Getting ready for Christmas!

With the busy life of teachers, the run-up to Christmas is always a blur. We still managed to find a bit of time for some fun in lovely Shanghai, though. With Rebecca working and Cora traveling, we're glad Hannah has dropped in to help us out.

Long weekend in the land of south China karst...

Guilin and Yangshuo are stunningly beautiful. We had seen many photos of the karst landscape of this region and decided it was the perfect destination for our long weekend in November. We were not disappointed. The Reed Flute Cave in Guilin was huge and ornately decorated with stalactites, curtains and columns. The night cruise encompassing Guilin's lakes, rivers and plenty of neon lighting was lovely. The cormorant fishermen, with their trained cormorants that dive down to catch fish and deliver them to their masters, were fascinating. And the Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo was breathtaking. This is a wonderful part of China and we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend.

 

Glassware Challenge...

Last summer, a bunch of Concordians accepted a challenge: find vintage glassware at North American thrift shops and bring it back to Shanghai to compete in a cocktail competition. Find the most beautiful glass for the cheapest price and then create a cocktail to match your glass. There are three rounds to this competition and this Friday we hosted round #2 at our place featuring stemware. Both Brian and I competed, with Brian taking first place and my glass taking third. Woo hoo! We both carry on to the final round! We love that so many of our friends here care about food and cocktails!

Stunning Kathmandu...

I wish we'd had more than 2 days to explore this fascinating city. Kathmandu is noisy and gritty and awesome, full of fascinating architecture, delicious food and stunning temples. While there, we managed to visit 3 Unesco World Heritage sites: Durbar Square, Swayambhunath Buddhist Stupa and Pashupatinath Hindu Temple. All amazing.