Long distance meeting between man and woman

[Philip]

Not far from Changsha, there is a national park of outstanding beauty called Zhangjiajie. It is famous for its trees, varieties of plants and animal species, and its karst rock formations. Two of these massive towers of sedimentary rock have been given the name 'Qian Li Xiang Hui', which means, 'Long distance meeting between man and woman'.

What is Alex rambling on about, I hear you ask? Well, this place is the location of my lady's dream about me, and 'Qian Li Xiang Hui' seems to us to perfectly symbolize our relationship.

I am off to Changsha this Saturday and don't know when I'll get to the internet next. At the moment everything is hunky-dory, so I am travelling hopefully. I will visit the agency and see if I can smell a fishy rat, it being the infamous Changsha Love Bridge Agency. The rest of the time we will be playing table tennis, badminton, climbing, karaokeing, eating, walking, holding hands, and perhaps a practical demonstration of behaviour my lady only cryptically describes as 'naughty'. Hmmm.

I will try and update when I can. I am going armed with the wise counsel from you guys, so I hope I will survive the experience intact.

Cheers,

Alex

[Martin]

Alex...have a blast in Changsha!  Even if you can not get on the Internet, we will all be backing you up at this end..hoping all the best for you.  Changsha is a wonderful city!  Enjoy the awesome Hunan food...it is one of the things I miss most from my trip to China.

[Carl]

Hi Alex! From some of the descriptions of Changsha food Martin has given, I suspect rat can be pretty delicious if it is cooked correctly!  Good luck on your trip and enjoy the time with your lady.
Carl

[Arnold]

Alex , forget all the back-up by the Guy's . If you pay for my Trip . I'll go in front of you , making sure the coast is clear for you . How about it ?
If that's not possible , have a wonderful Trip anyway .

[China Shark]

Rock out this trip and play it by ear and don't played. If the agency starts thier crap stonewall the scum. I did this and told my girl to break contact completely. They will make attempts at negoiating lower terms, don't buy into it you or your girl don't owe them a dime. They know these bogus contracts are not actually enforceable. Authorities could care about thier extortion scams besides the police are too busy collecting thier special money as the Chinese like to call it. Enjoy your woman the sights and make it count. Happy trails brother.
China Shark Mike

[RobertBfrom aust]

Alex , Enjoy Changsha , it is a terrific place with lots to see and do , you do not say where you are staying , but for a very cheap price you can always log on from the hotel business centres , the girls always like to practice their English , all the best for your trip , regards Robert .

[Peter]

Have a nice time in Changsha Alex...
I had no problems with Internet when I was there in April. My hotel had Internet so just look in the drawer in the desk.. I later moved to a flat but this also had Internet that was even better that in the hotel.. You will have a very good time in Changsha.. Like Martin told you the food is fantastic..Try the Hot Pot and I promise you will love it.. Got to the Martyr Park, it is great.. Visit the museum and so on..  I was also planning to go to Zhangjiajie but I hope I could got in July when I return. You have also another place to visit Phoenix town if you have time.. But most of all spend your time with the lady and have fun ^_^

[Irishman]

Best of luck Alex, have a great trip.

[JimB]

Enjoy your trip. Make it the best experience of your life.  As they all say keep your ears and eyes open but most of all just enjoy it.  And yes, we will all be here for whatever you need.  We are all envious.

[UK Mark]

Have a great time ! Live it and learn!   Good luck and best wishes

[MLM]

Brother, go and enjoy the company of your lady,:cool:  good luck and best wishes.

[Philip]

Dear Everyone,
thanks for your messages of encouragement. I am rather tired and emotional after a rather frustrating first evening.
Got to Changsha at 6.20, but didn't get off the plane for another 40 minutes due to the aliens in white coats scanning our brains for signs of cavorting with pigs.
My luggage didn't turn up, so I couldn't effect a last minute spruce-up. I was met, not by my Quan, but by Irene her translator, the head of the CLB agency and the driver. Irene helped sort the baggage situation. and the CLB head floated around like some deathlike ice queen, not saying a word. Irene explained that Quan had a load of unexpected work and she would meet us at the hotel at 8.30.
After checking in and the ice queen leaving, Quan arrived like some natural goddess - I felt like throwing all the studio pictures into the recycling. I hugged her in greeting (we had said we would) - she was a little shyer than I thought. And the three of us went for a meal (we needed the translator).
I was tired by this point after not getting any real sleep on the plane - I was visibly disappointed when she said her unexpected new work selling Maybelline make-up would mean she wouldn't be able to see me much in the daytime - this after we had planned on doing so much. Who knows, maybe it is Maybelline. Ha ha.
It wasn't all bad. She asked me why I was interested in Chinese women. I said I wasn't, I was interested in her. She smiled. I asked her why she was interested in me - she said because she knew I was serious and because I was a teacher.
Generally, it was harder work than I thought it would be and I'm really not sure about the level of embellishments in the letters. Maybe I'm just tired. I know. 24-hour rule.
She is gorgeous and real and I'm here. That's something
Alex

[Peter]

What hotel are you using ??

[Philip]

Peter,
it's the Southern Pearl International Hotel
I'm sampling its delights till the afternoon when I visit the agency and the evening when I see Quan.

[maxx]

Alex hang in there.It will be a little ruff for the first couple of days.But it should start getting better. Keep your Head up and your  eyes open