Defying Words

Can you imagine a scene where the Stormtrooper theme from Star Wars, Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On and spandex fringed unitard wearing men are riding motorcycles? If you can conceive of this, then you have obviously already seen the Feng Du Acrobats in Shanghai.

I think it would take a novel to give justice to the spectacle, but I am going to try.

It was like a less sophisticated Cirque du Soleil with more clearly defined gendre roles and costumes dating from the late 1970s being performed in a high school auditorium. I do not want to diminish the skill of the performers, it was the setting, the costumes and the music that were beyond belief. As I sat through the performance, I wished that one of my dear friends had been there, so I could share the sarcasm that was bubbling inside of me. The "My Heart Will Go On" number was incredible, but the music and the shots of the movie in the background really took away from the Silk Hanging performance, I wonder if Kate and Leo know their pictures are being used this way. Two people hanging from a silk banner and spiining around the stage (I will find some links with pictures when I get home). I am kicking myself for not having bought the DVD after the performance, there is no way I will ever be able to do justice to the show.

Shanghai

I have arrived safely in Shanghai. I have spent the last few days as part of a tour group from Beijing to Xi'an and finally in Shanghai. I had opted out of the portion of the tour that included Beijing, in favour of seeing the sights with Sarah and Julia. This caused large amounts of consternation on the part of the tour guide. It took many phone calls to convince him that I could make it to the Beijing airport and join the group at the appointed time for the flight to Xi'an. Surprisingly enough, I made it to the airport and was waiting for the group when they arrived.

Xi'an was incredible. The Terracotta Warriors were very impressive and Xi'an is a very attractive (except for the smog) city of 7 million. Lots of public green space.

The other members of my tour group were interesting; a family from Nicaragua (father, daughter, son and daughter-in-law) and a very nice couple from the Netherlands. I was the only single person on the tour.

Our tour guide, Ann, in Xi'an was wonderful, but Mac in Shanghai left much to be desired. He did not know what hotel we were staying at and he did not seem to have put any thought into what we were going to be doing in Shanghai. I had paid for the services of a tour guide and was not impressed when he was asking me for the itinerary (those who know me, understand how I feel about having a plan).

Today I am heading to the Bund for a boat tour of the Huangpu River.

Last day in Beijing

Today is my last day in Beijing and I wanted to drop you all a quick hello before I left. I will probably not have regular access to a computer for the rest of my trip (hotel rooms are not as well equiped as Sarah's apartment). I have had a wonderful visit with Sarah and her family. Sarah has been a fabulous hostess and Julia has provided much in the way of entertainment.

I saw all the sights that were on my list and a few extra to boot. I think I have walked a thousand miles and that doesn't include the steps on the Great Wall (up and down). Beijing is an amazing, if somewhat crazy, place, there is construction everywhere all in preparation for the Olympics. The traffic is mindblowing; everything from bicycles to huge trucks piled high and everything in between. Everything here is negotiable, from cab fare to the price of pearls (I got a really good deal). We ate Peking Duck on Wednesday night under a portrait of Mao in the same building where you can buy any brand (knock-off) of handbag known to womankind.

This afternoon, I am heading to Xian (home of the Terracotta Warriors) and on Monday on to Shanghai for the last leg of my trip. It has gone by so fast and I am sure the rest of the trip will be the same.

I apologize that this is a copy of what some of you received as an e-mail today, but I am running short on time.

Technical difficaulties

Having a few problems with the coding on the blog (all the tabs are in Chinese when I log in). Click on the Flickr icon and you can see all the pictures I have uploaded so far.

Yesterday Sarah, Julia and I went to the Summer Palace at Kunming Lake and climbed to the the top of the "mountain" and saw a Buddist temple and an amazing view of Beijing from the top. There are so many cranes and construction sites on the skyline, I couldn't count them all. The whole city seems to be under construction.

Today I went on a bicycle tour through some of the Beijing Hutongs, covered about 21 km. Beijing is very flat so the biking was not hard, navigating the traffic was bordering on terrifying. Sarah told me there are approximately 1500 new cars hitting the road in Beijing everyday!

Tomorrow Sarah and I are going to the Great Wall and on Wednesday I am going to Chengde for the day. Friday is my last day in Beijing with Sarah and her family. I am heading to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors and then on to Shanghai

Day 2 in Beijing

Today was my second day in China and I think I made the most of it.

This morning I went to the Forbidden City (on the subway, by myself!!!) and took tonnes of pictures. I was going to walk through a Hutong, but it started to rain and ended up meeting Sarah and going shopping. It took a few tries, and several wrong turns to meet up, but we managed and I found a Starbucks in the process.

Sarah and I shopped in the Silk Market at Jianguomenwai Dajie and I got a taste of bargaining and I think I ended up with some good deals. After being chased by many salesgirls, we finally escaped and ate dinner at a wonderful Sichuan restaurant at the Beijing Opera Theatre.

Tomorrow I am planning on heading to the Temple of Heaven and Sunday will probably be our excursion to the Great Wall.

Arrived safely

I am in Beijing and was met by Sarah and Julia at the airport and have had my first taste of Beijing traffic. Think 3 lanes of cars and trucks and add bicycles and carts.
The flight was great and I actually managed to sleep for about 6 hours. They turn on the lights and start giving you more food to wake you up.
Going to head out to Tiananmen Square this afternoon.
Pictures coming soon.

So soon

I am very excited to announce to the world that I have less than 24 hours to go before I am jetting off for my Chinese adventure. The planning is done and the packing is still all over the floor, at least it is now in organized piles (a vast improvement from Sunday).

I will do my best to post some pictures while I am away and there will be lots posted when I get back.