Shanghai - the Pudong area, which is the financial area, with all these high skyscrapers
Art Street
Art Street, entrance
Actual speed of the MagLev train while we were on it.
Temple of Heaven
Chinese Hot Pot (fondue) restaurant
Electric bike taxis, common in China for local commute. Only about US$0.50 to use.
In Beijing...
A sushi restaurant in Beijing, where we order using a computer and mouse, and they bring what we click.Hey everyone!
Thanks for keeping up with the blog! Love all the comments. Apparently the beach volleyball babes have been turning heads in the news too.
We’re doing well over here. I’m over my cold though but coughing up yellow phlegm while Nicole is dripping from her nose like a faucet. But otherwise doing well…
Glad to hear about all the Olympic fever back at home. It is neat to be a part of the Olympics here, but to be honest, I actually think you guys might be catching the fever more than we are. We only got to see beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, and gymnastics, all prelims, and it was pretty hard to get tix to any other sport. Since most of the sports are on during the day, we miss em while we’re out. On tv, which is Chinese TV, they are biased toward showing all the events china is in – so rather than showing track and field, they are showing air rifle and ping pong. Although I will admit, anytime we are at an Olympic event, you can’t help look around and see the sea of Chinese people cheering “Cheung Gwa Jia Yo” (Go China!) and really feel the sense of pride they have, or any country for that matter. USA included.
We spent the last 2 days shopping and sightseeing. The weather the last 2 days was amazing – sunny, mild, and clear skies. We saw the ‘Temple of Heaven’, built in the 1400’s as a temple for the Emperor to worship the gods for a good harvest. The emperor is the equivalent of the son of God, and given the power by god to rule and conquer, so is considered pretty much a divine figure. That is, until 1911, when the last emperor was overthrown and Chiang Kai Shek changed the government to a republic.
Beijing overall is a great city. Its really an interesting mix of old and new. There is so much of the old and traditional there – from all the monuments and the Forbidden city and the temples, and clotheslines with laundry hanging outside, and bicycles and hutongs (small alleys with neighborhoods), to the new skyscrapers, subways, and western hotels and luxuries. And it really really makes you appreciate the comforts of home. The most noticeable are the lack of getting around in your own car, spacious homes that feel private, abundant air conditioning, occasional power outages. They do a lot to conserve here – for example, in hotels a room key is required to turn the power on, otherwise its all off. When you leave your house, you turn everything off including a/c.
Yesterday we flew into Shanghai. Much different city – it is the modern metropolis, bright city lights, ultra modern and fashionable, with western and European influence. We took a MagLev train (magnetic levitation) – which goes about 250mph and takes us 30km in 8 minutes from the airport to the city! We walked around yesterday in the area called the French Concession, an area within Shanghai that has European style architecture and villas, international flavors and restaurants – really felt a lot like the small alleys and neighborhoods in Seville, for example (see March 2006 blog). It was really great. There are a series of really small alleys, called ‘Art Street’ that has all these artsy shops, galleries, cafes, and trendy restaurants. It is buried within a city block, such that you would never notice it and only see the traditional Chinese stores lining the city block. You have to venture into the alleys to find it. Very very cool.
After dinner at a cool thai restaurant, we went to the Grand Hyatt tower overlooking the whole city. On the 88th floor is a bar called Cloud 9, very swanky, with really cool views of the riverside and city. Shanghai has a river running right through it, and the riverside area is called the Bund and is world famous – beautiful, with European architecture and expensive hotels/restaurants. We’ll check that out tonight. At Cloud 9, our drinks were about US$16 each. But very yummy!
Today we’re off to see ‘Old Shanghai’ and the Bund tonight. Will debrief you soon…miss all of you!!
Love,
Nicole and Alan
Thanks for keeping up with the blog! Love all the comments. Apparently the beach volleyball babes have been turning heads in the news too.
We’re doing well over here. I’m over my cold though but coughing up yellow phlegm while Nicole is dripping from her nose like a faucet. But otherwise doing well…
Glad to hear about all the Olympic fever back at home. It is neat to be a part of the Olympics here, but to be honest, I actually think you guys might be catching the fever more than we are. We only got to see beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, and gymnastics, all prelims, and it was pretty hard to get tix to any other sport. Since most of the sports are on during the day, we miss em while we’re out. On tv, which is Chinese TV, they are biased toward showing all the events china is in – so rather than showing track and field, they are showing air rifle and ping pong. Although I will admit, anytime we are at an Olympic event, you can’t help look around and see the sea of Chinese people cheering “Cheung Gwa Jia Yo” (Go China!) and really feel the sense of pride they have, or any country for that matter. USA included.
We spent the last 2 days shopping and sightseeing. The weather the last 2 days was amazing – sunny, mild, and clear skies. We saw the ‘Temple of Heaven’, built in the 1400’s as a temple for the Emperor to worship the gods for a good harvest. The emperor is the equivalent of the son of God, and given the power by god to rule and conquer, so is considered pretty much a divine figure. That is, until 1911, when the last emperor was overthrown and Chiang Kai Shek changed the government to a republic.
Beijing overall is a great city. Its really an interesting mix of old and new. There is so much of the old and traditional there – from all the monuments and the Forbidden city and the temples, and clotheslines with laundry hanging outside, and bicycles and hutongs (small alleys with neighborhoods), to the new skyscrapers, subways, and western hotels and luxuries. And it really really makes you appreciate the comforts of home. The most noticeable are the lack of getting around in your own car, spacious homes that feel private, abundant air conditioning, occasional power outages. They do a lot to conserve here – for example, in hotels a room key is required to turn the power on, otherwise its all off. When you leave your house, you turn everything off including a/c.
Yesterday we flew into Shanghai. Much different city – it is the modern metropolis, bright city lights, ultra modern and fashionable, with western and European influence. We took a MagLev train (magnetic levitation) – which goes about 250mph and takes us 30km in 8 minutes from the airport to the city! We walked around yesterday in the area called the French Concession, an area within Shanghai that has European style architecture and villas, international flavors and restaurants – really felt a lot like the small alleys and neighborhoods in Seville, for example (see March 2006 blog). It was really great. There are a series of really small alleys, called ‘Art Street’ that has all these artsy shops, galleries, cafes, and trendy restaurants. It is buried within a city block, such that you would never notice it and only see the traditional Chinese stores lining the city block. You have to venture into the alleys to find it. Very very cool.
After dinner at a cool thai restaurant, we went to the Grand Hyatt tower overlooking the whole city. On the 88th floor is a bar called Cloud 9, very swanky, with really cool views of the riverside and city. Shanghai has a river running right through it, and the riverside area is called the Bund and is world famous – beautiful, with European architecture and expensive hotels/restaurants. We’ll check that out tonight. At Cloud 9, our drinks were about US$16 each. But very yummy!
Today we’re off to see ‘Old Shanghai’ and the Bund tonight. Will debrief you soon…miss all of you!!
Love,
Nicole and Alan
2 comments:
Finally, I've learned how to comment. This is my second one! Can't tell you how much I've enjoyed thr trip. Almost feel like I'm there too! love your mommala xxx
So glad that you guys are having an awesome time, but Amy and I are even more glad that you are heading home soon. Don't worry about not seeing many events, evidently there was some guy named Micheal Phelps swimming fast, but other than that not much else. Good to get out and experience another culture. Can't wait to hear all about it and see you pics. Take care and have a safe flight.
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