Welcome!

I introduced you to Gumby, my latest blog mascot, back in Whistler, Canada. While it doesn’t exactly have the same ring as “Debbie Does Dallas,” I thought a little travelogue of Gumby’s travels would be a nice overview of our trip and a springboard for further posts on our adventures. 

And just a warning, folks, this is by the far the dorkiest thing I have ever done, (so says the DH), although it brought me great joy doing so!

Shanghai May 19 – 20

We spent Tuesday, our first day, in Shanghai’s French Concession neighborhood,
walking & walking along the shaded streets.

Gumby met up with his cousin, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo mascot.
I think a lot of Shanghainese are confused by this guy.

Wednesday we braved the rain and walked down Nanjing East Road,
a pedestrian shopping wonderland.

Gumby’s cousin was there, too, evidently showing his support for the LBGT crowd.

In the spirit of international harmony & cooperation,
Gumby walks hand in hand with Chairman Mao, on the Bund.

After a little tai chi along the Bund, with a view of Pudong,
our stay in Shanghai unfortunately comes to an end.

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Yangshuo May 21 – 24

In Yangshuo it rains everyday, but that doesn’t stop us from riding bicycles into
the countryside. Here Gumby poses next to rice fields and limestone karsts.

Although Yangshuo is overrun with tourists, calm moments can be found
at the cafes overlooking crowded West street.

On Saturday, we head by car to Yangdi Village, where we catch a “bamboo” raft
for a leisurely cruise down the Li River.

Photo opportunities abound!

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Guilin May 24

Before our flight to Shenzhen, we spend a couple of hours wandering around Guilin. 

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Shenzhen May 25

We stayed the night of the 24th in Shenzhen’s Shekou district at the Cruise Inn, an actual cruise ship that has been dry-docked and converted into a hotel. Here’s Gumby & DH with an aquarium in the lobby. We took a ferry from Shekou to Hong Kong on Monday afteroon.

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Hong Kong May 25 – 31

Our first full day in HK found us on the MTR to Lantau Island.

We caught a cable car up and over several hills, with spectacular views.

There we saw the Big Buddha statue and

visited a monastery. (Bonus mullet shot!)

Gumby said a prayer (lower left hand corner).

That night we had an excellent sushi – sake – asahi dinner with our friend C.

We finished out the night with a drink at the Peninsula Hotel’s top floor bar, Felix.
(Probably the swankiest place I’ve ever been. I recommend the bathroom.) 

What a view of Hong Kong Island!

We spent Wednesday night at the Happy Valley Racecourse, watching the ponies.

We bet 20 HK Dollars on the wrong horse. Oh well. ($2.58)

Thursday was Dragon Boat Festival and a public holiday. We took a bus across Hong Kong Island to the beach-side community of Stanley. We hoped to see a dragon boat race, but it was raining pretty much nonstop, so we wandered through a market and headed to the Aberdeen Boat Club for dinner.

The rest of our time was spent walking around Causeway Bay and window shopping.
The windows are fabulous!

We also did some lounging in our hotel suite.

And sleeping in, too, this was a vacation after all!

Obviously some of these photos were “post-production,” and I enjoyed making them so much that I think I might have just created a new hobby. Now I feel like Gumby needs to be superimposed on all of my photos… He’ll require a wardrobe and props, too… This could get out of hand!

For more Gumby visit his gallery. More holiday photos will be uploaded soon.

That would be the Great Firewall of China to those of you not in the know. 

Curious thing about Hong Kong, although supposedly sovereign Chinese territory, it exists independently with a gloriously uncensored Internet. For a week I enjoyed unfettered access to all that is good and subversive on the Web, access which I promptly ignored in favor of actually enjoying Hong Kong and all the other delights it offers, mainly shopping and food. (More on that this week.)

Now I am back in Linyi, back behind the GFW, desperately wishing I could catch up on all the blogspot and wordpress blogs I love so much. My Google Reader account for reading RSS feeds won’t even work and that was my secret weapon. Oh well, this is life. 

Not all is doomsday in the Chinese Internet world, however. I know I harp often on the topic of Internet censorship, it is an important issue to me, but I have to share news of bright spots in Chinese Internet policy. On the flight from Guangzhou to Linyi, I read in the China Daily, China’s English language propaganda newspaper, about a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology who was ordered to shut down his personal website after he wrote criticisms of corporate bribery. His Internet service provider deemed his posts to be “illegal content.” The professor took the case to court and the judge actually ruled in his favor, finding that “writing critically about issues does not constitute ‘illegal’ action.” (Chen Weihua, China Daily 2009/05/30-31 Read the entire article here.) Hallelujah.

Sorry folks, not much to blog about. It rained all weekend and I got a haircut, which depending on your definition, may or might not be a mullet. 

It’s not exactly what I wanted (who wants a mullet?) but I am going to live with it for a while. Although I’m not sure I want anyone to see it, I will probably be posting pics in the next week or so.

I’m leaving for Shanghai this evening to begin my two week holiday. On Monday evening I will pick up Cuñada from the airport (cuñada being Spanish for sister-in-law) and we will indulge in three days of shopping in Shanghai before meeting up with the DH in Yangshuo for a weekend retreat on the Li river. It will likely rain everyday but oh well. Then a five day stay in Hong Kong and possibly Macau will complete the good times. 

You know how I am about blogging while traveling – terrible! But I will try. I hope I try more than my credit card companies! You know how you’re supposed to call them before every little trip so they don’t think you’re committing fraud by <gasp> actually using your card? Well, I have three credit cards. Every single one of them is down for “maintenance” and why don’t I try calling back after 10AM Eastern time? 

Bamboo raftsmen on the Li River, Yanghsuo, Guangxi Province

Mantra: I’ll be on vacation within hours. I’ll be on vacation within hours.
I’ll be on vacation within hours…

Itinerary:

18-21 Shanghai

22-24 Yangshuo

Night of 24th in Shenzhen for our first ever stay in a cruise ship hotel

25-29 Hong Kong

Blog updates will **hopefully** include logistical info for those of you who care about details!

I never thought Hong Kong would look like this! I imagined skyscrapers and alleyways and people everywhere. This is Lamma Island – a little bit of heaven on the edge of a continent.

Lamma Island’s lovely coastline

Tomorrow is Qing Ming – Tomb Sweeping Day. In China and Hong Kong, the day is spent caring for the graves of elders or visiting the local temple to burn offerings. Qing Ming 2008 the DH and I spent a few days exploring Hong Kong and Macau.  A few days were definitely not enough! I can’t wait to go back.

Hong Kong’s first organic herb garden

We were lucky to have a Hong Kong native, our friend C, show us around. One morning we took a ferry to Lamma Island and walked along a well marked path from one side of the island to the other. Towards the end of the trail, we came across a lovely garden and tea house. Herboland is Hong Kong’s first organic herb garden and offers a wide variety of herbal teas for sale. I had peppermint. The DH doesn’t remember what he had. Must not have been a herb to improve memory.

C and I peruse the menu

Herboland
Hung Sing Yeh Beach, Lamma Island
Friday to Monday & All Public Holidays
1000-1800

This post is part of Photo Friday featuring travel photos. See more at Delicious Baby. (Although I did manage to stay away from Spain photos, I couldn’t help posting more than one!)

Hong Kong. I lived it and loved it. Can’t wait to go back! What a vibrant, happening city. There is something for everyone – city, sea, beach, shopping, sports. Unbelievable!

We shopped like crazy for new toys – a Nintendo Wii with all the accessories, an eeePC from Asus (mini laptop), sonicare toothbrushes, clothes for the DH and I, food… We spent an hour wondering around a gourmet supermarket with our tongues hanging out, oohing and aahing like peasants at all the selection. (Cheese! Spices! Coffee! Wine! Gourmet treats!)

We explored the city, visited the Peak, ate delicious seafood on Lamma Island, took a day ferry to Macao (where the DH lost some Euros at the Venetian casino), experienced some nightlife and visited with new friends.

I’d move there tomorrow if an opportunity came up.

I’m back in Linyi now, after visiting the dentist in Shanghai for a partial root canal. That was not a good experience. Of course, I’m still swamped with tons of work to catch up on. I’ll be back when I can!