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.
One thing that surprised me about Chengdu was how similar it felt to Beijing and other major Chinese cities we had explored. While we experienced some interesting nightlife spots, the city overall seemed quite generic. I initially thought this might be due to my limited Western viewpoint, but Mei Ling concurred that Chengdu didn't truly embody Sichuanese culture. We resolved to venture beyond the city borders during our remaining days in Chengdu.
I'm still trying out my knee, so I visited Zhou "garden" (which isn't really a garden) and Wenfeng pagoda. It was impressive but tough for me to climb.
No Permanent Residence
I was very let down by my location once more this semester. It took me 2.5 hours to reach the train station on the teacher bus and then 3 hours to return from the train station on the light rail. Not to mention the 1 km walk back to my apartment from the train station. It's just as bad as it was last semester, if not worse, because there are no longer any trees or stray cats. It's simply a vast dusty campus on flat ground, with a lot of wind and currently, the sun is quite uncomfortably hot.
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.
23.11.2024 - 24.11.2024 15 °C
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.