The third Monday in May is Victoria Day in Canada. To celebrate the Queen’s birthday and part of our country’s heritage. It is a statuary holiday for everyone and the Monday night is filled with fireworks in the sky.
Niagara Falls, ON
Happy Victoria Day everyone from Shanghai 
Stay tuned….
Escape… in a busy hectic job and with demanding schedule and chattering children all day how do I escape and turn off?
By reading a good book. Being transported into someone else’s words and world helps me forget about the daily stresses and escape for a short time. Currently I am reading Anne of Green Gables, a Canadian classic on my iPad.
Coffee… lazy weekend mornings on our balcony with a view of an amazing city is a good way to escape, relax, chat and dream about our future endeavors. Plans are made, shared and dreams are born over good coffee and conversation. Other times just the quiet of the city as it is coming awake, the sun rising and the cool breezes in the trees regenerate the soul and get me ready for a bust day ahead.
My favourite escape is the beach. The sound of the waves, warm breezes and in my sight the endless vision of turquoise blue is what I day-dream about on cold damp days and in hectic times. Knowing there is no schedule, place to be or endless paper work to catch up on allows me to truly relax and just be. The beach always is my ideal place to escape.
How do you like to escape? Share your ideas in the comment section below, or post your own! See Word Press for more examples, ideas and details.
Stay tuned… and don’t forget to be a “tourist in your own town”. Link back to my post or see it here.
I thought of a series I should do about the touristy things that we see here in Shanghai, so over the next few weeks, or longer I can post on some of the sights on and off the beaten track here in Shanghai, and then at home, when I return for a few weeks over the summer holiday. Let us begin…. Welcome to the first installment of Tourist in My Own Town.
As you know I am NOT Chinese, nor do I speak Chinese, although I do try. I am starting to understand a few words and my feeble attempts can sometimes turn into a very brief conversation which I am extremely proud. This small understanding is showing progress and a grasp I now have of a difficult language that when I first arrived was a jumble of angry, loud sounds. I thought everyone was always arguing. Now I can understand the difference between words, some of which I recognise and sometimes I catch an odd word that I can actually understand. I have never taken a lesson and I work in an English environment, so my learning curve is pretty slow 
Who knew that one day we would call China home? I always dreamed about living abroad and getting to see more of a city, culture and lifestyle very different from my own, but never in a million years did I ever dream it would be Shanghai.
After 3 years of calling Shanghai home I have had a few opportunities to get out and do the touristy things. Often, just like home work and every day life take up the majority of our waking hours, so we visit the same few block radius to eat, shop and explore. Our radius expanded 8 months after we arrived with the opening of the Kerry Parkside which is a complex that houses a high-end hotel, marvelous mall with Western shops like the Gap and H & M, delicious restaurants and coffee shops. Since our time is limited here I decided we should start to get out and explore a bit more of this world class city before we head home for good.
Hundreds of Golden Buddhas
As you know I LOVE the show the Amazing Race and have been watching it since season 1. The Race has been in Shanghai 2-3 times and the one season visited Shanghai was just after I accepted the job here and was starting to pack for my overseas adventure. We have hit many of the spots the Race went to including Science and Technology Museum, The Bund, and Yuan Garden. One spot I had been looking for was a temple that had hundreds of golden Buddha statues. We thought it was at Jing’An temple and kept planning to go, but always got sidetracked. Finally we planned a few weekends back that we would go. After a last minute search I discovered Jing’An was not the place the Amazing Race went, nor the one with all the golden Buddhas. Instead we went to a more out of the way Temple at the South End of the city on Line 3 called Longhua Temple.
Off the tourist track and a little out of the way we took a subway (after a few connections and about 50 minutes from where we live) and exited in a location that had more locals and next to no tourists. The directions we found on the internet were vague at best and no signs directed us where to go next. We asked a woman who understood some English and she pointed us in the direction of the street we wanted. The directions we had said walk East for 15 minutes, but the street veered off and we were not sure where to go. A large intersection with many lanes of traffic demanded a high pedestrian bridge, so we used it as a vantage point. From this height we could see a pagoda style building and decided that was it and headed for it. Once we arrived at this building we discovered it was an apartment complex,so where to next since our only option was right or left? Still no signage to point us in the right direction and neither one of us thought to bring a map.However, to the left was something that looked like a park, so left it was. Small shops selling fireworks and other funerary style offerings lined the right side of the street, so we figured we must be getting close? Once we came around the end of this block of building we saw a small towering pagoda that was no longer open to the public, but across the road large red gates with lion head knockers and a ticket booth with a 10 Yuan sign in the window told us we must be at our destination, Longhua Temple.
The temple was actually a courtyard and a series of small
Longhua Temple – just inside the main entrance
temples housing many different displays and offerings. As we entered we could take some incense to burn. Many people were in prayer and bowing before continuing inside the series of buildings. It was a very peaceful and quiet place. I wish I understood more about Buddhism as I saw the many gods, fruit and food offerings and some people kneeling before gods and praying. Each building was different and held colourful and golden statuary of gods. According to China Travel Guide it is the oldest temple in Shanghai and the original temple was build here in 242AD. It is also the largest in Shanghai and built in the traditional symmetrical style. The pagoda across the street is actually a bell tower which is seven stories (or 40 m) tall. It is one of the few remaining structures from 977AD and is very fragile, so its balconies and views from the top are no longer accessible to the public. Wikipedia further states it comes from the Tang Dynasty, but after most of it was damaged and destroyed in war it was rebuilt in the Song Dynasty (977AD). It was refurbished in 1954, but kept the same style and design in the newer reconstructions of the Song Dynasty.
Each building held something new and learning about the history and traditions of a foreign culture are quite interesting. Seeing something that is in the city where I live that I had never seen before made it even more fun and I felt like I went on a mini vacation without even getting on a plane, or needing a passport. All this was right in my own town. Why not play tourist and share something from your home town? Put a link to your post in the comment section below (and link back to this post) and we can all learn about a new place to visit, or take a mini break without even leaving our living room
Stay tuned… I will still post on the photo challenges for this week.
I have been lucky enough to have travelled and seen many beaches around the world. From the Eastern Coast of Canada to the French Rivera and the warm waters of the Caribbean, Mexico and Florida. More recently I have had the chance to set foot on beaches in Asia. Each one has a unique beauty, but one thing is the same… the soothing sounds of the sea seems to rejuvenate and relax the soul.
Enjoy my collection of beautiful beaches. Here is a slide show of my 4 most recent pics.
Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack has set this week’s theme Beaches. Click here to see more example or post your own because ‘everyone loves a day at the beach’.
Stay tuned… more next week.
This week word press has set the theme PATTERNS as the weekly photo challenge. I could post on so many different things as thoughts ran through my mind and I went through my archives. I thought about nature and decided to post on patterns that I have caught on film from nature. Enjoy!
What patterns have you seen in nature?
Have some ideas… want to see more? Then head over to Word Press here.
Stay tuned there is more…. another photo challenge to post on later.
Ailsa over at where’s my backpack has asked us to post some photos on dancing. I immediately thought about Cuba. The passion and love for dance is a cultural thing which is awesome to witness and join in on. My best memory was when we went to Cuba and during dinner the band struck up some music and suddenly the staff walked away from their duties and started to dance. It quickly became a dance party (after the shock of some dinners) with most tourists and the staff laughing, cheering and dancing all together. As quickly as it all started they returned to work. I don’t have any photos of this fun phenomenon, but here are a few others from Cuba.
Cuba -Day show put on by the resort staff.
Tropicana – Havana, Cuba
What better example of Cuban dance and love of music than the infamous Tropicana in Havana?
Don’t forget to check out Ailsa’s page to see more examples or take part in the challenges. Everyone is welcome
Stay tuned…. next week there will be more.
Being short I rarely look down on things but here are a few examples with a bird’s eye view for this week’s photo challenge.
Looking down from the World Finicial Tower in Shanghai, China from 101 floors up over the Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower and Huangpu River March 2011.
Looking down at the surf lapping my toes in Cuba, Summer 2012.
Head over to see more or join in the challenge at Word Press – From Above.
Stay tuned… there is always more
Today is a public holiday, Labour Day (May 1), here in China and we are off school. I was catching up on reading some blogs and came across Marianne’s blog (East of Malaga) that I often read and follow. She posted a challenge on Knobs and Knockers. I am fascinated by ornate and colourful doors, but especially since I saw and photographed this door from a church in Havana, Cuba in 2008.
Havana Cuba, 2008
Here in China many doors on older style and traditional buildings are bright red with gold or brass lion head handles. Here is a collection from our recent trip to Beijing.
Each door seems to tell a story with its worn handles, dirt and faded crackle paint. I think that is what makes each unique and interesting to photograph.
Check out Marianne’s blog to see her beautiful examples and photography from Europe.
As always stay tuned…
The theme from WordPress this week is culture.
As promised here is some more pictures from Beijing from our recent trip. These were taken at the park at the Temple of Heaven. Many Chinese people get out and gather in parks or in the central courtyards of building complexes; young and old… older ladies can be seen line dancing, younger children run, play and ride bikes. It is one thing I notice about our culture vs the Chinese culture. We stay isolated in our houses watching TV while each evening music, laughter and voices float up to our building as many members of our compound gather and meet in the central courtyard. Enjoy the following pictures from Beijing of Chinese culture with games, conversation and fun…
Be sure to check out my post from earlier today with more pictures from the Temple of Heaven and local culture.
Stay tuned…
The Temple of Heaven is another major tourist site to see while visiting Beijing after the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Many others may venture to the Summer Palace and this gem may be missed. It was my favourite place over the Forbidden City and after the Wall of course. It was not something we had planned to see and was put as a maybe if we have time. A co-worker casually mentioned it and if they had not said anything we may have overlooked this altogether.
This was our last day in Beijing after a whirlwind of 3 nights and 4 days. After all the walking, hiking, cooler temps and some pollution problems we debated about going, but decided to suck it up and head out to the Temple since it was close to the hotel and we may not get back to Beijing, so best make the most of it. After a few metro stops we exited the trains and were not sure where to go. Generally major attractions have signs posted to point you in the right direction. A few other tourists had the same issue and we followed each other around. Eventually we found ourselves on the street and a posted street map gave us the direction we needed. We found ourselves at the main gate and paid our admission. The admission was more than posted on the Travel website we read. We worried we may be getting ripped off since the woman was adamant it was 40RMB not 20 (about $6.00). Luckily we paid the higher price since it afforded us entrance into the main attractions and not just the park.
Soon after we entered the gate we noticed older local residents playing games and chatting in the sun. A small pavilion had wall to wall people playing shuttle cox (small weighted feathers that must be kept in motion; like hacky sacks that were popular few years back), cards, majong, badminton and dancing. Some ladies were knitting and making crafts which they offered for sale to the passing tourists. The energy and happiness filled the space. No one blinked an eye as a few tourists stopped to snap photos, although a few modest people would turn away or cover their faces.
From there we saw these men playing this hoop game. They would catch the hoop around their necks. As we took pause to watch they gave one to John to throw. After a bad first throw he quickly caught on. They returned the hoops and John was a natural and caught each of them! They were very impressed and clapped and smiled.
Our next stop was the Hall of Good Harvests. A proud grandma and small boy followed me up the steps and he kept saying HI and then mimicked me taking photos. He laughed and would do it again and babbled to me in Chinese. Inside the main building was quite impressive. The detail and colours were dazzling on the round 3 tier building. Inside the detail was just as impressive. This building was used to pray for good weather and good harvests. Animals would also be used for sacrifice and models of where they were held was also part of the display.
Hall of Good Harvests
Next we moved on to the Imperial Vault of Heaven. Similar style as the Hall of Good Harvest, but only 1 tier and smaller in circumference. The tablets used for worship are housed here. Also an echo wall was said to be within the circular walls, although we did not find it, or get it to work for us.
Last stop before we left was the Circular Mound Altar. It reminded me of a 3 tier wedding cake with its white stone and ornate decorations and carvings. The beauty held its tortured past as this was where the animal sacrifices would take place here each winter solstice.
View from the Circular Mound
The Temple of Heaven was my one of my favourite places partly because of the beautiful and peaceful gardens, but also the fewer tourists and more locals doing what they do everyday. It was a glimpse into their lives, culture and traditions. Gone were the pushing and rude crowds all vying for position to get a picture and take a look. Despite its history a calm and peaceful atmosphere surrounded us. Watching the locals play games and be so welcoming and friendly by inviting to join in was priceless.
Be sure to read some of my previous posts on Beijing… which was a whirlwind trip where we fit in a lot in a short time; a real hell of a hike!
Want to see more pictures of the local flair? Stay tuned later as I post on Word Press’ theme Culture…
Canadian Travel Bugs - Daily life in China and travels around Asia.
