Just a quick note before we leave for Shanghai. Last night we wanted to have an night on the town. Unfortunately there is a small typhoon to the south that is headed for Thailand but causing wind and rain here. There was a short break in the weather and we headed out for Hong Kong Central. We tried the club scene of Lan Kwai Fong, but the restaurants did not look appealing. We started wandering and ended up on Hollywood Road and found an Italian restaurant called Goccia. We had a locals experience. It was nice and upscale and for the [View Full Entry]

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Before we take off tomorrow to return to Shanghai, here are my thoughts on Hong Kong. It has been a long time since I was in New York City but my impression is that Hong Kong is a mix of London and NYC with a Chinese flair. It is very international. There are people, shops, and restaurants from all over the world. When we get back to mainland China, it will be China. Where we are staying is in Kowloon which could be considered the "Queens or Brooklyn" of Hong Kong. It is more residential with a lot of shops and [View Full Entry]

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Hello. It has been a few days. We have left Suzhou and are now in Hong Kong. We have spent the last few days seeing the sights. Here is the latest. Our last few days in Suzhou were interesting. I am calling Tuesday, July 25th the Towers of Babel Day. It started with a misunderstanding with the hotel laundry. I asked them to deliver laundry that they said was already done and they thought I had laundry for them to pick up. I then made the mistake of thinking I could find a dress shirt for a tall man in China. [View Full Entry]

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We are in Suzhou for another few days. This blog is more an observation of Chinese culture than a description of places. Please enjoy the pictures. I took a leap of courage and walked around Suzhou on Friday. It was interesting to see the hustle and bustle of the city, learn to navigate crossing a street and basically learning where everything is located. I feel very safe walking around. Everday I get a little braver and try new things to accustom myself to the culture. I really did not do to much other than walking. I stopped at tea/coffee house to [View Full Entry]

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We have been in Suzhou for a few days now. I have only really had one day of sightseeing. Please forgive the scattered nature of the description. I have familiarized myself withhistory of the area that gives a big picture of the history. On Tuesday, I went to the park that is next door to the hotel while Dave was at work. It is down the street and around the corner. On the way, I stopped for lunch at a tea restuarant for vegetable soup and fresh fruit (watermelon, canteloup and bananas). It is beautiful garden that dates back at least [View Full Entry]

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The day after our medical exams (Saturday) we went down to People's Square and the Shangahi museum. This was a day for cultural immersion. We started in Renmin park. The older folks were out practicing TaiChi throughout the park. There was a large lotus pond with many people taking pictures, including me. I've included only a couple of the many I took. There was also a small band of people playing traditional Chinese music. The museum was great! It was nice to get a sense of the history and culture of China. Many of the items dated back 6000 years. They [View Full Entry]

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Today we went to the medical center for our entrance medical exam. It was a standard physical but with a different person conducting each test. As soon as we finished with one test, we moved to the next room for the next one. The morning was a bit stressful because we did not expect to have to do the exam so quickly. We have pretty much stayed in today to let the jet lag hit us. Hopefully, we will be acclimatized in the next day or so. Since I did not get to attach photos yesterday, I have attached them to [View Full Entry]

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We survived the 14 hour flight from Chicago to Shanghai. Business class was hard to get used to but we managed. We spent a bit of time today walking around Old Shanghai and the shopping district of Nanjin Lu. We also went to the Yu Yuan Garden and the Peace hotel. The Yu Garden was interesting. It has a lot of paths and nooks. If you really took your time and focused, it could be a very reflective experience. Interestingly, it blocked out the noise of the city. It has traditional Chinse architecture, multiple rock gardens and ponds. Anywhere you could [View Full Entry]

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