I moved to hangzhou in August 05 for a teaching gig at a local Kindergarten located on Baochu Bei-Lu next toGongshan university. The school was really cool to teach at beacause it was faily small and had small classes(roughly 8-13 in each class). Teaching kindy was a huge and welcome change from my previous teaching experience in Guilin. Overall I loved interacting with the children and enjoyed singing, dancing and playing games with them...kids are so easy to please! I found Hangzhou to be a great and dynamic modern city with all the comforts of home and more! Xi Hu lake located smack bang in the city centre is what adds to Hangzhou's charm and has seen it become the number one tourist hot spot for chinese tour groups. So if you are planning a trip to HZ(and I can strongly recomend it), make sure it doesn;t coincide with the chinese national holiday seasons(spring festival-late jan-Feb, and may day holiday) otherwise you will almost certainly find youself swimming in tour groups all wanting to be first in everything.
We lived in a small apartment on Moganshan Lu(Xin Yi Fang) which was in a nice location with a canal running through, and a nice park. Buses to the city were about 10 minutes and the service was excellent(ac buses). Most weekends were spent shopping on Yanan Lu, then walking to the lake for sunset which was breathtaking. After this we would get a pizza or some chinese food, what ever we felt like. The restaurants are many and most are very clean and flash.
We also went hiking on the numerous trails and mountains found dotted all around the lake area. There are botanic gardens, flower nurserys, many temples and pagodas and museums. The lake area is so vast, we weren't able to take it all in in the year were were in Hz. Hangzhou, we will miss you!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Practising Tai Chi in the park next to our apartment complex(XinYiFang next to moganshan road), 6am. Picture taken by charlene on her way to the bus to work.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Laneway running throug Xitang, this is the same laneway Tom Cruise ran through in the filming of MI3.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Shanghai!
Well we finally visited China's richest and largest city, Shanghai. After a gruelling 30 hour train ride, we made it to the city and braved the subway to our hotel.
First impressions were Wow! Shoppers heaven! We had accomodation basically right on top of the Bund which is the main tourist strip along the waterline. From here you can see the famous Shanghai city backdrop of the Peal Tower overlooking the water. Lining the waterfront is an amazing array of british colonial(I think thats right) architecture thats looks really great and fantastic at night. It's quite amazing to see the old chinese buildings mixed with old british buildings mixed with new modern skyscrapers.
The Oriental Pearl Tower is a really big eye-sore, and looks like an inverted hyperdemic needle(so ther books say). We didn't go to the top because it was too busy(thanks to us travelling during the "golden week" or may day holiday) but seattled for the Jin Mao tower instead. At 450 m high, this tower is no baby, and we ended up at the obseratory level, known as level 88, meaning the 88th floor. Up here, we had a great birds eye view of Shanghai, Or what we could see through the haze and smog.
We met up with Charlene's sister and her friend, and basically spent most of the time, that's right, shopping! I mean what else are you to do in fashion conscious Shanghai. I must admit, I was not prapared for the main shopping street, Nanjing Road, wearing my travel worn pants and Cambodia t-shirt. Charlene was caught out with her now famous, old and tattered, red sneekers. She just wont part with them, I think we will have them framed... While it didn't bother me at all, Charlene said she could feel the eyes looking down to her shoes with disgust. There was only one thing she could do, you guessed it, shop.....and shop....and shop, and when that was finished, there was always more shopping. It was like every mans worst night-mare, 5 days in Shanghai with 3 girls. I didn't mind the department stores too much, it was just when we inevitably made a bee line to the bra and nicker section. If you can picture a westerner in Shanghai waiting out side a bra shop twidling his thumbs, you would be spot on.Not to say I didn't shop either, I just knew what I wanted and went straight to it. I dont believe in the process of "shopping". Anyway I found my 30 gb ipod so I was happy!
We found the markets in Shangai very cheap compared to other places in China, Guilin included. In Guilin/Yangshuo, they tend be bargain like bull terrier dogs and don't give an inch. In Shanghai, they tended to give in quickly just to get the sale. For example, I ended up buying a Hugo Boss wallet for 20Yuan, after the asking price was 120 Yuan! I just laughed at this price and kept walking, until, halfway down the ally, I hear "ok,ok...20!!" And I did need a wallet...
Ok that's a bit about our time in Shanghai, and I, and Charlene included, can say it has been our favourite city we have visited. Wish I could post some photos but this photo uploading is still FUBAR! I Will wait until I am back in OZ in my mums mission control station to upload some pics. Bye for now!
First impressions were Wow! Shoppers heaven! We had accomodation basically right on top of the Bund which is the main tourist strip along the waterline. From here you can see the famous Shanghai city backdrop of the Peal Tower overlooking the water. Lining the waterfront is an amazing array of british colonial(I think thats right) architecture thats looks really great and fantastic at night. It's quite amazing to see the old chinese buildings mixed with old british buildings mixed with new modern skyscrapers.
The Oriental Pearl Tower is a really big eye-sore, and looks like an inverted hyperdemic needle(so ther books say). We didn't go to the top because it was too busy(thanks to us travelling during the "golden week" or may day holiday) but seattled for the Jin Mao tower instead. At 450 m high, this tower is no baby, and we ended up at the obseratory level, known as level 88, meaning the 88th floor. Up here, we had a great birds eye view of Shanghai, Or what we could see through the haze and smog.
We met up with Charlene's sister and her friend, and basically spent most of the time, that's right, shopping! I mean what else are you to do in fashion conscious Shanghai. I must admit, I was not prapared for the main shopping street, Nanjing Road, wearing my travel worn pants and Cambodia t-shirt. Charlene was caught out with her now famous, old and tattered, red sneekers. She just wont part with them, I think we will have them framed... While it didn't bother me at all, Charlene said she could feel the eyes looking down to her shoes with disgust. There was only one thing she could do, you guessed it, shop.....and shop....and shop, and when that was finished, there was always more shopping. It was like every mans worst night-mare, 5 days in Shanghai with 3 girls. I didn't mind the department stores too much, it was just when we inevitably made a bee line to the bra and nicker section. If you can picture a westerner in Shanghai waiting out side a bra shop twidling his thumbs, you would be spot on.Not to say I didn't shop either, I just knew what I wanted and went straight to it. I dont believe in the process of "shopping". Anyway I found my 30 gb ipod so I was happy!
We found the markets in Shangai very cheap compared to other places in China, Guilin included. In Guilin/Yangshuo, they tend be bargain like bull terrier dogs and don't give an inch. In Shanghai, they tended to give in quickly just to get the sale. For example, I ended up buying a Hugo Boss wallet for 20Yuan, after the asking price was 120 Yuan! I just laughed at this price and kept walking, until, halfway down the ally, I hear "ok,ok...20!!" And I did need a wallet...
Ok that's a bit about our time in Shanghai, and I, and Charlene included, can say it has been our favourite city we have visited. Wish I could post some photos but this photo uploading is still FUBAR! I Will wait until I am back in OZ in my mums mission control station to upload some pics. Bye for now!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Charlene's parents arrive!
Wow, what a fun week off we had with Charlene's mum and dad, Laura and Micheal. We were finally able to show them where we have been living for the past 9 months. Along with this we showed them our classes and some of our students. When they arrived on Thursday night, we took them to some classes where they were met by clapping and cheering from the kids. The students were really excited to meet them and even had gifts for them. One class had 2 plays(in English) ready for them, and another began to sing songs for them. Later, Michael told me that some of the girls were asking him if he thought they were pretty! I mean what could he say?
Anyway after this welcoming, we had a few celebration drinks(and paid for it the next day, damn chinese beer). Then we made our way into the city and began our week long holiday. It was fantastic showing them our city and then taking them into the beautiful countryside. Because Char and I had already travelled to where we were taking them, we had it all under control, and knew the ins and outs. Not like when we first travelled, we had no idea and did not speak any chinese. It was much easier this time. We spent 2 nights in Ping-An village in Longsheng, then made our way to Yangshuo where we spent a further 4 nights. Ask them what the scenery was like, i am a little biased.
Anyway am still having trouble posting pictures which is very boring for you, and anoying for me, since I have to do more writting, but am working on it.
Out!
Anyway after this welcoming, we had a few celebration drinks(and paid for it the next day, damn chinese beer). Then we made our way into the city and began our week long holiday. It was fantastic showing them our city and then taking them into the beautiful countryside. Because Char and I had already travelled to where we were taking them, we had it all under control, and knew the ins and outs. Not like when we first travelled, we had no idea and did not speak any chinese. It was much easier this time. We spent 2 nights in Ping-An village in Longsheng, then made our way to Yangshuo where we spent a further 4 nights. Ask them what the scenery was like, i am a little biased.
Anyway am still having trouble posting pictures which is very boring for you, and anoying for me, since I have to do more writting, but am working on it.
Out!
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Thailand adventures!
Hello all!
Well it's been a long time between drinks, so-to-speak. Charlene and I have been very busy with our teaching and also our travelling.
For the spring festival, we flew out of the China and began our much anticipated journey to Thailand and Cambodia. We spent an amazing 2 weeks on the beaches of Koh Samui, in the gulf of Thailand, were we did heaps of shopping, met new friends, rode elephants and even danced with lady-boys. It was such a contrast to the monotony of school life here in Guilin, we were able to fully relax and un-wind. For the first time in over 6 months we were surrounded by western people from all walks of life. From the young to the old, from Europeans to Canadians, tourists seem to flock to the beaches of Thailand. It was great walking the streets and not be gawked at, or hearing that boring word "Lo-Wai"(for those who have not heard this expression before, come to china and you will hear it almost everyday, it means foriegn friend in chinese).
After this relaxation period on the sand, we made our way back to bangkok and on to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Well, if it was contrasting going from China to Thailand, it was more so going from Thailand to Phnom Penh. P.P has to the ass-hole of the World in my opinion. The people are so poor and the streets are full of beggars. It was so sad to see dirty Cambodian children roaming the streets looking for food. They are still suffering from the exploits of Pol-Pot and his Khmer Rouge. Although interesting seeing the genocide museum and the killing fields, it's one of those things you could do without. We made the mistake of pre-booking our flights and opting to spend 1 week in the capital, far to long. We could have done with 3 days max, and still have time enough to spend seeing the sights, which are not many.
After Phnom Penh, we made our way to the high light of Cambodia, Angkor Wat. The temples are on the most amazing places on Earth, and well worth the visit. We did a 3 day tour of Angkor and it's surrounding temples, and only just covered it all. The lay-out is massive.
Any-way, i'm sure you all want to see some pics of our holiday. I have a problem at this end at the moment, this computer does not seem to be uploading photos, so I will be working on it soon. Hopefully I can post some soon.
Out.
James and Charlene
Well it's been a long time between drinks, so-to-speak. Charlene and I have been very busy with our teaching and also our travelling.
For the spring festival, we flew out of the China and began our much anticipated journey to Thailand and Cambodia. We spent an amazing 2 weeks on the beaches of Koh Samui, in the gulf of Thailand, were we did heaps of shopping, met new friends, rode elephants and even danced with lady-boys. It was such a contrast to the monotony of school life here in Guilin, we were able to fully relax and un-wind. For the first time in over 6 months we were surrounded by western people from all walks of life. From the young to the old, from Europeans to Canadians, tourists seem to flock to the beaches of Thailand. It was great walking the streets and not be gawked at, or hearing that boring word "Lo-Wai"(for those who have not heard this expression before, come to china and you will hear it almost everyday, it means foriegn friend in chinese).
After this relaxation period on the sand, we made our way back to bangkok and on to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Well, if it was contrasting going from China to Thailand, it was more so going from Thailand to Phnom Penh. P.P has to the ass-hole of the World in my opinion. The people are so poor and the streets are full of beggars. It was so sad to see dirty Cambodian children roaming the streets looking for food. They are still suffering from the exploits of Pol-Pot and his Khmer Rouge. Although interesting seeing the genocide museum and the killing fields, it's one of those things you could do without. We made the mistake of pre-booking our flights and opting to spend 1 week in the capital, far to long. We could have done with 3 days max, and still have time enough to spend seeing the sights, which are not many.
After Phnom Penh, we made our way to the high light of Cambodia, Angkor Wat. The temples are on the most amazing places on Earth, and well worth the visit. We did a 3 day tour of Angkor and it's surrounding temples, and only just covered it all. The lay-out is massive.
Any-way, i'm sure you all want to see some pics of our holiday. I have a problem at this end at the moment, this computer does not seem to be uploading photos, so I will be working on it soon. Hopefully I can post some soon.
Out.
James and Charlene
Saturday, January 15, 2005
This photo was taken with one of Charlenes Senior 2 classes. Prior to this they asked us to sign their text books. It was really weid, they were lined up one after the other, just to get our signature!! We felt famous!
Sometimes I use the camera as a reward for the winner of an activity. I mean, who doesn't want to get a picture with me???? When they find out the prize is a photo with the "Lo Wai" they become very competetive. This is one of my 6 junior one classes.
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