To those of you who know me well, the next statement will not come as a surprise: cold weather does NOT make me happy!

It's too cold to do anything. It's too cold to be awake and too cold to sleep. I wear many layers of clothes - day and night - and still I'm freezing. I don't like this! Right now, I'm wearing two pairs of pants and five (!) layers of upper clothing (including my coat) and I'm still cold. At night, I wear my fleece sweater on top of my pj's and I'm covered under a duvet and a massive blanket. Of course, I wear socks in bed as well, but the cold still manages to keep me awake... When I go outside, I put my hat, gloves and scarf on. According to my Chinese students, whom I still see when I have lunch and dinner at school, I look 'very funny' and 'very cute'. They mean colorful, referring to my red nose and purple lips. Funny?!? Cute?!? Bloody annoying and painful! I feel like I'm in a ski resort without the snow and the fun! But, you've got to give it to them: they have a sunny approach...

I'll be leaving Yangshuo Friday night by bus. It'll be a 9-hour drive, if all goes well. It's a night bus, so it means every passenger will be transported horizontally. They call it a bed, but it feels like being strapped on a gurney... Of course, the beds are small and the roads aren't that great either, so it won't be a fun ride, but I'm sort of starting to look forward to it. You know why? Because the bus will be warm. Heaven! Well, heaven for an unhappy ice cube...

Stay warm!