Hong Kong

Right before my birthday in September I had a work trip to Hong Kong. Since my meetings were on a Monday I decided to go Sunday morning to attempt a bit of tourism prior to my meetings. I went with a very vague idea of what to see with only my Lonely Planet as a guide.


Hong Kong and China have a strange relationship. A flight to Hong Kong is an international flight and Chinese citizens require a visa to visit. Hong Kong has its own currency, its own stock market, and a distinctly different culture than the mainland – for example most people speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. I knew Hong Kong was densely populated, on the coast with a series of islands, subject to typhoons and is supposedly an easy place to live as a foreigner.


After landing at the airport I took the train to the subway and then took a shuttle bus to my hotel. The first thing that struck me was how hilly it was – the bus kept going up and turning. Cars drive on the left side of the road – a hangover from the British colonial days which gave me the impression that we were going to crash periodically. There were “sky bridges” crosswalks connecting buildings and multiple layers with people everywhere. It was possible to cross huge distances without actually going outside, either underground or using the sky bridges.


After checking into my hotel I took the subway to the base of Victoria Peak and then hiked up to where the tram station was. The tram was really neat and went almost straight up to view of the harbor and a nice place to view the skyscrapers of the city. There was a pianist performing live music in the shopping mall at the top and I explored an English language bookstore there and people watched for an hour or so. Later that evening I went to dinner with a coworker and his wife in one of the bar areas of the city. People eat later in Hong Kong than Shanghai – we got there about 7:30 and no one was in the restaurant, but when we left at 9:30 it was packed – much more European than Shanghai.


My meetings went well on Monday and I took the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou that evening. Before I left I wanted to buy some English magazines because they are easier to find in Hong Kong. While at a small convenience store I bought several magazines – they then had me push a button for a “lucky draw.” I won – a huge stuffed animal! I couldn't really tell if it was a dog, a horse or a cow, but I looped it over my suitcase and went off to Guangzhou.


Hong Kong intrigued me. I'll be back.
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Wuxi photos - Tai Hu

The photos here took place during my second day in Wuxi. The nature was very refreshing and although there were people there were moments of solitude. We also almost got lost on our way back to the bus parking lot. While I have gotten lost in Shanghai it is a slightly different feeling.

Wuxi II - Tai Hu

That evening we went to a Wuxi show - unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but it was a type of variety show where there was singing, dancing, comedy, a magician and probably other things that I've since forgotten. While it was interesting, a large part of it occurred in Wuxi dialect instead of Mandarin. Humor is one of the most difficult things to translate in any language, but in Wuxi dialect I had no chance. Maybe someday.

Enjoy the shots!

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Changzhou and Wuxi

At the end of August I was able to get away for a long weekend to Changzhou and Wuxi – my first real trip off the beaten tourist path. The Chinese government has invested lots of money in high speed rail – “dong che动车” – which is similar to the TGV in France or the bullet trains in Japan. Several lines have been completed and the one that we took was one of them.

Changzhou & Wuxi - I

The reason why we went to Changzhou was actually because of a poster in the elevator of my apartment building for a dinosaur theme park. After looking at the advertisement for several months we did some research and it was not expensive, on the high speed train line and easy to get to. Since it was still summer season the theme park was open until 11pm and it was a great experience. There was a water park and lots of rides – not quite Cedar Point, but still a lot of fun. Plus, because we went on a Thursday there weren’t that many people there! We could go down the slides in the water park without waiting and most rides had a wait of less than 30 minutes. Eating Chinese theme park food was a hoot too – fried noodles anyone?

We capped off the evening watching the big closing illuminated parade and were the last people to get on our bus before it pulled away.

The next day we took the high speed train another 20 minutes and went to Wuxi. Wuxi is known for a huge movie/television set where they have recreated ancient temples and cities as well as Tai Hu – a huge lake with an island in the middle. They are trying to position themselves like Hangzhou (where I visited with Marisha and Arnel the famous West Lake) as a tourist destination. The pollution in Wuxi is pretty bad – although I have heard it has improved, so it still has room for improvement. However, the people were very friendly and I can see how in the future tourism should increase there.

The first day we went to the three villages movie set. We explored through the fake forest (with plastic flowers on the trees), saw a very impressive horse show reenacting a battle that took place between warring factions and wandered through a replica of the forbidden city – all by ourselves. The horse battle must have had over 100 participants and even though the voice over was in Chinese I got a pretty good idea of what was going on. There was also a fake army training camp where you could test yourself against different obstacles. I did ok with a couple, but the net across the big hole finally got me and I ungracefully came down backwards. The more I learn about medical care in China, the fewer risks I realize that I should take!

The second day we took a bus to Tai Hu and then took a boat across the lake to the Turtle Head island in the center. It is a bit of a nature preserve, except there wasn’t really that much original to the island – most of the temples and sites have been reconstructed, but just the same it was nice to be out of the city and see green again. I sat for a long time on a rock listening to the waves and thinking about Lake Huron. After a full day on the island we crossed back and visited one last temple on the mainland before heading back to the hotel.

I enjoyed exploring these two new places. While they were still major cities in the US definition – each at least a million people, the vibe was different. Prices were lower and the standard of living is also lower. Plus, I saw maybe 3 foreigners the entire time – so these are areas that don’t have the comforts of Shanghai – I don’t think I could find a foreign supermarket or a place to buy large size clothes and that is reassuring (unless you need to live there). The photos here don't include the Tai Hu pictures - will post those under a separate post.

Cheers!

Dragons in the city

There are several elevated highways in Shanghai that provide faster access from north to south across the city. The major intersection of the north-south and east-west roads is visible from our office and I often pause for a second and view the lights and bustle as I refill my water cup throughout the day. Last week as I walked a client out, I showed him the view and he happened to have his camera.

This is what I can see everyday. The legend is that when they were trying to build the highways this interchange - which includes a pedestrian crossway and about eight layers of ramps and highways collapsed twice. They brought in a feng shui master who said that a dragon needed to be erected on the spot in the middle if they wanted to build the road. If you look at the pillar in the very center you can today see a beautifully carved dragon.

Not bad. 不错。

Phil Collins

Today I decided to take a late lunch and headed to one of the many restaurants in our building to satisfy a craving I had. I ordered a very traditional Chinese meal - rice gruel with pork, tripe, salted eggs and meatballs and a side of Chinese broccoli. Trust me - it is an extremely tasty dish! As I tucked into my lunch I started humming along with the music that was playing in the background.

This in itself was not strange - you know I like music and like to sing and I am getting to the point where I recognize the really popular songs here. However, as I kept humming I realized that it was Phil Collins - the greatest hits! I'm not quite sure why he was chosen, but song after song played as I finished my lunch.

It was another one of those - I'm in China - this is strange - why not? moments.

I apologize for the two month pause in my blog. I will blame it on the fact that in the last two months I have been in Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Paris (France), Hefei and another city in Anhui province. I was the MC and spoke at three seminars and added another speech two weeks ago. I have just managed to catch my breath from the whirlwind and try to resettle.

Two years ago on Sunday I arrived in Shanghai. What a two year period.

Cheers!

孩子 (Children)

At the end of July I was able to sneak home for a week where I spent two exhilarating days with Marisha, Arnel and their kids. One of the hardest things about living in China is missing Jadzia and Chie as they grow up. It had been almost a year since I had seen them and 5 and 3 year olds change every day. We had a wonderful visit that was too short as I didn't get my fill of sand castles, chalk drawings and "Tia" hugs.

When I returned to China within the next two weeks my good friends Ade and Nick celebrated the birth of their daughter, Adinda. I was the MC at the seven month ceremony back in June where Nick chose the "girl coconut" which turned out to be correct. :) I was privileged to visit them at the hospital and then last weekend at their house. Adinda's a beautiful baby with great skin and her father's ears! Congratulations to them.

Apologies for the delay in posting. I don't currently have internet at home due to a satellite TV snafu, but will try to be better going forward.

Cheers!

Black

Last week Shanghai experienced a once in 300 year event.  There was a full solar eclipse, best visible from China. Tours were booked to view this once in several lifetimes event and everyone from taxi drivers to hawkers in the subway were talking about it.

Unfortunately it rained in Shanghai on Wednesday morning, so I was unable to view the eclipse in its glory.  I took the subway to work because of the rain and when I came to the surface it was pitch black - midnight kind of black- definitely not a typical weekday morning.  I went up to my office building and slowly watched over the next ten minutes as it got lighter and lighter and then day continued.

I watched the news that evening and the city had taken unprecedented measures to control the effects of the eclipse.  Streetlights were turned on, thousands of extra police and crossing guards were stationed, at airports planes operated under night protocols.  All for an event that lasted in total about 30 minutes.  No major accidents were reported and all were safe.

After viewing the switch from light to darkness I understand why in ancient times people feared the world was ending. The total lack of control and disappearance of the sun reinforces for me that there is something greater and reminds me how little my troubles affect the movement of the earth around the sun.  A good lesson from the blackness.

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