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Asia » China » Shanghai February 7th 2024

Tour Day 118, Cruise Day 16 – Day at Sea Tour Day 119, Cruise Day 17 – Day at Sea Tour Day 120 & 121, Cruise Day 18 & 19 –Shanghai, China – Just a note for my irregular readers and a refresher for my regular readers. I began the application process for a Chinese visa long before my departure from the United States last October, but, part way through the application, I was asked if my arrival would be by land or air. A small drop-down box (the ones with the question mark) informed me that arrivals by sea would have to complete their application in person at a Chinese Embassy. The closest embassy to Mesa, Arizona is Los Angeles, California (a one-day drive each way) but I learned that there was, fortunately, an embassy ... read more

Asia » China » Shanghai January 7th 2024

Am 7. Oktober frühstückte ich ein vorerst letztes Mal in Taipeh. Ich wünsche der Stadt und der Insel alles Gute und hoffe, dass sie nicht bald das Opfer einer chinesischen Invasion werden. Mein Spaziergang zum Abschluss führte mich zum nahegelegenen Xingtian Temple. Der ist relativ modern und war auch wieder gut besucht. Der ursprünglich geplante National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine wäre etwas weiter weg gewesen und ich hatte nur Late Checkout bis 12:00. Ich checkte also für meine Flüge online ein und badete nochmals, bevor ich mit dem MRT zum Flughafen Taipeh Taoyuan fuhr. Hatte ich schon gesagt, dass die Bahn dorthin etwas langsam fährt? Immerhin hatte ich dort einen Sitzplatz. Am Airport angekommen, erlebte ich eine Überraschung bei der Gepäckabgabe. Anders als auf dem Hinflug, konnte ich mein Gepäck nur bis zum Zwischenstopp in Shanghai aufgeben ... read more
Der Xingtian Temple zum Abschluss in Taipeh.
Der Xingtian Temple zum Abschluss in Taipeh.
Der Xingtian Temple zum Abschluss in Taipeh.

Asia » China » Shanghai » Huangpu December 17th 2021

Day One: The taxi ride to my new hotel took about 40 minutes and since it was the tail end of rush hour we got stuck in the traffic on the motorway quite a bit. The funniest sight was an ambulance pulled up in the middle by the bollard where the slip road veers off from the main highway. It seemed like a odd place to stop. I just hope he figuring out his journey and nothing more serious was going on. My taxi driver couldn't find my hotel as where his GPS guided him to was a random place. I didn't have the language skills to help him and my phone was out of data. Luckily, there was some kind of policeman (China has a few different types of police/security and I don't know the ... read more
Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai

Asia » China » Shanghai December 3rd 2021

Journey The bus journey to the hotel took about an hour to an hour and a half. I'm glad that there was only eight of us on the bus as it meant we got to spread out. The driver was in full hazmat gear and roped off from us. It was weird leaving the airport and driving along the empty roads. Traffic must have really dropped off now there are so few international flights and I presume domestic flights still aren't at pre-pandemic levels. Looking at the slightly hazy sky, I was thinking yes I am back. The nice empty roads didn't last too long and as we got further into central Shanghai, we met up with plenty of traffic. I was starting to get a bit travel sick on the bus as I was so ... read more
Lunch
Room
Breakfast

Asia » China » Shanghai » Pudong December 1st 2021

Background When I left China at the end of 2019, I was only meant to be gone for a few months. Do a bit of travelling around Eastern Europe, get a new work visa and then return to start my dream job. Well Covid 19 truly screwed up that plan. At first I wasn't too bothered as it meant I got to stay in Europe for a bit longer and snuck in an extra couple of weeks travelling. Then China and most other sensible countries shut their borders and eventually the UK went into lockdown. When things started to open up in summer 2020, I thought I would get back to China, but the job I was meant to start back in March didn't seem possible as only major companies in major cities could secure the ... read more
Leeds
Leeds
Leeds

Asia » China » Shanghai March 25th 2021

24th March - Ancient Water Town: Exploring Zhujiajiao #heygo http://www.heygo.com Zhujiajiao Water Town is situated forty seven kilometers away from Shanghai. It is a typical and ancient water town in Qingpu District, south of the Yangtze River, which has almost 1,700 years of history. Zhujiajiao, also called “The Venice of Shanghai”, features lovely waterways, curved rock bridges, old streets cemented with stone, and over 10,000 buildings dating back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911). The village prospered through clothing and rice businesses. Fangsheng Bridge one of 36 bridges, Built in the 17th century, the 70-meter-long Fangsheng Bridge is now the most well-known landmark in Zhujiajiao. Fangsheng means release animals in Chinese. Local people believe releasing animals means you are merciful to animals and Buddha ... read more

Asia » China » Shanghai March 17th 2021

http://www.heygo.com 14th March - Shanghai People's Park and People's Square The Shanghai Marriage Market is a marriage market held at People’s. Parents of unmarried adults flock to the park every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. to trade information on their children. The primary goal of attending the marriage market is for parents to find a suitable partner for their child. The standards of finding the right match may be based upon, but not limited to age, height, job, income, education, family values, Chinese zodiac sign, and personality. All of this information is written on a piece of paper, which is then hung on long strings among other parents' advertisements for their children. The parents walk around chatting with other parents to see if there is a harmonious fit only after their children's standards ... read more

Asia » China » Shanghai March 13th 2021

http://www.heygo.com 12th March - A night stroll along the Bund Alice was our guide again, I joined her a couple of days ago for a walk during the day along the Bund. It was midday in U.K. and 8pm in Shanghai. Alice made us all laugh when instead of pointing out the skyline buildings with her finger she produced a chopstick from her pocket. The clock tower building is The Shanghai National Post Office, built in 1924 with an interesting mix of European styles of architecture. It is now a historical landmark under protection as the Shanghai Postal Museum. Inside the museum, there is a statue of Mr. Zhu Xuefan who was the first minister of the postal department. There is also a display of oracle bones that records military correspondence. There is also a stamp ... read more

Asia » China » Shanghai March 10th 2021

http://www.heygo.com 10th March - The Bund Shanghai As we started our stroll along The Bund the first sight was something more familiar with New York. The Bund’s ‘Charging Bull’ has become a popular attraction on the waterfront. At 5.2-meters long, 3.2-meters high and a whopping 2.5 tons in weight, it is almost identical to the original Wall Street Bull on which it is based – only “redder, younger and stronger,” according to the artist of both, Arturo Di Modica. Designed to represent the growing virulence and power of China’s economy, it was unveiled on May 15, 2010, after the global financial crisis and just ahead of Shanghai’s Expo extravaganza, in a boast that the country was immune to the economic woes of the rest of the world. Several people were having photographs taken but we managed ... read more

Asia » China » Shanghai March 2nd 2021

http://www.heygo.com 2nd March - Yuyuan Bazaar Shanghai I visited this area back in 2010, & whilst the lovely old traditional building haven’t changed, the area around the Tea House resembled a theme park. A lot of the displays were still there following the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations but some I think are now permanent ! I remember better visiting the Yuyuan Gardens which is next to the bazaar so fingers crossed our new virtual guide will take more tours in a less commercial area. I guess some of the virtual guests had not visited Shanghai before were interested to see the local arts and different foods on offer. Yuyuan Bazaar location - Originally there was just a temple that was built in the 15th Century. Over 100 years ago there was an increase in pilgrims ... read more




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