CHINA TRIP

Flight - Los Angeles to Shanghai

China Eastern even secures their pillows and blankets - safety first

The new terminal building in Shanghai - huge and beautiful

People watching a Chinese motivational speaker - we could not understand anything

Beijing, China

View from our hotel room at the Crowne Plaza Beijing

In the morning with out tour guide, Michael

Watching jade being polished at the factory

Andrea clowning at the jade factory

Andrea with the jade Fu Lions

At  the Emperor's Tomb

VIDEO: The Emperor's Tomb (1:54 minutes)

Statue of a past emperor

VIDEO: Inside the Emperor's Tomb ((1:43 min)

Factory worker working with bronze, that base of the cloisonné being created

Creating the design at a cloisonné factory

VIDEO: Inside the factory (1:49 min)

Applying the glaze onto the pottery

Eating Chinese food - family style

VIDEO: Eating and pottery shopping (1:03 min), click here.

At the Great Wall of China - it's a little steep at places. People are injured or die here, every year.

VIDEO: Driving up to the Great Wall of China (1:56 min)

The section of the wall that we will be climbing

Gary with friends Christine (on right) and Connie - just before climbing the wall

We have to go all the way up there?

This is starting to get steep - many will start but few will succeed

VIDEO: Starting up the Great Wall of China (2:16 min)

VIDEO: Andrea and friend Connie reach the top (1:34 min)

Andrea and Gary, back down after reaching the top of the wall

Foot massage after the climb - now that is truly bliss!

Beijing Skyline - construction cranes are everywhere, even more in Shanghai

At the Chinese pharmacy - we get a short lecture on the benefits we can obtain

VIDEO: Lecture on the value of Chinese herbs (4:34 min)

The doctor giving a diagnosis and recommending Chinese herbs to take

Followed by more massages - Christine was one of the last

Andrea and Gary at the Temple of Heaven where the Olympics ceremony was held

VIDEO: In side the Temple of Heaven (3:25 min)

Andrea at the Forbidden City with 9,999 rooms - holding a HARO (Help A Reporter Out) t-shirt

VIDEO: Inside the Forbidden City (1:31 min)

Andrea imitating a Fu Lion at the Forbidden City - symbol of power

VIDEO: Garden in the back of the Forbidden City (29 seconds)

Visiting a historic home (over 250 years old) to have lunch with a Chinese family

Sister-in-law of owner is preparing our lunch using multi-woks

Awaiting the real Chinese food by a real family - Andrea and Gary loved the food
(some did not like all the food)

Andrea posing with owner who invited us into her home

Home is next to the Forbidden City - you can see the Forbidden City in the background

Now for a tour of the old city via rickshaw - powered by 1 manpower on a bicycle

VIDEO: Rickshaw ride through the old city (30 seconds)

Old city traffic - rather tame

Beijing city traffic - wow, they are all in their lanes, which is rare

The Olympics' Bird Nest

VIDEO: Bird Nest and architecture (24 seconds)

Beijing unique architecture

Emperor's summer palace at the lake - much cooler here in the summer

VIDEO: Emperor's summer home (cooler than the palace) (1:41 min)

Tiananmen Square at night

Andrea in the Tiananmen Square

The soldiers are everywhere

The largest Kentucky Fried Chicken (multi-story) in the world - the Colonel would not believe this

VIDEO: KFC in China (11 seconds)

Cooking the Peking Duck - where dignitaries and top visitors go to eat

VIDEO: Peking Duck (24 seconds)

Getting ready to carve our duck for dinner - it was delicious

Our business meeting in Beijing - business people from the US and China

Linda, our new Chinese business contact

Final buffet breakfast at the Crowne Plaza - a combination of western, Japanese, Indian, and Chinese cuisine

SHANGHAI, Suzhou, and Hangzhou

Boarding the plane to fly back to Shanghai

Andrea with the Buddhist Temple in the background

Buddhist Temple is also known as the Leaning Tower of China

Chinese cooks, awaiting our orders

Sherry, our guide, at the Lingering Gardens

Lingering Gardens in Suzhou

VIDEO: Lingering Gardens (2:19 min)

Visiting Bonsai Gardens - the art was breathtaking

VIDEO: Bonsai gardens (2:04 min)

Andrea in the Bonsai Gardens

An important sign to find - especially at certain pressing times

Workers making silk threads, from cocoons

Pulling layers of silk to create silk filled comforters - we bought one

VIDEO: Silk factory (1:21 min)

On a boat on the Grand Canal, over 1,300 years old.
It stretches from Beijing to Shanghai.

VIDEO: Grand Canal (1:50)

VIDEO: Grand Canal, Old City (2:14 min)

The police are even in the Grand Canal

Children on an excursion at the lake

Taking a boat ride on famous West Lake in Hangzhou

VIDEO: Boat ride on West Lake (52 seconds)

Our guide explaining about the tea plants at the tea farm

VIDEO: Tea farm (29 seconds)

Farmer hand drying the tea

VIDEO: Drying the tea (36 seconds)

Pond at farmer's home honoring tea

Farmer's daughter explaining different grades of green tea - we bought the best grade

VIDEO: Tasting the tea, packing the tea that was bought (1:08 min)

Visiting Buddhist monastery with Laughing Buddha carved into cliff

VIDEO: Buddhist temple (1:25 min)

Walmart in Shanghai - we found it in a city of over 20 million people, written in a language we could not understand
Actually, it was about a mile from out hotel. And, it is not Wal Art!

Almond cookies in center - they look delicious, yummmmm

VIDEO: Andrea shopping at Wal-Mart, minutes before closing (26 seconds)

Salesperson weighing and pricing our almond cookies - they were yummy

Ducks and chickens (dried) for sale at Walmart

More stuff for sale that we did not recognize - we also did not stop to ask, smell, or sample

Andrea at the Bund - this is where all the wild architecture is being created

VIDEO: the Bund, a famous waterfront park(44 seconds)

Andrea in front of the former British Embassy

Vendors are never far away. "How much?" "Two dalla!"

VIDEO: Salespeople at the Bund (45 seconds)

VIDEO: More video (55 seconds)

Carpet weaver at a silk carpet factory

VIDEO: Andrea at the carpet store, (0:29 min)

Worker weaving silk cloth

A real Chinese Mongolian stir fry - serving thousands daily

The Maglev train - fastest in the world

Andrea on the Maglev, prepared for the ride

Over 430 km/h - that is equal to about 258 mph - cover over 24 miles in less than 7 minutes, dead stop to dead stop.

VIDEO: Riding the Maglev train (1:33 min)

Last minute shopping in the Yu Garden Bazaar - so many shops, so little time, and having so little money left!

Andrea pointing the way for our flight back to Los Angeles

Remember, we all work hard, but life is not only about making a living. It's about LIVING!

Call us today or click here and Andrea will be glad to share some of her other adventures!

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