My birthday... in China

My birthday was about a month after I came to China. I was glad to get it over with. Holidays and special days can make you kind of sad and nostalgic so I was happy to plan a little evening for myself that wasn't too crazy. 

I got some dollar store bling and went to the local Hello Kitty Café with my coworker Laura and another coworker and friend Teacher Wu. Her English name is Leslie and she is the sweetest friend and one of my first Chinese friends. 

 Everything was really cute inside, but I think these two were the cutest. 

After my birthday I made plans for my first weekend away. Zhaoqing is a city not far from Foshan. I took the train for the first time and it was a very short journey. 

 My first Chinese hotel experience. It wasn't anything to write home about... yet here we are...

 Zhaoqing is so lovely. It is famous for it's crags. Mountains that rise right out of the water. I spent the entire first day walking around the lakes to see every crag. It was a dream come true. 

 I also stopped by one of the caves nearby. It was weird. Sometimes Chinese light them... and there are always a lot of carvings and statues. 

 I hiked up to the top of one of the mountains and the views were amazing. 

Anyway, I really really loved Zhaoqing and even though I ran out of food at one point and it rained nearly the whole time, I still think of it fondly. I think for my first weekend away, it was the perfect place. And it made my birthday extra special.
Check out part two of my weekend trip next time!!!