The Final Morning

Well can you believe it???? I am all packed and ready to come home! What a long trip it has been. I hope you have enjoyed my blog and will continue to update as I keep reorganizing my photos... I only skimmed the surface of this trip... I have lots of catching up to do when I get home.

Please note the additional luggage I have had to add to my collection so that I can get home... I hope my parents bring the big car to pick me up at the airport!

Thank you for listening! See you in the States! :)

Shanghai Nights

Shanghai 2006

Some Sights of Shanghai:

Suzhou Silk Process

The cocoons are separated, then boiled and then attached to spindles. The silk on spindles are dyed and then feed into the loom for weaving. The double cocoons (twins) are boiled and then streched. They are pulled out by 4 workers and layered to make duvets.

Famous Gardens of Suzhou

Before we hit the Silk factory we had to hit the famous Suzhou gardens.

Meijiawu Tea Farm, Hanzhou

These bushes on the hill are tea bushes - this was our trip to the tea farm. China is the largest grower of tea in the world. Hangzhou is famous for its green tea. The farmers wife spends about 11 hours picking the tea leaves. Leaves are picked in the spring and the autumn (those are the best!), the farmer then dries them in the vat that is heated, he has to be careful not to scorch the leaves. He use tea oil to make sure the leaves are roasted correctly.

We are served green tea which is good for reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol.

The final photo is Rachel, Sarah, Bing (the most fabulous guide!) and me... Now we are off to Suzhou, home to the famous Silk Factories! Shopping....

West Lake, Hangzhou July 21

Here are a bunch of photos from our trip on the west lake. Pictures include the peacocks running free, the carp pond, and our boat trip around the lake, check out Keri, Rachel, Sarah and I - we are having lots of fun! But what else is new!

1st Morning in Shanghai!

We arrived in Shanghai about 9 pm, so we went off to bed and caught up on emails.

The next morning we checked out of our hotel (we left our big bags and packed overnight bags) and left for Hangzhou. Our 1st stop out of Shanghai was a meeting with a Real Estate company to talk about real estate opportunities in Shanghai. We were also show the condo complex "Verona" that they are building quite impressive for 80,000$ - anyone interested in property outside of Shanghai? Value will probably double to triple in the next couple of years!


We arrived in Hangzhou and checked into our hotel. (Check out the flower display in the hotel lobby!)Hangzhou is home to the famous West Lake - we took a walk around the lake in the evening and watched a fountain/light show. We even stopped for a Dairy Queen chocolate dipped cone! It was yummy!

Shanghai or Bust!

On July 19th we traveled from Zhangjiajie to Shanghai. Zhangjiajie has a very little airport but has the most spectacular views. Here is a view from the airport. The hole you see in the mountain is the one that several Russian fighters flew through during an air show... Pretty impressive!


On the 19th we also went to underground caves - it was great because the temperatures reached 102 degrees... Extremely hot! Here are some pictures from inside the cave. (They lit up the caves will some colored lights so some of the photos are weird!)

Zhangjiajie National Park

Day 2 in Zhangjiajie National Park - some photos from our 5 mile walk.











We even got to see Monkeys playing in the woods!

Jhangjiajie National Park

Jhangjiajie National Park is the equivalent to our Grand Canyon - Check out the photos - it took 2 bus rides (we named "Mr. Toads Wild Ride" and a Gondola trip to the top!) Absolutely breath taking!

A Family Visit in Xiangtan, Hunan

Today we went to Hazel’s home. Hazel and her friend Bessie are 2nd years students at the University. Hazel and her parents invited Greg and me to her home. Hazel is studying broadcasting and Bessie is studying mathematics/economics. They pick us up at the hotel and off we go. Hazel lives in the city so it is a short ride to her house. Her dad and mom greet us, along with Blackie and Pee Pee her 2 dogs. The dogs are a little shy around us; I guess they are not use to our American sent. We sit in a small room where Hazel’s mom brings out watermelon, grapes and "Kirkland" Cashews (the ones you get at BJ’s – Hazel’s Uncle lives in LA and sends them things!) Hazel and Bessie ask us all different questions about our lives in the US. They are particularly interested in dating, and American University life. They really want to come to the United States to study. The US would be very pleased with these talented young ladies. I share with them my pictures of all my students, QMS and my house. They are amazed that it is so big. They think all of my students are cute and they especially pick out one 2nd period student who is exceptionally tall – they can’t believe how grown up she looks...

Hazel’s dad is in charge of the cooking and he creates a feast! I ask Hazel if this is what she regularly eats, she says no. We have chicken, beef, jullianed potatoes, corn soup, rice, and a special dish that has pork and egg pinwheels – this dish is made especially for the spring festival – it is to welcome friends. He also make a steamed fish dish will hot green Chile peppers, I have never tasted such fresh fish before! The fish was so fresh because after Hazel's dad catches it he brings home the fish and stocks his pond in the back yard. When they want fish for dinner he gets his net and scopes it out… talk about fresh! We also have Great Wall red wine (my favorite). We make many toasts and feel very welcomed by this family! Greg and I both agreed it was the best meal we have had since coming to China.