Ouch!

If the truth be told, it's been an interesting few days. I have, you see, broken myself. Well, broken is perhaps a little strong, but I have definitely caused damage - to my lower back to be exact. Yes, I have broken my butt, just in time for Christmas...

The tale begins at around 4:30am last Sunday morning when my drunken self and two companions were going for post-bar noodles on Yucai Jie - the street where I live. As we strolled noodlewards, I inadverdantly strode onto a patch of icy pavement and, my cowboy boots not having the best of grips, found both legs pointing skywards as I fell flat on my arse. It was, as you may guess, a comic moment; and despite being momentarily unable to breathe, I was soon able to appreciate its humourous qualities.

I felt no pain whatsoever until Tuesday when the slightest of twinges emerged, but by Thursday I had to slide sideways out of bed just to get up in the morning! Having been prodded, poked and, indeed, thumped in the back by a jolly Chinese doctor, I have been told not to teach for a week and have to go to the hospital every day for treatment (shining a lamp on my back achieves what exactly? Advice please!).

It being the week before Christmas, I have some wonderfully festive lessons lined up for my little cherubs, so I am going to bypass the no-teaching suggestion. I am, however, bending as little as possible, mainly because it rather hurts. So, no alcohol-fuelled dancing and general merry making for yours truly this weekend. Alas.

Sympathies on a postcard,

Bec
x

Yes, I continue to amuse myself at the expense of Chinese sign makers everywhere, but what the hell... I think the red one here is my favourite so far: oh, ho, ho, ho, ho! (Do not assume that this was self-explanatory when viewed in context).



















Kind regards as ever, from me and my long johns,

Bec
x

Yes, yes, I'm still here! Thanks for your concerned emails - I have been adventuring once more, and then suffered the torture of living in an internet free zone for almost a week! Argh!

The weekend before last I went to Chengde in the north of Hebei Province. It was great, but blimey was it cold! Here are a few snaps:




Here I am demonstrating the amount of headroom and general level of comfort on the mid-berth of a hard sleeper train. Not too bad if I do say so myself. We were provided with a big flask of hot water to drink and make our noodle pots with, and the bed was really rather comfortable!








We arrived in Chengde at around 5:30am and it was, quite literally, freezing. Later that day I bought the rather striking hat and scarf ensemble that I can be seen sporting here, in amongst a rock formation at the Mountain Resort.








A deer in the snow. Aww. How festive.














I love this photo. Contrary to appearances perhaps, I did ask the monks' permission before taking it. There are many temples in Chengde, but this is the only living one. From what I could gather, they spend their time playing kickabout and listening to their MP3 players. All in all, very cool.







Woo! Is it just me, or does that bit of rock look aboout ready to fall?