Quick Update

The lack of updates lately is due to the fact that China has blocked all blog sites. Anyways found a way to bypass the block, so we will try and get more updates going.

Shanghai Auto Show

As you know Ashlee dragged me to the Shanghai Auto Show against my will. I mean why would I of all people want to go to one of the biggest Auto Shows in the world :-).....

I was expecting the show to be quite large but after attending the LA Auto Show for the past 8 years or so I didn't think that it was going to be any bigger. Boy was I wrong. The show made the LA Auto Show seem like a routine trip to a auto mall. The Shanghai show had every US manufacturer, every European manufacturer, every Asian manufacturer, and every exotic company.

Chris, Ashlee and I made our way to the Auto Show in a taxi, definitely the scariest taxi ride I have been on in my life. I thought the taxis in Hangzhou were crazy... The traffic to get to the Auto Show was crazy and the driver informed Chris that it was never like this and it was

being caused by the show. We finally made our way to the entrance of the show and purchased our tickets. The tickets cost 100RMB or about 15 dollars, about the same price as the LA Auto Show.

The first exhibition hall that we entered was for the Chinese manufacturers and it was seriously out of control. Every manufacturer had music blaring and workers yelling stuff into megaphones. It was like a giant competition to get people to your booth to see your cars. The place was also jammed packed with people, and the Chinese aren't know for being the most polite people when it comes to crowded situations... Needless to say we made our way out of that hall quite quickly.

When we entered the next hall it became apparent to me that the majority of the people at the Auto Show did not come to look at the cars...they were there to take picture of the various models that were posing in front of the cars... The Chinese also do not mess around with the little point and shoot digital cameras that us Americans love so much. Probably 80% of the people there are carrying around thousands of dollars in digital SLR's and equipment.

One of the first non-Chinese manufacturers that we encountered was Volkswagen. There are a crazy amount of VW's in China and the display at the show was quite impressive as well as depressing. They had on display many of the models that we can not get in the US. The Scirocco (in green below), the R36 Passat, and a car we used to have the Phaeton. Needless to say I probably told Ashlee more about these cars then she ever wanted to hear.

After walking through 5 or 6 halls we thought that we had seen most of the show. Mercedes had an amazing display that was actually multilevel in which you walked up this winding ramp that had their cars on display. Mini, as usual, had a very creative display and they were even nice enough to have a birthday sign for me!

We then looked at the guide for the show and realized that we had only completed walking through about half of the show. So Ashlee dragged Chris and I to see the rest of the show..wait...that might be the other way around... It was worth the extra few hours of walking as we made it to the hall that had most of the exotics cars. Every exotic brand was there in full force which makes you realize how much disposable income the Chinese are beginning to accumulate. In Hangzhou you usually see one exotic car a day if not several more. I have seen Audi R8s, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Maybachs, and the list goes on.

All in all the Auto Show was a great experience and it made for an amazing birthday put together by Ashlee.

Chengdued

After a whirlwind weekend, I have excitingly found 15 minutes to spare so I can write about our experience in Chengdu. In China, May 1 is a National holiday as well-except most of the country gets five days off. We... get one. Enough said. But luckily, the day fell on a Friday, the first day after our 'weekend' (Wednesday/Thursday) so another couple and us decided to take advantage of the three days and make a trip out of it. The other couple has been in Hangzhou for over a year and half and had yet to go to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province (where the terrible earthquake was last year). Anna, my closest friend in China, is from Cyprus and her boyfriend, Eddie is from Cuba. It was a delight to travel with them.

(Side Note: the photo below is what we ate everyday as a snack-amazing Baozi!)

Once Chad heard the Panda Research Center was just outside of Chengdu (a city spanning a mere 4 miles and yet is the 4th largest city in China, population wise), it was all he could talk about. In fact, I probably learned more about Pandas just from listening to him research before we even left than when I got there. Unfortunately, he had to wait a whole day after

we arrived in the city because the best time to visit the Center is in the morning since the Pandas quickly fall asleep after eating at 9:30AM. Their stomachs need all day to digest the bamboo they eat. They are known to have the most sensitive digestive systems out of all mammals. Anyways, more about Xiangmaos (Pandas) later....

As soon as we got to Chengdu, I was already itching to go back to Hangzhou. It was in this city that I really felt so spoiled yet fortunate to be living where we are. I didn't even need to step outside the airport terminal to notice the difference in the air quality. I had heard how suffocating the pollution suffocating the pollution could be- and since being in Hangzhou, yes

I had noticed a difference-I wouldn't want to necessarily run a half marathon in it but it was fine- definitely bearable but in Chengdu.... I felt it put all it's weight on my lungs and I suddenly became aware of my voluntary breathing. Besides, the air quality, the city lacked anything special to it. It was industrious, the driving was terribly frightening, and... well, it was China. All expectations need to go out the window when visiting this country. It's better that way. More often than not, you find beauty in the small things- such as the solace in sharing a quiet moment with someone while they bow down to the Buddha before them. You find beauty in the non-verbal communication you share with someone.

(Note: the photo to the left is what our life is like here in China)

We realized very quickly however, that we actually needed about five days here. Chengdu has the reputation for being located in the center of everything one would want to see in this province. We needed more time to cruise down the Yangzee River and visit the Three Gorges- but we were more than happy to see what we did.

The second day in Chengdu was fantastic. We woke up at 6:30 and caught our mini 7 person

bus and prayed we'd make it alive to see the Pandas. (Again, this was his favorite part- I'll save this section for him) Needless to say, he was ready to get up at 6:30 again the next day and go see them. He even used his entire memory card on photographing these adorable animals.

After we again miraculously made it back to the city alive, we went back to our hostel and asked about how we could get to Le Shan to see Dafo aka the Great Buddha. Three busses, 3+ hours

later, we were face to face with one of the only remains that survived the Revolution in China. The Great Buddha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is over 300 years old and stands at 230 feet. His feet are even 26 feet across, his ear droops 23 ft and his shoulders span 92 ft,

while his nose measures 18 ft- and yet my grandpa jokes HE has a big nose! Rest assure Grandpa!

For weeks we were plagued with the fact that we'd be visiting during a National Holiday, which meant going to these sites would be a gamble due to China's enormous population and after experiencing Shanghai, we knew what we might be in for.... To our utter astonishment, there must have been less than 100 people there! We didn't have to que or wait at all to descend down to see the Great Buddha from the ground.

Normally, the staircase down is jammed with people- but the day we went, we were able to take our time (and we needed to since Chad and Anna were clutching the railing the entire walk).

(Photo to the left: A photo opp to good to miss of Chad and Eddie capturing the Great B. from a different angle)

At 6 PM, after being there for

about an hour, we made our way back to congested Chengdu. We all were sad to leave the small city of Le Shan, where our breathing became involuntary once again. It also exuded the small town feel, where everyone plays cards or games outside their shops awaiting customers and watching their children twirl around on the uneven sidewalks.

There's something remarkable about a storm. With the rain comes clarity-and I mean that literally. That night, it rained and the next day we woke up and thought we were in a different city

We could breathe again and we could see past several blocks. The difference was everywhere. Our senses were able to pick up the spiciness that the provence is known for... and that cleared up our sinuses even more! Chengdu has the reputation for having the spiciest food in the world! Chilies are brushed and cooked over anything and everything-peanuts, bread vegetables, potatoes, the list continues...

The next day was our last in Chengdu-we mostly spent it walking around the pedestrian area-where they have provided the ancient Chinese culture and created Chinese buildings that were torn down several decades ago. It was a day of good conversation and always, a day of learning whether it was with Eddie opening up about Cuba, Anna telling us the antagonist stories between Cyprus and Turkey and of course China is always teaching us something...

(A Buddha necklace my grandma gave me from when she was in Asia. (Background Great B.)