As much as there is to love about China…the food; the endearing fascination with anything western; people’s friendliness and hospitality; the hustle and bustle of 1.5 billion people going about their daily business and the ever entertaining “Chinglish” translations; there is one cultural difference I cannot (and am unlikely to ever) become accustomed to… …spitting….
[slideshow] The 22 hour train ride from Beijing to Xi’an passed without incident (0nce we’d finally found each other at the different station entrances!) and after a surprisingly good nights’ sleep in a four berth sleeper cabin we were ready for a roam around the sights. We weaved our way back to Shuyuan hostel at…
[slideshow] If you’re after arts and nightlife, in between sightseeing, there’s plenty on offer in Beijing… 798 Art District – An interesting attempt at showcasing contemporary art, set in an old industrial part of Beijing, about an hour away from the centre. Relaxed, cosmopolitan café’s, large open gallery spaces and some interesting sculptures, but nothing groundbreaking…
[slideshow] Once you have adjusted to its size, culture shock has kicked in and you are emerging from the other side, Beijing boasts a veritable banquet of history, culture, communism and capitalism all rolled into one. There’s the amazing Hutongs – narrow alleyways and courtyards crammed with character, dirty looking restaurants serving the most amazing food,…
So, there was an Englishwoman, Irishwoman, Hong Kong born Australian and Singaporean in a Peking Duck restaurant…no this isn’t the start of a tasteless Bernard Manning joke and no the duck wasn’t peeking! However, it led to a miscommunication reminiscent of “Fork Handles” that Ronnie Barker (R.I.P) would have been proud of! After ordering and…
Well at first it starts with a burning desire and then it snowballs into something that might just, only just, become a possibility. Then you start to dream….you could leave the stressful 9 to 5 (ish), you could never have to deal with that tricky client call ever again, you could visit all the places on…