At Last! We are on our way. We have a 11am flight to Chicago, then leave there at 4pm. We arrive in Dublin at 5am on Sunday and have a flight to Amsterdam that arrives at noon. All packed and ready to go. Two carry-ons that weigh in at 22lbs and then two daypacks. Have double thought every item, Bill has not!... read more

We are finally home!! We left Shanghai under rainy skies at 2pm Sunday. Arrived in San Fran about 8am Sunday morning, traveling back in time!! Left San Fran at 10:30am and then to Denver and then KC. We arrived home about 7pm. Gus was overjoyed to see us. And everything here at the house was intact. We have a great trip and made lots of memories. I would definitely recommend China to anyone with a sense of adventure. ... read more

Some of the guys got up early today (5:45) to go to the Big Bamboo bar to watch the Rose Bowl game - they drank some pints, played some pool and were disappointed in the game results. Then back they came to the hotel for breakfast brunch. They all took a nap after that. We went to the Orient Pearl TV tower on the Pudong side of Shanghai. They wouldn't let us up (see pic). Then walked along the Huangpu river with all its barge traffic. Then took a ferry over to the Bund which is a world famous riverfront walkway of beautiful buildings in a variety of architectural styles. We then walked down Nanjing Road which probably had close to a million people on it or so it seemed. For dinner that night we went ... read more

Happy New Year's Eve!! We had a wonderful buffet breakfast at our hotel and went off on a shopping trip to a market about 15 min. away. Gucci, Coach, Fendi, Juicy Couture, Rolex, Chanel, etc., etc. You name it they've got it or can get it... Bartering is a sport here and everyone in our group loves it and tries to find the best bargain. That afternoon we went to Yu Yuan Gardens built in the 1500's for an emperor. Was a gorgeous maze of rock garden, pavilions and water features. We attended a New Year's Eve Party at the Marriott down the street. The older cousins who could attend thought this would be a bunch of older people having a boring time but it wasn't. We walked into rap music with a pounding bass. It ... read more

Everybody visited the same places today but at different times. Some of the highlights were the Ruins of St. Paul which is an icon for Macao, next to it is the Monte Fortress with great views of the city. Also visited was Fisherman's Wharf which is a complex of areas featuring different architecture, restaurants and shops such Portugal, New Orleans, Old Macao. Took to the bus to Cotai between th islands of Taipa and Coloane and visited the Venetian. They had great shopping and food arcade. We found a great new casino game, video roulette. A covered roulette wheel is surrounded by 8 video screens on which you bet. The boys thought they were great fun. That night we went to a neat little Portuguese restaurant and with dinner drank some vinho verde, a very popular ... read more