Shanghai Skyline

Dear Friends,

The skyline is beautiful.

Love,
H & B

4th Floor?

Dear Friends,

Good thing we were not looking for the fourth floor.  Guess it is an unlucky number here similar to the 13 at "home".

Love,
H & B

Shook

Dear Friends,

We went out to celebrate a friend's birthday on Tuesday. We had dinner at a fabulous place right on the Bund.  The upstairs patio had an amazing view of the Shanghai skyline.

Love,
H & B

Bamboo Forest

Dear Friends,

The walk through the bamboo forest was a great ending to a fun day!

Love,
H & B

Countryside

Dear Friends,

It was so great to get out of the city and see a little more of China. We had a beautiful walk back to our bus from the raft trip.

Love,
H & B

Huh?

Dear friends,

This is typical of signs that are "translated" into English.  We think this was actually a changing room at the end of our raft trip.

Love,
H & B

Chinese Smores

Dear Friends,

Our colleagues who organized the raft trip and BBQ even brought along smore ingredients.  Of course, they were the Chinese version of smores... graham cracker-like crackers, chocolate pieces and pink & white stick marshmallows.  Our new friend Darby shows off her carefully crafted creation.

Love,
H & B

Ah! Got ya!

Dear Friends,

This group of locals just got off the rafts and were having a great time blasting each other with the Super Soakers.  Love the gals on the left.

Love,
H & B

Rain Ponchos

Dear Friends,

Last weekend we went on a rafting trip down a river about 3 1/2 hours outside of Shanghai.  We didn't take our camera on the actual raft because we were told we would get wet. (You might notice the woman in the middle of the boat filling up her supersoaker.) And...we did!  It was funny to see the differences between the Western and Asian attire. We were all in bathing suits, the Asians all in rain ponchos, pants and even booties.

Love,
H & B

Mooncakes

Dear Friends,

A kind parent gave us some mooncakes to celebrate our first Mid-Autumn festival in China.  They are definitely an acquired taste.

Love,
H & B

Scooter

Dear Friends,

We have seen many interesting bike/scooter contraptions around town. This was one of the more interesting. No one is getting wet on this ride!

Love,
H & B

Chicken Delivery

Dear Friends,

These guys just gone done unloading these two crates of live chickens from the back of a truck stacked with other cages.  They were making their delivery rounds.

Love,
H & B

Motorcycle

Dear Friends,

We have seen many of these motorcycles with the sidecars around town. This was by far the most well kept.

Love,
H & B

Florist

Dear Friends,

As you can see, some florists come to you.

Love,
H & B

Noodle Bar

Dear Friends,

The noodles, veggies and beans looked great at this street stall. The chicken feet and other poultry bits didn't look quite as appetizing.

Love,
H & B

Matching Outfits

 Dear Friends,

Couples just love dressing alike here.  This is NOT something we are going to pick up.

Love,
H & B

Phone Cover

Dear Friends,

I definitely would NOT lose my phone in my bag if I had this cover.  Of course, nothing else would fit in my bag.

Love,
H

Newspaper

Dear Friends,

Outside the local market, you can stop to read the news.

Love,
H & B

Rest Time!

Dear Friends,

When I originally went to take the picture of the overloaded bicycle, I didn't notice the man taking a snooze next to it.  He must have been worn out after peddling this bike around all morning.

Love,
H

Saturday in Shanghai

Dear Dani,

Thanks for showing me some of the more useful places around town. The pre-lunch veggie buns were yummy!

Love,
H

Contrasts

Dear Friends,

Just one of many contrasts in Shanghai. Sure the photo would have been better if it was a clear day. But...this is Shanghai.

Love,
H & B

Hair Salon

Dear Friends,

You can do anything on the street here, including getting your hair colored. Think I will wait to go to a more private venue.

Love,

H

Apple

Dear Friends,

Found this little gem in the large mound of apples I was sorting through at Carrefour.  It looks carved but wasn't.  I am not exactly sure how this design came to be on this apple. Would love to find out.  Any ideas?

Love,
H

Line Up

Dear Friends,

You might think this is a line up for concert tickets or a special give-away.  But, you would be mistaken. This is just your regular Saturday morning line to get into the grocery store.  The best part is in the produce section. Be sure to ask about the celery story the next time you see us.

Love,
H & B

Cruise

Dear Friends,

A busy first two weeks of school ended with a boat cruise. The view of downtown Shanghai was colorful!

Love,
H & B