Blogs from Pudong, Shanghai, China, Asia - page 3

So, onto day 2 (written by guest choir tour members Sophie and James!). We woke up to an amazing selection of breakfast goodies, including the most delicious pancakes with maple syrup and fruity fillings. After having stuffed ourselves with savoury and sweet dishes, we got ready and hopped into a taxi to continue our sightseeing experiences in Shanghai. We decided to continue our bus tour, sitting on the open top deck with a similarly strong wind gust (but thankfully not as perilous as the bridge yesterday!). After seeing various parks and high end shopping boutiques (think, Cartier, Dior, etc.), we stopped off at the Jade Buddha Temple. There were some beautiful authentic Chinese buildings housing Buddhas with different faces and personalities, and an unofficial tour guide informed us about praying to particular Buddhas and the parts ... read more

After a mere four months living in Shanghai, it's time to move on again. The reasons for our departure are not going to be publicised on the internet but for any of you who gave us advice on moving here, it isn't because we don't like Shanghai or China. However, a new job awaits us in a whole new country and it's time to say goodbye to Shanghai. Here are your best bits...... motorbikes held together with sellotape..... brown furry dogs (are they poodles?)....... *hurrrrockkk......* (the noise and pregnant pause before someone spits in the street)....... several small toffee apples on sticks....... babies in split crotch trousers so they can pee on the floor...... brown furry dogs in clothes...... old people shoving you out of the way on the metro...... electric bikes silently appearing behind you ... read more

This is quite a belated blog, as we've been in China for three months now. You know how things are when you are starting a new job and moving to a new country, and then getting addicted to games like Candy Crush Saga and reading The Daily Mash?..... No? .....Just us then? Hitting the Chinese ground running We landed at Pudong airport in Shanghai early on a Tuesday morning back in September and were picked up by the very efficient and chirpy English assistant from our university department. She drove us to Shanghai Ocean University and dropped us at the campus hotel, where we were to stay for the first three nights. "You must be tired, so you should have a rest" she said perceptively. Noone looks good after an 11 hour flight, especially on top ... read more

The city of Shanghai has several things that give it a unique character. The Bund is the strip of river front, the embankment, where there is a row of early 20th century buildings constructed in a European architectural style. It is this early skyline that gave rise to the descriptive saying of 'Paris of the East.' In the last ten to fifteen years a modern architectural skyline has developed on the opposite bank of the Huangpo river. This skyline offers one of the best light shows in the world rivaling Las Vegas, Tokyo, Time Square and any others. The Shanghai Museum is a jewel box of pleasures. It is manageable in size, easy to navigate, with galleries on a human scale. It is lacking strength and depth with the Tibetan objects but more than makes up ... read more

We’re a little late to breakfast, and I miss out on the banana smoothies. Bugger! I’ll have to make do with waffles coated in peanut butter and maple syrup. The checkout is easy, Elva and the driver collect us and on to the airport. The flight to Singapore is uneventful, there’s the usual good entertainment system and late lunch to fill us up. At Singapore airport, we head to the Burger King for dinner, but find we have to wait awhile because a plane load of people have been delayed and they’ve all got dinner vouchers. For Burger King. Crazy. Anyway, we have a few hours to while away, so we do a little duty free shopping, and eventually on the plane home. Home at last, to a relatively cool early morning in Perth, quick customs ... read more