Denim Map

Dear Friends,

You probably cannot find this in the US. However, we stumbled upon it in The Gap last weekend.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Birthday Present

Dear Friends,

This year's birthday gift from my colleague. He is also from Michigan.  Just a little bit of "home" in our kitchen.

Love,
Heather

Flowers

Dear Friends,

The market for this upscale flower shop is clearly foreigners. The English sign gives it away.

Love,
Heather

Globalization

Dear Friends,

Old Navy has made it to Shanghai. I think I would prefer that it hadn't found its way here. Takes away some of the charm of the temple.

Love,
Heather

Mystery Man

Dear Friends,

I need to study up on Buddism. I have seen this guy around many temples but am not sure who he is. Do you know?

Love,
Heather

Stone

Dear Friends,

I was not quite clear about what was going on here until I read the sign. Apparently, if you touch the stone, it brings you good luck. I hope these four are reaping the benefits.

Love,
Heather

Budda

Dear Friends,

This was one of the happy, smiling Buddas at the temple.

Love,
Heather

Jing 'an Temple

Dear Friends,

Love this "Temple of Peace and Tranquility" right in one of the busiest parts of town.

Love,
Heather

Japanese Lanterns

Dear Friends,

These lanterns were outside of what looked to be a lovely Japanese restaurant.

Love,
Heather

Park Path

Dear Friends,

I love the paths around our small park in the middle of the city. It makes it feel quiet and secluded. This is one of my favorite places to run on the weekends.

Love,
Heather

Taking Orders...

Dear Friends,

We know it may be a difficult choice but please let us know which delicacy you would like us to bring home for you this summer.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Shopping on the Great Wall

Dear Friends,

This man had hauled a few items up to the wall to sell. I walked away with a few more post cards I don't need. 

Love,

Heather

Great Wall Hiking

Dear Friends,

Our hike on more remote parts of the Great Wall was a bit difficult in some areas. The scenery made it all worth it.

Love,
Heather

Cyclist

Dear Friends,

Found this sculpture in the courtyard near a few cafes in the Former French Concession.

Love,
Heather

Labor Day Sunrise

Dear Friends,

Snapped this photo on my run the morning of the labor day weekend.

Love,
Heather

Lanterns

Dear Friends,

The variety of lanterns around Asia is amazing. Loved these!

Love,
Heather

Old & New

Dear Friends,

Love the contrast of old and new around town.

Love,
Heather

Metro

Dear Friends,

Everyone needs a bear on the metro.

Love,
Heather

Art Around Town

Dear Friends,

Found this piece of art as I wandered around town.

Love,
Heather

Hermes?

Dear Friends,

Thankfully, I just caught up on my Greek mythology, clearly she is Hermes reincarnated. While these shoes look fancy, I am not sure they would actually support speed.

Love,
Heather

Welcoming Committee

Dear Friends,

These decorative goats welcome customers to the mall.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

CNY Celebration

Dear Friends,

Our school had a Chinese New Year party for all our local staff. While there were many delicious things that came to our table for lunch, this was not the least bit appetizing.

Love,
Heather

Saturday Brunch

Dear Friends,

These were some of the best pancakes ever!  It was the fresh fruit and caramelized bananas that made them so delicious!

Love,
Heather

Japanese Hot Pot

Dear Friends,

We joined some of our friends out for Japanese hot pot. As you can see, much of the dinner was a giant pyramid of beef.  While the company was fantastic, not even Brad was a fan of this meal.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

New Year in the City

Dear Friends,

For the New Year holiday, all the locals head back to their hometowns. This leaves the major cities very quiet and, at times, a bit eerie. Normally this subway train would be jam packed with people at 4 pm on a week day. It was nice while it lasted.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Crackers

Dear Friends,

We saw these interesting crackers at the little local market.  We just couldn't convince ourselves that saltines with blueberry or lime filling would taste good.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Russian Influence

Dear Friends,

Everywhere you looked around Harbin, was a mix of China and Russia. Shops, restaurants and dress were a mix of the two countries.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Street Eats

Dear Friends,

We were told by people from the Harbin area that we were to try the sausages on the street. Note the large try on the right of spices to roll these around in. Not a fan of meat, Heather went for the candied fruit. Both treats were delicious!

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Local Drinks

Dear Friends,

We gave this a try and it had an interesting flavor. Hot Coke was being sold all over town but this was the only display we saw with the ginger. It could be because it was the only one written in English.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Liger

Dear Friends,

While a bit controversial, we did take a trip to the Siberian Tiger Park while in Harbin. We saw some amazing cats, including this liger. While some of the animals looked like they had plenty of food and large places to live, there were others in small cages. While it was interesting, I left feeling a bit uneasy about what really is going on there.

Love,
Heather

Staying Warm

Dear Friends,

We made a quick stop at the Burger King for a little coke to add to our rum (ok and a burger for Bradley).

Love,
Heather and Bradley

California Beef Noodle King

Dear Friends,

Not exactly sure what makes this "California" Beef Noodle King USA.  Maybe we should have gone in to investigate.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Songhua River

Dear Friends,

After our afternoon checking out the snow sculptures, we took a walk back across the frozen Songhua River. There were lots of people out enjoying the frozen river and the sunshine.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Local Police

Dear Friends,

The look of China and Russian blend together in many ways in Harbin.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Snow House

Dear Friends,

We loved the snow buildings with the festive lanterns. This one was just a sculpture but there were others that were restaurants and stores.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Dance Time!

Dear Friends,

We didn't quite see the connection between the variety of dancing characters and the snow sculptures.
Love,
Heather and Bradley

Dancing Dog

Dear Friends,

Wish I could say I was surprised that this dog was wearing boots and a jacket. However, I see that all the time. It was the sunglasses that really caught me by surprise.

Love,
Heather

Ponytails

Dear Friends,

There were so many great snow sculptures at the park, it was difficult to only share a few.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Chinese New Year Preparations

Dear Friends,

Harbin was just getting all fancied up for the Chinese New Year celebrations that were beginning that week. The red lanterns all over town added a magical touch to this city.

Love,
Heather

Harbin Starbucks

Dear Friends,

We couldn't pass up a little taste of home.  Coffee for me and hot chocolate for Bradley.

Love,
Heather

Year of the Ram

Dear Friends,

This is our first "Year of the Ram" in China. It is a bit confusing as sometimes, the images actually look like sheep or goats. When I ask local friends about it, I get a variety of responses. It seems that goat, ram and sheep are not clearly differentiated in Mandarin.

Love,
Heather

Penguins

Dear Friends,

Snapped this photo at a rare time when there was no one jumping in to get their photo taken with the penguins.

Love,
Heather

New Year Blessings

Dear Friends,

Wish I was able to read and understand all these new year blessings.

Love,
Heather

Ice Cone

Dear Friends,

While there were many more fancy ice sculptures, this was my favorite. I am sure it wasn't nearly as nice during the day without the lights.

Love,
Heather

Horse Riding

Dear Friends,

Couldn't believe there were not more people trying to push their way on to these for photos. Maybe we just came at a good time.

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Ice Slides

Dear Friends,

The slides were by far the best part of the ice park!

Love,
Heather and Bradley

Ice Castle

Dear Friends,

This was one of the larger ice sculptures at the park. I hear we missed the "ice bar", maybe it was in here?

Love,
Heather and Bradley