I'm still testing my knee, so I visited Zhou "garden" (which isn't really a garden) and the Wenfeng pagoda, the latter being impressive but challenging to climb. I've been feeling quite lazy and completely worn down by the authorities at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics. I'm doing my best to leave, but they keep undermining every attempt. Anyway, here are some photos from the pagoda, located 12 km and three buses away from my campus: This is the view from the top, indicating that I live in a pretty remote area. I also went to Zhou garden in Lishui, the town where I catch the train to other cities (you'll notice I don't board the train in Nanjing, right? That's because I don’t actually live in Nanjing!). It’s not exactly a garden, but rather an antique house that was moved here from another province. The rest of the site was filled with Buddha sculptures, which were all quite overwhelming and impressive. I’m not sure where these sculptures came from, but it’s an impressive collection. There's also a vast assortment of antique wooden furniture.
I recently had the amazing chance to visit Guilin, China, thanks to an invitation from a friend. I have to say, this destination surpassed all my expectations with its stunning scenery. I'd like to share some details about my experience in Guilin and provide some useful tips for anyone considering a trip to China.
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.
16.11.2024 - 16.11.2024 20 degrees Celsius
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.
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.
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.
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.