Pixels from the Orient

The view from my sisters room

2008-05-26T10:56:00.005+08:00

I finally got to stitching this picture together. This is the view of Shanghai from my sisters room.

Click on the picture to see the whole pano.

Shanghai Skyline

2008-05-17T01:04:00.000+08:00

Here are some pictures of the Shanghai skyline, with the river and the bund. These were taken from Cloud 9 at the top of the Grand Hyatt - through the glass, so not exactly the best. The tower shown in the first picture is the Pearl Tower.

Wednesday, May 14

2008-05-16T22:54:00.002+08:00

Flying home today. Had to leave for the airport at 1pm. Went to the favorite Starbucks one last time.

Bye Hong Kong

In flight meals

In flight, I saw National Treasure 2 and The Golden Compass. Listed to some music. I couldn't sleep much!

Home

Tuesday, May 13

2008-05-16T22:28:00.003+08:00

My last day in Hong Kong. I walked around Tsim Sha Tsui, stopping into stores and looking around. The Canon show room was in the area so I went and checked out what was there (nothing to write home about).

Later in the day I headed back to the Night Market (opens at 4pm) and looked around a bit.

I picked up some of my favorite street food - the one last thing I wanted to try before I left.

Visited with my aunt and had dinner with the family.

Monday, May 12th

2008-05-16T01:03:00.003+08:00

Monday was a holiday in Hong Kong, in honor of Buddha's birthday. The plan was for us to visit the peak together (except Dad who had to work). We headed out at 4:30pm. It's on Hong Kong island, so we took the ferry over to the other side. There is an open top double-decker bus that goes to the tram that goes up to the peak.

It was a perfect day for the peak and to be riding the bus. The weather was pleasant/comfortable.

The building shown in this picture is the Amercian Consulate, I made many trips to this place over the years applying annually for my student visa.

Pictured below is the tram. It rides up the hill on a very steep slope

Looking back from the tram

On the way up:

Taken at a gift shop at the peak tram terminal

My nephew wanted a snack and we had some time to kill before the sun went down, so we went to McDonalds. They have these flavored fries, ie they give you some flavoring and a bag to dump the fries and flavoring into. We tried the kimchi flavor and the japanese curry flavor - the kimchi was way better.

I must have taken about 30 (40 or 50??) shots of the skyline all lit up. I have yet to go through them all.

We went to a Japanese noodle place for dinner.

Sunday, May 11th, Mother's Day

2008-05-16T00:50:00.002+08:00

I started the day early. After a shower, I walked out to the water front Starbucks for some quiet time and a coffee. It was raining but not so hard that one couldn't sit outside. I sat out on the deck above the starbucks, taking in the view and some time for myself.

Here's the phone my sil had me carry, just so I could reachable or could get help if I needed. It's actually quite funny, I missed pretty much every call, wanna know why? I had no idea what the ring sounded like.... ha ha! I liked the phone though, it was thin and had a built in mp3 player.

On my way back, I stopped by and looked at another building we had lived in.

We went out for Mother's day lunch to a place called Nomad's, it was a Mongolian BBQ buffet place. The place has an interesting concept, the buffet was for raw ingredients and there was a section for sauces, you put it together and they cook it for you.

That evening my sister-in-law and I went to the water front that evening to watch the Festival of Lights. It's a light display by various buildings. My aunt and cousin met up with us there for a walk. The lighting display was so so at best but fun nonetheless.

Dinner with the family at a south indian restaurant.

Saturday, May 10th

2008-05-15T18:59:00.005+08:00

Between Stanley and Lantau, by now, I had tan and my face was a cherry red! I know I should have put on some sunscreen but I couldn't stand the thought of putting anything sticky on with the heat and humidity.

I had seen all the major sites by now and only had a couple of things left my on my list of must sees. Hong Kong Tourist Board offers tourists a ride on an old fishing boat for an hour and it sounded like fun, so I got a ticket. I had to catch the boat (junk boat) at noon at the Star Ferry area. The day was overcast, which was actually kinda nice seeing how hot it had been the day before.

I got to sit on the top deck with some american tourists and got to chatting with them. The ride was really fun and relaxing. There was a recorded commentary but it was hard to hear from where I was sitting.

It started raining shortly before the ride was to end, forcing everyone into the covered area of boat.

While boat ride started in Kowloon, it ended on Hong Kong island. I had to catch the Star Ferry back to the Kowloon side for lunch with my aunt.

My aunt made chicken biryani, it's was very good.

After lunch and some time with my aunt. I headed back home. Later in the afternoon, I went out with my sister in law to get a few things for the family here.

This and that

2008-05-13T22:42:00.002+08:00

I know I am a few days behind. The matter of mozilla/internet explorer/blogger/picasaweb has been a bit of a hassle (picasaweb upload works with internet explorer, blogger functions work with mozilla, grrrr).

I head back tomorrow. I will catch up on the missing days soon. Check out the photos on picasaweb - slide show in the sidebar.

It's been a great vacation but I am so ready to go home.

Friday, May 9th

2008-05-11T16:12:00.002+08:00

The agenda was to visit Lantau Island and see the big Buddha. I had to take the mtr (their subway) to Lantau island

This picture is from the subway train, looking up towards the bridge tower. The bridge is a double decker bridge with vehicles on the top level and the train below. The train takes you to Tung Chung and from there there are buses or the cable cars (see below) to get up to Ngong Ping (where the big Buddha and monastery are). I opted for the cable car ride.

I used to ride these things at Ocean Park, where it connected the lower portion of the park with the part behind the hill (I used to keep my eyes closed because it was just too scary for me to see the cliffs and sea below).

I was in there with 4 other people (carries 17, 10 sitting, 7 standing). My heart was beating so fast as I remembered my fear from the past but eventually that passed and I enjoyed being on there. It took about 20 minutes to get over to the top where the monastery and statue were at.

The cable car comes into what is called Ngong Ping village - it's really just a little mall with gift shops and restaurants (including Starbucks). The place had a Disneyland feel with the shops and shows, only it was around Buddha and China. The cable car exits right into a souvenir shop, like the disney rides do!

I looked around in the shops and then continued onto the the statue. It was a 5 minute walk to the base of the stairs that go up to the big Buddha. There were 268 steps upto the top. You know it's big when you first set eyes on it but it's something else to be right at the base looking up. I walked around the statue a few times, taking everything in (the statue and scenery) before deciding to go in. The main floor was open to everyone but you had to buy a ticket for the 2 upper floors. In hindsight, it was something I could have skipped but curiosity got the best of me, so I went for it. The inside was finished and made into exhibit space, but you could check out the the outside just a little higher from the main deck.

After a good look around, I headed back down and towards the Wisdom Path (15 minutes from the main area). At first I wasn't sure if I was headed in the right direction or if there was anything to see, since not too many people were going that way and the path was a bit deserted.

I did eventually come upon it. Basically it looked like a wooden stonehenge with "wisdom" carved into the wood (no translations!). It was interesting to see and the area was quiet and scenic.

I walked back to the main area for a bite and to see the monastery. The ticket I got to enter the Buddha included a snack at the cafe (noodles, dim sum and a drink) - the food was good and hit the spot.

It is Buddha's birthday on May 12th and there is a custom to bathe Buddha statues for his birthday. They also had some shows in honor of the event. I watched the prayer ceremony and the chinese acrobats. Lit some incense and said a few words to the big guy before heading back on the cable car.

When I was standing in line to get on the cable car, the guy behind me was telling his friends that when the cable car first opened, people would be stuck on for hours (great!!). Since the line wasn't very long, I got the cable car to myself (very cool). I was surprised to see one of the cargo like open cars with someone riding it (picture below). The whole experience was amazing!

It was a warm day and I got a little too much sun - my face is a bit red, the rest of me is a little tanned. I came home and took a shower. Dinner with my sister-in-law at a place called Ebenezeers - greek, middle eastern and indian food. We had falafels. We went to the park after dinner with the nephew.

Thursday, May 8th

2008-05-11T08:44:00.002+08:00

This was a take it easy day. It was hot! After the am routine, I headed out for a walk in a different direction. Just looking around here and there. I was in the neighborhood of the Jade Market and went back to check it out while it was open. Had a good time looking around, taking pictures and shopping a bit. The jade market is an indoor market and back in the day I am pretty sure these buildings used to house the meat and fish markets.

Teapots being sold at the Jade market.

I walked back home after the jade market for some lunch and crashed for a bit. I visited with my aunt in the evening, she had picked up some mangosteen (pictured below) for me. We went for a short walk on the waterfront.

Like I said, it was a take it easy day.

May 7th, Wednesday - Stanley Village

2008-05-10T23:06:00.000+08:00

After my morning routine, I headed out for Aberdeen and Stanley (small towns on the far side of the islands). I remembered Aberdeen to be a quaint little fishing town and didn't recall ever having been to Stanley. I took a double decker bus there - it was a very nice & scenic ride. There were a few americans that sat up in the top front with me, turned out they worked for airlines, go figure!

This is the approach to the tunnel that runs under the harbor.

I had planned on going to Aberdeen first and then to Stanley but one look at Aberdeen and I just continued onto Stanley. Aberdeen was now fully developed and little remained of the old charm that I remembered.

Stanley was a pleasant surprise. Between the little market, the main street, the water front and pier, I kept forgetting that this was a part of Hong Kong. The weather was perfect, warm with a nice breeze. The people storekeepers were pleasant and not pushy at all. Parts of the area reminded me of Hong Kong from the 70s, other parts reminded me of Sausalito. I spent hours just taking it all in, including just hanging out at the pier.

This cat is hilarious! One of the storekeepers was playing with him, he likes to chase the guy around the store - so funny to watch. The guy would hide around the shelves and the cat would sneak up on him.... too funny.

After a bite and a frap at Starbucks, I took the bus back .

Album changes

2008-05-08T23:03:00.002+08:00

Hi,

I've been making some changes with the albums and may have inadvertently broken the photo links - the pictures are showing here, but if you should come across any problems with the pictures not showing, let me know.

Kitten up for adoption

2008-05-08T11:13:00.001+08:00

http://scaashanghai.org/gallery2/v/adoptable_pets/cats/Cayden/

Cayden

My name is Cayden. I'm a sweet male kitten (D.O.B. March / April 07) with a tragic beginning and am looking for a happy ending. My rescuer was visiting Shanghai when she heard me screaming from a rubbish bin in a downtown garden. When she found me, I was struggling to get out of the bin where two of my siblings were already dead. My one other sibling, clearly injured from being dumped, died while my rescuer tried to save him too. Without hesitation, or much thought to her return flight home in a few days' time, my rescuer grabbed me and took me home. I was so relieved to be out of danger that I had only two modes: purring and sleeping. Not long after that, I was in my SCAA foster home and enjoying cuddles. But the trauma of abandonment took its toll and I wasn't eating well or going to the bathroom on my own. My good friend Jasper (my foster family's dog) helped me a lot (be sure to ask SCAA how!) and now I'm on my way to being a healthy kitty. Treated for fleas and worms. First vaccination due end of May.

Cayden

Cayden snuggling

Tuesday, May 6th

2008-05-07T19:58:00.004+08:00

After getting a late start (trouble sleeping/woke up late and some dilly dallying in the morning), I headed for the Chi Lin Nunnery & the Nan Lian Gardens (they are adjacent to each other). The portion of the nunnery open to the public included the lotus garden in the front and a Buddhist temple in the back. Once entering the compound, the world outside seemed to disappear, I could hear the fountains, the birds and even the chirpy sounds dragonflies make. Some of the Lotus flowers were in bloom

This is a brazilian cherry plant.

Entrance to the temple.

When I stepped into the temple compound, I could hear chanting, I went looking for where it was coming from but finally figured that it was probably being piped in. The environment was very serene.

Across the street from the nunnery is the Nan Lian gardens - picture below show the lotus garden of the nunnery on the left side and the garden on the right. I remember having been to the Nan Lian garden before, probably before the age of 9. In my memories, the place was much bigger than it actually is. The pagoda below is a part of the garden. After a stroll through there, I headed to the plaza by the subway station and got some lunch (and water!).

A few subways stops from the Nunnery & Gardens are the various markets. There is a walking route that leads you through all of the ones in the area. I decided to skip the flower, bird and goldfish markets and headed straight to the Ladies market (which also sells kids and mens things). The ladies market connects with the Jade market via a walk on Shanghai street, one of the oldest in town. I stopped into the temple along the way.

Along the walk route, behind a public library were a bunch of stalls selling sex toys - odd place for it and odd time of day too..... lol. By the time I got to the jade market, the vendors were closing shop, so after a short look around, I continued on into the night market. By then, I was getting a bit tired, so after a quick look around, I hoped on the subway and headed back home. I hit the subway at commute time - OMG - it was soooooo crowded, like Embarcadero at 5pm (or worse).

Monday, May 5th, Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2008-05-05T23:39:00.003+08:00

After spending the morning with my aunt and cousin, I headed off for a walk along the water front/promenade. It was a very hot and humid day but it was very pleasant along the harbor.

I came upon what is probably the best Starbucks location ever, right there on the harbor, with outdoor seating! It looks like something you would see in Maui or Santa Monica... I had to stop in for a frap!

I sat there for a bit, enjoying the view and the frap. After cooling off a bit, I continued walking down the promenade towards their version of the Walk of Fame (Avenue of Stars).

I used to watch chinese soaps when I was in the 7th grade, I had the biggest crush on Chow Yun Fat!!!

The promenade eventually leads to the clock tower and the star ferry. I took the ferry over to Hong Kong Island - it's a great ride over (and at $1.7 HKD, the best deal ever!).

As you can see, I spent some time taking pictures (these are just a few!!). I headed back to Kowloon on the ferry. And walked back to home base, through some old neighborhoods... a street that the kindergarten was at and we once lived as well (both buildings no longer exist).

There is some weather approaching, it started raining on the way back and there is a nice breeze blowing.

Hong Kong Facts

2008-05-04T22:35:00.003+08:00

Just a few details about Hong Kong:

1. The area consists of Hong Kong island, Kowloon and The New Territories and some islands in the area. The area was leashed by the British for 99 year and that rule ended in 1997, at which point it was handed back to China with special concessions in terms of government for 50 years.

2. The currrency is dollar and cents like ours but it's the Hong Kong dollar, valued at about $7. something for every USD.

3. The drive on the left side of the street.

4. They speak cantonese and some speak english as well.

5. You can get by with english only in this town.

6. The air is much cleaner than Shanghai

7. There is much traffic and the roads are narrow.

8. When I lived here, pre 1997, merchandise in the store was in english (and chinese, don't remember), now it's difficult to find anything that is bilingual, it's all cantonese.

9. Early building/planning was poor so the buildings are crowded together, streets narrow, just a general feeling of congestion. There is little in the way of architecture that would represent the region.

10. There is an incredible subway system and walkways to get people around.

11. Hong Kong is known to be the most densely populated city in the world.

12. Hong Kong is a co-host city for the Olympics this year - for the equestrian events.

13. I lived here from 1974 - 1983, from 1983 - 1989 I was here over the summer breaks only. My brother and his family, dad, and aunt's family still live here.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

2008-05-04T22:23:00.005+08:00

It's been a few days since the last post. Haven't been doing much on the site seeing front, mostly family time.

Friday, I had lunch with my aunt and uncle, we caught up a bit and I got to see some of the wedding video from their daughter (my cousin's) wedding video.

I walked around the old neighborhood a bit. When my sister in law got home from work, we went out for ice cream and a walk to the park. The park is located in the same area as the park we used to play at as kids only now it's over a bus depot and much smaller.

On Saturday, I went to the gym - it's called California Fitness here - and tried out their Body Balance class (combination of Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates). In the afternoon I went to the temple with my sister in law for a show the kids were having (nephew had a part). He goes to the temple for classes, sort of like Sunday school. During the performance, the instructor for each class talked about what the class learned over their session and one of the instructors talked about quiet time, I made a crack to my sil about how the nephew flunked that class, we both laughed.

Later in the day, we (sil, nephew and I) went to Festival Walk, a mall where they have an ice skating rink. The guide book says that in Hong Kong shopping is a religion and this mall is one of the temples, I can see that!! We took the Hong Kong subway system there and back.

Today, Sunday, all of us (dad, sil, brother, nephew and I) went for Dim Sum - it was good! After that dad and nephew went for a movie, sil and I went window shopping (Harbor City) and brother headed home for some down time.

So it's mostly been family time as you can see. I will start with the sites tomorrow.

From Shanghai to Hong Kong

2008-05-02T19:40:00.004+08:00

On Thursday I traveled from Shanghai to Hong Kong. While the flight is not a long one, the door to door time landed up being about 8.5 hours. The business of traveling is just plain tedious between the transit and the queues, it really just wears me down. I woke up at 6am to get going. Hopped into a cab to get to the Maglev (bullet train) to get to the airport. There was hardly any traffic so the ride was short. Got my ticket (40 RMB) and waited on the train. This train makes short time of a long distance. I am sure it took me over an hour to drive into town in a car, but this train does it in 8 minutes (plus the cab ride).

With all that Shanghai is, the airport experience could be better. The lines were long, there was no air conditioning, and I got to my gate just in time for boarding (thanks to the slow serviced lines).

The flight was uneventful, although I am not sure what happened with my seat assignment, I was pretty sure I had picked window seats for every leg but I didn't have that for this one.... hmmmm (yes I know people prefer the aisle but I enjoy looking out the window!!)

Once in Hong Kong, I took the bus into town. After some lunch and some down time. I went to an Indian movie with the sister in law (sil) and her friend. The movie was called Tashan and it was soooooo bad it was funny. Very few indian movies are original, this one had the feel of Kill Bill, Matrix and some wild west movie, all done Indian style. The scenery in the movie was great but the movie was just plain bad (pictures below taken of the movie, ha ha, had to do something while I was sitting there).

Came home for dinner with the family and sil's friends (I forgot to take pictures of the food, sorry!).

Wednesday - Last day in Shanghai

2008-05-02T09:26:00.003+08:00

Wednesday:

After my morning routine (plan for the day, coffee etc), I headed for the Jade Buddha temple.

It's a bit further out than the central part of town but didn't take too long to get to. It was quite crowded with tourists and worshippers. Despite all the people, it was a very serene place. There were a number of buildings with different settings, all with little cushions (like pews) for people to worship.

The temple didn't allow for incense or candles to be lit indoors and had a set up in the central courtyard for lighting and disposing of incense. There was a store to buy incense, ribbons etc. I wanted to get a ribbon but they were sold out so I lit some incense instead. There are two jade Buddha statues, one is upstairs and a lot more secure (they don't even want you taking pictures - sorry mine didn't come out too well). And another one downstairs of the reclining Buddha.

After the temple, I headed to the Antique Market. I used the address in the guide book I was using, which happened to be wrong, so I had to take another cab to the general area and look for it. It is completely possible that there are true antiques available, but mostly they were reproductions. So many fun things to see here.

After taking a lot of pictures here, I walked back to home base and went for lunch. On my way, I saw a butterfly and was lucky enough to picture it.

After the leisurely lunch, I took a long walk in an area where the locals shop and live.

Tuesday

2008-04-30T19:31:00.003+08:00

The weather was hot and hazy. I headed for the Bund for a walk, the breeze was nice and the walk pleasant.

The Bund:

Is an area on the Huangpu river. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas.

The word "Bund" means an embankment or an embanked quay, and comes from the Urdu word band, meaning an embankment, levee or dam (a cognate of English terms, bind and band, German term, bund, etc.).

After strolling up and down the bund, I walked up Nanjing Road (a pedestrian shopping area). It was an interesting walk, a lot of shops/boutiques etc but none of the luxury stores, souvenir places nor the fake shops. Still had a few people soliciting. I had some students talk to me and this time it wasn't about practising english, they wanted me to know go see their art exhibition.

The road lead to People's square and people's park. I took a stroll around the park, hopped into a cab and headed back to the neighborhood for a break and lunch.

We went to sushi for dinner and had a walked a bit along Fuxing Road - interesting architecture and boutiques.

Monday

2008-04-29T08:40:00.006+08:00

Monday:

I know what day it is but have completely lost track of the dates....

My sister had to work. I woke up after she had left. Went to Coffee Bean (didn't that used to be called Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean?) for a coffee and muffin and headed off to see the Yu Garden. This is in the old part of town. The garden itself is behind walls and the area is full of older buildings with shops (tourist type place). There were a lot of people looking for some business.

The architecture was interesting. I eventually found my way to the garden

The gardens were not as crowded as the area outside (almost 1/4 of the crowd) and was interesting to see. I just meandered about and took lots of pictures. There is little in the way of historical information/facts, which is fine as it probably would have been in madarin. I enjoyed the time here, it was a nice break from all the shopping hustlers (lady you want bag, watches, t-shirt, I give you good price). I was actually a bit annoyed with the constant bombarding by the people trying to sell you something but I guess they're just trying to make a living.

http://picasaweb.google.com/v.in.the.fog/ChinaTrip2008/photo#5194591498447458642

There are some cats that live in the garden. I was busy with the camera taking a shot and out of no where a cat jumps down and leisurely walks away, I followed him and we walked up by the little pond and hiked up to an area where there was a little pond he could drink from, after he was done he went back.

A side note - I've noticed pretty black butterflies (or moths) - they are pretty and fly by day, so I assume they are butterflies but when they sit still, their wings are downwards, like a moth. I've seen them at the Yu garden and in the little park downstairs of my sisters apartment.

The exit of the garden takes you right back into the shopping area. Amongst other stores, they have a Dairy Queen and a Starbucks here. Outside of a teashop is a huge fountain(i guess it's called a fountain) teapot and cup - I had to take a picture for S.

The shops continue but as you get away from the main area, the stores get a little more interesting. More regional things, less agressive sales people, and they're just happy to see you appreciate their work. I walked about in a frame store, a statuary, little places with antique type things.

I decided I was going to go back to the apartment for a break and lunch so I started walking in the direction of the main street where it would be easier to find a cab. I've noticed that in this town, the trash is collected in small dumpsters hitched to the back of bicycles. As I was approaching the main street, I heard two cats incessantly meowing and I started looking around to see where they were. I finally noticed, as did others, that there were kittens in the dumpster. I could clearly see one guy struggling to get out. As I looked into the dumpster, I noticed that there were 3 cats, one was dead, the other was laying there meowing and the third guy was trying to get out of the dumpster. The whole scene just got to me, no one was doing anything, just looking at the meowing cats and then stepping back. I saw a box in the side alley and went and got it, used an empty plastic bag and got the kitten into the box. The other cat had died by the time I went to get him. The guy I got was furiously trying to climb out of the box, too. I found a convenience store right there and bought some milk. People were giving me strange looks and I had a crowd surround me as I tried to put some milk in a cup for the guy. He was tiny but not new born, i wasn't sure if he could see so I didn't know how to get him to get the milk, so I put some on him, so he could just lick the milk off. At this point, I was getting distraught by all that I had seen. I went back to some of the nicer store keepers, hoping they would take in the kitten but it was tough with the language and they were just shaking their heads.

So I brought the cat back to my sisters apartment. I cleaned him up a bit, feed him some milk with a straw - he was still very agitated but eventually calmed down and fell asleep. I wrapped up in a towel and put him in a shoe box. I went to work online looking for a shelter in Shanghai, there are no such things! I found two links for rescues but only one link lead to an actual site. I spoke to them and with a donation, they would take the kitten in and care for it until it's adopted. So after the lady got off work, I took the kitten there. I visited with the lady for a bit and then headed back.

Met up with my sister for dinner and had thai food, it was soo good. After dinner, she headed back to get some work done and I walked around a bit before returning. As I was heading back, a young lady came up to me and wanted to walk and talk with me so she could practise her english, I was a bit reluctant at first but all she did was talk, she wanted to know if she should listen to english music to improve her accent etc. Nice girl, it made for a nice walk.

Sunday

2008-04-28T09:00:00.000+08:00

Day 3 - Sunday
We went to place called Taikang Road (it's a long winding alley), a bit off the beaten path and full of flavor.

We had a great breakfast at Kommune. I ordered the "double" coffee, expecting just a larger version of the single, omg it was 4 times bigger!! The food was great and very reasonable.

After breakfast we walked around the alley (many restaurants and boutique shops). It really was a fun little place and we spent a couple of hours there. Many of the pictures on this post are from Taikang Road.

We set out for the pearl market after (the breakfast was enough to be keep us going all day). I have come to realize that most of these markets are not what I had invisioned (an outdoor location with stall after stall) but instead a building with store after store. It was a bit out of the way but a fun visit. The first and third floors were more the same type of products we saw the other day. The second floor on the other hand was all jewelry, pearls, beads, jade etc. In most cases, here too you had to bargain to get the right price. I found some vendors to be a pleasure to shop with and the prices incredibly reasonable that it wasn't worth the headache of haggling.

We stopped by the cyber mart on the way back home - yet another market, here exclusively for electronic products - very much buyer beware!! My sister picked up some speakers after a great deal of hangling (down 50%)

We watch a movie (Juno) and then headed out for dinner with my sisters friends.

The sites so far.

2008-04-27T07:04:00.006+08:00

I promise that there will be pictures to show, just a bit of a technical challenge!. The relic that is this computer will not (amongst other things) plug and play, hence will not recognize the camera via usb cable! Will hunt for card reader today (sister assures me that will work). Haven't seen any big box stores that i can run into for it. Mostly luxury items, souvenir places and clothing boutiques.

On to what I've been doing. I arrive here and to the aparment by around 1pm. Took a shower and walked around the area. It's an interesting mix of new, upcoming and old! Construction every where. I enjoyed the walk into Xiantindi (a park, some intersting alleys and historic buildings), got some Starbucks (sometimes you need one!) - my sister was kind enough to leave me directions on how to find Xintiandi, some money and told me there was Starbucks there.

I found that the people working here were very friendly, the touristy stores were fun to look at but they didn't want you taking pictures (doesn't stop me, hehe). I had been warned about the restroom situation (not very clean, no tp, etc, so I came well prepared) but the restroom here were very clean, with an attendant, nice contempary fixtures (vessel sink), I could go on but you'd think I am nuts.... only problem is people don't believe in lines here, so unless you edge your way into the stall around the others, you're likely to be standing there until the cows come home!

Came back as the jet lag started to catch up with me. My sister arrived from work later that evening and we set out for dinner. Many choices in cuisine here, and my sister was particular in pointing out the many regional options under "chinese" - we went to a schezwan. The restaurant is called Leting and the food was very good, but a bit slow in arriving. We took a walk around the area, some interesting stores (the luxury mall), etc, got some Hagen Dazs and eventually got back here and crashed.

Day 2
The plan was to do things that would be beneficial to have my sister with me (speaks some of the language). So after a light breakfast (where my sister comments on why I must take pictures of food... why not?), we head out to the "market" for some shopping. I had thought this would be some outdoor type of place but it was in a building, 3 floors and store after store of "product". There were some interesting handicrafts and chinese clothing stores but mostly it knock off products from high end makers - purses, jewerly, clothing, etc. Shopping here is not for every one. Why? 1. The minute you touch anything, the sales staff swarm in on you to try and get you to buy it. 2. They expect you to bargain, so the price they give you is bogus 3. Foreigners beware. 4. The sales people are very pushy. I am a leisurely shopper and all of this just made it rather tedious. My sister is quite the bargainer and knows how to talk them up. I was curious as to why both her and sales clerk was laughing at a particular location and the clerk caved on her price - she told me that she said that is the price she wanted to pay and told the clerk she is very pretty! Ha ha, this is something they normally say to butter people up. After a couple of hours here, I walked away with a lot less money and some very interesting cultural items (a little girls chinese outfit, some chops, interesting abstractish asian theme small paintings, etc etc.

We had shanghai-nese dim sum (it was very good but I didn't see why it's shanghai-nese). Headed home for a break after that.

In the evening, we set out for a pedicure (some much needed pampering for my feet). We went to a place near by, it had one of those massage chair and foot spa things. The ladies that worked there were friendly and very tentative.

After the bit of pampering, we set out to the tallest building, the Grand Hyatt, and the restaurant on the top called Cloud 9. We were still quite full from lunch so we ordered up a sampler dessert and some drinks. My sister says it was a perfect girl day - shopping, pedicure and dessert - indeed. The sights were lovely from up here and considering the location, the prices were too bad (we paid about $35 US).

Observations:
1. Vehicles can make a right on red, but don't expect them to stop just because you're crossing in their path.
2. 2 wheeled vehicles (bicycles, mopeds, scooters) will not follow the rule of the road, including driving the wrong way up a one way street.
3. Signals count down to when they will change color.

Inquiring minds want to know...

2008-04-26T08:55:00.003+08:00

1. I flew on a 747-400 (?) from San Francisco to Hong Kong and a 777-300 from Hong Kong to Shanghai

2. The currency here is called Yuan and also RMB (reminbi).

3. They drive on the right side of the street, like us.

4. The airport is called Pudong International Airport. Pudong is the name of the area/district that Shanghai is developing as their Hong Kong or Manhattan.

5. Shanghai was said to be the Paris of the east and now being compared to Manhattan.

6. The development of Shanghai began in 1990 - they've done a lot (and obliterated a lot) in those years. Walking around, you feel like you could be in Hong Kong or Los Angels, except you still see people on bike and in the side alleys you see what was once Shanghai.

7. The air is VERY bad. It's not vehicle emissions as far as I can tell, it's the construction. OMG dust every where. I felt like I was being sand blasted when the breeze was going.

8. Every major luxury product designer has a presence here. There is a mall with just luxury stores - huge stores!

9. One is not to tip waiters or taxi drivers - no idea why.

10. When crossing the streets, not only do you have to watch out of the 4 wheeled vehicles (at the least they follow the signals) you also have to watch out for the 2 wheeled vehicles (they follow their own rules).

First day in Shanghai

2008-04-26T04:06:00.008+08:00

Wow, what a city!

I arrived in Shanghai on schedule. The plane ride was uneventful and good - very good service. I views from the plane at the approach to Shanghai showed what an incredibly large and industrial city this is. There were cargo many cargo ships, buildings, construction cranes....

The airport is just another airport (long walks, lines, etc etc). The officials that work both at the Hong Kong and Shanghai airport are soooooo serious and a bit intimidating. In fact at the passport check area in Shanghai, there are huge signs that say "Be quiet, no cell phones, no photography". The second two are common for the area but be quiet???

It's a long drive but pretty drive into town. The landscaping on either side is very attractive and blocks the view of what is beyond for the most part. In areas where I could see, I saw interesting architecture (housing and buildings). The driver must have thought i was nuts with all the pictures I was taking wizing by in a car. The buildings give Shanghai a Hong Kong feel only there is more space between the buildings and more planning to give the town visual interest. There is construction every where I looked - so many construction cranes.

The weather was pleasant, warm with a mild breeze. Very nice to walk in.

My sister lives in a two story apartment near the Xin Tian Di district. It's an apartment complex, with a lovely garden area in between the buildings. The apartment construction is very contemporary and the views are spectacular.

It's 4am right now and I want to get back to sleep. More updates & photos to follow (have to wake sister for usb cable - I haven't seen a place yet where i could buy one).

More info on Xin Tian Di here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xintiandi

In Transit

2008-04-25T07:42:00.005+08:00

I don't think my body likes sitting on a plane for 14 hours!!! My flight departed at 1:20am and they gave us dinner once in the air (why? - who eats that late?).

Slept a little, watched I am Legend. Right now I am enjoying a mocha and walking around before my next flight. The airport is nice with some cool stores but not too much of it is open at this hour. Very overcast here, hopefully it will be clear in Shanghai.

I realize I've forgotten the usb cable and the card reader - grrrr - hoping my sister has one.

Pixels from the Orient

2008-04-22T06:51:00.003+08:00

On Thursday, April 24, I start a 3 week vacation to Shanghai & Hong Kong. I'll be spending a week in Shanghai with my sister and two weeks in Hong Kong (a place I once called home) with my family.

It's my first visit to Shanghai and it's been about 25 years since I spent any kind of time in Hong Kong. It is sure to be an experience to see it all after living in the states for 20 odd years.