By the way,

I'm still alive. I know I said radio silence, but I've got some time to kill.

Shanghai I love in parts. Lots of white people, lots of english, lots of romance. Lots of people. I've got pictures.

Suzho I love entirely. It's like home only colder. We got stared at again. It felt familiar. Full of gardens, including a tiny, beautiful one called "The Garden of the Master of the Nets." I want to be a master of nets someday. Suzho is a canal city, like Venice only dirtier. Still beautiful, however. I bought my first piece of artwork out there and I'm quite pleased with it.

Beijing is in my heart. I love this city. It's huge, it's chaotic, it's busy and I love it. In fact, I Heart It. We've been here for a few days now and have seen some incredible things. We rented some sleds to take on a frozen lake and met some amazingly friendly people. We move on to Harbin in a few days, but perhaps I will find my way back here someday, and maybe not even as a traveller.

So there you have it. Halfway through my vacation and I'm living in a constant, twenty four hour state of wonder and amazement.

I Heart China.


PS: Happy birthday, zeal. I hope it's a good one.

PPS: Vortex, enjoy your special day on the seventh. Two days later I will be enjoying my own in the outskirts of Xian. I will be twenty six and I'm not really happy about it. Two more years until my high school reunion. We are old men, my friend.