I just got back from Beijing a few days ago — very cool trip. It all started when we met up with our tour guide Ricky on Saturday morning:

Ricky was a cool guy, and answered most of our questions. He definitely learned as much about the U.S. as we did about Beijing though. I think he examined my iPod for 20 minutes, trying to figure out where it was manufactured (I think he’s in the export biz).

Ricky led us around Beijing on Saturday and Sunday. Here are a few highlights:

1. The Great Wall

We lucked out with some perfect weather for The Great Wall. I’m not sure if you can tell from the pictures, but the stairs there are really steep and inconsistent. Regardless, we made it to the highest point, and got a glimpse of some amazing views. I later heard that another tour group (more of our friends) went to a part of the wall where you could ride a slide/bobsled thing down after reaching the top. It sounds like a cheesy experience — a cheesy experience I wish I could have had.

2. Kung Fu Show

I didn’t get many photos here for two reasons… 1. I didn’t want to get thrown out…. 2. I didn’t want to get round-house kicked in the face (cameras weren’t allowed). The show was AWESOME though. If you’re ever in Beijing, check it out at the Red Theater. It started out with a 7 year old doing a hand springs without hands (on his bare head)…. need I say more?

3. Silk Factory
Yes, this had a good possibility of being pretty uninteresting. However, I was delightfully surprised by the private fashion show:

…and my buddy Dan serving as comic relief on his birthday:

4. Summer Palace

I only wish we could have had some better weather here, because this place was beautiful.

5. “Christmas Father”

(self explanatory)

6. Pics of My Friends Creeping

I’m still laughing at these.

We’re about to hop on a plane tonight and head to Beijing for the weekend. Hopefully I’ll get some awesome pics of The Great Wall, etc.

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Last week we decided to hop in a van and take a trip over to some Chinese markets. Within 2 minutes of hopping out of the van we had 3 or 4 new “best friends” that wanted to show us the best shops. Some of them even had catalogs for us to flip through so we could point to anything that interested us.

Everyone got corralled onto an escalator, up to the second level of what looked like a mall on the outside. Inside was a fake brand name free for all, and all of the shop owners were noticeably pleased to see a bunch of westerners.

These shops focused mostly on wearable items like polos, jackets, suits, underwear (yep), watches, and shoes. I can’t be sure of the quality yet, but this stuff definitely looked legit. I guess we’ll see after a few washes.

I’d post pictures of my purchases, but I don’t want you pointing out all my fake gear back in the states ;) Of course, if you see me rockin’ a $3000 watch, it’s a good bet that it’s not real…that is if it’s still ticking.

I like my friend Tad’s blog post about the afternoon.

The playgrounds here have some interesting equipment. This lady for example uses something that resembles the Gazelle in America.

I walked down to “The Bund” tonight and snapped this photo of Pudong from across the Huangpu river

As you may know, the real reason I’m here in Shanghai is for work. I’m here for three weeks of training actually. Our first week of class is over and it went pretty well. Here’s a photo of my awesome team burning the midnight oil before our final project presentation on Friday:

from left to right:
Patryck - technical design
Greg - technical design and project plan
Dominika - business case and financials
James - financials and capacity planning
Me - business case and financial benefits

Coolio resurfaced last night in Shanghai at a club called BonBon. The Grammy award winning rapper that brought us such favorites as “Fantastic Voyage” and “Gangster’s Paradise” captivated a crowd of Shanghainese and expats with such phrases as:

• “I’m 44, but this ain’t your daddy’s stomach” (while lifting shirt to show abs)
• “If I was your boyfriend…. that wouldn’t be your boyfriend” (while pointing to my friend Rachel)
• “If I was your boyfriend, we would have mansions, jewelry, and Cadallacs…and you would pay for all a dat” (still pointing to Rachel)
• “Ya’ll ready to go back in time?” (before singing Fantastic Voyage)
• “Ain’t no party like a Shanghai party ’cause a Shanghai party don’t stop” (a genius improv line in his song 1,2,3,4)

A couple nights ago a bunch of us went to the Shanghai Ice Bar. This place was a complete novelty (we were the only people there, and I’m sure the locals laugh at it). Basically you get a huge parka, with gloves attached, when you walk in, and everything in the bar is made of ice (hence the name). Check out some pics: