Come on in, the water's great

Yes, there was a toxic benzene spill recently. Yes, running water had to be shut down for 5 days. But don't let that stop you from visiting the magical Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin. The lights are ever so pretty and if you bring your iPod you can drown out the Kenny G music. Plus, the water is in the "green zone" now which means...I have no idea what that means but let's just assume that all 110 miles of toxic slick are safely in Russia by now.

Ooh and aah in wonderment at these manmade wonders. Famous landmarks painstakingly sculpted from ice and snow:




Religious statues and icons that command reverence:



Enjoy a warm welcome by winsome snow princesses who will beg you to slay their evil captor and release them from their elasticized polyester and furry bonds.


There is also an abundance of wildlife such as a deer that looks like it's already been taxidermied and a bunch of penguins lining up to use their prepaid international phone cards.


When you are ready to end your travails, retire to the local bar which is also made entirely of ice, thus providing the opportunity to use cheesy pick-up lines such as "you're so hot, you're melting all the ice in here".

Not only does Harbin provide crisp and clean snow for sculpting but the swimming pool isn't too bad either. Forget Aspen, forget Miami's South Beach, but whatever you do don't forget to pack a swimsuit. Heels too. It can get quite competitive out there.



Another blog to visit: Karma to Burn - Happiness 1.2.1 upgraded to Euphoria 2.0 between caffeine hits