China - Hangzhou and Shanghai - Sept 2010

This is the second half of my 2010 Around the World Adventure.

Day 1 - September 16

I left Orlando on Wednesday morning, then a 12 hour flight from Dallas to Tokyo, all in daylight, flying around the world, chasing the sun. The flight was good and probably my best AA meal.

In Tokyo I spent four hours in the lounge, trying to stay awake. I've found you can avoid jet lag for a while - but sooner or later it hits you.

The Japan Air flight to Shanghai was great - amazing service - as is true with most international airlines. I arrived in Shanghai late and went right to bed.

Day 2 - September 17.

I took a day trip to Hangzhou, about two hours south of Shanghai.

Hangzhou is one of the eight ancient capitals of China.

The biggest attraction was West Lake. First I took a tram three quarters around the lake. Then a two hour boat ride. I also walked, amazed at how many old people were sitting or exercising.

This is during the boat ride on the lake.

And what the boat looked like.

A pagoda on the lake. I saw the Leifing Pagoda, built in 977AD, and the Three Pools Mirroring the moon. (Sorry, pictures not uploaded.)

A view from shore.

More tourist boats.

Day 3 - September 18

I'm now staying on the Huangpu River in Shanghai. What an amazing sight - with all the modern buildings. The traffic rivals any major US city - and then some. That's my hotel above.

Here's my commentary on the traffic. Pedestrians have no standing - look all ways, even back before proceeding.

Motorbikes and bicycles follow no rules at all. They proceed at all times, whether the light is red or green. All traffic can go right on red - without stopping or looking. At major intersections, buses block all lanes while trying to cross. I read that blowing your horn was illegal - maybe the law was just published in English. Well I survived my five days with only one near miss - a police golf cart almost ran me over.

I took an afternoon walk down the main shopping street, like Fifth Avenue, except as a foreigner I was accosted by many locals, to buy their Ralph Lauren originals - yeah.

I finally found a small restaurant, where they had an English menu. Some shrimp dumplings and spicy noodles tasted great. Of course the 600ml bottle of Tsingsao beer helped put me to sleep for a few hours. The jet lag always catches up.

Night time on the Bund overlooking the river and evening light show. There I was, me and 20 million Chinese people. After my evening walk I returned to my hotel for a long needed rest.

Day 4 - September 19

What a great night's sleep. Up early - 6am, but in bed until at least 7am. On today's schedule, two walking tours - The Bund and the Old City.

After a great breakfast (which was greatly needed, since I missed dinner last night), I wandered out. Much fewer people then last night.

I had trouble finding the start of the Old Town tour, but once there, it was hard to miss. Again, thousands of people, with just as many shops. You could buy anything - originals and knockoffs. The biggest street vendor item was Rolex watches and IPhones. I'm sure neither would last a week.

There was laundry hanging everywhere - in good neighborhoods and bad. I don't think dryers have found their way to China. They just make them and send them off. My sole purchase was a rainbow kite. At first the guy wanted 120 yuan ($18), I offered 40 yuan and we settled on 50 ($7). I'm sure I still overpaid.

Thinking of having Peking duck? Well here they were in a street market quacking away.

I then went to the high quality shops in The Bund, which had prices comparable to any large city.

My biggest problem was finding a restaurant that I felt comfortable with. I took almost an hour, rejecting many along the way. I found one and was surprised that the Shanghai sauteed shrimp were with their heads and unpeeled. At least I had another large bottle of beer as I slowly made my way through the pile of shrimp.

It was now 100 degrees out so I returned to my hotel and rested until the sun went down.

I finally made my decision to skip the Expo tomorrow. Everyone I talked to told me the crowds and heat would be unbearable, starting with an hour wait to buy your ticket, and once inside, an hour or three waiting for the more popular exhibits - again in 100 degree heat. I know that was one of my reasons to visit Shanghai, but there's plenty else to do.

I was amazed that there were no fireworks at the Expo. Didn't the Chinese invent them?

Day 5 - September 20
I arrived bright and early at the Expo - oops, I must have written that in advance.

Today's my hop-on, hop-off bus tour day. I started at eight in the morning and arrived back at my hotel at eight in the evening - exhausted.
I started in The People's Square, with beautiful gardens and government buildings. I started the bus tour outside the Shanghai Museum.

We rode through the French Concession - an area used by the French until the end of WWII, when they relinquished the concession. The architecture still has that European flare.

Next we hit the main shopping street. there must have been fifty high-end shopping malls and thousands of designer retailers in the area. And people were shopping - not like at home these days. Now you know where all our dollars go when they reach China.

We then stopped at the Jade Buddha Temple. Most religious artifacts were destroyed in the early atheist days of Communist China - now religion is allowed. It was a nice temple, but nothing like the ones I saw in Thailand. The koi fish were beautiful though.

Hopping back on I rode to Pudong, across the river. I did get a glimpse of the Expo. Pudong is the main financial district, with massive, tall glass skyscrapers - one of second tallest in the world.

I got off at the Oriental Pearl Tower, an impressive structure day or night.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm sick of Chinese food, especially all those strange things on the menu, like eel and tripe. Its too bad I couldn't get a menu to take home, so I could share the disgustingness. I found an Indian restaurant, and enjoyed my non-Chinese lunch.

I had time to kill before the evening sightseeing cruise, so I rode the circuit again. Its amazing what you forget or miss in a short time.

The cruise was a lot of fun. I met this nice couple from Brisbane, Kerry and Kerry. We chatted while watching the colorfully lit buildings on both sides of the river.

As I said earlier, it was a long full day. Tomorrow I'm off to Tokyo and an overnight flight to Sydney.

Day 6 - September 21

After breakfast I headed to the airport for my flight to Tokyo, connecting to my Qantas overnight flight to Sydney. I probably won't have much to report until I hook up with Jeane and Jay Zorzy, who are meeting me for two weeks in Australia.

Sydney - Part 1 - September 2010

Day 7 - September 22

I arrived in Sydney at 7am. For some reason my middle name was not on my visa so I had to wait while they corrected it.

I took a taxi to my friend's apartment. Nothing more than amazing can describe the apartment, which was directly next to and overlooks the Sydney Opera House.

Day view from the apartment.

Night view from the apartment.

I met Jeane and Jay for lunch - and I could see how exhausted they were after their flight from LAX to Sydney. We had lunch at our first pub.

We then took a ferry to Manly Beach for a nice afternoon. Jay tested the South Pacific water. There were lots of surfers and volleyball players on the beach.

I'm now back at the apartment - just looking a the lit Opera House.

Day 8 - September 23

Weather deferred our bridge climb until tomorrow.

We headed off to the Queen Victoria Building, with its beautiful architecture, stained glass windows, tile, clocks and shops. We bought some laser cut Sydney jigsaw puzzles.

Next off to the Rocks, an older seedier section of town. We hooked up with a local guide that Jeane had heard about on the flight over.

Here's the Hero of Waterloo pub where we had our second (of many) pub meals.

Here we are with the iconic Opera House in the background.

Dinner was at a Greek restaurant on Oxford Street - a young, vibrant part of town.

I took the wrong bus home, but was successful on my second try. I'm still amazed that I'm overlooking the Sydney Opera House as I write this.

Day 9 - September 24

Today is Jeane's birthday - and what a day we had planned for her. Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and seeing the Pirates of Penzance at the Opera House.

What an amazing adventure. Even putting on the gear was interesting, and Adam, our guide, couldn't be any cuter.

We started at 10:25 am, and ended three hours later. The weather was perfect - not a cloud in the sky. Its too bad no cameras are allowed. The guide took a group photo, which is how we'll remember the climb. I took these photos a few days later from one of the pylons on the bridge.

Once you got to the actual bridge, the climb was very easy and leisurely.

This was on the way down.

Pub grub again for lunch at the Australian Hotel in the Rocks.

In the afternoon we took a ferry to quaint Woolrich, with beautiful harbour views and houses.

We ended the day with the Sydney Opera House's production of The Pirates of Penzance - amazing, funny, fantastic, bravo. They ad a display above the stage with the words, which was really helpful at times. During one of the really fast songs the sign displayed "too many words."

The lead pirate was dressed like Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow. We didn't know if he stole the character or visa versa. In any event, all the actors were amazing. For me it was a short walk to the apartment - Jeane and Jay took the bus home.

See Sydney Part 2.

Sydney - Part 2 - September 2010

Day 10 - September 25

Today we had a late start - not to worry mate. We bused it to Bondi Beach where we saw surfers, swimmers, life guards and dolphins. The weather was the best so far - in the 70s and sunny.

For lunch I had motza dumpling soup - not bad. We then walked along the beachhead for an amazing vista.

In the afternoon we walked through Paddy Market and Chinatown - nothing like Shanghai.

I loved the ceiling fan in the market, and would love one for my new condo.

Day 11 - September 26

The best weather yet - probably close to 80 and sunny. I have laundry to do, but it can wait.

The Circular Quay (pronounced key) was packed with people - locals and tourists. There was a huge line for the Manly beach ferry. Think I'll skip that and opt for the pylon near the bridge.

Back to the Rocks and up a few hundred steps. Next a walk on the Harbour Bridge to the base of the pylon. Then more stairs - harder work then the actual bridge climb. But in the end the breathtaking views from the top were well worth it. You got to see the bridge climbers close up.

I spent the rest of the afternoon on Circular Quay. Of course I probably took another 100 photos of the Opera House. During Oprah's upcoming visit, it will be called the Oprah House - how tacky.

I finally gave in and did my laundry. Following dinner outside, I returned to my friend's apartment and was surprised by a fantastic fireworks display over the Opera House.

Day 12 - September 27

I slept late today. I bused it to Jeane and Jays. Breakfast was a healthy chocolate chip muffin at Starbucks.

The above sculpture was made from well used bicycles.

The morning's adventure was the Botanical Gardens. They were one of the nicest gardens I've ever visited. My favourite section was the cherry blossoms in full bloom. We ended the tour along the harbour, with a new view of the Opera House and bridge. I'm sure you can hear my camera clicking.

We grabbed some sandwiches and caught the ferry to Parramatta, about 20kms away. It was an interesting ride up the river from city to bayou.

In Parramatta we walked and took a city bus tour. It was a very quaint town, with most of the residents foreigners.

The tide was too low for the return ferry, so we were bused to a closer stop. The ride back was relaxing and beautiful. I had no idea so many people lived on or near the river.

I finally got to meet my host, Tim, after six years of an online friendship. He had to leave for a meeting, but we got to know each other over an amazing dinner.

We had a lot in common - both worked in the financial sector. Both love to travel. He likes skiing in Colorado - I don't.

I invited Tim and his wife to use my condo in Cocoa Beach.

Cairns - Part 1 - September 2010

Day 13 - September 28

Jeane and Jay met me with a cab and we were off to the airport. Our flight to Cairns (pronounced cans) was late, but no problem



In Cairns a car unexpectedly picked us up at the airport and took us to the luxury Shangri-la Hotel. Our hotel rooms were next to each other - not planned. We looked over Cairns harbour.

Time for lunch. The town was small and we found a nice cafe for a light lunch. The clouds decided to open up and we got drenched.

Back at the hotel we relaxed and had cocktails and snacks in the evening. The food was so good, it became our dinner for the next four nights.

Later I sat on the enormous balcony and watched the activity at the marina.


Day 14 - September 29

We're all excited to be visiting the Great Barrier Reef. Backpacks and towels in hand, we walked the few hundred years to the Reef Experience - our boat for the day.
It was a little over an hour to our first stop. It was amazing how colorful everything was as soon as we entered the water. Fish, coral, anemones, and of course Nemo. Jay pointed out this huge clam on the ocean floor. It must have been five feet across. We snorkeled over an hour before Jay and I were called for our scuba dive.

We geared up and were reminded to always breath. I was shaking, but not as bas as when I chickened out of zip lining the first time in Costa Rica. The dive master took us in the water and waited until we were used to being under. Then he took our hands and down we went. I guess I kept breathing, since I'm here writing this blog.

We swam and got a closer look at the coral and marine life. Luckily no great whites approached. My only problem was stabilizing the pressure in my ears. We dove for 15-20 minutes before resurfacing. A truly amazing experience.
After lunch we had our second stop and snorkeled another hour and a half. My underwater camera with 27 shots was not nearly enough. I will post those photos in Cairns - Part 2, when I return to Orlando.

We rode back to Cairns on very calm seas, drinking wine and eating cheese and crackers. It was an adventure to always remember.

As we did last night, dinner was in the lounge. We then retired after a long adventurous day.

Okay - see you can tell what this is. Of course Jeane and Jay cannot enter, nor can they give any hints.

Day 15 - September 30

Today we went to Kuranda, high above the rain forest.

Our 52 seat bus picked us up in the morning. The whole bus was for the three of us. We rode through the sugar cane fields to the Skyrail.

The hour cable ride to Kuranda had two stops to view the rain forest and waterfall. It was a beautiful day and we took our time.

Here's Jeane and Jay on a train track bench.

Kuranda was a local village/tourist trap. We had lunch and walked around the local markets. There were some different and interesting products, but nothing we needed. The admission to the butterfly sanctuary was $17 so we passed.

Jeane refused the python kiss.

This must be the plane that was for the original Australian Lost series.

The scenic train ride was almost two hours with fantastic vistas. It was an amazing engineering feat for its time.

Sara - Can you find the blue butterfly?

We walked back to the hotel, tired and content. A good thing this escalator told you where to place your feet.

Day 16 - October 1

Nothing was planned for the day.

I walked around town taking these photos.

It rained most of the day, but we enjoyed the rest. When was the last time you went to Woolworths?

Tomorrow off to Melbourne.