Snapshots of a weekend

What a fabulous weekend! Not only did it herald the arrival of my first visitor, but it also saw the discovery of a huge hot tub, sauna and steam room in my apartment block. Good times ahead! I cannot believe that it took me two weeks to discover this, but better now than in March 2010.

So, where to start? Friday night saw Dave and my first visit to the inauspicious Luga's, where we had several beers and a few unnecessary tequila shots, considering my 5am start on Saturday.... Leading in nicely to Mary's arrival. It was very lucky that I had been persuaded to meet Mary at the airport at 6am, seeing as she forgot to collect her currency at Heathrow, her ATM cards were blocked and her luggage failed to land in Beijing at the same time she did. However, to Mary's credit she put this trio of bad luck behind her, and swiftly went about befriending the locals:

Our Saturday also involved an exploration of the hutongs, a *fabulous* massage and drinks with May, after which we encountered this acquarium-effect ceiling in an outdoor shopping mall, which has to be seen to be believed!