My Favorite Sign

45 Floors High Over Shanghai

After a great day of professional development focused on our new Macbooks, the school took us to the top of the Radisson for drinks and an incredible view.  Here is what Shanghai looks like when you get off on the 45th floor.

The view over to Pudong and Shanghai's own needle. 

Every skyscraper in the city has to have a different look at the top, giving Shanghai a very unique skyline. 

I don't think it applies to the mass of apartment buildings that dominate this view.

The rotating bar and restaurant at the top of the Radisson hotel. 

Here we are playing around on the glass.

After some hesitancy, even Kate was able to lean back. 

Our Trip to Qibao (Shanghai)

A few weeks ago, Allison, Kate and I jumped in a cab and headed just twenty minutes away to Qibao - a town which, although still very much in Shanghai, still feels like a whole other city.  In Qibao you can get a slice of Chinese life as it once was.  It was packed to the gills with Chinese tourists, but proved to be a charming, fun little getaway for each one of us.  We walked the markets, saw some historic bells, went to the local Buddhist temple, and tried, without much luck, to find some vegetarian food.  Here are some pics...

Kate and Allison at the entrance gate to Qibao, and about to get hit by a car

Get your tatoo in Qibao

Kate in the classic pose 

Coconut drinks for sale

Qibao is lined with some cool shops, including this one selling replica Chinese film posters

For 5 kuai you can explore the old textile building

The roof line is quite impressive

Tourists can take a ride up and down the river

Oh captain, my captain - she has rowing skills

Just a cool sign

These are bamboo shoots that they stuff with sweet rice and raisins

More bamboo sticks

The little roadways are crowded

Lots of non-vegetarian options

Bird on a stick. 

The man behind the famed silhouette show

Here are the story characters

This is what the crowd sees - the beginning of the story was slow and our understanding was minimal since our 30 words of chinese didn't help us

More action - eventually the guy on the left fights a tiger and it's uber cool 

The Qibao temple - here is a fat Buddha guy

Each floor of the pagoda was lined with the featured god or goddess

They covered two entire walls - row upon row

Another

A view of the wall

Some worshipers lighting the largest incense sticks in existence 

Praying before the temple with incense

My next halloween costume? 

Not sure which one of these would be my worst nightmare

He looks pretty tough. 

A massive bell in the courtyard with thousands of Chinese characters up and down its sides

A Glimpse Into Our Shanghai Apartment

Welcome to the Shanghai Racquet Club, our new home for the next ?  years.

Welcome to the Shanghai Racquet and Tennis Club - This is our compound. 

Dragons are everywhere - these dragons adorn our balcony railings. 

Our living room, which will undergo a major redecoration once we find some hip, old Chinese furniture. 

A view from the other side, with the large window and balcony (to the right) 

The view from our balcony.

Our master bedroom. 

Our second bedroom - with the wall open. 

The view from our bedroom balcony. 

Kate's closet (still not big enough)

My closet (and Kate tries to usurp some of my space)

My bathroom with lots of Ikea color coordination happening

Kate's bathroom, with some really ugly green towels

A river runs through it - I'm lobbying to turn this into a lazy river so we can float around the complex.

It's like Club Med - you can have drinks brought to you poolside; the far end features real sand in the shallow end.  No joke. 

Here's center court - this is where I destroy Kate in tennis. 

This is the smaller pool next to our complex.  No drinks allowed...ha! 

Stay tuned for more photo updates. 

B and McK