The air was quite thick and humid in Beijing when we weaved a path to our flight and in minutes we were off to Xinjiang. 7 hours and 3000 miles from Beijing, we finally arrived at Hejing, one Mongolian Autonomous Town in Xinjiang. Our expectation was naturally high as our task for this trip is to go to Bayanbulak Grasslands to report on a horse race. However, we were disappointed when we didn't see any grasslands or horses in the town. Our guide, a local official...

I'm happy that I finally made my way to Italy and visited those fascinating cities. Although I encountered a lot of unpleasantness, and sometimes those Italians made me frustrated, I have to admit that I miss those cities full of history and soul, especially Florence. Italy is said to be a veritable treasure chest of culture and heritage. A tour to Italy is not complete without a stop at Florence. Long ago we have booked a hotel not far from the train station....