exploring – Page 3 – The Adventures of Elle Coco

Rocking the Suburbs

After experiencing Shanghai by day – discovering that the markets are much better in Beijing, but much cooler in Shanghai (they even have underground markets in disused storm tunnels) – and by night discovering strange grimy bars by the names of ‘Logo’ and ‘The Shelter’, marvelling at midnight dumpling makers hard at work on our way home and living out our Eurovision dreams at numerous KTV bars. It was now time to rock the suburbs.

Hard at work in the dumpling kitchen

Everything must be inspected

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Do You Have a Death Wish?

HAPPY DRAGON HOSTEL BEIJING BIKE TOUR

This is probably the most exhilarating bike ride…in the world! And gives a whole new meaning to the word ‘exercise’. If you are a thrill seeker, death-cheater, or just plain mental, then this is the ride for you.

If you prefer to keep your feet firmly on the pavement then maybe a market or a walking tour of Beijing would be more up your street.

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The Forbidden Experience

Time to get a bit of sight-seeing in before our mission to the North. We took a wander around the Forbidden City. This proved to be a very VERY crowded, hot and sticky affair. Take this advice- go early in the morning, before the crowds and before Beijing hots up too much, this reduces your chance of heat stroke, being barged around and poked with sun-umbrellas.

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Welcome to Beijing

Having studied Mandarin for the past 12 months in my final year of uni, I had won a place at Harbin University to visit as a British Universities Ambassador, with 16 other students.

Flying via Helsinki we eventually arrived in Beijing, and with Swine Flu really gripping the world in fear, the Chinese were not taking any risks. Before we’d even disembarked, air crew paraded up and down the plane pointing thermometer guns at our foreheads to test our temperatures.

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Trying to Find ‘Lost’

That’s right, after a tip off from a cameraman of the TV series “Lost” who was staying in our hostel, we had plans for the final adventure of our trip. He lent us his car for two days and drew us a map on a napkin. That was all we needed, apparently, as it was ‘dead easy, you can’t miss it, just look for the padlocked gate’.

We were off to find ‘Lost’, after posing with a tin man in downtown Honolulu, obviously!

Posing in Honolulu before the adventure- the jellyfish sting had subsided enough for me to walk properly

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A Night with a Box Jellyfish

This was all because I didn’t check the ‘Jellyfish Timetable‘- Box Jellyfish arrive in Waikiki and other parts of the Hawaiian Islands based on the lunar cycle- they come to shore 8 to 10 days after each full moon and are particularly abundant in the early hours. There was also a noticeable lack of warning signs. I guess this was why the flights were so cheap!

Lesson learnt - don't go in the sea at night in Hawai'i — Lesson learnt – don’t go in the sea at night in Hawai’i

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The Wonders of Chaco Canyon

Having studied about this remarkable place in my Native Philosophy class at UNM I couldn’t wait to get out and see it for real. How it sounded on paper and in the documentary ‘The Mystery of Chaco Canyon’ narrated by Robert Redford was pretty magical, but nothing could prepare me for actually seeing it first hand.

The road out to Chaco Canyon gets pretty rough once you enter the Navajo Nation

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How Hi?

Clear blue skies, rugged landscape, stunning sunsets and sunrises…what more could you wish for? BALLOONS!!! Obviously, and lots of them!

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Gun-Wielding Maniacs

Everyone the world over knows how much Americans love their guns! From Western movies, to police and sherifs, even your average Joe, you’re never really far away from a gun. Even driving down the highway you’ll realise gun shops and shooting ranges are plentiful.

So it was only normal that one weekend in early October that I would trek out with my American comrades to shoot bits of metal at paper and balsa wood cut out shapes at Calibers Shooting Range, on Cutler Avenue ABQ.

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Old Man Gloom, and the Fire Spirit of Santa Fe

New Mexico really is a one-of-a-kind state. There aren’t any other states where you get quite such a potent mix of Mexican, Native American, Afro American and Old World American culture, all in the same state. Zozobra is one of those fine examples of historical and cultural superstition mixed in with the American avant-garde arts scene. Think Burning Man, just on a much smaller scale.