Monday I headed back down to Fuzimiao to finish looking at some of the sights.....completely forgetting it was a public holiday and of course everyone was out and about!! Never mind I got my fill of more Chinese history and culture which I will share with you. First stop was the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom History Museum. Don't know about you but I definitely didn't learn about this one at school.....A little-known historical event in the West (1843-68), the Taipin...

Rather proud of myself this week.....managed to work out the correct bus to catch to get to both Fuzimiao in one direction and Hunan Lu in another direction.....and did not get lost once!!! Had heard so much about Hunan Lu - or as it is known to many - Food Street - I thought it was time I went and had a look to see what all the fuss is about. Well......I was just a tad disappointed. The area may liven up at night time but during the day it all looks rather tack...

Nothing earth shattering has happened this week. I've managed to get around without getting lost - well took a slight detour the wrong way - but no epic journeys way out to distant suburbs!! Seeing more of the city with visits to the Jiangsu Cultural Centre and the Drum Tower which is considered to be the symbolic center of a city. There is a beautiful park and garden surrounding the tower. This is where I took a slight detour as it's on a roundabout with 9 exit...

My desire to see so much more of this beautiful city without the requisite ability to read Chinese signs is becoming a bit of a drama......I headed off again this weekend, map in hand, with plans to visit the area to the south from where I live. Most of my exploring to date had been in the city centre and to the north slightly. All started well as I headed towards Xinjiekou - literally the heart of the city where I've been before but had never found the "pyrami...

This last week we are definitely seeing Spring in the air. Flowers are starting to bloom everywhere and the days are decidedly warmer. Hence I've been able to get out and about to see more of this wonderful city. Work wise things are going very well - students finally getting used to me and starting to talk a lot more - we are even managing to inject some mutual humour into the classroom!! I was asked to judge the NMU debating contest on Thursday and Friday whic...