I snapped a few pics while walking around Coloane the other day. Coloane is great. It's the island at the south end of the Cotai Strip. Actually, it's where Cotai gets the "Co." Coloane seems to be the only place that the gaming and tourism industries haven't moved in and changed things. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty for tourists to come and see in Coloane. I'm just saying it's maintained its old world feel and it's fishing village vibes. There are several beautiful temples on Coloane. There are nice trails cutting back and fourth and around Alto do Coloane. Plus there's a few DOPE bouldering spots. I haven't taken too many pictures there yet. Hell, I haven't even gotten on all the problems there yet. But there's time. The spot is right around the corner from Cheoc Van beach. Another big beach on Coloane, Hac Sa, is over on the east side and is on the South China Sea. Not the cleanest water... very few people brave a swim. But there is a large stand of nice tall, shady trees above the beach. It's sandy and it's a great slackline spot.

The Great Wall of China

We just came home from a trip to Beijing. It was a short trip, three days and two nights, but we stayed busy and saw a lot. The highlight of the trip was walking along the Great Wall of China. We rode out to it on a bus from downtown Beijing and it took about two hours. The landscape outside of town was beautiful. The mountains are old. You can tell from a glance. On the drive our tour guide talked to us about China and the Wall. One thing she said that stuck with me for the rest of the trip was, "China is still a developing country." Along the trip there were so many sights that brought this statement back into my head. Every time you turn around you see something perfectly modern, but just not quite up to par with what you would see in the states. Don't get me wrong, Beijing and the countryside are both beautiful, full of history, culture, tradition, and life. But it's still an old world that's been and is still being brought into this future.