http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/ Images from the Life of Stuart G Towns en Copyright 2007 Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:47:51 +0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss One street scene from the very crowded Yu Yuan Gardens. I think the Lonely Planet summed it up well by calling it Shanghai Disney Land (i.e., a facade). It looks very realistic and authentic, as long as you ignore the McDonald's in the lower right corner. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001765.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001765.html Shanghai Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:47:51 +0700 Piyawat and I thought that most of the Chinese food in Shanghai was very bland. It wasn't bad, per se, just not what we are used to. So, using our Lonely Planet guide, we tried to find the spiciest restaurant in town. Di Shui Dong definitely did the trick. Check out that dish on the left, it's almost all chilies. And the ribs on the right were tastily spicy as well. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001762.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001762.html Shanghai Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:46:16 +0700 Here is a beautiful reclining Buddha found at the Jade Buddha Temple. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001760.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001760.html Shanghai Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:45:05 +0700 One of the highlights of a trip to Shanghai is to check out the brand new night skyline of Pudong, across the Huangpu River from "old" Shanghai. This scene is starting to rival Hong Kong's harbor skyline, and it's amazing that it's all been built in the last few years. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001759.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001759.html Shanghai Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:44:26 +0700 The Lonely Planet guide described Nanjing Road as a tourist hotspot. That may well have been true, but it was all Chinese tourists. I think we might have seen a handful of white faces in a crowd of thousands of Chinese. In any case, this pedestrian mall was a fun little night stroll. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001758.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001758.html Shanghai Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:43:53 +0700 One of the buildings at the Jing An Temple. This temple is a great example of the sad state of affairs in Shanghai. It has an amazing 1800-year history (founded in AD 247 !) but was largely destroyed in 1851. During the Cultural Revolution, the Buddhist images were removed and it became a plastic factory. It's back to being a temple (more like a tourist attraction), but it's sad to think of what it could have been. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001756.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001756.html Shanghai Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:42:46 +0700 Here I am under the Willow trees near one of the canals in Tongli Village. When I got dressed that morning, I definitely didn't know that I would match the background so well. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001764.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001764.html Shanghai Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:47:22 +0700 A picturesque scene from the canals in Tongli village, outside of Shanghai. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001763.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001763.html Shanghai Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:46:50 +0700 In Tongli village, young female Chinese tourists were getting a big kick out of renting costumes and posing in the Chinese gardens for pictures. Luckily, this maiden's very modern tennis shoes were hidden behind the rock for this picture. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001761.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001761.html Shanghai Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:45:40 +0700 Two old Chinese ladies discussing the news of the day in Tongli village. I'm not sure what was up with the towel-on-the-head look, but I saw several grandmas making this same fashion statement in the small village. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001755.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001755.html Shanghai Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:42:10 +0700 Cool Chinese architectural design in a house in Tongli village, outside of Shanghai. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001753.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001753.html Shanghai Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:40:41 +0700 Perhaps the most authentic temple we visited was this one, the Temple of the Jade Buddha. Here is the main courtyard, with big urns for burning incense. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001752.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001752.html Shanghai Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:40:01 +0700 One of the fun things about going to different countries is seeing new flavors of familiar products. These Lay's potato chips all sound good to me (L-R): Korean Kimchi, Thai Leaf Chicken, Black Pepper Rib Eye Steak (mmm!), Green Cucumber, and (boring) Authentic Original. http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001757.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001757.html Shanghai Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:43:26 +0700 It's kind of cool to go to a foreign country and see another language show up on familiar websites. Luckily, I know how to use Gmail, so the Chinese characters didn't throw me off. (And thankfully, once I logged in, the language switched back to English.) http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001754.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001754.html Shanghai Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:41:40 +0700 Luckily, I am a pretty good typist and can type without looking at the keyboard. That's a good thing, especially when you go to an Internet cafe and the letters have been rubbed off of the keys! http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001751.html http://www.sgtowns.com/photos/shanghai/001751.html Shanghai Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:38:53 +0700