Our family trip to Shanghai - Beijing was an adventure and a half. We definitely gained stories to tell our grandkids one day, from the kid's "Bieber Fever" mode, the WILD crying sumpongs, HOOKER cards with phone numbers, and of course our asshole tour guide "FOX" who NEVER TOOK a bath. HAHAHA!!
15 years since my last visit to Beijing... last time I was there, no one knew how to talk in English... and toilet seats were VERY HARD to find. Now, amazing architectures fill the skies & colorful LED lights light the bridges. It's amazing how much China has changed.
And I actually got to practice my lame / semi non-existent Mandarin skills. HA-HA.
View from 1148ft ++ up, Shanghai, China
PHOTO w/ Leica d-lux4
Going up the Orient Pearl Tower was interesting. I was never afraid of heights... maybe I'd get nervous for a second, but I can usually shake it off. But when we reached the top floor, I saw the OUTDOOR observation deck (which had a GLASS FLOOR) .....and I totally CHICKENED MY ASS OUT.
Must be the strong wind... I dunno. I was CHICKEN SHIT that day. ... Admit ko na! =|
The Oriental Pearl Tower (Chinese: 东方明珠塔; pinyin: Dōngfāng Míngzhūtǎ, official name: 东方明珠电视塔) is a TV tower in Shanghai, China.
The design of the building is said to be based on a verse of the Tang Dynasty poem Pipa Song by Bai Juyi about the wonderful sprinkling sound of a pipa instrument, like pearls, big and small falling on a jade plate (大珠小珠落玉盘/大珠小珠落玉盤/dà zhū xiǎo zhū luò yù pán).
(info from Wikipedia)The Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai, China (at night)
PHOTO w/ Leica d-lux4
We had to hike down 2 blocks to get to the Expo since our bus can't go in the street. Too bad that the line going in would take 3 HOURS.... so we all backed out and took pictures outside instead.
Expo 2010 Shanghai China (simplified Chinese: 中国2010年上海世界博览会; pinyin: Zhōngguó Èrlíngyīlíng Nián Shànghǎi Shìjìe Bólǎnhuì) was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in the city of Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992. The theme of the exposition was "Better City – Better Life" and signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as the "next great world city" The Expo emblem features the Chinese character 世 ('world', Chinese "shì") modified to represent three people together with the 2010 date. It had the largest number of countries participating and was the most expensive Expo in the history of the world's fairs. The Shanghai World Expo was also the largest World's Fair site ever at 5.28 square km. (info from Wikipedia)
China's Pavillion, Shanghai Expo, China
PHOTO w/ Leica d-lux4
Climbing up the Great Wall was definitely an adventure. There were at least 200 people trying to climb the INTENSELY inclined path. It was hella crowded... people were pushing, kids were whining, old people were eating apples mid-way & tourists like us were taking pictures which tripled the traffic.
UNESCO world heritage site.
The Great Wall: The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. (info from Wikipedia)
The Great Wall, Beijing, China
PHOTO w/ Leica d-lux4
This part of the trip was very tiring. Inside the "Forbidden City", there were literally HUNDREDS of people walking around, taking pictures. My nieces were crying from exhaustion, the sun was un-usually extra hot & there were only TWO normal toilet seats inside the stinky stinky banyo. .... Plus we had to walk 3km inside listening to more than 30 tour guides talk at the same time.
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing,China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well asthe ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.
(info from Wikipedia)
Forbidden City, Imperial Palace, Beijing, China
PHOTO w/ Leica d-lux4
I was honestly excited to see The Bird's Nest. Before flying out to China, I just watched NatGeo's episode on the structure. And it sucks ass that we weren't allowed to enter. That would've been A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢), is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. (info from Wikipedia)
Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Beijing, China
PHOTO w/ Leica d-lux4
Panda @ Beijing Zoo, Beijing, China
PHOTO w/ Leica d-lux4
Check out their BOOOOOST in tourism, there were at least hundreds of people in these tourist sites. 85% of the crowd were Chinese people. ....
So I say that ..... 500% THUMBS UP! Excellent tourism.
Will post LOMO pictures SOON. Finishing my roll this week.
xoxo LEAN
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