8 days left

Only 8 days left now. I'm picking up my visa tomorrow. I have had to apply for a multiple entry business visa, which only takes 4 days. I'll apply for the work visa when I arrive. I have a serviced apartment set up to stay in when I arrive - it's located a couple of blocks from work. I'll look for permanent accomodation when I get there.

This is a photo I took in March at the Summer Palace in Beijing. It was in the middle of winter. The late was frozen and people were walking on the lake and sliding around.

I took heaps of photos of these lions - I love them!

This rock might not look very interesting but I liked the story behind it. One of the emperors was on a trip and found this rock (its quite big actually). He decided to bring it back to Beijing but he ran out of money on the way, so he left it on the side of the road. Then a later emperor, who had more money, brought it the rest of the way to Beijing. Of course, me being me, I can't remember the names of the emperors or where they got it in the first place. Details details.

This is a picture taken from a window in my hotel. Beijing is quite smoggy and has lots of roads and lots of cars.

Countdown

If you've found this site you are probably now aware that I'm heading over to Shanghai, China for a year or so to work with my company, in risk consulting.

So the countdown is now on. I have moved out of my share house at Kingfisher Gardens and I'm staying with friends in South Blackburn. My Kingfisher room has been taken over by my stepsister who was fortuoutously moving back to Melbourne at the time I wanted to move out. My little old 81 yellow Toyota corolla (the sub) is still going, and Lisa is going to take it over once I leave. I was kind of hoping no one would want it so there was no chance of me getting it back when I get back to Australia, but alas the car has more mileage in it yet. I will have to check where the mileage counter is at, it must be close to ticking back over to zero soon. The latest update on the car is that someone backed into it when it was parked so now it has a dent on the front.

Anyway I'm digressing a bit. So I've booked my flights - leaving on 6 July. Still have to organise a visa and sign the contract but things are definately falling into place. I'm getting Mandarin lessons from a guy at work. So far I can theoretically count to a million and say hello. I've also been reading all China-related books I can get my hands on. I just finished Foreign Babes in Beijing, a great book that just came out about an American woman who lived in Beijing for 5 years (95 to 99). Also read one called Empress Orchid, about the last Empress of China. This was written by Amchee Lin - she's written a few others set in China (eg Madame Mao) which I also wouldn't mind reading. Now I'm reading The Good Earth, a pulitzer prize winning book written about 60 years ago about a rural family in pre-revolutionary China. So far very good.