Visiting China’s ancient capital Xi’an

Xi’an is China’s ancient capital, and the third most popular tourist destination after Beijing and Shanghai. So it was without hesitation that after Spring Festival’s homestay, I hopped onto the next cheap flight. A shuttle bus between the airport and the city centre operates from first til last arriving planes, costing just 26 yuan. It …

Great wall Marathon: Race Day

Nerves As my group was called up to begin the race I was experiencing one of the most severe cases of nerves I’ve ever had. Looking around at the other athletes, my heart sank as I noticed the majority of them were running the half marathon rather than the full. I overheard an Aussie, built …

How to get married, China-style

  In London you often hear the cliché, “you wait for the bus all day then two come along at the same time”. Maybe that’s not quite the right analogy, but having never been to a wedding in the UK, after a week in Yunnan I had been to two. The first big marriage ceremony …

The Great Wall Marathon

I’m Rob, a master’s student at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). In May I will be taking on the Great Wall Marathon, a grueling 26-mile race along China’s most iconic structure. A marathon is challenging enough but the wall was specifically built to be inhospitable and keep foreigners out of China. With 5000 steps it …

My Thai

Hello readers! Hope you’re enjoying your summer 🙂 It’s been a while since I wrote here. The reason is, I was having a great time in Thailand, Koh-Samui island. I’ve been there 5 times already, however and every time I go there I find something new and I’m flabbergasted! This time wasn’t an exception as, once I …