It looks like there is an annoying 99-item limit to the number of pics you can put on a page with iWeb. Grrr. So, without further ado, more pictures from China!
China, Part 2
Tongli Town, continued from Part 1. These are people’s homes.
Another view of the canal
Spices for sale
The townfolk use the river for practically everything, including laundry!
When you shutter up your business at night, why not make it easy to remember which one goes where?
Just another view of the river
A fishing boat. The birds catch the fish, but have a collar to keep them from swallowing them
This commemorates the many films and TV shows that have used Tongli. Each show engraves a flagstone.
The stairs up to the bridge have a ramp in the middle to allow bikes and mopeds across
The shopping street was fairly quiet by the time we finished our tour
This dog was adorable. He just lay down like that. When I took the pic, he leapt up and all the shopkeepers laughed.
Some shops had nice stuff. I might have bought one of the decorative rocks if I could have figured out shipping.
On the other hand, some stores were selling counterfeit Krap. Louis Buitton anyone?
Hmmm. Fireworks. In China. This should be good!
Many of these look best cropped, and I’ll try to do some doctoring and post those later on.
We were close enough that eventually we were totally enshrouded in smoke.
Preeeeetttttty.
I think this is my favorite.
Sometimes, they’d launch like 8 at a time.
Cool geometric shapes, too.
Sometimes they really had both spots going strong.
They faked us out into thinking this was the finale.
This was not quite the finale, but I ran out of space on the card.
A grove of bamboo.
Sorry? Come again? I guess “Ping An” may be a company name?
This is in Shanghai. I dunno if A/C was a retrofit, or if they just don’t really do central air. Most buildings were like this.
Dinner in Shanghai on Wednesday. I have absolutely no idea what they were trying to say here.
Max with a dramatic beverage.
I’m told there was also a McD’s nearby. Sigh.
Thursday lunch at the factory. The beef (front left) was especially good.
My trip has been extended so much that I ran out of clothes. Fortunately, the hotel has incredible laundry service.
I felt downright guilty having my random T-shirts treated with such care!
Sunday, we had a day off, and went to Shanghai to sight see. There are some incredible skyscrapers.
Really interesting designs. The double spire is a Chinese good luck thing, and many buildings had them.
I was unprepared for the sheer number of tall buildings. It goes on like this for miles and miles.
East meets West. A McD’s in a traditional-style building.
This Taoist shrine is a famous Shanghai tourist attraction.
Believers come to pray, but the place is also swarming with tourists.
There were various ritual dances going on in the courtyard.
The shrine has been recently restored, so everything looks practically new.
My Canon EOS 20D is heavy, but the image-stabilized lens is worth it. This shot was hand-held at 1/6 second shutter!
Also a slow-shutter picture, with just a little fill flash. Much nicer result than normal flash illumination.
Like many traditional Chinese buildings, there are more rooms as you go deeper and deeper into the shrine.
People light these sticks of incense and perform a little ritual with them...
...then they go into the big central fire.
Old meets new. Old-style Shanghai buildings with a giant skyscraper looming.
China is truly the place to come if you want to buy counterfeits and knockoffs. The “Minis” say “Sony” under the screen.
Along the “Bund” (beside the river), one side is older classical-style buildings, and the other is ultra-modern.
The beautiful ultra-modern side of the Shanghai skyline. Too bad the air quality is so astonishingly bad.
Yours truly, squinting in the glare from all the haze.
To cross the river, they have this neat little mini subway...
...which treats you to a crazy light and sound show on the way over.
Posing with another ecstatic tourist.
Now, a shot from the other side of the river.
You can go to the top of Shanghai’s landmark tower, but it’s expensive and I figured the haze was too bad.
So, I settled for a pic in front.
Another ultra-modern building, with yet another Starbucks.
Western brands galore.
Off to Nanjing road, the famous shopping street. As crowded as a rock concert. Suddenly, I want a Pepsi.
They faked me out! It looks like bamboo scaffolding, but it’s metal.
This little kid was so adorable as his parents photographed him that I had to take a shot of my own.
The last day at Tongli Lakeview Hotel. Gray and windy.
These are the areas that the man in the boat was tending, way back on page 1.
I’m not sure what this building is, but I liked the bamboo and the old-style architecture.
Smart fish. When I walked up to the pond, they made a beeline for me, expecting food!
The hotel really has nice architecture.
Part of the Japanese garden at the hotel.
I think a little whimsy is really a nice thing, and this made me smile every time I walked into the bathroom in my room.
The spectacular Australian Beef Tenderloin for my last night’s dinner. Yep, I got it again so I could take a picture.
Packed and ready. Gotta love that laundry service.
I will not miss the air quality in China. That’s the sun.
View of the Maglev tracks from the car as we near the airport. Note the banked turn!
Maglev at last!
It’s a sleek machine. The doors are motorized, and close tightly and flush with the fuselage.
First train of the day leaves at 7am, so here we wait.
It’s not too full for the first ride.
A round trip gets you two tickets, one color for inbound, and one for outbound. Total cost, 80RMB ($10)!
Moving!
Moving FAST! Had to shoot this on the return trip to get one without the glare.
To switch the train to the other side, there’s a segment of track that actually bends. Yes, bends.
See? Told you. There’s a movie of this in action on the Maglev page.
Rick, this one’s for you. Best shot I could get of the track.
The roof of the airport terminal is supported by tensioned wires, and held down by other tensioned wires. Pretty slick.
