I've gotten a little behind with my blogs lately and, although I'm nearly up to date now, there are still a few significant bits and pieces I haven't written about. Some of these are very recent, some date back to when we first got back from travelling, but hopefully I'll be able to get them all out of the way in this one blog!New timetables and Chinese lessons: The Chinese school year is split into two terms, with Spring Festival marking the half-way point. Larg...

Time has flown since we finished travelling, and somehow six weeks have gone by since we got back to Jiujiang. Nicole and I now have a pet turtle, a tiny little thing called Tao Tao that Nicole confiscated from some students. He lives in a cardboard box in my room and stresses me out beyond belief by refusing to eat anything. We've offered him everything from chopped fruit and veg to raw beef and it's all been rejected, so now he only gets turtle pellets we bough...

Yes, the puns are continuing. Embrace it! I'll pick up where I left off: Day 3 (Wednesday 18th)We stayed up until everyone else woke up, and then it was off to the station to catch a train to the nearby ski resort of Yabuli. This took about 3 hours. I slept most of the way, but it was still pretty bad - absolutely packed, and the heating swung between roasting hot and Arctic*. We arrived at a little station in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no idea what t...

15/03/2013-20/03/2013 Every Chinese person I've ever mentioned Ha'erbin to has told me horror stories about the cold there and/or told me I'd be better off staying away because it's so cold and I'll die, so I'd mentally prepared myself for Arctic conditions and the likely loss of several fingers to frostbite. Turns out, everyone was being very dramatic and it wasn't that bad at all, so long as you layered up and kept moving. The night we arrived was -24ºc, prob...

12/2/2013 - 15/02/2013 Qingdao is a beach resort in the north of China, famous for being the homeplace of Tsing Tao beer and, allegedly, 'the Switzerland of China'. This Switzerland claim is obviously a little suspect as I don't think Switzerland has ever been known for its beaches; apparently it's more to do with the architecture than landscapes, but that's German anyway (or at least, some of it is) so who knows. Anyway, we arrived late and at the wrong hostel,...