Have you finished your Christmas Shopping yet? No? Good! Then you still have time to do some environmentally-friendly gift-buying this year at the ECO Gift Expo in Santa Monica on Saturday and Sunday December 15 and 16. Click here for more information. {more}

Here is a somewhat disturbing article about the materials being used to make some of the common things we use everyday. Be sure not to put any of these in your mouth! {more}

I was looking out the window while riding on a bus in Shenzhen, China and saw one of the funniest names I have ever seen on a car. Obviously, no one at Mitsubishi speaks Spanish, because if they did, they would not have called this truck Pajero. I would love to tell you what this means in Spanish but my upbringing prevents me from doing so in public... {more}

While in China a friend of mine sent me this great link I had to share with you. This is really amazing and have no idea how a human being can make these kind of noises. You have got to check this out: http://www.video.qq.com/videopl.htm?v=1NBNcc1qLYu {more}

As many of you may already know, I have come to China to establish some companies to help American businesses do their business in China. The first of these companies is now set up and doing business in Hong Kong. Please welcome First Choice China Consulting, Ltd. For more information, please visit our new web site. If any one of you are interested in or have any questions about China, feel free to let me know. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. {more}

Here is something I find extremely interesting. Although I receive hundreds of spam messages every day about every single product known to man, I have yet to receive a single one about the new iPhone from Apple. Hmmmm. For a long time, I questioned why someone smart enough to build a computer in his garage could not stop spam. I mean if you could figure out a true spam solution, you would make billions, right? Maybe there is more money in letting spam run rampant. Especially if you sell software that pretends to help reduce it. {more}

On May 14, 2007, I launched a new web site to house all of the entries I’ve been posting about China. I hope you all like this new format better. Please click here to visit the new web site. Enjoy. {more}

I would like to once again wish all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day! I would also like to take this opportunity to post an exerpt from the very first Mother's day proclamation that I found interesting as most people forget that the American Mother's Day was originally a call to disarm during the American Civil War. {more}

I'd like to congratulate my good friend Akoni Kama for his up-and-coming appearance in a Disney Channel Original Movie: Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board. This will be a new movie airing in June all about mountainboarding. Check out his site for more info and trailers. Congrats Akoni! {more}

Can you imagine a world where nothing is thrown away? Or at least a world where waste is food for something? Imagine, for example, ice-cream packaging that is not just bio-degradable within minutes of being discarded but where plants grow from within it when thrown away? Sound far-fetched? Well, in fact, this is here today. I was absolutely ecstatic to hear that the Sundance Channel is now airing a series of shows called The Green; one of which discusses the work of William McDonough and Bill Braungart authors of the book Cradle to Cradle, which presents to us a world where materials are perpetually reused to maximize their value without damaging this wonderful eco-system we live in. {more}

Congratulations California! The Mountain View News (a weekly paper distributed at my local metro station among other places), reported on page 8 of their April 12-18, 2007 edition that "Californians recycled an all-time record 12.4 billion beverage containers, 61% of the 20.5 billion that were purchased in the state." In addition, the paper also reported that California now celebrates 20 years as the biggest bottle and can recycling progarm in the United States. Now if we can only get the rest of the country to follow our lead. {more}

Here's a short video of the 2007 Earth Day festival at Memorial Park in Pasadena, California. A few things missing from this video are the Phoenix Electric Vehicle, the Kiddie Protest and the clip with the Path To Freedom House people. I didn't include those since I have separate videos for those already on YouTube. Check 'em out! {more}

I caught a few minutes of the KCAL 9 news broadcast today at 2 pm and heard that California is using 1% less gas than it did one year ago. According to the news broadcast, this is the first time in 14 years that there has been a decrease in gas use in our lovely state. Congratulations California! This is great news. Keep it up! {more}

I arrived back home to L.A. today. The flight from Shanghai to San Francisco was actually extremely fast arriving almost an hour early, taking just over 9 hours. {more}

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a train in China looks like? Here is a short video of a sleeper car taken during a ride to Beijing from Guilin. Sorry, the room has been used so its a little messy but you get the idea. In the video you see the hall in the sleeper car, my room with 4 beds, two on each side, which not only shows the beds, but where the electrical plugs are, the switches, the area to put your bags and even the foot handles to help you climb up to the top bunks. The bathroom is also shown, the hot water dispenser, and a very short clip of the adjoining hard sleeper car. {more}

Grist Magazine, one of my favorite environmental news web sites, has tipped me off to an interesting story hitting the presses about how the use of public transportation has reached levels not seen since 1957! Maybe skyrocketing gas prices are good for something. {more}

I am not really sure what it is, but I have a bad habit of loosing it when I get close to the end of my trips. I am less than two weeks from heading home and today I finally blew up on a poor cab driver. In my defense, I had been playing it cool for what I consider far too long when it comes to cab drivers trying to rip me off... {more}

One of the nicest places to visit in China, that I unfortunately have not had a chance to write about yet, is the West Lake in Hangzhou. I have actually been there a couple of times now and still have not had a chance to see all the nice areas surrounding the lake. Good food, nice people, blue skies, great scenery and a beautiful lake make this place a must-visit in China. {more}

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research recently obtained reports that Al Gore uses more energy in his home each month than the average American does in a year. Now although there may be plenty of valid reasons for this, this gives me the perfect opportunity to once again point out the the problems we are facing will not be solved by simply complaining about them and urging people to switch their light bulbs. {more}

Actually, this game... Frogger... a classic that I grew up with, is a great training tool to get you use to crossing major streets in practically any third world country. If you plan to come to China, definitely brush up on this game. You may not need it if you plan to only stay in big cities such as Beijing or Shanghai, however, if you plan to set foot in any of the smaller towns, then you should consider some training. {more}

Maybe it is just me, but trying all of the wonderful and delicious types of food there are around the world is absolutely one of the greatest excuses to travel. It isn't just eating the food though that satisfies you, sometimes, its the reaction you get from those around you. Take this lady in the picture for example. I wish I could have had a video camera to show you how excited she was to cook, for the first time, for an American. She even went and put on her nice coat for the picture. Or tonight, the excitement on the young cook's face while he was staring at me eat his cooking. And how proud he was when I said his food was delicious (in Chinese) in front of his regular customers. {more}

Here is a quick video shot walking mainly down Fuxing Lu in the old city of Dali, in Yunnan Province, China. {more}

The other day, I was talking to my mom on the telephone and she asked me about the food. She asked what I was having for breakfast. I told her that a very common breakfast food was noodles. Her Italian upbringing led her to reply, "Noodles! For breakfast! What do you have for dinner... Eggs and Pancakes!" I couldn't help but laugh. That night, I had left a bar with a friend and stopped to have the eggs filled crepe-style pancake pictured below. I know it seems a bit backwards but it sure does hit the spot. By the way, the noodles pictured here are the world famous Guilin Rice Noodles. I had this bowl while in Yangshuo. Normally, there aren't so many peppers but I've gotten use to heating things up a bit. {more}

A fews days ago, my scheduled plan changed unexpectedly and since I had a few extra days to kill, I thought I would come on down to Kunming in Yunnan province. Although it has a famous reputation, the cold weather up north was a major factor in my decision to come down to the south. When I went out for my first meal, I was reminded at how great eating can be here in China. Not just because you get to try great food, like my meal of the famous Yunnan fried rice and some delicious steamed pork dumplings, but also because of the satisfaction that follows when the bill comes out to less than a dollar, including a drink! {more}

I know that I knocked Guilin in a previous post, so I just wanted to take a minute to share with you a few pictures of one of my favorite places to enjoy abeautiful evening stroll and possibly an impromptu picnic... Rong Hu (Rong Lake), Guilin, China. Not only was it a very peaceful walk but there were inspiring views at every turn. Although you could walk right through this park in 15 minutes, it took me over an hour while taking these pictures and having my own impromptu picnic at the, what seemed to be built for me, gazebo-style lookout between the bridges. {more}

In April of last year, I posted an article about the unnecessary waste of energy in incandescent light bulbs. Well, apparently, there are enough people somewhere that care to do something about it. CarbonFund.org recently announced that Australia is planning to ban the incandescent light bulb, hoping to cut emissions by 4 million metric tons by 2012, and be the first country in the world to take this impactful step. Although California has been considering the idea for a while, it has yet to take any serious steps in that direction. {more}

Yesterday marked the beginning of Solar Week 2007. Those of you that know me and that follow my web site know that I had the priviledge of witnessing a total solar eclipse last year in Egypt and am planning to see the next one here in China next year. Since the eclipse last year, I have been trying to keep informed of educational projects that NASA puts on and one of them is Solar Week. Although it is intended for kids from grade school up to high school, I think it is fun for us all to take a look at. The web site gives you an opportunity to interact live with scientists to get answers to your questions about the Sun and even learn more about solar eclipses! {more}

Here is a quick 360 degree video taken from the top of one of the sand dunes of Mingsha Shan, or Singing Sands Mountain, directly in front of the Crescent Moon Spring in Dunhuang, Gansu Province in China. The video was shot on February 26th, 2007, there is snow in many places and half the spring is frozen so you can just imagine how cold it is. However, when you're hiking up, you get so hot and sweaty that you convince yourself it is a good idea to take off your shoes so they don't get full of sand. When you finally calm down after reaching the top you start to realize how cold it is. {more}

It was quite an experience to wake up at 7 am this morning in Urumqi in Xinjiang province and have it still be dark. It was even stranger when 8 o'clock hit and it was still dark. Imagine my surprise when I waited all the way until past nine in the morning to be able to take a picture of the sunrise over Tian shan (Sky or Heaven, Mountain). For some reason, Beijing has decided that the entire country needs to use the same time zone that it does... even provinces that are thousands of kilometers away. Although this is quite confusing, it makes for an interesting time. {more}

Well, I survived! It has been another full month that I have spent in China making a total of three months since last summer when I visited for two months. Too tell you the truth, I am becoming very comfortable here and am much more able to get around on my own and deal with things. Surprisingly, in Beijing, I realized after the fact that I was so comfortable with this city that I would even leave the hotel without taking their namecards or even writing down the address; a first for me since coming to China. {more}

I arrived today to Urumqi (pronounced: Wulumuchee) and was welcomed by comfortable negative 6 degree celius weather, or about 21 degree farenheit for those in the states. Surprisingly, it is not as cold as I expected but I was a bit worried when I looked out the airplane window to see mountains covered in snow. Hopefully I will be able to handle it when I am out seeing the sights... first stop... Heavenly Lake tomorrow morning. {more}

I thought I would share with you something interesting I just found out today. Apparently, the winter sports we are so use to partaking in in the states and in Europe are beginning to grow in popularity here in China. As the disposible incomes of people continues to grow, they look for new ways to spend their newfound money. One of these ways is on the slopes. According to CCTV, attendees to snow resorts has been increasing by 20% each year for the last ten years. As new skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes, the landscape of the Chinese winter holiday is beginning to change from one where families traditionally stay at home, to one where they look for new ways of enjoying their time. {more}

Although it is the fifth day of the Spring Festival and I am in Urumqi, which is an autonomous region of China, there does not seem to be any letting up of the festivities. At least not when it comes to fireworks. They really must be cheap here because I find it amazing how many of them are constantly going off. When I buy fireworks in the states, I am lucky to get a good five minute show. This video is shot from the 7th floor of the Xin Rong Hotel between the hours of 9pm and midnight Beijing time and edited for the sake of your time. It kind of sucks because you hear them constantly but being in the hotel room, you can only see the ones right in front of you. By the way, here are a couple of interesting bits of information about travel during this time of year. Yesterday alone there were over 3.8 million people riding the rails and that number is expected to be 4 million riding the rails on Friday. In addition, there were 33 million people on the buses today! {more}

I found this video on YouTube of the fireworks going off on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2007, taken from the 26th floor of an apartment building in the suburbs of Beijing. I think it compliments my video very well because it gives you a birds-eye view of what was happening all over the city (and the country for that matter). {more}

I wonder if we would eat so much meat if this is how it were presented to us. As you probably know, I'm about to wrap up my third month in China and one thing I find interesting is the presentation of the food. There seems to be quite a different attitude about how people see their food here. Seeing animals hanging from a restaurant window is extremely common, in fact, it seems to almost be a requirement. Feeling hungry yet? {more}

Here are some photos taken at the International Spring Carnival at Chaoyang Park in Beijing, China. I have been unable to find any sort parade like we are used to in the states. Instead I find plenty of these types of festivals. This one is different from the traditional ones because it has a much more international feel, but it is still pretty interesting. {more}

During the Spring Festival, people here in China pour into the streets, primarily at the Miao Hui's or temple fairs; however, there is only one Miao Hui that can say that it is still held in a temple. that is the Baiyunguan Temple Fair at the White Cloud Temple. The main reason for the visiting this temple is apparently for prayers and the wishing of good luck for the coming year as you can see from the videos and pictures I will be posting over the next few days. Here are some pictures and a video of one such good-luck-wishing event at the temple; throwing coins (50 coins for 10 yuan) at a bell on the Wo Feng Bridge. {more}

Another interesting thing people seem to do for good luck is rub this ornate pot at Baiyunguan (aka White Cloud Temple) here in Beijing. As I mentioned in previous posts, the miao hui (temple fair) held at this Taoist Temple is actually the only miao hui that is still held at in a temple. That seems to explain why the crowds lining up at the door here are primarily visiting to make prayers and to perform the many rituals for bringing good luck. I found this one interesting as it involves approaching the pot with your eyes closed. Everyone seems to have pretty good aim, and for the most part, they all hit it dead on... I wonder if anyone peeks? {more}

The miao hui at Ditan Park definitely seems to have been the most crowded one of all. The Beijing International Spring Carnival may have had more people but it was more spread out so I really couldn't say which was bigger. One thing I've noticed that these things is that food is huge. It seems to just be a place to eat a lot and then walk it off while doing a little shopping. It's pretty tough getting through the crowds. I always have a backpack with me wherever I go and I must say it was pretty difficult to get around with it on. Unless you really need something, I suggest leaving it at home or at your hotel. I hope you enjoy the video and this collection of pictures. It should give you a great idea of what a Spring Festival celebration is like in China. {more}

Although I accidentally deleted by favorite clip of the evening, I shot over an hour more of the celebrations that took place on the streets of Beijing near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Wangfujing districts. Take a look at this 10 minute inside look at how China welcomed in 2007, the Year of the Pig, on the night of February 17th, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year. {more}

During the Spring Festival there are many events that take place. Traditionally, Chinese people go to the miao hui, which means temple fair or market. The Beijing Chaoyang International Spring Carnival that took place on February 18th, 2007, the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Beijing Chaoyang Park is basically a much bigger and carnivally version of that. Although it is definitely not my style, I can see how it can be appealling to many people, especially expatriates or other foreigners staying long in Beijing away from home. Unlike other miao huis, which I hope to share with you as well, this one is chauk full of international entertainment. You will notice too how the crowds at the various gatherings is quite different. {more}

Here are a couple of videos taken from Moon Hill. The first one is from the Lookout at the official "top" of Moon Hill. You can see at the end of the first one where I climbed to in order to shoot the second video. I will be posting pictures later that will show how I got to the real top of Moon Hill, however, I was told that the various illegible signs said No Admittance. At that point there are no steps and only a harsh and difficult trail so I do not recommend the climb for everyone. You can hear from my panting in the second video too that i was pretty out of breath by the time I got up there. {more}

When traveling throughout China there is no way to avoid noticing the vast number of ethnic minority groups. Although the Han Chinese officially make up more than 90% of the population, there are 55 other ethnic groups officially recognized by the government. Here is a video clip of a tour guide in Yangshuo named Shirley who was nice enough to sing a song for us in her local Zhuang language. You may find this song familiar. I also used it on the bamboo rafting video I posted yesterday. If you have a chance to visit Guilin or Yangshuo, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with her as she is very nice and very helpful. She works at the travel desk in the lobby of the Yangshuo Regency Holiday Hotel on West Street (Xi Jie) or can also be reached on her cell phone at: 13457360321 {more}

Aside from bicycle riding to Dragon Bridge and Bamboo Rafting down the Yulong River, the next best thing to do in Yangshuo has got to be visiting Moon Hill and climbing to the top for a view of the amazing landscape all around you. Although there are many ways of getting there, I opted for the 1 hour bike ride. If you are short on time, there are mopeds, motorcycles, taxis and shuttle services available as well. Click here for some photos of some of the things you can expect to see along the way. By the way, the directions in Lonely Planet for how to get out there are pretty vague. The best way is just to go straight on the road you take to Yulong River (do NOT make a right before the bridge), pass over the bridge, go through the tunnel and make a right at the rotunda. You'll ride for about an half hour or so and cross a cool bridge before you see a sign saying Moon Hill (pictured here) on the right side of the street. Try not to get caught riding during rush hour because these are normal traffic streets and it can get pretty bad especially near the tunnel and rotunda. Once you get there, expect to stay between 30-120 minutes depending on far you like to climb and how much time you like to stay up there. {more}

Another, more popular way, of returning to Yangshuo after bicycle riding to the Yulong River is by Bamboo Raft. In fact, you can normally bamboo raft all the way back to Yangshuo from practically anywhere on the river. Unfortunately, because I came in the winter, the water levels were pretty low and we could not raft the entire normal route; there were also plenty of areas where it was a bit difficult to pass as it was, but overall, it was still a great experience. And in case you are wondering, YES, you can get wet so remember to keep your feet up if you don't want to. Things are safe though as long as you keep them well-elevated and off the raft itself. Click here for some pictures and video of the trip. {more}

Well, folks, the 3-part series of my bicycle ride from Yangshuo to the Yulong River, in Yangshuo, Guilin, China has been completed. You can see it here. Keep an eye out because next I will be adding some pictures and video of the bamboo rafting trip down the Yulong River back to Yangshuo. {more}

I arrived very late last night to Beijing and basically slept all morning. When I woke up, I thought I should go out and she what Valentines day looks like in Beijing, but where should I go? Well, Wangfujing of course! Wangfujing is a major shopping area of Beijing. It's not the street vendor stuff we're used to seeing in other parts of the country, but more the shopping center-style we are used to seeing back in the states. Rolex, Nike, Adidas and other name brand stores litter this area and provide Beijing with a very modern and high-priced shopping atmosphere. Perfect for Valentine's day.Click here to see photos of Valentines Day in the Wangfujing Shopping District of Beijing. {more}

Well, it was bound to happen someday, my first concussion in China. Now, I am not a doctor and I did not go to the hospital so I cannot say for sure that is what happened, but I have experienced a few of these in the past so based on what those felt like, I would say I had another, albeit a minor one, today. Although I am pretty beat up and my right hand is currently bandaged, I was very fortunate to have been with a quick thinker and everything turned out just fine. The worst thing about it is that I ruined my favorite, and only, pair of jeans here with me. But here is a lesson for you if you plan to come to China... {more}

Here is a short video clip taken from the top of Dragon Bridge on the Yulong River in Yangshuo, China. For more pictures from here, click here. {more}

Today I had the priviledge of experiencing one of the most amazing scenic activities one could possibly engage in, taking a bicycle ride from Yangshuo to the nearby Yulong River. A popular activity here is riding a bamboo raft down the Yulong River. Although I plan to do this as well, today I thought it would be best to get to know the terrain a bit and just ride as much as I could. Although I eventually made it to a very nice spot at the river, my desire to take the road less traveled got me lost many times through the fields of some of these small farm villages. {more}

What can I say about Yangshuo that has not already been said? Chinese writers and artists have been inspired by this place for thousands of years and after one second here you can see exactly why. Not too far south of Guilin, Yangshuo is definitely the place to visit in this area. I do not want to knock Guilin too much, but I will make a comparision to help you understand the difference between visiting these two areas; Considering they are so close and sit along the same river, they are very similar to each other both in terms of weather and geographical features. The main difference I see reminds me of the difference between... {more}

I can't believe it! I come all the way to China for a chance to see the Chinese New Year Parade and my own home town of Pasadena decides to put on a free parade of its own to welcome in the Year of the Boar (aka Year of the Pig). Anyway, Apl.de.Ap of Black Eyed Peas will preside as Grand Marshal with other prominent dignitaries, local news personalities, pageant queens and top name Asian American celebrities will be joining him; including, The cast of Justin Lin’s new movie, Finishing the Game, Heroes’ James Kyson Lee, Miss Universe 1997’s Brook Lee, Desperate Housewives’ Alec Mapa and That’s So Raven’s Amy Hill. At the Festival, entertainment includes South Border, JIN, Far*east Movement, Quest, Supe and a myriad of ethnic Asian dance troupes. Best of all, it's free!!! {more}

I was extemely lucky to have been visiting Baomo Park on the day that I did because they happened to be performing a rehearsal show of the Annual Spring Festival Show. The Guangdong TV station and various other reporters were also there to report on the event. It was definitely an interesting experience and quite the teaser for the up-and-coming New Years show. {more}

Here's Part Two of Baomo Park's Sneak Peak of their 2007 Chinese New Year Show. {more}

Due to popular demand, I post next a short video clip of a view of the world famous Bund in Shanghai taken from Pearl park in the new Pudong side of the Huangpu River, or Huangpu Jiang as it is known in Chinese. Shanghai, like any major city, is huge; not only in size but also in population reaching almost 10 million, so keep a look out for more videos from this city, its people and places. I will be returning here, what many call the Paris of the East and a city which is set to become a major global financial center, in March as well so I will have plenty to show you. As you can tell from this video clip, there is not much Chinese architecture here. In fact, all you really see on this strip of coastline are remanents of China's colonial rule and the days of British and French control in China trade and finance. {more}

Just 30 kilometers away from Suzhou, a place many refer to as Venice of the East, and a one-hour bus ride away from Shanghai, ZhuoZhuang is definitely a nice place to spend the day. Although I have more video I will be adding later, I thought I would share with you this quick two-minute clip of a small boat ride, gondola-style, taken through the canals of this ancient city. {more}

Well, I just turned in my final paper for my final class of my MBA. I cannot believe that I am finally finished. This last class was definitely a challenge considering I am in China but it just makes it all the more sweeter. I look forward to applying my new credentials and education to both my work and professional life and also strongly encourage everyone to continue their educational process as much as possible. Thanks to all you well-wishers and those that have supported me throughout the process. I am currently taking suggestions as to directions for continuing study so please let me know if you have any thoughts on the subject. {more}

If I had to pick one thing that I think is on everyone’s minds when they think about China, I would have to say money. Whether it is that China is taking jobs/money, it is keeping its money artificially undervalued, it is attracting investment/money, or that it can help make you money, everyone is thinking about China and money. For that reason, I thought it would be a good idea that my first set of videos be about money. So, here it is, a collection of free videos explaining a few useful things about Chinese money; a must see for anyone thinking about spending money while in China. {more}

Well it is January 23rd here in China and I am back in Shanghai. As most of you may already know, after a few months back home I decided to return to China. This time around I promise I will be updating the blog more often and finally add those pictures and videos you guys have been asking for. I hope you enjoy them and be sure to check back often. In case anyone is wondering, it is about 40 degrees farenheit and currently raining. {more}

Since October is Fair Trade Month, thousands of people are scurrying around trying to find chocolates and candies this Halloween that do not contribute to child slavery. Do not let your child be a part of this tragedy. Buy Fair Trade! Not sure how to buy fair trade chocolate, do not worry, there are plenty of resources to help you do so... you can do Google Search (below) for Fair Trade... or checkout a few resources I provided during this years Valentine's Day chocolate rush.

	Web GaryIsse.com

Public Displays of Affection Los Angeles with Secret Machines & Shepard Fairey
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Los Angeles Union Station
7:30 PM - 10:30 PM

For more information, visit CarFreeLA.com {more}

"Added October 17, 2006
From thesilentpatriot
**If you find this video important, plea **If you find this video important, please rate high and leave comments.**

Today, 135 years to the day after the last American President suspended habeus corpus, President Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006. At it's worst, the legislation allows President Bush or Donald Rumsfeld to declare anyone -- US citizen or not -- an enemy combatant, lock them up and throw away the key without a chance to prove their innocence in a court of law. In other words, every thing the founding fathers fought the British empire to free themselves of was reversed today with the stroke of a pen." {more}

Well folks, on September 4th I arrived to Beijing and spent a couple of great days here seeing a few more things and wrapping up some loose ends before heading home. Tomorrow is the big day. After two full months in beautiful China, I will be flying home bright and early tomorrow. I have plenty of pictures and videos I hope to share with you soon. See you state-side! {more}

Yesterday I arrived to Xi'an in Shaanxi province from Zhangjiajie in the Hunan province, an absolutely amazingly beautiful natural environment in the southwest of China. I am now in one of the oldest cities in the world and am ready to head out on a full day of touring tomorrow. My days here are winding down with less than a week to go in my two-month journey. I have to say that I had an amazing time. I have had a chance to visit some small towns like Zhuzhou in Hunan province, big and new cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, the new capitalist city of Shenzhen, naturally beautiful cities such as Hangzhou and Zhangjiajie, and China's most ancient city, Xi'an. I know many of you are getting impatient with me for not posting pictures and videos and I apologize again. I will try to get to you soon. {more}

After leaving the beautiful island of Hainan in southern China, I decided to stop in Zhuzhou, Hunan where I was teaching English for a month. It is very nice to see some familiar faces, be in somewhat of a familar place.and to feel like a superstar for a while as foreigners are much less common in small towns such as this one. It is also a convenient stop considering my next destination is Zhangjiajie, an amazing natural reserve only a few hours west. It has been named a world heritage site by the U.N. so I am very excited to check it out. I am leaving tonight and should be arriving in the morning. I will try to post more from there when I get a chance. {more}