Monday, October 22, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Beijing impressions
Hello,
Today is the last day in Beijing and I have very much enjoyed it.
Visiting the Great Wall has been the highlight, as has also been just seeing the immensity of this city. As the other cities I have seen, Beijing is thriving beyond belief. The energy and optimism of the people is very noticeable.
Traffic is horrendous during the peak hours- cars everywhere, wide new roads congested. The main streets are wide boulevards that crisscross the city, and there are now 5 beltways circling the city.
Unlike Shanghai, Beijing is more of a political and cultural center.Much of the architecture from the Imperial dynasties is in place and well maintained. There is much local tourism from the interior provinces- mostly retirees who are enjoying seeing the cultural sights for the first time.
Commerce is thriving, everything from the luxury stores in the hotel area, the small local neighborhoods, and the street vendors peddling knock offs and touristy souveniers to the tourists.
Caution- there is now a market in counterfit 100 yuan bills. Street vendors first switch your good yuan for a fake and then let you purchase with the fake so that they make double the money.
The national bird is now the crane- the construction kind- scattered throughout the city. In Beijing there is a big push to complete it all in time for the Olympics. We drove past the olympic village and the main stadium is in the shape of a birds nest and very impressive.
I really have not felt the pollution as the days have been breezy and the skies clear. Normally I am very allegic and I have felt fine here.
Our tourguides are 3 29-year olds who exhibit the new breed of Chinese. They are optimistic, hard working, loyal to their families and country, very patriotic, and for the most part do not have much to complain about. They d feel that their parents' youth and potential was destroyed by the past regime, and ar happy with this new socialist capitalism that permits them to own property and enter businesses.
These are just some observations.
Tomorrow we leave for Xiam
Today is the last day in Beijing and I have very much enjoyed it.
Visiting the Great Wall has been the highlight, as has also been just seeing the immensity of this city. As the other cities I have seen, Beijing is thriving beyond belief. The energy and optimism of the people is very noticeable.
Traffic is horrendous during the peak hours- cars everywhere, wide new roads congested. The main streets are wide boulevards that crisscross the city, and there are now 5 beltways circling the city.
Unlike Shanghai, Beijing is more of a political and cultural center.Much of the architecture from the Imperial dynasties is in place and well maintained. There is much local tourism from the interior provinces- mostly retirees who are enjoying seeing the cultural sights for the first time.
Commerce is thriving, everything from the luxury stores in the hotel area, the small local neighborhoods, and the street vendors peddling knock offs and touristy souveniers to the tourists.
Caution- there is now a market in counterfit 100 yuan bills. Street vendors first switch your good yuan for a fake and then let you purchase with the fake so that they make double the money.
The national bird is now the crane- the construction kind- scattered throughout the city. In Beijing there is a big push to complete it all in time for the Olympics. We drove past the olympic village and the main stadium is in the shape of a birds nest and very impressive.
I really have not felt the pollution as the days have been breezy and the skies clear. Normally I am very allegic and I have felt fine here.
Our tourguides are 3 29-year olds who exhibit the new breed of Chinese. They are optimistic, hard working, loyal to their families and country, very patriotic, and for the most part do not have much to complain about. They d feel that their parents' youth and potential was destroyed by the past regime, and ar happy with this new socialist capitalism that permits them to own property and enter businesses.
These are just some observations.
Tomorrow we leave for Xiam
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Chinese haggling
This is typical haggling conversation in Beijing streets. We've been having fun buying knock offs very very cheap.
Chinese Vendor: Gucci bag, Rolex…..20 dolar
Tourist: no thank you, ni hau
Chinese Vendor: nicie bag…luk
Tourist: no thank u
Chinese Vendor: chip ok 15 dolar
Tourist: no,no (now he touches the bag- feels like nice leather, looks great, thinks this would make a nice present… but no , ni hau
Chinese Vendor: ok 2 for 20 dolar
Tourist: no, (touches bag again, smells it, and thinks I could have 2 nice presents)
Chinese Vendor: opens the bag and shows you the inside, which contains a smaller bag (so you actually get 4 bags) that can be used alone…luki , only 15 dollar,
Tourist: no
Chinese Vendor: ok 2 for 10
Tourist: thinks out loud…that’s better…how about 1 for 4 dolar
Chinese Vendor: no
Tourist: no, and walks away
Chinese Vendor: ok 3 for 12
Tourist: ok
everyone is happy
Chinese Vendor: Gucci bag, Rolex…..20 dolar
Tourist: no thank you, ni hau
Chinese Vendor: nicie bag…luk
Tourist: no thank u
Chinese Vendor: chip ok 15 dolar
Tourist: no,no (now he touches the bag- feels like nice leather, looks great, thinks this would make a nice present… but no , ni hau
Chinese Vendor: ok 2 for 20 dolar
Tourist: no, (touches bag again, smells it, and thinks I could have 2 nice presents)
Chinese Vendor: opens the bag and shows you the inside, which contains a smaller bag (so you actually get 4 bags) that can be used alone…luki , only 15 dollar,
Tourist: no
Chinese Vendor: ok 2 for 10
Tourist: thinks out loud…that’s better…how about 1 for 4 dolar
Chinese Vendor: no
Tourist: no, and walks away
Chinese Vendor: ok 3 for 12
Tourist: ok
everyone is happy
Beijing
oday was first day in Beijing and we visited the Forbidden City Complex and had a rickshaw tour of an older part of town that is undergoing tremendous renovation. Beijing is also undergoing a lo of construction to get ready for the Olympics. It is a thriving city, with broad boulevards and a lo of cultural and historic sites. There are also many many new buildings with beautiful architecture, but they are not as tall as the buildings in Shanghai and maintain a more balanced dimension to the existing architecture.
I am staying at the same hotel as the National Congress meeting participants and security is very tight.
Tomorrow we visit the Great Wall and that should be exciting.
I have posted some more pictures and videos.
I am staying at the same hotel as the National Congress meeting participants and security is very tight.
Tomorrow we visit the Great Wall and that should be exciting.
I have posted some more pictures and videos.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Shanghai-Day 3
Hi Everyone,
I am unsure if this is going through or not, since the site is only opening up in Chinese and only lets me post and not read the blog.
I will post on the website instead, since this blog is part of Google and may be blocked somehow by the authorities.
Go to http://rosatorrestumazos.com/ for my comments.
I'm having a great time and have posted many pictures and videos.
Rosa
I am unsure if this is going through or not, since the site is only opening up in Chinese and only lets me post and not read the blog.
I will post on the website instead, since this blog is part of Google and may be blocked somehow by the authorities.
Go to http://rosatorrestumazos.com/ for my comments.
I'm having a great time and have posted many pictures and videos.
Rosa
Friday, October 12, 2007
Shanghai- Day 1,2
We arrived here yesterday and all I can say is WOW.
This is a huge modern city with all of the apparent amenities of most Western cities.The architecture of the many skyscrapers is stunning. The city appears clean and very organized.
Instead of taking the organized tour of the city, I accepted an invitation to to travel 3 hours to visit a furniture factory with one of my travel companions who is in that business and has a supplier. The ride out to the Hangzhou was very interesting since we got to see how industrialized the area is. There were many factories, powerplants, apartment buildings, as well as farm areas. The pollution is as bad as we expected- grey skies and heavy air. The factory made cast aluminum a well as plastic wicker leisure furniture for export. See the pictures.
I'll have more to repor when I have more time- I have to go now,
Rosa
We arrived here yesterday and all I can say is WOW.
This is a huge modern city with all of the apparent amenities of most Western cities.The architecture of the many skyscrapers is stunning. The city appears clean and very organized.
Instead of taking the organized tour of the city, I accepted an invitation to to travel 3 hours to visit a furniture factory with one of my travel companions who is in that business and has a supplier. The ride out to the Hangzhou was very interesting since we got to see how industrialized the area is. There were many factories, powerplants, apartment buildings, as well as farm areas. The pollution is as bad as we expected- grey skies and heavy air. The factory made cast aluminum a well as plastic wicker leisure furniture for export. See the pictures.
I'll have more to repor when I have more time- I have to go now,
Rosa
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Day 2 in HK
Hello, and sorry that the videos have not posted. I have been unable to get a clean connection to upload them, but will keep trying.
I appreciate your comments and feedback through these sites. Taking good pictures is not as easy as I had expected, so sometimes they are blurry and off centered because I am moving to keep up, but still want to share what I am witnessing with you.
What a great day! Hong Kong is a fascinating city- the skyscrapers, harbor, hills, and vibrancy of this small island city is electrifying.
This morning we met the members of our Harvard Business School our group- about 30 people from various parts of the world. It will be fun just getting to know them, as we will be spending the next 2 weeks together exploring China.
Today we went up to Victoria Peak riding up a 60 degree funicular tram. The ride up was a bit scary, with huge skyscrapers shooting up in weird angles relative to the tram. The view from the peak was definitely worth the ride as you can see from the pictures. It's a bit like San Francisco, but higher and more Chinese.
From there we went to Stanley market which was basically a tourist trap with cheap souveniers.
Then we went to Aberdeen- an old fishing village where fishermen still live on their boats in squalor, surrounded by the richest real estate towers in the world. The contrast was startling. We were given a ride in the old junkets.
Afterwards I went to lunch for dim sum with 5 people from the tour- a Saudi couple, a healthy cookbook author, an investment banker and a professor. The conversation was so stimulating.
Tonight we'll have dinner with several local alumni business people and get their perspectives. Tomorrow Thursday we depart for Shanghai.
Until next time, Rosa
I appreciate your comments and feedback through these sites. Taking good pictures is not as easy as I had expected, so sometimes they are blurry and off centered because I am moving to keep up, but still want to share what I am witnessing with you.
What a great day! Hong Kong is a fascinating city- the skyscrapers, harbor, hills, and vibrancy of this small island city is electrifying.
This morning we met the members of our Harvard Business School our group- about 30 people from various parts of the world. It will be fun just getting to know them, as we will be spending the next 2 weeks together exploring China.
Today we went up to Victoria Peak riding up a 60 degree funicular tram. The ride up was a bit scary, with huge skyscrapers shooting up in weird angles relative to the tram. The view from the peak was definitely worth the ride as you can see from the pictures. It's a bit like San Francisco, but higher and more Chinese.
From there we went to Stanley market which was basically a tourist trap with cheap souveniers.
Then we went to Aberdeen- an old fishing village where fishermen still live on their boats in squalor, surrounded by the richest real estate towers in the world. The contrast was startling. We were given a ride in the old junkets.
Afterwards I went to lunch for dim sum with 5 people from the tour- a Saudi couple, a healthy cookbook author, an investment banker and a professor. The conversation was so stimulating.
Tonight we'll have dinner with several local alumni business people and get their perspectives. Tomorrow Thursday we depart for Shanghai.
Until next time, Rosa
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
First full day in HK
Hello,
Today was the first full day of visiting Hong Kong. It was really exciting and I got a lot of interesting shots to share. The day was not organized by the tour, so Margaret and I explored by ourselves. We started out late, since we slept late and caught up with our sleep. Hereare some highlights:
Breakfast was uneventful- Margie had Starbucks, and I really wanted something a little more authentic, but settled for a budget fast food place. I’m really afraid to get sick, so I won’t be too adventuresome.
I was quite impressed with my first glimpse of the Hong-Kong skyline and took some interesting shots. One of the things that really impressed me was the number of delivery people on the sidewalks pushing carts loaded with all sorts of merchandise- including the DHL messenger delivering packages.
Riding the Sky Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong is a quick an scenic ride. It’s comparable to riding the Staten Island Ferry, but shorter ride and it is not free- but quite inexpensive.
HK is a city of contrasts- very modern skyscrapers and luxury malls combined with street shops selling herbs and knick knacks.
An interesting engineering aspect of HK is the amount of construction everywhere- including filling in the harbor to accommodate more building. Many of the streets are being torn up for repairs of subway additions. Tomorrow I will have dinner with Sai Lam, an engineering classmate from Columbia who has lived here for the past 30 years and has built the new airport, bridge, and now more subways.
There’s an interesting picture I took at the temple with ladies burning papers on which worshipers had written their wishes to the Gods.
We had “high tea” at the Peninsula Hotel, one of those grand hotels from a past era, where Chinese were not permitted during the British reign.
There is a park in the middle of a very busy area in Kowloon with a sculpture garden and an Olympic sized swimming pool. The temperature here is in the high 80’s, so it looked very refreshing.
I am having difficulty uploading videos- it appears that the internet connection is not good and it stops loading. Will keep trying.
Good night,
Rosa
Today was the first full day of visiting Hong Kong. It was really exciting and I got a lot of interesting shots to share. The day was not organized by the tour, so Margaret and I explored by ourselves. We started out late, since we slept late and caught up with our sleep. Hereare some highlights:
Breakfast was uneventful- Margie had Starbucks, and I really wanted something a little more authentic, but settled for a budget fast food place. I’m really afraid to get sick, so I won’t be too adventuresome.
I was quite impressed with my first glimpse of the Hong-Kong skyline and took some interesting shots. One of the things that really impressed me was the number of delivery people on the sidewalks pushing carts loaded with all sorts of merchandise- including the DHL messenger delivering packages.
Riding the Sky Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong is a quick an scenic ride. It’s comparable to riding the Staten Island Ferry, but shorter ride and it is not free- but quite inexpensive.
HK is a city of contrasts- very modern skyscrapers and luxury malls combined with street shops selling herbs and knick knacks.
An interesting engineering aspect of HK is the amount of construction everywhere- including filling in the harbor to accommodate more building. Many of the streets are being torn up for repairs of subway additions. Tomorrow I will have dinner with Sai Lam, an engineering classmate from Columbia who has lived here for the past 30 years and has built the new airport, bridge, and now more subways.
There’s an interesting picture I took at the temple with ladies burning papers on which worshipers had written their wishes to the Gods.
We had “high tea” at the Peninsula Hotel, one of those grand hotels from a past era, where Chinese were not permitted during the British reign.
There is a park in the middle of a very busy area in Kowloon with a sculpture garden and an Olympic sized swimming pool. The temperature here is in the high 80’s, so it looked very refreshing.
I am having difficulty uploading videos- it appears that the internet connection is not good and it stops loading. Will keep trying.
Good night,
Rosa
Monday, October 8, 2007
Hi,
The journey has just begun!!
I arrived safely and well rested in Hong Kong. The 16 hour trip went by very quickly and I am rested.
I shot a few pictures at the airport and in transit to hotel. They really aren't much to write about but this is my first time practicing.
I met up with my friend Margaret Jonhs who decided just two weeks ago to come on the tour. The official tour begins tomorrow night so we just had a night in the town on our own. Lots of lights, young Chinese, and foreign business people on the streets.
I'll have more to report later, just want to see how I can make this all work.
For links to pictures and blog, go to www.rosatorrestumazos.com.
Rosa
Interesting fact: The group of kids on the video at the airport were not atheletes- they are mathematicians. They were all working on math problems on the plane-how many 13 year olds would do that in the US??
The journey has just begun!!
I arrived safely and well rested in Hong Kong. The 16 hour trip went by very quickly and I am rested.
I shot a few pictures at the airport and in transit to hotel. They really aren't much to write about but this is my first time practicing.
I met up with my friend Margaret Jonhs who decided just two weeks ago to come on the tour. The official tour begins tomorrow night so we just had a night in the town on our own. Lots of lights, young Chinese, and foreign business people on the streets.
I'll have more to report later, just want to see how I can make this all work.
For links to pictures and blog, go to www.rosatorrestumazos.com.
Rosa
Interesting fact: The group of kids on the video at the airport were not atheletes- they are mathematicians. They were all working on math problems on the plane-how many 13 year olds would do that in the US??
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I repaired my laptop and it's ready to go.
I've tested everything again, bookmarked, and timed how long it would take me to make entry, post picture and video. I have it down to about 15 minutes total- so I think it should me manageable. One constraint may be getting good internet access and that my power adapter works and I can charge my battery and run the computer.
If it becomes too complicated, I will just have to store everything in the hard drive on my head, and hope that I can recall it.
Rosa
If it becomes too complicated, I will just have to store everything in the hard drive on my head, and hope that I can recall it.
Rosa
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Good morning,
Last night I sent out e-mail invitations to many of you to follow along on my upcoming trip. The anticipation is consuming me, and I am busy packing and reading up on my destinations. I start out in Hong Kong, which is not really indicative of the " new China" that I am looking forward to exploring, but nonetheless a fascinating and scenic city.
Simultaneously, the system on my laptop computer crashed last night.
Since I intend to take it with me on the trip to communicate, I now need to scramble to repair or replace it. Never a dull moment. Hopefully it will all be taken care of, and I'll end up with a lighter laptop than the one that broke.
Have a nice day and enjoy the crisp autumn weather.
Rosa
Last night I sent out e-mail invitations to many of you to follow along on my upcoming trip. The anticipation is consuming me, and I am busy packing and reading up on my destinations. I start out in Hong Kong, which is not really indicative of the " new China" that I am looking forward to exploring, but nonetheless a fascinating and scenic city.
Simultaneously, the system on my laptop computer crashed last night.
Since I intend to take it with me on the trip to communicate, I now need to scramble to repair or replace it. Never a dull moment. Hopefully it will all be taken care of, and I'll end up with a lighter laptop than the one that broke.
Have a nice day and enjoy the crisp autumn weather.
Rosa
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