beijing okay

"What is YOUR name?"

Tuk-Tuking

Silvia at the Grand Palace

Stand with absolutely perfect Cantonese roast pork noodles

Taking the water taxi to Chinatown.

* Plans. *

I'm looking into attending Chinese classes in Beijing, starting in September. If I'm frugal in Thailand, I should be able to cover the costs of a semester at a smaller school, NOT the woefully overpriced state-run Beijing Language and Culture University. The visa situation is laughable right now; the Chinese government isn't even issuing student visas until after the Olympic games at all. Can you imagine a country shutting down it's universities and schools to foreign students?


And, I continue to be in Bangkok. I feel very restless, but I hope to gather something from this period of time painting and reading. I need to grow into being alone for a while. In ways, this is the city for transition periods. It's incredibly inexpensive, there are a lot of resources for just about everything, the food is great and plentiful, it's not too hot and pleasantly rainy, it's totally visa free for a month and it's relatively easy to get around. My hostel is right next to the National Gallery, so I think I'll pay it a visit tomorrow.