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February 14th 2010
I just started a new job as an oilfield service engineer in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and I took a few pictures to show what the area looks like. And if it looks like I’m living in the middle of nowhere, that’s because I pretty much am. My city is not bad sized at a population of about 20,000, but I can drive out of town in any direction and not see a single house or building for at least 100 miles. The land is mostly brown rolling hills and buttes, and it’s really wide open. There are no trees to obstruct visibility, so usually you can see straight out to the horizon. Rock Springs is set in a valley with a giant plateau called White Mountain serving as the backdrop of the city. Although Rock Springs ... read more
July 8th 2009
This weekend, I took a trip by myself up to the seaside city of Qingdao, located in the northeastern peninsular province of Shandong. Once under German rule, the European influence in Qingdao is still apparent in many of the older houses and mansions around the city. More recently, Qingdao has become a popular destination for local tourists because of its many bathing beaches. I arrived on Friday afternoon and found that my hostel was right across the street from the main swimming beach. I spent most of the first day exploring the beach and coastline in my near vicinity. The main beach was crowded with hundreds of people relaxing, swimming, or playing games such as badminton or volleyball. Renting jetskis and boats is also a popular activity. Most of the men wear a short tight bathing ... read more
June 29th 2009
This weekend, I travelled down to Hong Kong, which is in the southern province of Guangdong. Although officially under Chinese control since 1997, Hong Kong’s political and socioeconomic system is still completely different from the rest of the mainland. My first impressions were of how much clearer and more livable it was than the other cities I’ve visited. Unlike the rest of China, which thrives on manufacturing and construction, Hong Kong’s economy is service-based, and it is definitely noticeable. Virtually everyone here speaks English, even clerks in the smallest convenience stores. The city looks and acts like a European city, and remnants of the British rule are still present in the double-decker buses and some of the old architecture. Visually, Hong Kong probably has one of the nicest ocean settings of any city in the world. ... read more
June 23rd 2009
For the weekend of June 13, we took a group field trip to Zhujiajiao, a water town on the outskirts of Shanghai. Canals, gardens, and stone-cobbled streets are the trademarks of this community. Although unique compared to the bigger cities in China, Zhu Jia Jiao looked like basically a smaller version of Suzhou to me. There’s really nothing else to say about it. Of course, there are temples and historical galleries, but not as impressive as the ones I’ve seen in every other city I’ve visited. I didn’t do much of anything else notable during the weekend, just walked around People’s Square Park and Pudong. I went pretty deep into Pudong, all the way to the Science and Technology Museum metro stop, where I did some knock-off shopping for polo shirts. Outside, the atmosphere is much ... read more
June 15th 2009
This weekend, I flew with my parents down to the city of Guilin, which is in the southwest province of Guangxi. The main attractions here are the giant limestone formations, known as karst peaks, that rise up all around the city. Formed naturally by many years of acidic rainwater erosion, most of the steep rock formations are now layered with abundant vegetation. We arrived Friday afternoon in Guilin, and our first visit was the appropriately named Elephant Trunk Hill on the Li River. We hiked up the steps of the steep embankment to the top, where we got a spectacular view of bamboo canoes and boats passing by on the Li River below. The city expands westward away from the river, and karst peaks were visible in every direction. After spending most of the afternoon exploring ... read more
June 8th 2009
This weekend, I took a trip to the cities of Suzhou and Nanjing, which are both just west of Shanghai. We headed out from the Shanghai Railway Station Friday morning and spent a full day exploring Suzhou. On Friday night, we hopped on another train to Nanjing, where we stayed until Sunday afternoon. Although most Chinese refer to Suzhou and Nanjing as small towns compared to Shanghai, both cities boast populations in the millions. Apparently, small is a very relative term in China. Suzhou, famous for its remarkable gardens and network of canals, has developed into a popular destination for tourists. After picking up a map and orientating ourselves with the city, our first stop was the Humble Administrator's Garden, the largest and most prominent garden in Suzhou. Although crowded with lots of tourists, the landscape ... read more
June 1st 2009
On Saturday, they loaded our entire group onto a bus and took us on a field trip to several different places in Shanghai. First, we stopped by the Urban Exhibition Planning Center, which is right on the edge of People's Square. They showed us the layout of the city and the future plans for subway and infrastructure development. The most impressive part was the giant scale model of the downtown area of Shanghai. Next, we stopped off at the Bund and took the sightseeing tunnel under the Huangpu River to Pudong. Once out on the other side of the river, we were standing right in the middle of the tallest skyscrapers in Shanghai. Up close, the Pearl Tower looks like some kind of giant transformer out of a science fiction movie, ready to sprout arms and ... read more
May 22nd 2009
After class on Thursday we walked to Xujiahui Park, which is only about two blocks from the University. One of the Chinese volunteer students that attends Jiaotong University was our tour guide. It turned out to be a very nice, clear day, and the lush vegetation of the park provided a much needed escape from the city. Afterward, we walked down one of the streets lining Metro City Mall and got some pork and chicken kabobs from the street vendors, which is pretty popular among the people here. Later Thursday night, I went with some guys to a bar called “The Shelter”, which had been renovated from an old bomb shelter. From the street, the entrance looked like just a hole in the wall, but luckily one of the guys had looked it up online. Otherwise, ... read more
May 18th 2009
On Sunday, a group of us went down to the Bund, which is probably the most recognizable part of Shanghai. The Bund is a famous walkway that runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River. We used the metro to travel from the southwestern part of the city, where SJTU is located, to East Nanjing Road. The roundtrip was about 8 RMB, or just over $1 US. When we got off at Nanjing Road, we followed the crowds east a few blocks until we got to the river. Nanjing Road is probably the biggest shopping center in Shanghai, and a large section of the road is pedestrian only to accommodate the enormous crowds. The Bund area provided us with an excellent view of the skyscrapers in Pudong across the Huangpu River, symbolic of China's rapid ... read more
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