After Chengdu, we left for Chongqing and our Yangtzee river boat cruise. We arrived there very early and were met by a guide who brought us to the travel agency to drop our bags. Our day in Chongqing wasn't pleasant as we had many errands to run. While in Chengdu, we managed to communicate with women on the street to find a store selling wool. Just walking in Chongqing, we found the wool district as there were literally dozens of shops selling wool. The rest ...

I received this letter from Mofihili, my foster son in Lesotho. It was so moving I felt that I should share it with you all.(It has been transcribed as it was written, errors and all)Dear Joel and Micaela Hi! How are you? I am doing well. I am sorry for taking so long to write to you, but it iwas not purposly. Idind'nt have stamps because my classmates stole them all. My step mother is asking you to send her that photo you took with her at our school please! ...

After Xian, we set off for a small Chinese city of 4 million people named Chengdu in the Sichuan province. It is known for two reasons: the gateway to Tibet and home of the Panda Breeding Centre. We took a night train into the city and had a rough ride because of a stinky man who insisted on putting his feet on my bed the whole time followed by incessant snoring. We settled into a comfy hostel which fortunately serves breakfast with bacon! We spent our first...

We are in Xian, about to leave tonight for Chengdu to see the pandas! Yesterday we went to see the Terracotta army, which is a series of pit sthat was uncov ered in the mid 70s. There are literally thousands of life-size warriors that are guarding an Emperor's tomb. None of the statues that they uncovered were in one piece so it was a huge undertaking to get them back into tip-top shape. The sheer number of statues was impressive enough but to know that the...

We've now arrived in a surprise stop--Pingyao. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and it seems pretty neat so far. We only arrived this afternoon, after an 8-hour bus ride. The distances in China are unfathomable. Until you jump in a bus and have to travel them. China is...interesting. I would say that it's definitely our most intense travel experience yet (Lesotho being an intense living experience). It's hard to get used to the staring and poki...