Hey guys,Its a new trip for us and this time we have picked China...well, actually we wanted Mongolia, and then New Zealand but its a long story and here we are!!
We have arrived in Shanghai yesterday morning after a 2 hour train from Brussels to Paris followed by an 11 hour flight (sleepless for Jo) where we were warmly welcomed by a choffeur nonetheless sent by my mother´s counterpart in Shanghai.
We decided not to sleep straightway otherwise it would have been murder for the jetlag. Anywas, after a nice shower (which by the way is a bit worthless here considering that it is close to 40ยบ C with 80% humidity, meaning as soon as we leave the air conditioned apartment we are bathed in sweat!!) we went for lunch and then were dropped off in the Old City to visit the Yunnan Gardens (which I had already visited when I came to Shanghai before in 1999 when my dad moved to Macau but I came with my mum so it was a bit different)...
After visiting the Yunnan Gardens (and getting bitten coutnless times by invisible mosquitoes) we walked up the Bund (which follows the River Huanpu) and looks on to Pudong where you can see Jiamao Tower (the biggest skyscrapper in the whole of China but soon to be outtaken by another one being built right next to it)... It was monday afternoon and full of Chinese people enjoying the river breeze with their families...
After Jo spotted a photographer with a Benro trippod I tried in my miserable mandarin (quite proud actually that I can make myself understood) to ask where we could find the nearest store and after 10 min of "conversation" we managed to get an answer. We then spent the evening walking up Nanjing Road - a bit like Time´s Square in New York - and we did find that store where Jo did buy his "baby". We also ran into a groip of students who were all to happy to practice their english with us...
Anyways, enough of the boring stuff. We are now trying to figure out our next move up to Beijing and out west towards Xining to take the road less travelled...So watch this space for some more interesting and rural encounters with the provincial villages of inner China!!
lots of love,
Fil and Jo
2 comments:
My lovely adventurer friend, you never fail to amaze me, the world is truly your oyster!
Make sure you come and see us when your next down in sunny ol' England!
Miss you... it's been too long!
Lots of love,
Helga
Hope you get your feet dry, for what we've seen in the news...
Filipinha and Jo, you know how much some of us "envy" you for your courage and chance to be there, and this brings up some more responsability to just go for it and tell us all about! So thank you for posting often and plenty.
By the way, exactly 15 years ago today we were all togheter, in Toronto, at our marriage at the Consulate. Do you remember?
What a party! We miss you all very much.
Beijos e divirtam-se muito.
Tina
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