China explorations

I've been slacking on the blog, I know and I'm sorry. However, I have been having a good time exploring the area since we did have break in our class schedule. There were a few days in Huangshan, Hong Kong, and Zhouzhuang... and it was a good thing too because I ended up missing the 2nd typhoon to hit Shanghai since we've been here. Jerri and I were actually traveling back from Hong Kong at the time and got delayed at the Shenzhen airport for a few hours, but it could have been much worse, so I'll take it.

Here's a link to my albums because sometimes I like pictures and it's nice to share. Hope you like them too.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jerilynyoung

Here are my thoughts on Huangshan, which really was the highlight of my past week.
Pictures do not do this place justice. It’s absolutely amazing what’s possible out there. Peaks and valleys, strange rock formations, seemingly impossible architecture (including walkways and staircases), and a beautiful sunrise (which would have been even nicer if we were 50’ further down and could actually see the sun poke its head out).
And who knew that we’d all be able to climb a big giant mountain in a day... and then walk around their version of the grand canyon (da shao gu). I think we climbed many thousand stairs and ended up with very sore muscles. It could almost be enough exercise for me for a year. The only too bad part was the second day when the mountain was overloaded with Chinese tourist on their Golden Week holiday. Matt and I decided to go down the mountain early to get away from them and avoid being pushed over the edge. Safety, while not totally discounted, is not necessarily of the highest concern there.

Oh, and Cortilia, thanks for the announcement...