Bangkok more of a whimper

I got into Bangkok yesterday, and have mostly been hiding in the hostel since. I’ve not warmed to it, though it’s plenty warm enough. It’s the kind of warmth that forces you to accept that you will be drenched with sweat for your entire stay, and means you can’t apply sunblock to your forehead as …

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Craic in Hong Kong

I’m in PJ Murphy’s, an identikit Irish pub under the Imperial Hotel in Kowloon – aside from all the staff being Asian, you could be anywhere in the world here, but they have Internet access so I can blog while I drink my Guiness and watch the repeat of Tim Henman getting knocked out of …

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I haven’t learnt much, but…

Surfacing Originally uploaded by Natmandu. …one thing I have learnt so far is that e-mail is a pain in the neck. Hotmail never worked in India so I relied on Gmail, and now Gmail never works in China, so I have to rely on Hotmail – this is a real pain in the neck as …

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Back in Shanghai

After a week in Yunnan with Simon, I’m now safely ensconced back in Shanghai at Simon and Charlotte’s place, freshly showered, cup of coffee on the go, with their cleaning lady Ayi buzzing around me. This is a different world from where we’ve been for the last seven days. I’ve been going on about how …

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Yunnan say potato

I have no idea what that means. Simon and I are heading to Yunnan province today, to see Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lijiang, and hopefully some of the more remote minority villages. Shanghai has been good fun, the highlights of which were the most amusing haircut I ever had, and an excellent facial yesterday. I say …

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“It sure is a Great Wall”

Old poser Originally uploaded by Natmandu. That’s what Richard Nixon apparently said when he saw the Great Wall. Well done Dick. There was no need to worry about whether the Great Wall would be any good – it was fantastic. A small group of us walked between Jinshanling and Simatai, a beautiful quiet stretch of …

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