Blogs from Pudong, Shanghai, China, Asia

CHRIS At the Chinese airport, the lounge was really boring. Only a few chairs and some drinks. On the plane I couldn't watch any movies because my headphones had a problem with the cord because one of the ends of the bit where you connect it to the armrest broke off. So I watched the Ipad instead and ate a lot of kitkats. When we got to Tokyo about 1:30 we caught a fast train back to Shinjuku station where our hotel, Keio Plaza Hotel was waiting for us with a small but nice room. The toilets are almost too good to mention, they have lots of buttons on them. We ate out at tepanyaki where it took a little while to find it but it was delicious and Mum and Dad said I ate very ... read more

Day 5. Beijing/Shanghai/Suzhou Today we flew to Shanghai, then moved on to Suzhou by bus, not too far but a lot of travel on the journey southbound. Originally founded in 514 BC, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of rich history, and relics of the past are abundant to this day. The city's canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens have contributed to enjoyment of being in the south. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it has also been an important centre for China's silk industry. The classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. Suzhou is often dubbed the ‘Venice of the East’. We took a trip on the canal, but of note really was the fact we shot more pictures standing on the corner ... read more

Nanny has returned to visit us for a 4th time in Shanghai and, as we are nearing the end of her nearly 6 week stay, we thought we would write a little blog to let you all know what craziness she has been up to! We timed the trip really well so she has packed as much as possible in. Firstly, there was the Year 3 Production of The Nightingale starring William as a wonderful Magician. Then, came the D'Oscars (Dulwich Oscars) with Sophie taking a starring role in the opening dance sequence. In the middle of the trip was the Spring Music Concert starring Sophie and William as two fifths of the Chinese drums group, as well as in the Lao Ze Choir, and also Ian in the Adult Choir singing an Andrew Lloyd Webber ... read more

Hey y'all! If anyone has any recommendations of things to do see, minus the obvious things I would love to hear it. I will be staying at hostels and have never traveled China before so I can use any advice website, links, anything that will make my time there that much better. Cheers, Summer... read more

CEIBS offered all of the exchange students the opportunity to take a free beginner Mandarin course. Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity - not only would it be very useful, but it was free. I was all excited for the first lesson yesterday thinking that they would provide some magic trick for communicating with basics in this language. I could not have been more wrong. We spent the entire first class on the phonetics. This makes sense, as it is a very different language than Western languages and it involves both new noises, as well as tones. What I didn't expect was to discover that I was tone deaf. And that my mouth cannot make certain sounds, no matter how hard I try (I blame my pudgy cheeks as I was repeatedly told they were somehow ... read more

Nonii, eka päivä ulkomailla vietetty reissun tiimoilta. Suomesta lumimyräkän keskeltä noustiin lentokoneeseen. Isukit saattoivat meidät lentokentälle ja eivät malttaneet oikein lähteä kotimatkalle, oisivat varmaan halunneet lähteä mukaan.. 14 tuntia oli yhteensä lentoa, siinä muutamat leffat kyllä kerkesi katsomaan. Aamuyhdeksältä saavuttiin aurinkoiseen Shanghaihin. Käytiin ostamassa junaliput Pekingiin huomista varten valmiiksi. Nälkäisinä suuntasimme kungfu pikaruokalaan josta saimmekin heti alkuun mukavan kulttuuriherätyksen paikallisiin ruokailutottumuksiin (ks. kuva). Hotellille löytäminen oli pienen mutkan takana ja käytiin vähän tutustumassa paikalliseen lähiöasuinalueeseen, missä mummelit istuivat ringissä päiväänsä ja lasten laulu raikui koululuokasta.. Iltapäivällä sitten kohti kaupunkia, prepaid liittymä kännykkään ja Hansun asunnon m... read more