I have had such a good time in Dali! It is such a small little town that I am surprised there is so much to do. The Old Town is a small walled area 15k away from the New Town and that is where everyone stays. The Old Town is a grid of cobbled shopping streets with cafes on every corner. This area is famous for it's batik, so it is sol along with tie-dye in all the little shops. Mom and I have had quite a time with the vendors here. On our first day in the c...

Mom and I are finally on our way into the outreaches of China now. We started our trip by taking a night train from Dalian to Beijing, where we had two hours until we had to be at the airport for our flight. In our brief time gap, Mom went to our friend Betsy's house for the last time before Betsy and family move back to Gig Harbor. I, knowing I would see them again in August, decided to go back to the hostel where Julie and I stayed last month and visit my fr...

After almost a year abroad each, mom and I have finally converged on the same city in China. Julie left for the states and I arrived in Dalian at the start of June and have been here ever since. Compared to crowded, polluted Beijing (which I still loved), Dalian is so pleasant, green and out of the way. It is a cosmopoitan shopping city maybe the size of Seattle, then 30 minutes away from there is Kai Fa Qu, a quirky little town that I love to hang out in espe...

After almost a year abroad each, mom and I have finally converged on the same city in China. Julie left for the states and I arrived in Dalian at the start of June and have been here ever since. Compared to crowded, polluted Beijing (which I still loved), Dalian is so pleasant, green and out of the way. It is a cosmopoitan shopping city maybe the size of Seattle, then 30 minutes away from there is Kai Fa Qu, a quirky little town that I love to hang out in espe...

It would be a difficult task to recount everything I have done in the last two weeks since I last blogged, so this will be the abbreviated version of the rest of my time in Beijing. First off, I have to say, this country is fantastic! I really wasn't sure what to expect, and I for SURE didn't expect to love a city as huge and busy (and polluted) as Beijing as much as I now do. But Julie and I got ourselves comfortable in our new environment and knocked out a...