Today I was at the London 机场 (airport) on my way back out to China.  When I went into downtown London, it was truly a scene of 人烟稀少 (barely having a trace of human activity).  I saw a 旅行团 (tour group) including people from 山东 (Shandong province in China).  While going to Big Ben in a cab, I asked the driver how long it takes to 考证 (pass the test for [a] certificate) to be a London cab driver.  Without missing a beat, he replied that it usually takes 4 years.  I also learned that many Englanders do not consider themselves grouped with the European 大陆 (mainland), despite being a part of the EU and European Economic Area.   With another cab driver, I spoke about the rights guaranteed by the 宪法 (constitution) of the US.  I went to a restaurant boasting authentic cuisine from 巴基斯坦 (Pakistan), but I was not as impressed as the review writers had been.  Later on at the airport, I wanted to communicate with my family on Skype, but I had to update the 驱动 (drivers) for my sound card before my microphone would work.  圣诞节快乐! (Merry Christmas!)

机场 ji1chang3 – airport
人烟稀少 ren2yan1xi1shao3 – lit. people smoke sparse few. meaning “barely any traces of people”
旅行团 lv3xing2tuan2 – tour group
山东 shan1dong1 – Shandong province in China
考证 kao3zheng4  – to get the certificate by testing
大陆 da4lu4 – mainland
驱动 qu1dong4 – drivers for software or hardware
宪法 xian4fa3 – constitution
巴基斯坦 ba1ji1si1tan3 – Pakistan
圣诞节快乐 sheng4dan4jie2kuai4le4 – Merry Christmas