Escape from Shenzhen
Last weekend I escaped the suffocating summer heat of Shenzhen to the southern island of Da Jia. After a rather hairy boat ride (see video below) we…
Read articleMy Personal Army
Anyone who lives in China will know the importance of personal security. Things can get a little hairy from time to time and unless you have…
Read articleVietnamese Spring Restaurant
If you’ve never tried Vietnamese food go now and try. Your stomach can thank me later. If you need a little more convincing here’s a few…
Read articleDeadly Bus Fires in Chengdu & Shenzhen
In the past two weeks in China there have been two separate incidents of buses bursting into flames, firstly in Chengdu, then worryingly closer to home…
Read articleGulangyu Island
I spent the latter part of my Xiamen trip on the small island of Gulangyu, just 5 minutes away from the mainland by ferry. As a…
Read articleChinglish Shop Signs
In China the English language is a fickle thing where the normal rules of grammar, punctuation and general comprehensible sentence structure do not seem to apply.…
Read articleHow To Transfer Money Out Of China
Expats who live and work in China will attest to the hassle banking can be. From opening an account to making deposits and transferring money it’s…
Read article10pm in Shenzhen
10pm in the Futian district of Shenzhen taken from the roof of a 33 story apartment block which a guard kindly let me climb out onto…
Read articleDyed Goldfish Cruelty
As I was walking around my neighbourhood this weekend my eyes were drawn to a a man selling small pets off the back of a cart…
Read articleNanputuo Temple
On the second enjoyably hot and sunny morning in Xiamen I visited Nanputuo Temple (“nan” meaning south) situated at the foot of Wulaofeng (Mountain of Five…
Read article