The Residence and The Return

The cryptic sounding title of this month's blog refers to my home in Shenyang and my trip back to Beijing. You can see by the pics that the apartment is very bright and colourful (the heritage left by the previous tennant). I am slowly re-arranging it and getting settled. I am very happy at home and at work currently, such a peace and feeling of contentment here. My apartment is only a 5 minute walk to work and only one flight up, the other residents are older folk, families and some students.

The return trip toBeijing was a chance to do a spot of shopping and get a look around the Olympic sights. I had just over 24 hours there, it was a great little getaway. The train trip only takes 4 hours from here, and it's not too expensive. The interior shot is of Shenyang train station while the exterior shot of the train station is at Beijing. Cheers till next time!

Beijing Photos 2

Our four day trip was rounded out by taking a short but sweet look at the Birds Nest, pity it was so foggy. A trip to the Summer palace was interesting but way too crowded with tourists, I've never quite seen so many tour groups in one spot, just crazy! The sign tickled my fancy, never quite seen low season expressed this way! Our last night dinner was Beijing duck, the traditional way to eat it in China is to wrap a small piece of duck meat in a thin pancake with a little veg and sauce, delicious! We were all pretty worn out by the last night but had a few drinks to celebrate our time in Beijing and unwind. I am hoping to get back to Beijing in another couple of weeks and do things at a more leisurely pace, and go exploring on my own. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon. xo

The Great Wall

What can you say about the Great Wall that has not already been said, I guess to sum up ... AWESOME! We had a limited amount of time on our visit, but it really is an incredible experience and well worth climbing. It is always exhilarating to come to these much beloved landmarks. I enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere and touching the ancient stones , while running amuck with the rest of the crew from the school! The bears in these photos are an exhibit at the entrance to the Great Wall, they were a lovely surprise which just added to an absolutely awesome day!!

Beijing Photos Part 1

The trip I took to Beijing was sponsored and provided by the school I am now working for. A group of about 35 of us took off for 4 days on a bus tour of this amazing city! I really love Beijing, so much to see and do, here you will find pictures of the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and some of the parks. The early morning photo with the guard was taken at the flag raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square and shows me with my colleague Sharon, a fellow Aussie teacher. As you can see there were some delicacies on offer and I had a nibble on a centipede, very crunchy with little taste!

Shenyang Structures

Had a week off when I first arrived due to the school taking a short break during their summer program. It was a great opportunity to go exploring and get some photos of my new home town. The Mao statue is in the centre of the city and it is massive! The TV tower is very close to where I am staying as is the park with the ferris wheeel. I had trouble getting photos from the ferris wheel as there was mesh on the windows, but it kind of makes for an interesting shot. The statue I standing next to is one of the Qing emporers, there is a set of about 12 of them. The unusual building is in the CBD and is quite impressive. I am sure to have loads more photos to share as I have only scratched the surface of this marvellous city!

Shenyang Sights

This new post has been a while coming as I've been settling into life here in Shenyang. Time seems to be rushing by at a fast pace even though life in this north eastern city is fairly sedate. I have to say at the outset I absolutely love this place! The atmosphere is one of community and harmony. I have been staying at the school apartment but should be moving into a one-bedroom apartment next weekend. Work is busy but quite satisfying and I am working with a great bunch of locals and foreigners. Lots of Brits and Americans with a few Aussies aswell. The group shot of some of the aforementioned was taken at an Indian restaurant which serves amazing food! The watermelon seller plies her trade outside my apartment building and the street artist was painting this mural just up the road. The city played host to some Olympic soccer matches so the parks have been cleaned up and Olympic motifs added. The photo of the horse and cart in the city was a clash of old meeting new, lots of similar sights abound. Finally the fire in the street was the night of the Ghost Festival. People burn fake money either to accommodate their ancestors in the after life or appease the spirits, never did get a clear answer as to why. I am keeping well, had a cold for a week or so but nothing serious. I've started learning Mandarin at long last. My school provides lessons free so it's a great opportunity. I hope to have lots more photos and stories to share soon. Till next time, God bless!

Beiling Park, Shenyang

Went for a stroll around this park which houses the tomb of one of the original Qing dynasty emporers. I was amused by the sign, an unfortunate coupling of words, as is typical here in China!