San Francisco

We just got back from San Francisco, where we had gone to see our friends Giles and Suzi get married! And we also did an astronomical amount of shopping!

San Francisco - Out and About

I also took some shots of the wedding, sorry they're not much good. Of all the types of photographers I am not, I am especially not a wedding photographer :)
The wedding was really nice though. In Golden Gate Park, it was nicely set up and all went off without a hitch. Jane had to read some of the script from Buffy which may have surprised some people, but not the ones who know either Suzi or Giles! It also went very well.

Giles and Suzi Get Hitched!

We had a fantastic time, it was great to catch up with friends. One of the things about being in China is that it is pretty isolating so seeing friends that I hadn't seen since the last time we were in Aus was really great.

We also got the chance to go for a drive down to Monterrey Bay which was also very nice. San Francisco seems to have terrible weather in the summer, colder than Australia in the winter which surprised me (even though EVERYONE told me in advance, it's still weird). We had a lot of overcast days except for the wedding so that was a bit like Beijing.

On the whole, a successful trip and I'd definitely like to go back. Maybe in another season though, I'm hoping that the other ones are warmer :)

Hiking (all of) the Ming Tombs

Just before we went to Chicago, we went on a hiking trip to the Ming Tombs.
Sigh.

It was quite a trip. We walked around 20km in the 38 degree heat, visiting each of the Ming Tombs without going into any of them. And they are all the same.

Hiking the 13 Ming Tombs

Catchup

I haven't posted for a while but I have still been doing things and taking photos of them. These are all albums so click on them to get the full experience.

The weather has finally warmed up. Actually Mum and Dad got the best of the Spring weather. Before they arrived it was still pretty cold, but really warmed up while they were here. A few weeks after they left we got 33 degree weather and it's been pretty steady at that level ever since. We get a bit more rain that in the Winter though which is nice.

We started Mandarin classes again. It had been 6 months since our last class but it actually didn't go too badly, we mostly remembered the words and pronunciation. After a chat with the teacher though, we're going to try to concentrate on more practical language skills rather than the less effective (at least in the short term) character study that people normally study. So we'll see how that goes!

I'm still trying to play the guitar. I've definitely gotten better although I'm still pretty far away from concerts still! I've been trying to practice regularly, but trying to do anything regularly is a bit of a mission. Still, it's fun and I'm enjoying it.

Here's a quick catchup on what's been going on:

Went to the 798 Art District with Jane, Mum and Dad

798 Art District

Went to the Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

Went to the National Museum of China

National Museum of China

Went to the Museum of Shanghai

Shanghai Museum

Went to Shanghai (that's where the museum is!)

Shanghai

Went to Yuyuan Gardens and the Bund (check out the incredible numbers of people in the garden)

Yuyuan Garden and the Bund

Went to Suzhou, famous for gardens and canals. Also check out the incredible numbers of people there!

Suzhou Gardens and Canals

I still have a bunch of photos to go through from when Jane's family were here but I'm getting there.