This is my favourite restaurant in Beijing so far and will probably remain my favourite. Its on the same street as the hostel and you could quite easily walk right pas it. Its not pretentious, its often quite warm inside but it serves the best food I’ve tasted yet at the lowest of prices! Whats more, the staff are really friendly and I’m getting to know them quite well (I eat there pretty much every day with whoever wishes to join me). The only problem for tourists is that there is no english menu and the staff only speak Chinese. Luckily, I’ve learnt enough Chinese to get by now so I have a few favourite dishes and can also order takeaway back to the hostel if I’m feeling lazy. One thing to watch out - for those of you who don’t know, 成都(Chengdu) is the capital of 四川 (Sichuan) province which is the spicy province of China. You can be in for a nasty surprise if spicy food is not your thing 
So I found the swimming pool at my soon to be university and thought I’d get a photo to show you guys where I am going to be spending my time keeping fit over the next year without swallowing smog.
Just what I need when I get back to the hostel after a long day! A cup of ginger tea made with freshly chopped ginger and honey. Only 35 pence. Great!
After settling into Beijing, a friend of mine who is also studying here recommended a private language school which offers one to one tutoring in Chinese. The school is in a brand spanking new building and the small classrooms have air conditioning and are wonderfully fitted out with glass whiteboards. After an initial language test, I signed up (who can complain at 5 pounds an hour one-to-one teaching) and am now studying there four hours a day each week day with two excellent teachers. I still have plenty of time to have fun with friends and my chinese is coming on leaps and bounds!
Jono
