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.
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 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.
We spent two weeks in Beijing. The day after our arrival, we visited Chao Yang Park (Sun Park) and rented a duck boat. It was quite slow, but we enjoyed navigating it around the lake.
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.
Along the Yangtze River, there are several caves featuring Guanyin, but since most of them are inaccessible, I simply walked along the cliff.
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.
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.