A few weeks ago, I traveled to Hangzhou for a job fair. I didn't secure a job, but I met a Chinese gentleman named Min Jie. We spent some time together in the West Lake area; it was enjoyable, but I doubt we will be traveling together again soon. The West Lake has a box garden and the Hangzhou provincial museum. There are several artificial causeways throughout the lake, making it easy for me to walk around without any hills or stairs. I still hope to return to exploring the mountains someday, but for now, I'm grounded at sea level. Our first boat ride was empty, which was fortunate since the rest of the day was quite crowded. The boat back to the mainland was packed. I met a woman from Beijing, and Min Jie is on the right side of the photo. I initially thought I needed to go to Beijing for my Uzbekistan visa, but it turns out I won't have to. She mentioned I could crash on her couch if needed. Here are some garden photos for my mom. These monuments in the center of the lake are featured on the 1 yuan note.
If China can provide rapid and efficient rail service throughout its extensive territory, there's no reason the US can't do the same! Oh, I forgot! US automobile and gas companies hire lobbyists to influence our congress and politicians to persuade the public that it's not feasible or cost-effective.
We spent two weeks in Changde. It rained nearly every day, which limited our exploration more than we had hoped. We enjoyed playing at arcades, engaged in Township (a game on our phones and tablets), and went go-karting three times. The go-karts were fully electric and located inside a mall. Logan and Lizzy have been playing Township for over three years and taught Jenny how to play during a two-day stretch of continuous rain. She enjoys the game because it allows her to garden digitally while we travel. They also introduced Lutao to the game, so now the entire family plays Township together.
I recently had the amazing chance to visit the Great Mosque in Xi'an, China. It was genuinely an unforgettable cultural experience. Situated in the vibrant Muslim Quarter of Xi'an's downtown area, this mosque is among the oldest and largest in the country.
I was initially planning to stay in Nanjing and gain some weight, but I figured I should take advantage of my five days off. Since no one would help me transport my belongings to my new school until after the holiday, I decided to book a train to Chongqing. Then, in a stroke of brilliance, I thought I should probably arrange my return train to Nanjing. The management wants to send my things on February 5, but can you believe every train is fully booked for that day? So, I ended up booking a train for February 7, arriving in Nanjing on February 8. If they have an issue with it, they can just deal with it, I suppose. This meant I had to hurry and pack everything since I had no idea what the cleaning crew would do on February 5. I informed my boss that the bags were packed in my room, except for some laundry I did on the day I left (another mistake). I still haven't heard back from her about that.
Historic town and caverns.
Along the Yangtze River, there are several caves featuring Guanyin, but since most of them are inaccessible, I simply walked along the cliff.
A few weeks back, I visited Hangzhou for a job fair. Although I didn't secure a job, I met a Chinese guy named Min Jie. We spent some time together in the West Lake area, which was enjoyable, but I doubt we'll be traveling together again anytime soon.