Land | Food | Nature | People
What a strange time to be in Beijing – yesterday was the sixteenth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Passing by Tiananmen Square, hundreds of tourists packed the square, many probably unaware of the relevance of the date, but with more police and army than usual in case of demonstrations, and with no mention of …
Line up, look straight Originally uploaded by Natmandu. Repeat after me… “Ching gay wor yee-pying shwee”. That is the way you say “Please give me a bottle of water”. Useful if you’re sweating your bits off walking around Tiananmen Square like I was today. Mandarin is becoming slowly less scary the more I’m using it, …
Hong Kong Island Originally uploaded by Natmandu. What was that I said about getting the hang of things travelling-wise? Pah. Spoke too soon. I still feel like an idiot tourist stumbling his way through a different culture hoping his clumsy English foppery and winning smile will get him through. China so far is attempting to …
Kowloon Originally uploaded by Natmandu. Where to start? It’s been a busy, busy few days. I left Suffolk after a much easier packing experience than the first time around, mainly because most of my stuff was already packed. One difference this time was a bit of a ‘Sunday night’ feeling about going back – looking …
Kate’s funeral was last Wednesday. I got back from India in time to spend some time with her and the family before she died. It’s only just sinking in that she’s gone – we love her and miss her very much. With the funeral done, it’s time to get ready to continue the trip. I’m …
Getting back to the UK happened in a blur – I’d booked the plane ticket on the Saturday, was on the plane on Sunday after a taxi ride to Delhi through the night from Bhagsu, and got into Ipswich on Sunday night. The journey was easy until I got back to the UK – the …
© Nathan Nelson 2026