Postcard from The Great Wall

Dear Friends,
I'm writing today from Beijing, and I'm having a GREAT time!


Highlight of the trip thus far: a 10 km hike on The Great Wall.
We were lucky enough to have perfect weather for our trek, and could fully enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the "Lama Temple" (associated with the Tibetan monks) - that's "Lama" as in Dalai Lama, not the woolly animals.
In the evening we watched a mesmerizing acrobatics performance. More photos and videos to come soon. I hope everyone is well.

Ian

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2368941&l=21327&id=58013737


Ahoy!!!
We have made it to Shanghai for those who did not already know!
Above is a link to some pictures from the boat and our first day here.

Other than being sea sick for most of the 51 hour voyage, and getting scammed our first day in Shanghai, things are going good! Brahm has been pointing us in the right directions and giving us food and many many tips so mostly we have him to thank!
It seems to be the concensus that we will only stay here a few days before moving on to Hanoi....China is proving to be a bit more of a culture shock than we expected and we are both craving some relaxing beach time!

Anyways, check out the pictures and we will keep everyone posted on where we head next!

Love Tara

行ってきますね

Well, it`s finally all happening. As many of you know the big travel plans have been delayed by one week, but now with our Chinese visas secured there`s nothing left to do but get on the slow boat to China tomorrow morning. How slow is a slow boat to China, you ask? Well, it takes approximately 50 hours！　　

Last night in Japan
Two tired travellers get off the subway somewhere near Osaka port. They wander towards the area map hoping to find HOTEL A BEST marked there. Before the map can even be read a man comes up to offer help. He calls the hotel for them, he asks the station staff for directions, and he guides them to the correct street where he hails a taxi for them. Helpful beyond comparison right to the very end. Thank you people of Japan.
かならずやさしい日本人ですね。

And now from the clean comfort of Hotel A Best there`s nothing to do but wait for our ship to come in. 　By the way, the last supper ended up being... a bento on the bullet train. Classic!

Ian



A message to everyone who has contributed to my life in Japan:

日本に住んでる間にみんなさん信じられないぐらい心からもてなしてくれました。
生徒さんやその家族も友達に心からお礼を述べたいです。
私はいつでも日本のできごとを思い出すことができるでしょう。
ここがまるで私たちのホームであるかのようにみんあが作ってくれました。
本当に本当にどうもありがとうございました。

イアンより