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