29th July 2007 We embarked on a trek into the island’s interior to explore the rainforest, a guided tour with about 20 fellow Brits and one rather optimistic bus. The vehicle, clearly on its last legs, creaked and groaned its way up the mountainside like a dying elephant. Fortunately, I managed to grab a kip… Continue Reading

26th July 2007Now that the computer realises I speak English… It’s amazing what a difference it makes when your computer finally acknowledges you aren’t fluent in Mandarin. I’m now inspired to add a bit more to our blog without having to decode every button like I’m in a Dan Brown novel. Today was a leisurely… Continue Reading

24th July 2007FRUSTRATION!!! We are now in China, and I’ve written this three times. Yes, three. My computer screen is mostly in Chinese, so I was blindly stabbing at buttons like a chimp with a smartphone. Then, as if by magic (or sheer cruelty), the site suddenly switched to English and promptly deleted everything. So… Continue Reading

14th July 2007 Having navigated our way through a rather hectic final school week, I think it’s safe to say we’re all ready for a well-earned break. Everyone seems utterly exhausted, and even Jamie has started going to bed at a vaguely civilised hour. On Tuesday, Sarah accompanied me to the Sea Life Centre in… Continue Reading

8th July 2007 The rain gradually petered out over the week, but we still didn’t manage to hold a Sports Day at school. I decided to empty the pool to get rid of the rather green water that replaced the crystal clear version just a week ago. It took two days to drain it into… Continue Reading

1st July 2007 It had been a very quiet week, marked by persistent rain. The river level was constantly rising and falling. Regrettably, School Sports Day had to be cancelled; the only event that might have been viable was a 50-metre rice planting race! Foolishly, I did manage to play two hours of tennis with… Continue Reading