made, the time that is given and the criticism overcome to pursue something they believe in. It's not about grand ideas about saving Delhi and bringing one and all out of poverty, it is about touching the lives of those they come into contact with, educating the children that would otherwise have no chance, providing the opportunity for medical treatment, nurturing those who feel sniffing a 'solution' is the solution, feeding the bellies of those who otherwise wouldn't eat that day. So many times Marlo has been asked my Delhi authorities, "Why? Why do you bother?". Well Mother Teresa said it all, "if you can't feed 100, feed 1". At least that is changing the life of at least one person. How many times have we seen those world vision adds growing up? You can make the difference in one life? We brush it off as not making a difference at all. But imagine if that was your life? Your one life that someone decided to feed, educate, nurture. Can you imagine the difference that would make in your life, your families, your communities?

I have been so touched and impacted to see for myself the hearts of Marlo and Sheril and the mission of Tejas Asia. I wish everyone had the opportunity to see the absolute commitment they have to doing everything they can and the fruit of their labour in the eyes and smiles of the kids…the support would be never ending. I encourage you to support their work! I know it's not your eyes that have seen it but mine….but I know you all know me, know my heart for this work. If I was home, I would have you all contributing to some sort of fundraiser haha, but instead I am here…so support this amazing work if you can and understand that every little bit really does help. On Tejas's website you can donate or sponsor a child. Check it out…. http://www.tejasasia.org/home.html

So this has been India for me so far….teaching ABC's, giving little kiddies whizzy dizz's, telling scary stories of the three little pigs, learning new songs in Hindi, dancing around like a fool, giving out food, giving out hi fives, giving out hugs, giving out love and getting a lot of the above back…prob except for the whizzy dizz's. :) haha!

It has been a great time of laughter with Sheril who gives me a hard time like any of my friends back home would….it's refreshing. :) Their home has been so welcoming. Oh, and I have had delicious Indian food cooked for me day in and day out whether from Sheril, a restaurant or the Indian boys who work with Tejas, it has all been amazing and delicious and I even made Roti! :)

My first night here, I was whisked off to an Indian music festival. The guy was apparently some big Indian superstar…KK…it was fun, the crowds went wild (as I had expected from the lively culture). Beforehand I was standing on the side of the road with a cup of ginger Chai just chatting away when the biggest cow I had ever seen in my life strutted on by! My jaw gaped and then I just laughed at what an Indian experience I was having right now…sipping Chai and hanging out with a cow! Too funny!

I also attended a Thailand Travel Expo and happened to win two return tickets from Delhi to Thailand. Too bad I have already booked and paid mine. So it made a good gift to my hosts. Hopefully they will get a chance to get away for a bit in the new year. The funny thing about the draw is it was the major prize yet 6 people had their name called and no one had hung around to claim their prize. So guess what….it was me! It was a bit suss that the announcer was friends with Marlo and Sheril, but all good…tickets were mine. I quickly became a household name with all the Thai people attending, including the Ambassador who wanted a pic with me. Rolling with the big wigs! Haha!

Ah, well the adventures are just starting here in Delhi….next week I will head out of Delhi to meet a friend and begin my travels…just have to get a medical done for my new China visa - which is never an easy process. I will miss this place and working with the kids….but I will be back…that is for certain.

Having an amazing journey!

Love to you all….

HJ xx

Photos:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2642419579188.2147291.1216537728&type=1&l=68b8e0f013

The China Run-Around - Part 2

Fifth Stop on the China 1 month runaround….

CHENGDU

The last blog post I wrote we were planning for our trip to Chengdu….oh what a trip that ended up being! Chengdu is by far the best city I have been to in China in every aspect. However, it owes me a week of my life back as it sucked everything I had from me and left me to recover in Kunming, a much needed departure otherwise I would have been stuck forever in the Bermuda triangle that is Chengdu, specifically Sim's hostel (that's a shout out to you Simon and Sam)!!

Our last night in Chongqing consisted of Dinner at a revolving restaurant high above the city. Who knew that despite the pleasure I take in thrill rides, a snail paced revolving restaurant would leave me feeling queasy and uncomfortable. I managed to consume a little dinner and a few beers to put me at ease (although that didn't help the situation), however it wasn't until I had my feet planted firmly on solid ground did I again feel at ease. We spent the rest of the night at a an outside bar and a few cheesy Chinese clubs before losing each other and making our way home! Lucky for me Kasey had purchased some Chow Cow (Chinese BBQ) and I diligently devoured it to save myself from after club starvation! Thank God for China and Chow Cow and street food! Nights out would not be the same!

Upon arising at two o'clock the next day we realised we needed to scoot to make our train to Chengdu! It was national day and it was going to be bedlham with about 99% of the chinese population thinking this was the day to travel! We made it with some serious time to spare so we thought some chilling out in our home away from home (McDonalds) would be a good idea - so did half of Chongqing! After a sympathetic Chinese family made way for us to sit we placed our orders….What? No beef?? When has McDonalds EVER run out of beef! Oh dear! After a big night out, what is better than a good old Big Mac? We were devastated and it took a long time considering other options to finally bring ourselves to eat some crappy KFC nock off burger! Well at least they had coffee! The rest of the day went pretty much the same way! No food for the foreigners! 1 billion travelling Chinese had consumed China's entire supply in their National Day pilgrimage!

Chengdu was such a pleasant surprise though! The hostel, bustling and huge became my home for the week and also the meeting place for many a foreigner who is now lucky enough to be called my friend! Haha! We saw pandas, temples, a Sichuan opera and spent some time cycling around Chengdu to hit a local tea-house (literally for the locals) complete with out door bamboo chairs on the street, rickety old tables, stained teacups and a plethora of old chinese chimneys surrounding us like the circus had just rolled into town. A few stopped to chat, take photos and blatantly stare….but it was peaceful! I have learnt to find peace and harmony within the chaos of China…although the more Chinese I learn, the more my ears prick up and the less harmonious the white noise becomes.

Seeing the pandas was educational…apart from taking snaps of the playful creatures in an eating frenzy, the rest of the outing consisted of an education of panda breeding habits, routines, interventions etc. I suppose we DID go to a panda breeding centre. What did I expect?

Sichuan food is amazing! If I wasn't eating the best hostel food I have come across in China in Sim's hostel then I was out indulging in Hot Pot, BBQ and yummy Sichuan snacks - usually at about 5 in the morning! Haha! I even mustered up the guts to take a new friend who was a newbie to China to hot pot and  test my limited Chinese. Success…..it was delicious and relatively easy! A few mumbled words, a lot of pointing and we got what we needed - a delicious meal.

The nightlife in Chengdu seemed to take up most of my time! Upon forming a crew with some foreigners  we frequented one club every night! One of the guys had connections so it was all you can drink each and every night! Unfortunately for me, upon asking Sam what to wear to this place…his reply was "as long as you are wearing white skin you can wear anything you like". I wish he had been more explicit. This place was the most pretentious place I had ever seen! The men were RICH and the women were BEAUTIFUL and the place was no where to be seen dressed as the daggy traveller that I am. Oh well, Sam was right…I was wearing white skin! The girls wanted to dance with me (bonus points for them), the men wanted to toast with me and generally just have me around and the foreigners couldn't care less! They were there for the local women! haha! So this was my place of choice for three nights in a row! The attraction certainly was not the club but a very cute Chinese floor manager that happened to be friends with Sam. So between him bossing his staff around and people toasting me we had some great conversations (well as far as club conversations go).  It wasn't until the third night when a foreigner was a little inappropriate with me and my friends took it extremely personal that an altercation transpired and I left CC's never to return. Fortunately I had a number and a date for the following night! :)

I made some great friends in Chengdu…one of which lives only 50 mins by train from my foreignless China hometown, Cangzhou! So I will have a friend on my return. Most left around the same time but for those who remained it was sad to say goodbye! The never ending emotional rollercoaster of saying goodbye to great people again and again!

I took yet another, but my last, sleeper train to Kunming! 18 hours! Not so bad! I had the very top bunk (3rd tier) and only just fit in it! So my only venture down from my tower of bedding was to slurp on some instant noodles and use the bathroom! It was still so busy at the tail end of the National holiday, so I was avoiding the chaos at all costs! I spent the time catching up on all my sleep deprivation - too much! My sleeping patterns have been wrecked up until now.

Sixth Stop on the China 1 month runaround….

KUNMING

As I got to Kunming a few days too late my two days there consisted of recovering and the Stone Forest. I met a lovely Israeli - Dikler and we took a day trip out to this amazing, overpriced forest! It is literally a forest of giant pointy stones and we managed to get ourselves lost in it's tranquillity and peacefulness!! It was a nice day out. We happened to meet a Chinese guy on the bus who spoke perfect English. He was by himself and keen for company so we walked through the forest, had an amazing lunch and ventured back to Kunming with him. All the time with him teasing me about my Mandarin pronunciation. My comeback was that I am sure he sounded like a fool when he was first learning English!

The adrenaline rush of that day was seeing my first snake since leaving Australia!  I freaked out seeing the slithery creature move right in front of me and dash into the bushes! No one could understand why I was so freaked out - to them it was worthy of dinner haha! I had to explain that in my country...you see a snake...you RUN for your pitiful little life…because in my country it is probably likely to kill you!  This was the first thing I noticed when I left Aussie borders…where are the bugs and spiders and creepy crawlies that haunt our everyday lives? Oh that's right! They are all in Aus!! AH!

So that was my one month China run around! Full of adventures and mayhem and amazing experiences! I love this country! Right now I am Dubai-bound. Boarded on a plane that doesn't even have MOVIES! What the heck do I do with 7 hours of my time?? Ah! Good time to write a blog I say! I am looking forward to coming back so much! I have fallen in love with China and it's craziness! I take the good with the bad these days and am beginning to stop cringing every time someone hawks and spits or nearly runs me down in a vehicle of some sort! The next step in learning the language to provide me with a much less frustrating, more pleasant experience. I will work on that when I get back!

Until then, it is Dubai, India, Thailand and Cambodia on the agenda. I land in Dubai tonight…enough time to give me some solid catch up time before starting prac! My studies became more and more neglected throughout my one month run around but it's not too late!

Miss you all

Love to you all,

HJ xx

Phase 3 Begins...

….well began! You know you have been slack on the blogging when you read the last one and it seems like a lifetime ago! So again, after much pestering from the loved ones and my extreme slackness in keeping every one up to date (well I blame china for it's unnecessary restrictions on facebook), here is the latest chapter of the HJ epic novel!

So yes, phase 3! Phase 3 sees me being officially unemployed, burdened down with a backpack, some text books and a few guide books to see my way around China for a month (only 2.5 weeks left), Dubai for a month (uni placement), India for 2 months, Thailand for 2 weeks and Cambodia for 6 = no employment, fancy free travelling, studying and volunteering!

Leaving Cangzhou was hard! Bloody hard! The last two weeks consisted on my 25th birthday and my departure which resulted in many laughs, many tears and many random Chinese trinkets and gifts..all of which will go nicely in my future internationally themed house when I decide to take root somewhere in the world! At first I was a little sad to spend my birthday alone in China, but then I realised I was turning 25 in China and life was good….so I counted up my blessings and made the day full of fun with lots of party games, complete with pass the parcel - a personal favourite, cake galore and big smiles on the kids faces! It was great! And with all the love I received from home it left me in a very happy place! So a shout out to all those who thought of me! It made my first birthday away from everyone all the more easy!

The week of my departure called for many many tears from me, the kids, my TA's and my boss! The kids were so sweet. I got lots of goodbye drawings and presents and the parents of my fav class (yes, I do have a fav) made homemade dumplings and gave me a big, wonderful send off! It even made the Cangzhou news can you believe!

The same week I welcomed the new teachers to the school and after a couple of 'get to know you's' - I was content to leave my kids in the hands of Eddy. She is a lovely girl from England and I know the kids will be happy! Since then I saw photos of my kids graduating a level and I wasn't there to be the proud teacher who brought them from speaking no English at all to be able to introduce themselves. It was a sad moment…boy I really am a giant marshmellow! But on to different and exciting things for now. Chelsea, my friend from California who I met in Prague, also arrived just after I left to add to the school staff so I think everyone is in good hands!

I had to leave China again for Visa reasons, so for the 3rd time in 3 months I made my way to HK! This time I layed low and pretty much set up shop in starbucks next door! I caught up on some uni and reading and drank copious amounts of coffee and English breakfast tea! My other indulgences, while out of the borders of China included CHEESE, SUSHI and SALT N VINEGAR CHIPS! Yummmmm!! The creature comforts you miss while in a foreign country!!

First stop on the China 1 month runaround……

SANYA, HAINAN ISLAND

The cute and tropical little island  tucked under the protective wing of China, or really just the ass end of it is Hainan. The beautiful beaches (yes, actually beautiful) and the vacation vibe make for the holiday destination of choice for most Chinese with a few spare RMB and unfortunately for the Russians also! Yep, the Island is overrun with Russians…everything is written in Russian (usually before Chinese) and none of the Chinese really speak English, only Russian! And unfortunately for me, to the uneducated eye - I apparently look Russian - even to the Russians! Get my drift? So not only was my four days there spent deciphering between Russian and Chinese babble but I was hit on repeatedly by Russian men! Fun! They're a bunch of charmers alright! NOT!

Sanya was great - nice and relaxing…just what I needed as the start to Phase 3. I could pretty much sum it up as sand, surf, sun and seafood. And I made sure I got it all in vast quantities…as proof from my extreme tan line that I am now sporting! It was low season so it was definitely quiet on the foreigner front but I did manage to meet one great Aussie couple and we spent some time hanging, I also managed to score the attention of a Chinese guy staying in my dorm…his English was limited but his enthusiasm abundant. Every chance he got to make conversation with me he did and every chance he got to tell me I was beautiful he did! It was very entertaining.  But apart from that I pretty much flew solo and had a great time navigating Sanya and the beaches!!

Second stop on the China 1 month runaround……

HANGZHOU

Hangzhou for the second time was a necessity as my gorgeous and very good friend Marth from the States was leaving China that week and I had to have a chance to hang one last time and say goodbye! I have no doubt in my mind we will find another country and another continent to hang out in! But for now I had to say goodbye! We had a fantastic few days spending nights out with her friends and the days recovering on James' couch, in coffee shops, shopping malls and day spas - hitting up restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner! It's what we do best! It was so great! There is never a break in our banter, we always have something to talk about, laugh about, reminisce about! It has been a very quick forming friendship that I am sure will continue for a long time yet! Saying goodbye was tough but we decided to make it more a "see you later" - unbeknownst to us, we would run into each other in Shanghai a couple of days later! 

Most memorable moment?? Walking down the street at six in the morning on my way home rapping Gangster's paradise to myself and the Chinese street cleaners who were emerging for the day - thinking I was following Marth and James. Turns out they were no where to be seen and I had no clue where I was! Survival instincts led me to the safety of James' house…thank goodness for my limited taxi chinese directions.

Third stop on the China 1 month runaround…..

SHANGHAI

Well my intention was to see Shanghai in three days, however I ended up just seeing the inside of my hostel and the view from the rooftop bar! That was the extent of my time in Shanghai! Although from the cab ride in from the airport train station, my limited exposure to the city, the stories of others and the general vibe…I concluded it is a place I need to go back to explore properly and thoroughly! From the hostel we had a great view of the bund and this is where I set up camp for three days doing assignments for uni. Oh, except for one day when I helped my dorm mate, this rad Danish girl, cart 25 kgs of shoes and clothes to the post office so she could post it home….I then proceeded to accompany her to buy MORE shoes! Oh Lord!! Haha! We spent the rest of the day navigating the Shanghai train station to try and find her a train ticket to HK. This was not an easy feat, but never is in China.  She was great fun though and together we planned a United States roadtrip. Haha! She also introduced me to Lars, a middle aged German, American/English sounding gay man who was a barrel of laughs and good entertainment for when I felt the need to take a break from my study! So not much to say about Shanghai!

Although in the weirdest coincidence of events I was sitting on the last afternoon in Shanghai when Martha came into my thoughts for some reason. Possibly cause I got a huge waft of her perfume, I could feel someone staring at me and sure enough I turn my head and there she is! Again! So despite our myriad of goodbyes, text msg's, letters! We got another opportunity to hang - if only for a little while.

Unfortunately it was a sad time also as on arrival in Shanghai I heard the sad news via email that my friend's 26 yr old husband of 6 months passed away from a football collision. He had been on life support for 3 weeks and finally let go. It was a real smack in the face of the reality of how precious and precarious life is. My thoughts and prayers are with Jess (Ando), and Mr and Mrs Anderson and Cara! She has been so strong and her faith never wavering! But my mum reminded my of how robust life can be too and to keep embracing life and loving people and you can't go too far wrong!

Fourth Stop on the China 1 month runaround….

CHONGQING

Off to see Kasey…my first roommate when I lived in Cangzhou..

Another must do stop on the agenda. Chongqing is a huge city of 10 million people in the centre of China and home of the spiciest hot pot on the planet! Oh my! My body hates me right now.  Hot pot is pretty much a giant bowl of chilli oil that you cook meat and vegetables in - however when your sweating, crying, your lips are burning, tingling and quivering I am not sure if it's a meal of form of self-mutilation. Anyhow, delicious it is and I will keep going back for more. Chongqing is yet another GIANT chinese city and by this point I was kinda getting over the mega cities that remind me so much of their attempts at civilisation but no quite so. So Kase took us out to the Ancient Village here in Chongqing…a small bus ride away and you feel like you are in another world. Once you walk far enough away from the markets and hustle and bustle and up a few stair cases, you find yourself in a kind of village with small stone houses, small community rooms serving as the local checkers and cards room. It was quaint and tranquil and far enough removed that you could hear one horn being blown from a passing car. Respite from China. There was a good view of the river from one of the lookouts and a guy who was optimistically attempting to swim with floaties and flippers across it somehow. Keeping in mind the Chinese generally don't know how to swim, I was tempted to watch the news that night and listen for a tragedy or success story. The village was definitely a highlight, complete with chickens clucking away and later ones that had just been clucking and were no longer! Whoops! There were many a culinary delight but unfortunately we had eaten some Chinese deliciousness a little while before our trip so couldn't sample the offerings entirely.

The rest of the time has been spent at massages, drinks at various places, an attempt at poker night which I piked on very quickly, starbucks (my retreat from China) eating amazing Chongqing food (mainly fiery hot pot), meeting Kasey's friends, uni (which I am surprisingly managing - thank goodness) and planning our trip to Chengdu which we leave for tomorrow! It really is a hard life! Haha!  It is national day in China on Monday so the craziness will be quadrupled while travelling this time!  So stay tuned for part 2 of the China one month runaround…Chengdu and Kunming!

Love to you all!

Miss you all so much!

HJ xx

Yep, this is F'ing China!

Ahhh!! It's always the simple things that are a complete nightmare her e in China . Like applying for a simple tourist visa for India! A quick and seamless process if I was in Aus but No….not in China! You have to jump over a mountain of red-tape, hurdle over ridiculous mistakes the chinese have made in their translations that mean you have to fill out an online form not once…but 3 times. Since when does your university count as your employer?? How many times do I need to reiterate I don't have a job, I'm not employed, yes , even though I can still afford to travel around your cheap ass country!! So no, I am not going to fill out your form that is WRONG again!! Ahhhhh!!! Ok, no problem, I will stand passively as 50 thousand other chinese push in front of me to use the computer and as I can't speak your language just have to stand their looking flustered and pissed and wait for you all to finish taking advantage of this fact!! Oh, look, it's 5 hrs later and we are finally making progress! Ok, time to get to the train station…maybe I can change my ticket to get the early train home and have some chill time after the stress of the India visa office! Oh wait, that means lining up with half of the country four times for some lady to just yell at me in chinese…"No". Great! You would think the main train station in the whole country would have English speaking operators….or at least ONE! Ok, so I will hang out in McDonalds, use the free wi-fi and get back to sanity on facebook! Oh wait! Wi-fi doesn't work either! Great! When will this country work???? To top my day off I dropped my sunnies in the automatic squat toilet - YEP, that's right - I had to fish them out of a squat toilet, out of my own pee, while theautomatic flush did it's thing! Awesome! Oh! And then to top THAT off, haggling with the taxi drivers who want to rip off the white girl who can't speak Chinese!! Gah! I know how much it costs to cab it back to my own freakin house buddy! Don't be foolin with me! My usual tactic - just start walking! Works every time! Great freakin day! Haha! 

Ahhhhh! It's just one of those days where you have to just say…this is F'ing China!!! Haha! Anyone who has been here for any period of time will tell you it's a love hate relationship! Today I hated it!! But that's just one day in many great ones - where I love it! It's all about the language barrier! If I made the effort to learn more of the language maybe I would make my living situation a little easier! Oh well!!

So my India visa is in the process! Exciting times. In two weeks I do yet another trip to Hong Kong to leave the country and re-enter to do 30 days of travelling! Wooooo!! That will really test my love for China! All by myself! No help from my school or the TA's. Eeek! Haha!  Then it's off to Dubai…prac is all in place and ready for some serious uni and studying! Eeek! Then India - 2 months in a country that will test my patience even more so than china. Man, I am going to be a very patient person on return to Australia! Nothing will phase me ever again! Haha! Then plans with my girl Anna have been made for Thailand in January and then six weeks volunteering in Cambodia. The next six months are going to be hectic but amazing. I will be super challenged in terms of studying and travelling. But hey, I would rather be doing it this way than the way I was before. So much more interesting, fun and exciting!

After that I am thinking about coming back to China! Actually, pretty much decided if they let me back in. I really feel I will miss this place! It's amazing how much you can love something despite it's imperfections. It's like how they love me and think I am so beautiful despite my many physical imperfections. Haha! You look past them! Just to reiterate. Every other day I love this place. This was probably a bad day to write a blog! But waiting for the train for an extra 3 hours gave me some time to reflect and write!

I took another trip to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago. I had to go for a uni assessment coz all of China was on summer holidays so I couldn't access any of the international schools in Beijing. So I made the 13 hour total trip from Cangzhou, stayed four days, and flew back (another 13 hr trip) all for one hour in an Aussie school in Hong Kong! Haha! But it was worth another trip to Hong Kong! I love that place! I am so in love with it! It is the epitome of East meets West! For a city that has a land mass less than metro melbourne, it has so much to offer! I spent the four days making up for what I couldn't do the last time I went when the was a full blown typhoon looming! Shopping, sightseeing etc…once again I packed in so much! I stayed at the same hostel but the crowd was completely different. Somewhat boring and everyone just seemed to be doing their own thing or just hanging out at the hostel. But it was cool! If there is one thing I am good at it is doing stuff by myself! :)

There is still a couple of things I didn't get to do so I will check them out when I go back in two weeks! HK keeps pulling me back! :) The principle at the school I went to even suggested I give her a call when I graduate! Wooo! And I have set up my last placement with one of the teachers I met for next year! Pretty sweet! It's a little more expensive than the average Asian city so if the funds are still available I will spend the three weeks of placement there!

I had my first "freaked out as hell" moment in HK though! A relatively safe place as far as I am concerned, but sometimes I forget that not everyone is a normal friendly person just keen for some small talk and goodbyes, some people stalk you half way home! OMG! I got to the Chinese visa office an hour too late to pick up my passport due to my inability to read my watch and found myself alone with a random giant of man (indian, pakistani, something! Have no idea) who could see my confusion. After a brief hello and a crack about my stupidity I quickly said goodbye and headed home. You know that feeling you get when something just isn't right?? Well, after a quick glance back I saw him following me intently. Ok, so whatever…maybe he was headed in the same direction and checking me out at the same time. After a few more glance, fake changes of directions, he ran into me…..bombarding me with question to which I replied "are you following me?" , to which he replied "Yes"!! Holy Hell!! Bolt woman! I skedaddled . My heart was racing full speed. This guy was not someone I wanted finding out where I was staying! Giant as goliath, add a sleazy grin and a rather quick pace of walking….it was my first heart racing moment overseas so far! But I ended up shaking him! Thank goodness!

I have found myself with a slight identity crisis in terms of my accent! I don't know how many times I have been told I don't sound Australian in my travels! Ah! I know it is due to the ridiculous amount of time spent with Americans! When your own country men ask you which country you are from, a kiwi thinks you are a kiwi, another kiwi doesn't find your accent annoying, a whole room of people at a hostel don't know where you are from, your best friends mum comments on your yank accent and you are held up at immigration bombarded with questions because you sound American yet have an Australian passport, you know you have an accent identity crisis. It doesn't help that I teach the kids words with very pronounced r's. It just helps them! :)

Speaking of teaching the kids! I have been working with them to pronounce 'th' and 's'. Very cute! The TA's don't think they can learn it but guess what? I have my 3, 4, 5 and 6 year olds saying their s's and th's. It's so adorable! I am really going to miss those kids! Especially as I started most of the classes when I first got here so I have seen them go from not speaking English at all to knowing a tonne of words, answers to questions and introducing themselves….Hello...my name is Leo... I am a boy….I am six years old...I live in Cangzhou…I come from China! Woooooooooo! Love it! This makes me very very happy! It's what I came to do and I am doing it!

Speaking of what I came to do! Facebook has these daily "on this day last year" reminders about what we posted a year ago! The latest ones have all been about the countdown to moving overseas and travelling! I smile every time I see one cause I am here, doing it and it is better than I ever could have imagined 'on this day last year'. I turn 25 this week! A milestone birthday I suppose and I am just so happy and fulfilled in what I am doing and what I have planned to do! I feel very blessed also that I have this opportunity. Life circumstances could have called for a different path…but my dreams came true!! I remember telling a friend in 2009 that I will be living in China teaching in 2011! Had no idea how the hell it was going to come to pass but it did!

Anyway, enough sentiment!

Sorry I haven't posted in some time! I have been smashing out uni like no one's business! And I have definitely been rewarded for doing so! YAY! Love that I get to invest so much more into it!

I will keep you all posted on my month on the road in China! It is going to be an adventure to blog about! I can feel it! Be prepared for more highs and more lows! Haha! It's a love-hate relationship! And a healthy one at that!

Love to you all,

HJ xx

Qingdao....pickpocketing, peeps and plenty of pijiu

I am currently on the train on my way back from Qingdao, a sea side city close enough to Cangzhou that I thought a short trip to the coast would be the best idea after some intense uni and considering it's summer holidays! What started out as a brilliant idea  was a near disaster. The rain and misty weather I could handle, the disappointing beaches I could handle, the initial lack of any humans seeming remotely cool I could handle, the lack of fun activities in the city I could handle, it was the violation of being pick-pocketed - losing all my money, train tickets and credit cards that was the biggest disappointment and could have ruined my brilliant idea altogether. But alas,  Qingdao came through with me and this is my tale of a seaside city in China!

The beauty of summer holidays where I am in China is the ability to consolidate my classes and get away for a bit! Teaching is easy, uni is great due to the abundance of time I have to concentrate on it and I love my city! Downside - NO FOREIGNERS! So my little trips away act as my little bursts of social interaction and so far it has been a successful adventure each and every time meeting great people and having crazy adventures. So I packed up my gear and toddled off to the beach for four days!

Travelling solo has it's absolute ups and absolute downs if you don't meet great people! I arrived at Qingdao full of expectancy for a full hostel and an abundance of adventure-seeking travellers. On first sight, a Brit in my dorm who turned out to never leave his room and few stragglers in the downstairs bar that weren't interested in any small talk. So I parked myself down with my laptop and guide book and figured out what I was going to do in this town. I hadn't done much research as I had been super busy with study. That kept me occupied until I got talking to the old eccentric German, Chinese speaking man who had many tales to tell about his adventures in China over the last couple of years!

After a while I was done talking all things German man and decided to re-locate myself and finalise some assessments that needed to be handed in. And enjoy my free Tsingtao beer. (Oh, I forgot to mention Qingdao is the home of the famous  Chinese beer - Tsingtao which is the other attraction and reason for visiting Qingdao)  Enter Brian, and American, a  new dorm buddy and fellow solo traveller. Brian planted himself down across from me with a beer and we proceeded to fill each other in on our lives, travels and plans - the usual! Enter Peter , a young Chinese (actually a local from my town) and keen to practice his English. We all decided we should venture out for some dinner and sightseeing around Qingdao!

Dinner! After a gigantic circle around the neighbouring streets we finally made it pretty much back to our hostel to a nearby seafood restaurant (Qingdao is also famed for it's seafood). Ordering dinner consisted of finding the yummiest looking fish swimming around and watching as the waitress smashed it on the ground several times (in the entrance way) weighed it and asked for our preparation preferences. Needless to say, it tasted very fresh! Haha! Oh, the shocks of China continue…four months in!

Dinner was great and complete with a beer in a bag! Yep, that's right. On the street at every second step there is kegs with beer and plastic bags. Beer in a bag! Less than classy but so cheap! 2¥ which equates to about $0.30 for 1/2 a litre. AWESOME! It was great having Peter tag along, it is always handy to have a little Chinese guide when you are new to a place.

After a BIG sleep in the next day and some breakfast (less than impressive), and coffee (less than impressive). Brian and I had think about what we wanted to do for the day and decided on a trip to the beach on the east side of town where it is supposed to be that much nicer. Good intentions, but it didn't quite work out that way. We ventured down to the Pier to check it out….amongst the throngs of people were small time food  vendors and  illegal jewellery hawkers (who freaked out once they saw the police turn up. It is amazing how quick they can get rid of the evidence). We made our way down to where we though the bus would be passing a few monkeys! Yes! Monkeys, on leashes with a guy forcing them to do tricks or risk punishment. It was quite sad but I couldn't help watching. It was just awful! The beach was horrible! The algae was too much! The entire surf of the beach was filled with algae about 5 metres back from the shoreline and people were actually swimming in it! Aghh! The rubbish of course was monumental and I was so sad to see nature being treated in such a way! It made me want to get out my protest banner.

We finally found the bus and jumped on - very cramped and very hot. I fished out my 2¥ for my bus ticket and popped my money purse back in the front pocket of my bag! The kind old lady next to me motioned to me to make sure my bag was zipped shut which I did and left it at that. 10 minutes later…my bag is unzipped and it's gone. I just couldn't believe it! Considering how close I was standing next to Brian and that we were near the exit where people would be looking, I couldn' t believe someone had managed to open my bag and take my money, tickets and c/c! Devastating! I think I have been too lucky and taken it for granted hey.

I frantically started looking for it in people's hands, on the floor to no avail. Trying to talk to someone was a disaster - I could only motion something was taken. A young girl who spoke English came to my rescue and helped explain to the ticket inspection girl and the bus driver what had happened! It all happened so fast but the bus came to a stand still and we all sat there sweating up a storm unti l the police came which the driver had kindly called!

The police: I didn't really see the point in wasting my time with the police - I was never going to get my cash back. But I suppose the more awareness that is raised about tourists  being targets helps the next one. And a police report wouldn't go astray for insurance. It is actually a very unusual situation. The chinese aren't known for this type of behaviour. They are generally an honest people. But we are tourists and we were in a very tourist area so whoever was seeking an opportune moment found it. The police were lovely. We had to wait for an interpreter but it was all good. We spent a couple of hours going through the details, translations etc. In the meantime I set my mum onto cancelling my cards, I set my boss onto finding someone that she knows to help me out. The whole time I was fine. These things happen and I was so lucky that I had Brian with me - at least to get a bus ticket home. It would have been a nightmare!

The cops gave us a free ride home which was awesome and in the meantime my boss had organised for a friend of a friend to bring me money. We ducked out for some lunch - so hungry by this stage and made it back in time for Shi Shi's contact to rock up with 2000¥ and a whole bag of food! Man, talk about my faith being restored. This lady didn't speak a word of English, didn't know me or my boss but I was in need and she was there so fast! The Chinese can be so amazingly generous. It was a quick turn around - going from feeling so violated to so blessed. It took all the stress away and meant I could enjoy the rest of my time in Qingdao. And that I did.

Brian had his own dilemmas. He had bought a bus ticket from a private company on the side of the road and was supposed to take the bus to Shanghai. Lucky for him he had called prior to going to find them. They weren't going any more! Ah! He spent a good two hours running around trying to find them and get his money back before eventually doing so. So turns out he was staying longer! While he was off doing that I was talking to another world traveller (literally had been everywhere - TWICE) getting some tips about India. He was 40, living in China, learning Chinese and doing business on line! Good deal! But after an hour or so of all about me world traveller I had had enough again and luckily he was off to meet someone for dinner.

Enter, Hannah, my new roomie. A German travelling with her brother and sister. Germans that I usually come across are very stand offish . But Hannah was keen for a chat and some tips about Qingdao. Brian and I were heading off for dinner and they happened to come to the same spot…here the formation of our crew began!

Enter Danny (UK), Cecilia (Sweden), Andreas (Sweden), Peter (US) and the crew just kept getting bigger! Banding together to avoid crazy drunk chinese men who were up for a good old chin wag in Chinglish, we bonded over a few beers and tales of China oh and politics…of course! I am finding that politics seems to be the conversation of choice when your with a crew repping the western world!!

The night began to wind down after we were kicked out of the roadside establishment and enter Peter 2 (US). He and a mate had just turned up and made the final members of the Qingdao expat crew!

The next couple of days consisted of beer (pijiu)! Touring the brewery with beer tasting, hanging out on Beer St drinking beer (There was torrential rain so I had we had to pass the time productively right?) and having more beers on our arrival back home! Not to mention amazing food!! Ah! I cannot even tell you how amazing the food in China is! I am loving it!!

Once again! Sad to say goodbye! I really hate saying goodbye to all these awesome people I meet! But a few email addresses and facebook adds later it was time for me to return home while the others continued on with their journey. An early morning rise and a 4 hr train ride and I was back in Cangzhou to face the reality of work and study again! Haha! Ah, I really have it hard hey! Hehe!

The whole time I was away I was completely unaware of my apparent visa problems that have me making plan B,C and D in case I can't come back! I can't get the visa I need to come and go as I please so I will just have to play it by ear and hope I get a happy visa processing officer happy to determine my fate in my favour and let me back into China after India! But if not, there is always the rest of this big wide world! So I am excited about the unknown yet, hoping and praying my very well laid out plans can still be achieved!

So after a crazy week with sightings of a naked man with one shoe, a day time prostitute with a full blown mullet, a baby peeing on the floor of KFC,  a fish being killed on the floor in front of me, watching trained monkeys be threatened with whipping, losing my voice (unable to teach) and  being robbed - I am happy to report that I am safely back in Cangzhou and anticipating my next adventure….which is….Hong Kong….again…..in 1 weeks time….I will report back then! Over and out!

Love to you all!

HJ xx

Ode to the Great One...The Great Wall!

A little overdue but I had to tell you all about the Great Wall!

Mao Zedong said...."He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man."
Looks like I'm now officially a true man! Alright!

It's a very surreal experience to think I am in a country bigger than my own and on the weekends I can just hop to other side if I so wish! I have been doing a lot of travel this way…2 days here…3 days there etc. I have a couple of little adventures coming up as it is summer holidays and it is a chance to consolidate my classes to a couple of days and get away for some more china experiences! I feel really lucky this way! Not many foreign teachers in China would be able to do what I am doing!

My last little stint away was just to do check out this little thing called the Great Wall! Haha! Let me tell you it was great! I dig anything to do with history and old history at that, so the Great Wall was a special experience.

My friend Martha and I coordinated schedules so we could do it together! Luckily the take off point was Beijing so we both met there in an awesome little hangout! Beijing have a heap of these old ally ways called 'hutongs' - they are banned from all things commercial so there is a lot of cute little boutiques and eateries without being OVERLY tourist orientated…although still so. We stayed at Beijing Downtown Backpackers. Great hostel. I really loved it - great amenities and friendly staff.  They also ran this tour to the great wall. The part we were going to was 3 hours outside of Beijing so void of the mass tourist crowds. However, a very bumpy ride indeed with some less than pleasant toilet stops! :)

So after arriving very late on Monday night to meet Marth who had been there all day, we grabbed some dinner and a few drinks and talked our way to 1:30am when we finally made it home to the hostel. Our wake up time was 6:30 so so much for getting rested up for our big walk!

We woke up early - not much to do as it certainly wasn't going to be any beauty pageant (unfortunate for the photos haha). Took a little walk, got some free brekky, complete with COFFEE!!!, and waited for our bus. Quite an odd bunch we were but ready to see the wall in all it's glory!

We ended up picking up a couple of young guys who were also travelling and checking out China and the three hour drive passed super fast as we shared humorous antics about our experiences in China. And then there we were! At the foothill of the Great Wall and what???? Oh no, I forgot my sunnies! Boo! Lucky for the myriad of vendors that were there to rip me off for a cheap pair! I bargained well for sure but I didn't choose to well cause they really didn't end up even fitting my head and would slide off. So I didn't end up wearing them anyway!

The hike was 6km! Up and down…up and down…up and down! A friend of mine kindly pointed out (from Australia, over text)  that that would be just a stroll and my efforts weren't impressive! Well I have the pics to prove it! Some parts I felt like spider man scaling the wall vertically, however not as fast and certainly not as agile! It was definitely tough at some parts but at the very end I decided it really wasn't as hard as what I thought. It certainly gave my granny knees some more wear and tear! I think I will need knee replacements upon my return to Aus! Getting worse and worse!

What made me feel worse about my pathetic efforts were the old ladies who climbed with us! I had one who attached herself to me…of course they wanted to sell you something towards the end, but they didn't mention it for most of the way! My lady was great and very entertaining, telling me how beautiful I was every time we took a pic. She taught me some Chinese as her English wasn't so bad as a result of being with tourists everyday and she was 65! Yep, 65 and climbing faster and more graceful than I was. Trying to help me up every second step. I am just getting used to this kind of thing these days. Anyway, in the end I didn't want any of her cheap souvenirs…so a 20 RMB tip and off she went.

We got back to Beijing eager for some cold beverages and something hearty to eat after our big efforts of the day! It was truly a spectacular sight! Through the panting and puffing and vertical scaling the views were amazing! One side, Inner Mongolia, the other China. And apart from one ugly highway, it was unspoiled views of country side!

We spent the evening in the hutong that we were staying in and chilled on the rooftop with a few cold beers and a nice spot of hookah!

The Great Wall was truly Great!

Love to you all!

Wish you could be here!

And a special shout out to my very special, dear, wonderful and supportive friend Ramona who I know is reading this blog as the devout follower that she is! I miss you so much girl! Can't wait to see you in just over twelve months!! Xx

HJ xx