Unfortunately, I have not been to Macau yet (or Macao as it is commonly written), but a friend of mine sent me this great 360 degree view from the top of Macau Tower that I thought I would share.

On July 22nd, 2007 I was lucky enough to head out to Kai Sung, one of Hong Kong's outerlying islands to do some dives with Pro Dive Training Center HK. The crew was great, professional, courteous and helpful, the boat was really well-managed, and with an air compressor onboard, I was even offered the chance to get in as many dives as I could in a litle over four hours. Unfortunately, I can't say as many nice things about the underwater experience but I wouldn't change a thing about the day, especially considering I met some great people on the dive. Nothing went wrong during the dives, but the low visibility and lack of anything interesting to see (except this really over-sized and neon blue crab) just made you appreciate the above water environment so much more. Although I don't have any underwater content to show you, here are a few pictures I took throughout the day. I've got some video too that I'll try to post at some point.

This ia short video taken from Lugard Road at Victoria Peak of the nightly light show at Hong Kong harbour. I have some great pictures I'll be posting to GaryInChina.com soon.

As you will probably hear me mention a few times throughout the Hong Kong pages, one of the best places to visit while on Hong Kong Island is Victoria Peak. The peak tram, the tower, the gardens and all the surrounding areas (which I will try to post pictures and videos of shortly) are a great place to spend the day and evening. Here are a few pictures of the nightly fireworks and light show as seen from Lugard Road on Victoria Peak. I also posted a video of it here in case you'd like to check it out. By the way, go early, no later than 4:30 pm and plan enough time for your way down as there will be a long wait for every mode of transportation down after dark.

I know that I knocked Guilin in a previous post, so I just wanted to take a minute to share with you a few pictures of one of my favorite places to enjoy abeautiful evening stroll and possibly an impromptu picnic... Rong Hu (Rong Lake), Guilin, China. Not only was it a very peaceful walk but there were inspiring views at every turn. Although you could walk right through this park in 15 minutes, it took me over an hour while taking these pictures and having my own impromptu picnic at the, what seemed to be built for me, gazebo-style lookout between the bridges.

I thought I would share with you something interesting I just found out today. Apparently, the winter sports we are so use to partaking in here in the states and in Europe are beginning to grow in popularity here in China. As the disposible incomes of people continues to grow, they look for new ways to spend their newfound money. One of these ways is on the slopes. According to CCTV, attendees to snow resorts has been increasing by 20% each year for the last ten years. As new skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes, the landscape of the Chinese winter holiday is beginning to change from one where families traditionally stay at home, to one where they look for new ways of enjoying their time.

Another, more popular way, of returning to Yangshuo after bicycle riding to the Yulong River is by Bamboo Raft. In fact, you can normally bamboo raft all the way back to Yangshuo from practically anywhere on the river. Unfortunately, because I came in the winter, the water levels were pretty low and we could not raft the entire normal route; there were also plenty of areas where it was a bit difficult to pass as it was, but overall, it was still a great experience. And in case you are wondering, YES, you can get wet so remember to keep your feet up if you don't want to. Things are safe though as long as you keep them well-elevated and off the raft itself. Click here for some pictures and video of the trip.

Today I had the priviledge of experiencing one of the most amazing scenic activities one could possibly engage in, taking a bicycle ride from Yangshuo to the nearby Yulong River. A popular activity here is riding a bamboo raft down the Yulong River. Although I plan to do this as well, today I thought it would be best to get to know the terrain a bit and just ride as much as I could. Although I eventually made it to a very nice spot at the river, my desire to take the road less traveled got me lost many times through the fields of some of these small farm villages.

I was extemely lucky to have been visiting Baomo Park on the day that I did because they happened to be performing a rehearsal show of the Annual Spring Festival Show. The Guangdong TV station and various other reporters were also there to report on the event. It was definitely an interesting experience and quite the teaser for the up-and-coming New Years show.

Here's Part Two of Baomo Park's Sneak Peak of their 2007 Chinese New Year Show.

Just 30 kilometers away from Suzhou, a place many refer to as Venice of the East, and a one-hour bus ride away from Shanghai, ZhuoZhuang is definitely a nice place to spend the day. Although I have more video I will be adding later, I thought I would share with you this quick two-minute clip of a small boat ride, gondola-style, taken through the canals of this ancient city.