Finally Home!

I know it's been awhile since I last blogged but I went through some issues with my housing situation in my final week in Beijing and just didn't have very much Internet access.

In short, I bounced around apartments until my parents came out to Beijing. I took my parents around Beijing to show them some of the shopping and sights that they missed out on last time they were there a few months ago. Here are some of the highlights of my final days in Beijing:
- Biked around Beijing University and the Zonguancun area of the Haidian District which is also the Silicon Valley of China.
- Finally ate Peking Roast Duck at Quanjude in the Qianmen are of Beijing! YUM
- Walked through Liulichan, the arts & culture street in Beijing
- Ate dinner with Lei at a great Sichuan restaurant, known for its special spicy fish dish
- Explored the city with Nicole, who is studying abroad in Beijing this fall

After a few days, my parents headed to Shanghai to meet up with my aunt, who lives there. Nicole also joined us in Shanghai and we basically checked out as many shopping and city sights as possible while eating some awesome food in between expeditions. All in all, I had a great time!

I just got back home this afternoon after my 11 hour flight from Shanghai. I didn't sleep much on the flight so I just watched DVDs on my laptop the whole time. Except for some turbulence it was a very comfortable flight. Coming into LAX, blue sky never looked so good. I'm glad to be home and can't wait til I get to New York this weekend.


By the way, I'll also be posting to xanga from now on so friends in China will be able to see my blog.

http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=aliu24