We have spent 5 wonderful days in Hong Kong. It is a very dynamic city with Cantonese and Western culture colliding. HK is world class with incredible infrastructure (skyline and transport). It certainly has its own unique culture here. It is the first place that has really impressed me in a long time. A major relief for us was the fact that English was spoken everywhere. In fact, HK was a welcomed return to the first world. Our time here allowed us to re...

If you haven't already noticed, we have been back-dating some of our entries to the actual dates we were in those locations. We've just added photos for Russia. Sorry if it's hard to follow. We don't know what we are doing anymore. j & m

To get to Hong Kong, we took the bus to Shenzhen to clear customs. It was interesting as we entered the HK side, I was made to take off my hat so that they could monitor my temperature to ensure that I was not sick with SARS or avian flu. Along the walls were posters of customs officials confiscating pigeons and other birds from people's luggage. We took the train into the city. People here are quite pushy as we didn't manage to get a seat on the train ev...

Khotso! As Christmas time approaches again, we wish to ask your help again with sponsoring the important work that our NGO in Lesotho has been doing. Once again, it is our annual calendar fundraising drive in which many of you supported last year and we hope that you will this year, too. Your $20 donation will sponsor our programs (see www.helplesotho.ca) and you will receive a calendar with photos of the children you are helping in Lesotho. For calendars, ple...

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 ...