They gave me a cell phone number, but it happens to be the same number as some other woman. I found this out after trying to set up my voicemail, but having some woman answering my phone number.

I can't seem to access any blogspot blogs from China. I'm very behind.

Here's yet another gripe about the people in China -- they don't know how to form lines, especially single filed lines. Lunch hour at any fast food restaurant, or boarding at the airport terminal is a disaster. People just pile on the end, and actually expect to get in faster. Sometimes I just want to scream at them, but I reserve myself.

I just got back from Changchun, visiting an old friend who's teaching English there. There's not much to do in Changchun, it's a pretty industrial city, and it's way up in the northeastern part of China. It's so weird listening to her talk, and all of a sudden a Chinese phrase pops out, almost unexpectedly, and so matter-of-factly. Another amusing thing is that in the hotel I stayed at (a 3-star one), every night, I would get a phone call. Here's the rough translation:

Ming (M): "Hello"
Stranger (S): "Hello, would you like a massage service?"
M: "No"
S: "Would you like a xiaojie (escort) service?"
M: "No"
S: "If you want a xiaojie service, please dial 6993."
M: "Okay, bye"

For those unfamiliar with hotels in northeast China, or can't get the hint, they're asking if I want a prostitute. This happened for every night I was there.

Before Changchun, I spent a week in Yangzhou, where my paternal grandparents live. We did a lot of sight seeing there too, so much so that my cousin commented that she only sees the sites of Yangzhou when we come back for a visit.

One place we visited was called DaMingSi, and we ate a vegetarian meal there. The peculiar thing was, that all the dishes look and taste (for the most part) like meat dishes. Some culinary delights.

On a day trip to Suzhou, the most memorable site for me was a garden called Liuyuan. It's not memorable for its scenery (I've seen better elsewhere), but they had girls in various pagodas and sitting rooms playing traditional Chinese instruments, which really sets the ambiance. It makes you want to sit there all day and listen to them play while enjoying the pond and the Koi, and the trees and the writings.

I really don't know how people can drive in China. They have no concept of staying in a lane. Cars and trucks criss-cross everywhere, often into oncoming traffic, even on the highways. That, intermingled with jaywalking pedestrians and careless cyclists, is enough to make me wish there were seatbelts in the back seat.

I was being driven in a military vehicle for the past four days, and the drivers have a complete disregard for all traffic rules. They blatantly run red lights because traffic police cannot stop military vehicles. Kind of like the red plates in Canada, but worse.

We first visited two small villages in An Hui province. Both are protected as historical sites by the UN.

The first is called Hong Chun, where 80% of the population has the family name of Wang. It was also the location of a couple of scenes in the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. They have a spectacular water system, where spring water from the mountain is routed through every street and alleyway, and in front of every house, along with a couple of manmade reservoirs. This way, every family has water to wash, eat, and do laundry with, as well as serving for firefighting purposes.

The second village is called Xi Di, and 80-90% of the population there has the family name of Hu. Apparently they were all descendants of Li ShiMing, who began the Tang dynasty in China. The descendant avoided capture during an upheavel because the nanny changed his name to Hu, and he eventually started the village that we visited.

Lastly, we visited Huang Shan, or Yellow Mountain. It's one of the most famous mountain ranges in China, and is also a protected natural and historical site. We took a cable car up the mountain, and walked from peak to peak. It was dense fog early on in the morning, but the fog dissipated as the day wore on. Us Chinese people have a knack for naming everything, and seeing shapes from every rock; and our guide explained them all to us. The scenery was beautiful, and the hike was tiring (I ate four big bowls of rice at lunch), but it was definitely worth it.

Tomorrow we're off to Yang Zhou to visit my grandparents.

Well, after 27 hours of travelling, we finally arrived at our destination of Nanjing. Now it's been a couple of days, and I'm still tired and jetlagged. Hopefully this will pass soon.

The smog here is very intense. I think it was sunny today, but I couldn't really tell. I could barely see the top of some of the skyscrapers here. So much for get a good view on the top floor. I miss the clear skies, the visibility, and the sun.

Tomorrow my parents and I are off to climb Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain), supposedly a beautiful but tiring climb. It should be a good couple of days, and I could use the exercise after many weeks of inactivity.

Off to China for three weeks. I'll try to update whenever possible.

Here's to hoping I don't get SARS.

I'm also hoping to pick up a new cell phone in China. What kind should I get?

It's a little depressing coming home to a rainy and cold reception after being in the sun and warmth for a week.

The entire week was just a blur of beach, two daytrips, and more beach, with some clubbing in between. The weather in Cancun has been absolutely gorgeous. It was incredibly hot everyday, but with the strong breeze on the beach, it was more than tolerable. The wind also made for some nice waves to entice us into the ocean. We stayed in an all inclusive resort, which resulted in many drinks being consumed throughout the day, sometimes leading to silliness.

Alas, the bar at the hotel was only open until 1 am, and that's too early for some. So we continued our bacchanalian lifestyles and followed the crowd to some of the local clubs. The most notable was Coco Bongo, which featured appearances by Michael Jackson, Shania Twain, and Vanilla Ice, along with dancing on the bar, a rope show, and some random dancers.

I also went on a couple of day excursions, the first being a trip to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. We started off the trip at 7:30 in the morning, so it's not surprising that we caught Heather dozing off. Arriving at our first tourist destination of the Blue Cenote (sinkhole) at around noon, we wasted no time in jumping in and having a quick swim. At the ruins, our guide gave us a fascinating overview of the Mayan lifestyle, the gods that they worshipped, and what eventually led to the disappearance of the civilization. We even climbed the Temple of Kukulcan, with its 91 steep steps, and gorgeous view up top.

On the second trip, a group of us went snorkeling at three different locations. The first was in the ocean where I saw some weird fish, and some corals. We also went to another sinkhole, where everyone jumped from either trees or the cliff into the water. From there, we moved on to a beautiful beach with silky smooth sand where we tried to bury Kristy as we waited for our authentic Mexican lunch. In the afternoon we went to yet another sinkhole with stalactites jutting into the water and streaks of sunshine sneaking past the shades. Eternal sunshine for the spotless mind.

Full album.

Back from Cancun. Will update later. Sleep now.