My first official work outing. After lots of planning and readjusting of dates we decide Saturday 12th is the best time to get everyone together. It's all very secretive, but we know we're going to the suburbs to do some hiking and it will be very beautiful.

Phil's job has continued over the week, the 2 hr commute and the routine of a job has worn him out somewhat and he is ready and game for an exciting weekend. Unfortunately the job did not provide as many opportunities to make friends as Phil would have liked - slight issue with everyone working with headsets on - and spends most lunches at his desk (aaaww).

Defiantly Phil decides to take lunch on Thursday and eats alone. Rather ironically it is on this only occasion he eats something less than desirable and ends up attached to the toilet for the next few days. As could have been predicted come Big Hiking day Phil's fear of loo availabilities means he has to pull out of the trip and I head out alone, with my Chinese colleagues, to the suburbs.

I don't mean to rub it in to our poor sickly at home, but after seeing temple after temple after temple in the center of Beijing, Peach Paradise Gardens is gorgeously different. We drive in past lovely lakes and start a 4hr hike up through the forest and mountain terrain stopping off to admire the view and take some fabulous pictures.

Whilst hiking I end up having an in-depth conversation with a colleague (which quickly spreads to the whole group) over the pronunciation of the word "count" and how very important it is to pronounce that "o" character, which many see to struggle with.

Imagine for just a minute how awkward it is to explain to a foreigner, no less a foreign colleague, why the English react so badly to the incorrect enunciation of that word?

I had 4 hours of this and cannot begin to estimate how many times the unspeakable was uttered.