I have been absent for a while

[Watanbe]

I have already been to the US Wayne in fact New York was my last holiday destination so I thought id try something in Asia and I had the contacts in China to help me and frankly couldn't waste this opportunity!

Well my friends dad works for the Police department (hence we were able to go to firing range) and from what I understood anything on the topic of Taiwan and Tibet is generally a topic I was advised to avoid! What I did notice however was that the Chinese people are fiercely patriotic and quite biased in their opinion of their country. In their minds they all thing that Taiwan and Tibet should be without a shadow of a doubt a part of China!

The Forbidden city is an amazing place and my friend was saying that it is so extensive that if you were to live every day of your life in a different room of the forbidden city, then you would day before you had the chance to see every room!

Photos coming right now! Sadly this is only the 2nd half of my trip at the moment, to Xian, Kunming and the holiday town Lea Jung (will check spelling). My friend Chris has the photos from Beijing and Shanghai!

 

[Watanbe]

I hope that was an excused absence. Your perspective on China would be most valuable. I suspect that those of us who have never been there have ideas about China which are not valid.

I also had a certain viewpoint, very much an ignorant view of China. The Chinese are very very hardworking and while they will pressure you and harass you at times they are really nice people! They have strict codes of honour and hospitality and they have huge respect of power! For example on our 2nd night in Beijing we were dining with a very wealthy businessmen, a family friend of my Chinese mate! We were dining in a private room and the seat facing the door is always reserved for the most powerful person in the room! If asked to be seated in this seat it is a HUGE honour!

They are also very hospitable and much to the horror of myself and my Australian mate Chris they kept topping up our glasses with a lethal (52%) Chinese spirit! We were quite often very intoxicated due to the hospitality of our friends!

 

[Watanbe]

Some photos of the trip, I'm the very unshaven fat bloke with the stupid hat on! Don't worry im not the red head!