I'm a travelling fool!
Here's the spring vacation travel itinerary for all of my relatives, friends, and internet stalkers out there:
January 22-27 The lovely mountains of Chengde (noted for their beauty and extreme COLDNESS)
February 2 - Train from Shijiazhuang to Guangzhou (A mere 20 hours! If only I had some Ambien... )
Feb. 3-4 - Making our way from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, then to Macau! (This is an island in the south of China, which I am hoping will be absolutely infested with those Macau birds. However, being somewhat underdeveloped in the "international know-how" department, this island may have absolutely nothing to do with those giant, fierce birds. ~5 minutes later~ I just checked Google...I was thinking of Macaws...Or Toucans... It's like you can just hear the wheels in my head turning slowly, very slowly.)
Feb. 4 - Air Asia flight from Macau to Bangkok (Macau's currency is the MOP, which stands for Macau Osomething Pataca...Whatever this "pataca" is - it sounds delicious and I'll have two)
Feb. 4-6ish - Bumming around Bangkok and trying not to get blatantly cheated out of our hard earned money.
Feb ish-18ish - Wandering around Central Thailand in search of: picture perfect beaches, legendary "Lady Men,'" and a gorgeous, flesh charring, tan. At this point in time, I feel it absolutely necessary to quote my father: "Most people don't realize it, but a tan is actually just the appearance of dead DNA in your skin, having been fried by UV Rays." I may have paraphrased.
Feb. 19 - Air Asia flight from Bangkok back to Macau.
Feb. 20th... - Who knows!!! From that point on we'll: slowly work our way back up from Macau, maybe stop by Hong Kong, most likely spend a lot of money, definitely spend all too much time on the absolutely terrible Chinese train system, and get schnockered.
Sometime in March - Returning to teaching. Cough Cough. English Corner will resume in March. Huzzah!
Now you must ask yourself... "Why did Hilary really divulge, in intricate detail, all of her travel plans?" And I shall answer your query. I shared this with you for the soul purpose of making you jealous of my 3 weeks of tropical island hopping madness! No thanks are necessary, it was a pleasure.
January 21, 2007
January 14, 2007
The state of my utilities...aka 'Pipe Problems'
-A few months ago I was taking a nap, as I often do. I was awakened by the sound of rushing water. I figured it was just the toilet running and fell back asleep to the soothing white noise. I was awakened 10 minutes later by a knocking on the door. On my way to the door, I walked by my bathroom and happened to notice a large pipe gushing water onto the floor at a rate of at least a few gallons a minute. It was a refreshing break in routine to say the least.
-I tend to put off doing my dishes. That's an understatement. So when I finally get around to it, I usually have to put in a good amount of time at the sink in my pink rubber gloves. One such evening, after having washed all 6 of the plates in my apartment, and various forks, knives, bowls, and chopsticks, I happened to notice that I was standing in a good inch of water. It turns out I can go for a solid 20 minutes before realizing that I am being surrounded by an ever expanding pool of water, which has several electrical appliance cords sitting in it...The situation was "remedied" when The Furies came with a mop in hand. However, Chinese mop technology is somewhat below par. Thus, the water was advanced from "puddle form" to "covering the entire kitchen floor" form.
I tend to "space out" every now and then...And when I realize where I am and what I am doing in this country, I'm always pleasantly suprised that my head doesn't explode from the shock.
Things that wake me up from well deserved naps:
I am considering moving my computer to my bedroom, but then I would miss out on whatever exercise I get from walking between my bed and the sacred internet...Oh yes, I do burn a lot of calories strolling to the fridge.
-A few months ago I was taking a nap, as I often do. I was awakened by the sound of rushing water. I figured it was just the toilet running and fell back asleep to the soothing white noise. I was awakened 10 minutes later by a knocking on the door. On my way to the door, I walked by my bathroom and happened to notice a large pipe gushing water onto the floor at a rate of at least a few gallons a minute. It was a refreshing break in routine to say the least.
-I tend to put off doing my dishes. That's an understatement. So when I finally get around to it, I usually have to put in a good amount of time at the sink in my pink rubber gloves. One such evening, after having washed all 6 of the plates in my apartment, and various forks, knives, bowls, and chopsticks, I happened to notice that I was standing in a good inch of water. It turns out I can go for a solid 20 minutes before realizing that I am being surrounded by an ever expanding pool of water, which has several electrical appliance cords sitting in it...The situation was "remedied" when The Furies came with a mop in hand. However, Chinese mop technology is somewhat below par. Thus, the water was advanced from "puddle form" to "covering the entire kitchen floor" form.
I tend to "space out" every now and then...And when I realize where I am and what I am doing in this country, I'm always pleasantly suprised that my head doesn't explode from the shock.
Things that wake me up from well deserved naps:
- The loud speakers on campus blaring Celine Dion, Chinese Propaganda Overtures, and the Backstreet Boys.
- Cats. Cats who like to consummate their love. Again. And again. And again.
- Live artillery fire.
- The burning desire to...eat.
Apparently water is good for you. Too bad I don't like to drink it. Although, thanks to the toxicity of Chinese tap water, and my near-dehydration, I have forced my self to drink at least 2 cups of day. And thanks to Tang, it's bearable.
I am considering moving my computer to my bedroom, but then I would miss out on whatever exercise I get from walking between my bed and the sacred internet...Oh yes, I do burn a lot of calories strolling to the fridge.
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