to sum up

Well quite a bit has gone on but due to time constraints I have to give the Cole's notes version. Tuesday night we invited Damon over for drinks seeing as I was going to Beijing and I wouldn't be seeing him when I get back since he's probably going to be moving to Guangzhou. Anyway we had a really good time and watched TV till we dies of laughter.
Yesterday I finally got to meet Annaick's parents. They came in on Tuesday night and then them and Annaick will be flying out and going all around the country. In any event, they were spending a couple days in Wuhan to see the sites etc. So we went out for dinner with them and Tomas (one of Annaick's french friends) and had a good time. Her parents really enjoyed the food and we had a nice time chatting. Her dad speaks english and is alot of laughs. Annaick told me forever ago that when her mom came she would probably not have much to say but would just smile politely the whole night. True to form she did. All in all we had a good time.
Since I came back from Hong Kong, I've pretty much done a good job of avoiding Breanna. She came to my room on Tuesday night to invite us to her last dinner. I told her on Wednesday that I had plans already. I didn't dare tell her that my plans were with Annaick.
Then today I did a good job of avoiding her unfortunately Matt wasn't so lucky. Anyway, Matt and I went to the Brazilian BBQ place (finally) and had an awesome meal. We just got home a little while ago and now I'm getting ready to hop on a train to Beijing. The most exciting part of this trip is that I'm gonna meet my mom. She's due to arrive on Feb 1st. We'll be back (well I'll be back, she'll be coming for the first time) in Wuhan on the 4th.
So that's the story. Will update when I get back. I gotta run though or I'll miss my train.

TTFN

Jan 20th, 2006

Well all good things have to come to an end at some time. I got my stuff together, packed my souvenirs and checked out of my hotel. My trip to get back home was exhausting. I basically traveled for 11 hours. I got the bus that took me to he train station. I got some lunch while I was there. I hopped on the next train and got to Guangzhou. Then I got a cab and unfortunately it was in the middle of rush hour and it took an exhaustingly long time to get to the airport. When finally there I was able to check in without a problem but I had to wait forever before my flight left. Anyway, my flight was scheduled to leave at 7:40 and check in was at 7:10 so I got there around 7:00. When I got to the gate I found that the gate had the wrong flight info and I could see that everyone around me was wondering what the heck was going on as well.
We all sat around there for a bit and then someone indicated that the gate for our flight was somewhere else. So we head over there and sure enough the flight number is there. The plane was now 10 mins late for boarding. Then 20 mins late, then the flight is late by 10 mins, then 20 and then over 30. Finally we boarded and finally on our way.
When I got to Wuhan, I had to smile. The last time I came down those stairs and out of that area I was looking for Mr Ye holding a sign with my name on it. I had to go to the same bathroom I went to and this time the porcelain hole in the ground didn't scare me.
Anyway I got a cab and told them where I wanted to go. My cab driver was talking to me in chinese I didn't understand. Then after he got off the expressway he pulled over. I was think, what the heck is this man doing and turns to me and says something else. I still have no clue what he was saying then I stop him and the conversation goes like this:
me - (in chinese) do you know Wuchang?
driver - (in chinese) I know
me - (in chinese) do you know Jiefang Lu?
driver - (in chinese) I know
me - (in english) then what the fuck is the problem?
driver - (in chinese) blah, blah, blah, blah
me - (in chinese) I want to go to Jiefang Lu
driver - (in chinese) ok, good
Anyways, I have no clue what he was trying to tell me but I got home. I paid him his money and I was very happy to see the frat house.
Hong Kong was awesome!!!!
I can't wait till I go to Beijing.

Jan 20th, 2006

Jan 19th, 2006

Well not much was done today. I laid around for a bit, got some lunch, then took a nap in the afternoon. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't nap in the day. In fact I hate sleeping in the day but not much else was going on, I was starting to run low on funds and the symphony of lights wasn't until the evening. Around 6:30, I woke up, got ready and took the next bus downtown. Taking the bus is so incredibly was by the way.
Anyway, I got to the Avenue of stars and the show was already 5 mins in. This time around it was absolutely amazing. There's music that's played and the lights almost seem to dance to the music. It was really cool and closer and better than what I was expecting. It was a great treat for my last night in HK. Anyway, I walked around the area for a bit and took in the last bit of the sites, a few more pictures and then some dinner. After that I headed back to the hotel, watched some TV and then went to bed. My last night in HK was really nice. Tomorrow I have to get my stuff together and head back home to Wuhan but I would just like to have it noted that I really enjoyed my stay in HK and I recommend that every and anyone take a visit.

Jan 19th, 2006

Well not much was done today. I laid around for a bit, got some lunch, then took a nap in the afternoon. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't nap in the day. In fact I hate sleeping in the day but not much else was going on, I was starting to run low on funds and the symphony of lights wasn't until the evening. Around 6:30, I woke up, got ready and took the next bus downtown. Taking the bus is so incredibly was by the way.
Anyway, I got to the Avenue of stars and the show was already 5 mins in. This time around it was absolutely amazing. There's music that's played and the lights almost seem to dance to the music. It was really cool and closer and better than what I was expecting. It was a great treat for my last night in HK. Anyway, I walked around the area for a bit and took in the last bit of the sites, a few more pictures and then some dinner. After that I headed back to the hotel, watched some TV and then went to bed. My last night in HK was really nice. Tomorrow I have to get my stuff together and head back home to Wuhan but I would just like to have it noted that I really enjoyed my stay in HK and I recommend that every and anyone take a visit.

Jan 18th, 2006

Well today was a pretty cool day. I had a late start but it was OK. I saw that a bus near the hotel went down to the ferry pier area. So I hoped on it going in the direction I thought would take me to the pier. It turns out that while the bus starts going in that direction, it actually goes around another way and ends up at an airport. When the bus made the last stop I knew I would have to get off and get back on again going the other way. Luckily the bus driver was kind enough to not let me pay another fare ad I was lucky to see another part of HK. Anyway the bus made it's way back and I got off at the stop I was originally looking for. My China travel book told me that admission to the museum was free on Wednesdays and I['m glad that that was still true. The art museum was nice but it was crowded with school kids. It got annoying after a while. They also had a no picture policy which kinda sucked but I snuck some video.
After leaving the art museum I hopped on the next ferry over to HK island, then took a bus over to Stanley market. The market itself is like any other but nothing is any cheaper. All the prices are just as they are anywhere else. Anyway, my travel book told me about this good Thai restaurant ao I headed out that way. It's located at this place called the Murray House. It's apparently been there since the 1860's and is the oldest european style house in HK.
The restaurant was very nice and the food was excellent. After that it started to get dark so I hopped back on the bus, back to the ferry and headed back to the hotel. Basically I've done everything I set out to so in HK. Tomorrow I'll probably lay around and for my last night I'll go back out to see the symphony of lights again. I was told that the best view is the one from the Avenue of stars. I think I'll take it in.

Jan 17th, 2006

Ok, so I decided against the art museum today because my travel guide said that admission was free on Wednesdays. So I decided to go up to Victoria peak. What an awesome trip that was. First things first, I actually took the city bus to get to HK harbour. With all the signs and schedules in english it makes things super easy. Heck, it even tells you the correct fare. Plus it's cheaper than a taxi and easier than walking. So I get to the ferry and the ride over to HK island is very nice. The weather wasn't fantastic but atleast it wasn't freezing. Then there is a specific bus (like a shuttle bus) from the ferry station to the tram station. It makes getting to the tram very easy. It only costs HK$30 or a return trip and you're on the next tram ride up.
The tram ride was fantastic and very steep. However, once I got up there, with the weather not being the greatest, I was surrounded by fog and couldn't see a thing. The was a nice mall at the top of the peak and I walked around for a bit. Was lucky to pick up some souvenirs as well as the shot glasses I pick up on every city I visit, but other than that, I wasn't able to do much else. If the weather is better on Thursday and provided I still have some cash (HK is very expensive) I'll go back again and this time I'll do the hike.
After I came back from Victoria peak, I went to the Avenue of stars. I found what I was looking for and a little extra. I found Jackie Chan's star as well as Bruce Lee's star (that was my something extra). I made a couple promises to myself coming out to China. What I said was that if I came out to Hong Kong, I'd have to do a couple of things 1) see the symphony of lights and 2) see Jackie Chan's star. I feel really good that I was able to accomplish these things. I had heard about this and seen it on a travel show but I never thought I would actually make it out here and be able to actually do it.
After that I came back to the hotel, watched some TV and went to bed. I hope the weather is better tomorrow, plus I want to go to the museum.

Jan 16th, 2006

Well everything went well. I got my plane and arrived in Guangzhou without a problem. Although I had a bit of an issue when I got there and wanted to get to the train station. I'm still thinking if I left the airport and hailed a cab outside I would have been better off but the airport taxi services bombarded me. In fact, one girl was telling me that it would cost Y450 to get to the train station. I took a big pass and told her that I would take my chances outside. When I thought I was getting an outside cab it was just another airport taxi but atleast they quoted me less at Y350, still alot and almost worth it because it is a far distance but I still think I paid too much.
Anyway, I got to the train station and hopped on the next train which was about 40 mins from departure. I ended up having a nice ride and after and hour and a half I was in Hong Kong. I walked around for a bit and marveled at the train station and the beauty of the city (from what I could see), then realized that I packed badly. I took light sweaters with me but I just could have taken t-shirts. It wasn't boiling hot but the weather was warm.
Anyway, before I took the subway to my stop, I decided to go outside for a quick smoke. There was a guy standing by the ashtray having a cigarette and playing with his phone and after standing there for a bit, I noticed that his shirt said "Canadian something or other" I had to talk to him for a bit. I didn't catch his name but he's from Saskatoon and was on his way to Guangzhou. I told him what I was doing and then we parted ways. It's always good to see a fellow country man.
About Hong Kong
Cleaner, friendlier, more people speak english, less construction, great sites, Starbucks, no bikes, awesome weather and Mc Donald's litter the streets like Tim Horton's. After I checked into my hotel I decided to do some walking around town. Being used to walking just about everywhere in Wuhan made this easy in Hong Kong and with less people pushing and shoving that made it easier. I walked all the way down this long street Nathan Rd, till I got to HK harbour. I stopped to watch the light show which was a little bit of a disappointment because I had heard and seen on TV that it was really awesome. For some reason I was expecting fireworks and music but I guess I was wrong. None the less t was still pretty cool. After that I stopped and got some really good overpriced coffee and cheese cake at Starbucks and then I walked back to the hotel.
Tomorrow I'm gonnna look for Jackie Chan's star and do a bit more site seeing. Maybe even go to the art museum or something.

I almost walked myself into the ground

Yesterday Matty stix told me that he wanted to go to this Brazilian BBQ place that's supposed to be really good. He said that the place was a little bit before Blue Sky, so if we hit it we'll just get out of the cab and walk back. Anyway, I called Chris to come out with us but he couldn't make it. Then I called Damon and he was running a little late. Matty stix and I were both hungry so we decided to go and figured that we would just meet Damon there.
So we get a cab, we're trying to see if we could spot the place on the way over but we didn't. Then we get to Blue Sky so Matty stix says "Ok, let's get out here and walk back a bit, we should come up to it" So we're walking and walking and walking. Then he says "Oh it should just be up here. It's not that far up" We're walking and walking and walking and walking. Then I look around and I notice that we're now at Zhongnan Lu. Now I know the street between Zhongnan Lu and the house very well, since I've traveled on it several times. I know there is no Brazilian BBQ place on this part of the street or I would have seen it. Matty stix kept saying, just a little further and I kept thinking "you're a jackass, we're almost home now"
Then we get up to this part of the side walk that had construction on it and there was this mound of dirt. Well at first, it looked like everyday dirt that was just wet. Alas, it was not. It was mud and we both stepped into it and both got our shoes covered in it. At that point I started to get pissed and Matty stix was starting to compare me to Breanna. No, no, no. I don't think so. First of all Bre would have been pissed 10 steps after getting out the cab once Matt said that he didn't see the place right away. I was now pissed because I paid Y10 for a cab ride just to walk back home and get my shoes covered in mud.
So Matty stix stopped off at a KFC and I was still craving meat so I went to this place for chao kao. Then we met each other at home, told Damon to meet us there, then the three of us got drunk playing a drinking game.
So I guess everything worked out in a way. Right now I'm going to get my things together for my trip to Hong Kong tomorrow. I will have to keep a log of everything that happens so that I can accurately re-tell my story here.
So bye bye for now and I'll update again when I get back on the Jan 20th.

Peace. Love. Soul.

Big things are happening

Well yesterday we had a farewell dinner for Bre and Brian. Cast of characters included, of course Bre, Brian, Harry, Melanie, Susan's younger brother John, Nick and Matthew. We went to this place called the Greenery Cafe. They serve western food and other things as well. Some Portuguese food, some Thai. It was quite nice. We had a nice dinner, chatted a bit, it was a nice time.
Breanna was being a bitch the entire time. For some reason she didn't want to talk to anyone and I made a point of just ignoring her. Bre has a tendency of acting like a 12 year old. When we were leaving she was full speed to the cabs. I have no clue what her problem is. I've given up on trying to figure it out. I will be very happy when she finally leaves the frathouse.
Anyway, I came home last night, had a few beers and then I got a surprise call from my mom. So that was nice.
Today, I dragged Harry out with me in the rain to help me buy a train ticket for my trip to Beijing. So now I'm all set there. Today I may go out with my friend Jason for a but but this rain is not encouraging.
So I'm really happy with the way things are going. I'm gonna start packing for my trip to Hong Kong and then a few days after that I'm gonna be going to Beijing. So this is going to be a fun winter vacation for me. I'll keep you posted

TTFN

Big things are happening

Well yesterday we had a farewell dinner for Bre and Brian. Cast of characters included, of course Bre, Brian, Harry, Melanie, Susan's younger brother John, Nick and Matthew. We went to this place called the Greenery Cafe. They serve western food and other things as well. Some Portuguese food, some Thai. It was quite nice. We had a nice dinner, chatted a bit, it was a nice time.
Breanna was being a bitch the entire time. For some reason she didn't want to talk to anyone and I made a point of just ignoring her. Bre has a tendency of acting like a 12 year old. When we were leaving she was full speed to the cabs. I have no clue what her problem is. I've given up on trying to figure it out. I will be very happy when she finally leaves the frathouse.
Anyway, I came home last night, had a few beers and then I got a surprise call from my mom. So that was nice.
Today, I dragged Harry out with me in the rain to help me buy a train ticket for my trip to Beijing. So now I'm all set there. Today I may go out with my friend Jason for a but but this rain is not encouraging.
So I'm really happy with the way things are going. I'm gonna start packing for my trip to Hong Kong and then a few days after that I'm gonna be going to Beijing. So this is going to be a fun winter vacation for me. I'll keep you posted

TTFN

Sometimes a dud

Well past few days have been uneventful. All of us have been counting the days till Bre leaves and I've been doing my best to just ignore her. Yesterday Chris called me and wanted to do something, so I took him to Zhongnan Lu. Just to kinda see the sites and walk around a bit. I bought a new wallet. Then I brought him back to The Restaurant and we had a nice lunch. Then I brought him back to the frathouse, introduced him to everyone that was home (Matthew, Nick, Brian and Susan and of course Bre) and then him and I chatted for a bit. He pretty much knows now how to get home from where I live and I know how to get to his place so we should be pretty much set when we want to meet up to go out or whatever.
Then later that evening, Matty stix and I went out, got something to eat and then came back home with plans to go to club Fay Fay. By the time we had a few beers we changed our minds and decided that it would be better to stay home since we were sorta half drunk already and there would be noone (and by noone I mean "bitches" as Matty stix likes to call them) at the club. So more TV watching for us and then eventually bed time.
Then this morning I woke up and made my final decision. I'm going to Hong Kong. So I did some research on the internet and found some price info. Annaick told me that the best way to go to Hong Kong (and the cheapest) is to fly to Guangzhou and then take the train to Hong Kong. This is also apparently a very popular way to go, which will make it super easy for me. Annaick also found this travel agency in Hankou, which is very easy to get to and they also speak english. So I got up, got my stuff together, found price info and headed out to Hankou to buy my tickets.
So, my flight is booked, I have my tickets and tomorrow morning I will be booking a reservation at a hostel in Hong Kong. I know I've said before that I'd rather not do the hostel thing again but hotels in Hong Kong are very expensive and the hostel is the best way for me to go.
So I leave on Monday and I'll be back on Friday and I'll keep you posted on all details. When I get back, however, I'll have to put my pics together in a slide show or something again for you to see them. I still haven't been able to get pics on the site. I have no clue why. I've tried to get the issue resolved but to no luck. The way I see it, I'll only share pics of trips I take and not the everyday pics I take around town. Those I'm saving to show you when I get home.
Well I have semi plans to go out with Toni tomorrow to an english corner at the university, he'll call me and let me know. Then I'm going to drag Susan out to help me buy the train ticket for me to get to Beijing. Beijing is where I'm gonna have some fun and meet my mom and freeze my butt off (is what I'm being told).

TTFN

Not too many events

Well, Friday was the last day of school for me and the other foreign teachers at least. There is still some school going on but as far as the foreign teachers go, we're done. So I finished up the last of my exams, I handed in my planning book and said bye bye to my students for a month. Annaick and I went out for dinner with Lily and Julia our co-teachers. That was nice we shared some laughs and I got Lily's number to keep in touch.
Then Annaick and I came back home and she suggested that if I wanted to come out with her and her friends I could but she would let me know. So I bought a couple of bottles of wine, got home and just sorta hung out. Then I started drinking some wine and then some more and then some more. Well needless to say I got a little drunk. Then Bre and I got into an argument which was actually kinda good because I was able to tell her things that I had been wanting to tell her for a very long time.
Well somewhere in the arguments my phone rang but I wasn't able to answer. Apparently Annaick called but I missed it. So, I had a bit more wine then we all settled down to watch some TV which I couldn't finish and I stumbled off to bed.
Saturday morning I woke up with a wicked hangover and pretty much vegged out all day.
Sunday morning, I did a few things then I went out to Giano's for english corner. Well that didn't work out that well. The guy who facilitates english corner, John, went to Maccau and all the other guys are so busy with their exams that they couldn't come out. Then I was really looking forward to having Giano's amazing pizza but they were having a gas leak problem so they couldn't make any pizza but I ended up having an amazing burger instead. Toni (yes, he spells it with an 'i' and not a 'y') and I ended up having an amazing conversation. He was really happy I came because he got to practice his english and learn new words. I was just happy that I had someone to talk to.
Well after a couple hours I got a call from my friend Chris. Chris (is one of the million chrises I know) but this one was actually in my tesl class and we've kept in touch since then. Now he's teaching at a school in Hankou and he called me yesterday to tell me that he was in town. So now I'm super excited.
So I'm going to be meeting him today for lunch and maybe moving into dinner (yeah, we're gonna have alot to talk about). Anyway, I've gotta go get ready but just as a little side note I'm thinking of going to Hong Kong or a few days at the end of the week.
So that's that. Not much to tell.

TTFN

Happy new year to you and happy birthday to me

Well another year has passed and I'm getting older but there isn't much I can do about that.
This is how the weekend played out. Annaick and I had plans to meet up with Gary and some of his friends to go out for new years. As the day went on I was less and less inclined to go out. I finally got my shit together and forced myself to get ready. Annaick and I said that we would go to the restaurant for dinner first, then we would meet Gary and go from there.
Well when Annaick came to my apartment not dressed to go out, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I knew at that moment I wasn't going. So I came out and Annaick was disappointed because she felt that it was because of her I wasn't going. I told her that it wasn't solely her. I was disinclined to go all day and if she wasn't going then what was really the point. I've had a string of bad new years eve's in my time and I wasn't going to go out there and pretend to enjoy myself. So we headed out to the restaurant. Ordered 5 different dishes which was unusual for us since we normally order 2 dishes for 2 people. It was so out of the ordinary that even the staff kept asking if we were sure we wanted all 5 dishes. So we had a mini feast, then we came back home, opened some beer and watched a movie.
Half way through the movie, Matty stix came home and joined us. He chugged back 3 beers which got him drunk in about 10 seconds flat, then opened his bubba of beer that he got for christmas with my assistance (translation I opened it for him because he was too drunk). Then about 10 mins before midnight the movie was over and we were joined by Nick and Matt. Then midnight came and we all wished each other a happy new year. We hugged and danced and laughed at Matty stix. Then one by one, Annaick left, then Matt left, then Nick left. Then Matty stix and I decided to watch a little TV. After half an hour or so, Matt was on the floor. When I walked over to check if he was alright, he said he was tired. I knew that meant bed time for him.
So I picked him up and carried him to his room and tucked him in. The next morning I retold the epic stories of what Matty stix did the night before (he never remembers) and him and I had a good laugh. Later that day which was the day of my birthday, I got birthday calls from my mom and my best friend and that really made me feel good. It took me out of the funk I was in and made me feel better about everything. So I told everyone what I wanted to do that evening and was happy when everyone said they would come with. I was just looking for a quiet dinner with a small group of friends. I decided on the Blue Sky in Wuchang since it's quieter. I invited, Matty stix, Bre, Annaick, Damon and Gary.
We had a great dinner. I had the steak. Then I had a few drinks, then a few more drinks, and then a few more. Then Gary started buying drinks for me. Then it was happy hour and I had even more drinks coming my way. Before I left Blue Sky I was very drunk.
I got home very drunk and still had a few more drinks. Anyway, Gary and Damon came back to the frathouse and hung out for a bit. We had a great time (from what I could remember). I woke up the next morning with little to no hangover but that didn't stop me from being a vegetable. We got Monday and Tuesday off from school and originally I was going to go somewhere for a couple days but I didn't want to spend the money. Then I was going to spend a couple days at a local hotel, but the weather was so crappy I just didn't see myself leaving the house. So I became a vegetable. I sat in my room and watched House and C.S.I., marked a few exams and that's about it.
Then I woke up on Tuesday and did the same thing. Then back to school today. More oral exams to do. I finished 2 of my classes but I still have one more left and I still have a huge stack of exams to mark. I'm hoping to get these done by tonight. So that's it or me. Not much else going on. If anything does happen though....................well, you know the rest.

TTFN