Xin Nian Kuai Le – 新年快乐
New Year Happy Happy, that’s it on Chinese. Maybe I should make it
Xin Nian Kuai Le Leng – 新年快乐冷
New Year Happy Happy Cold, that’s what it really is.
Category Archives: Travel
Travels across the world…
Hiking in Yellow Mountains (黄山)
A few weeks ago already colleague organized a hiking tour in the famous Yellow Mountains. It was 2 days of hiking with the night camping in tents somewhere inbetween. So although it was not a long treck (at least compared to other hiking tours I’ve done like Monte Rosa or Kilimanjaro 😉 ) we still had to carry quite a lot of stuff. Continue reading Hiking in Yellow Mountains (黄山)
Dusk
Today after breakfast I once again made my skating circle around Century Park, but this time armed with my camera, to take pictures of one of the great advantage of Shanghai’s air pollution: Fantastic sunset during dusk.* Continue reading Dusk
Cruel Culture
I have to think if I want to stay in such a cruel country as China:
While looking up a totally innocent character (司), Babylon also returned another one (which it sometimes does, don’t know why): Continue reading Cruel Culture
Century Park
Another advantage of the new appartment is the close location to Shanghai’s largest park, Century Park. I skate around it if I’m up for some long-distance skating. And this weekend we eventually visited it.
Most parts of the park are grouped around a large lake in the middle. There are also other small creeks throughout the park, so that–typically Chinese–there is lot’s of water around. A design I still very much like. On most of these waters it is possible to go by hired boat. Continue reading Century Park
Appartment Ding Xiang Lu / Cooking
Appartent Ding Xiang Lu
As I had introduced my first appartment in “Royal Garden” (RG), I should also describe our new one. Other than the one in RG, this here is privately organized, no longer by the company. The story behind that is long and has mostly to do with the fact, that RG was pretty much far away from everything. Some people wanted to get closer to the project site (those, who have weekly or bi-weekly flybacks to their families), a few others wanted to get closer to the city (those with 4 flybacks per year). I was one of them who wanted to live closer to the city to have a better chance to get in there on the weekends. In the end, 4 people arranged for 2 appartments, which they shared. So I now share our appartment with a colleague. It was actually him who did all the research work and visited the appartments as I was on training and flyback during this time. When I came back to Shanghai the new appartment was already rented and my old one (with all my stuff still in!) handed over to the next colleague. Many thanks, Don did a great job! Continue reading Appartment Ding Xiang Lu / Cooking
We’ll be famous!
Taking Movies
Today, I wanted to get some things done on the laptop (like describing hiking tours or weekend trips here…), the weather was nice, so I picked one of our 2 balconies (the ‘back’ one, which is a bit larger and does not feature the washing machine), sat down with a fresh cup of cappucchino, started my laptop, and watched the streets below me. Continue reading We’ll be famous!
Xiamen – 3. Day: Botanical Garden
For today, I had planned to pay the Botanical Garden a visit and then go on through the neighbouring mountains, maybe down to Nanputuo Temple. Well, it turned out that the Botanical Garden was less Botanical and less Garden after all, but more like park. I spend a good 4 hours there and didn’t see everything. But as I got up late and wanted to be back early to catch the flight, it made up my day.
It was worth it, definitely. It has an AAAA rating for some good reason. Continue reading Xiamen – 3. Day: Botanical Garden
Xiamen – 2. Day: Gulangyu Island
Western Breadkfast Buffet
….hm, that’s something I haven’t enjoyed for quite some time. OK, the masochists amongst us could certainly still go with rice soup, fried noodles, dumplings and the like. But the enjoyers went for omelet, müsli, baked ham and beans, juices (unfortunately not fresh), fruits and the like. And the coffee was actually drinkable.
Tomorrow again!
Continue reading Xiamen – 2. Day: Gulangyu Island
Xiamen – 1. Day: Promenades and Parks
Before we start with Xiamen, a nice small city at Chinas south-east coast, let’s revisit today’s China Daily, an 8-page-only edition due to Chinas national holiday week. Just because it’s fun to sit in a four-star western-style hotel in a by far not overcrowded good-looking hotel bar, with actually really good live music, be looked after by very attentive staff, enjoying cool Tsingtao, and reading:
- Sites overflowing with holiday visitors…”The torrent of people is 10 times what it normally is”….56,100 people visited the Forbidden City on Saturday, exceeding its maximum capacity by 12 per cent…huge cowds of tourists have also put the nations’s transport system to the test…the three subway stops near TianAnMen Square were closed…due to overcrowding.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, come to Xiamen! There is lots of empty space! You’re not alone, but you’ll find deserted areas if you have need for them! Continue reading Xiamen – 1. Day: Promenades and Parks