*****I will add more detail later*****

Hey Hey and a Big G'Day to you all,

Life, mate it is just awesome

For those who don't know, I have left my beautiful children, my school and my little Tianyang. Oh how sad indeed. The two previous entries which are still in 'draft' will offer reasons but for now.....well here I sit, back in Yangshuo. A very VERY unexpected visit but of course any visit to Yangshuo is welcome. It's good to be back amongst all the Western Cafe's for a time. It's great to have a menu in English and a vast choice of dishes from the homeland.

I will miss my life in Tianyang so much. I miss it already but life must move on my friends and there are so many places to go in China and so many children to teach. I will see either Owen or Jennifer soon and choose my new school before donning the Pak and heading out into the big world of China for the next two months.

It was a sad good bye to all my children and other teachers. I spent the last several days with Kitty my beautiful friend from Baise. She came to my 'Good Bye' dinner given by the school. It was such a great evening. There was the usual dice games where you have no choise but to down glass after glass of beer. The food was awesome but mostly the company was wonderful and warm. It was a sad good bye. They gave me a beautiful stone tea set as a going away present. How tears nearly filled my eyes!

We then headed to have a last supper with my Market Place family. It was sad and a very hard time. It was so difficult to say good bye to the family whom had taken me under their wing and provided warmth, care, food and an endless supply of beer to me for the past year and a half. Four o'clock found me waking the sleeping gate gard for the last time. Oh, how sad for me and happy for him.

I left Tianyang Monday, 3rd July. I caught the road side bus for the last time and was dropped off outside Policeman Brads place where I left my belongings. We then met Kitty and Judy for 'THE LAST LAST SUPPER'. This was it, the Aussie Legacy was to end this night. Once there was four of us and after this night where was to be none! Dinner was beautiful, sweet and sour pork, steamed fish, friend rice, joutsa (dumplings) and assorted green vegies.

Around 9:30pm we said good bye to Judy as she boarded the train to Kunming. I'll see her again in Shangrila in several weeks and we will then head do the 'Shangrila to Chengdu' adventure. It's a jounrey I wanted to do last summer but ran out of time. It takes you through, from what I've been told, some of the most beautiful mountains in China.

I spent the night with beautiful a Chinese Silk Dress clad Kitty in Baises beautiful hill top park. The stars were bright and the moon in it's quater. We talked, ate bbq and had a sad yet wonderfully warm last evening together. I will surely miss my beautiful friend.

I boarded the train at 6am with Policeman Brads help. He was supposed to finish checking buses for drugs around 2am but didn't finish until 4:30am. So after a sleepless night I said a sad good bye to my good buddy Brad. I dozed off and on, mostly off on the nine hour train journey to Guilin and then caught a local bus to Yangshuo arriving around six in the evening. WOW, after one year the place has had another transformation. A KFC sits at the enterance of West Steet and many old Cafes and shops have been replaced with new neon filled monsters!

I arrived at Bucklands and was greeted by Jennifer and the new Bucklands arrival little Jerry. It was great to see them. Soon I was giving Canadian Betts a huge hug and Owen a big handshake. They found a room for me and finally I got to shower and change my clothes. It's pretty hot here in Guangxi and after lugging bags around for two days it was great to start fresh.

Last night I spent at MC Blues Cafe with Mickey and Derick. As most would know I met met Mickey here six years ago on my first visit. It's good to be remembered. I walked in and sat down and without a word a cold beer and a proper beer glass was placed before me. Then with a huge smile he let out a loud 'Welcome Back Shane'. Derick arrived soon after and after catching up I sat with Derick, Mickey and Mickey's brothers family for a HUGE feast. Oh the prawns!

Man, everytime I'm here I sleep during the day then talk, eat and drink all night. Last night I sat with some guys from Holland and watched some 'Friends' epidodes and then a Bond film before heading back down stairs to watch Italy beat Germany in the World Cup. Other local foreigners dropped in. One or two I had met last year. Hunger grabbed us and around 7:30 this morning we headed off to eat Guilin Noodles for breakfast.

About an hour after I got home, Canadian Andrew arrived home in a much worse state than I. I began chatting to Canadian Andrew at the end of last term as Bucklands had given him my email address so he could ask me questions prior to leaving Canada to come to China. I finally got to meet him in person.

Tonight I'm heading out for dinner with my beautiful friend Amy. I met her here last time I was in Yangshuo. We've been emailing and texting ever since. Shes an Chinese English Teacher here. Her family owns the hotel I stayed in last time. It will be great to see her again.

Now it is time for me head out amongst the millions of western people who fill the beautiful cobble stone streets of this wonderful town. Beers and Guilin Noodles to you all.