It's Our 3 Year Anniversary!

As we celebrate in style (Full-body massage, lunch included), and dinner at 'Annies' for some good ol' italian dishes...you can sit back and enjoy our photo-show-n-tell from the weekend we just had...

So starting from last Friday night...

Meet my Chinese class as we farewelled our teacher, eating out in style in the Houhai area looking out onto a lake.

(From the left: Nana our teacher, Dora - from Hungary, Alexandra - from Portugal, and Me!)
Also, Nana's husband David joined us, along with Alexandra's boyfriend who turned up later and missed out on this grand photo op. Michelle wasn't going to miss out on the fun either!
After dinner, we ventured out onto the lake, hiring a paddleboat for an hour, kickin back, chatting, drinking, icecream-eating and taking in the sights n' sounds of the Houhai nightlife.

Tranquility, with Techno included... depending on which bar/club you happened to paddle past.
Then on Sat this little piggy went to market...the 'DIRT (Cheap) MARKET' that is! From trinkets to antique treasures, Mao caps to Ming pottery, whatever your heart desires from any part of the Middle Kingdom - village handicrafts, Yinxing teapots, Tibetan trunks - will likely be found at Panjiayuan, Beijing's infamous dirt market. And one of the best in China.

Upon entering the market we were given the customary greeting for any visiting Austalian delegates in these parts. And as it turned out - by the late Chairman Mao himself:

Here's a sample of the rows and rows of stalls we passed by...

It was HOT at the market. 38degrees! It's amusing the affect heat has on fashion sense...

...and work ethic...

But inspired by the art and relics we pressed on...

Till we took to the streets and passed by sidewalk temptations... "Care for some BBQ'd corn? Watermelon on the go? Toasted whatevers?"

Well that was a day at the Dirt Markets. And it was done mostly without actually buying anything! Sat night we spent having a home cooked Aussie meal (hamburgers) at one of Michelle's workmate's apartment. She made us feel right at home with Cheezels and Cadbury chocolate (Crunchie!).

On Sun we spent the afternoon at the Summer Palace with Alexandra (from my Chinese class) and her boyfriend Nuno. It's a huge park, the majority of which is taken up by a lake, and it is also the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. Here's a taste of the place..

Here's some more photos for good measure...

Just above you can see the 'Marble Boat' which isn't exactly floating or even really a boat. It's just a structure connected to the land that looks like a boat. Maybe the Emperor used to be prone to seasickness and this kinda killed two birds with one stone.

Well, stay in touch. I (P-J) will be back in Adelaide for 1 week (June 18th-25th) for my gr8-mate Mark and Fi's wedding - so hopefully I'll see one or two of you then!

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