This is a view from the top of one of the boat docks. They allow the tourist room to stop and look at the town. This one as you can see has a variety of plants. The owner must enjoy growing their own fresh vegetables. Here is a good view of one of the hanging lanterns used to decorate the town. The river is always a brown color but even more so this trip due to the heavy rains that have fallen over the past several weeks up river. There are some severe floods at this time with property damage along the rivers way to the East of us.

This is a river view of Xitang from the top of one of the many bridges. You can see the narrow walkway in front of the shops and the living areas on the second floor. Many shops add hanging displays to encourge you to shop in their store. There were many hanging lanterns to celebrate the Mid-Autumn holiday. There are boat docks along the river so the boats can unload cargo. Although, if you look close you may be able to see todays cargo hauler - the motor bike. Yes, it is difficult to ride one on the narrow walk way - but they do manage.

This is a view of 2 of the many bridges of Xitang. There are tour boats to travel the waterways from point to point. When you are on the boats you can imagine you are traveling in ancient China. It is very relaxing after walking for several hours. Like any tourist town it is full of tourist enjoying the shopping and history. There are local artist creating and selling their crafts. It is fun to see them create something that allows you take home a bit of history and place on your shelf to add to your memories of Xitang.

Oct 1, 2010 - On Mid-Autumn Festival we visited Xitang an historic watertown near Shangahi. It is a well known tourist destination. Most of the buildings are about 400 years old. The town has existed for over 1,000 years. It is a nice place to visit and enjoy some tourist shopping. There are 8 watereways that come together here and many bridges to cross from one side to the other. We walked around for 6 hours and did not see it all. People live in the houses with small shops in the front. There are many restaurants and overnight accomodations, like a bed and breakfast.

This is our front gate. It is called The Red Gate, who would have guessed that? When you enter the gate, turn right and follow the path to our apartment, about 100 feet.

Today – Monday September 13, It rained so hard all of the ditches were full with 2 feet of water standing under most of the overpasses. There were a lot of stalled cars from trying to drive through the puddles. Last week we had a typhoon that just missed Shanghai but still left a lot of rainfall. So most of the ditches had not drained out. It was the first day of regular school and it was cancelled because the typhoon was supposed to directly hit Shanghai. Lucky us it missed. There was a lot of lightning and very loud thunder because it was right on top of our heads.

We live in Xuihui (shew way) neighborhood, which is right next to one of the largest commercial centers, of which there are many, in Shanghai. What that means is that we are three blocks from Shanghai's Times Square. Wow! Is it ever big, lighted, and full of people and excitement. The stores close at 10:00 pm. McDonalds stays open 24 hours. Everybody is out and about at night. It's still plenty warm. One feels perfectly safe at all times. Of course, there are lots of cars, bikes, and motorbikes and even though they are not supposed to, they often drive on the sidewalks. You always have to look around you at all times. I think Brigham Young might have been Chinese, because the sidewalks here are almost are wide as the streets in Salt Lake.

There are two really tall skyscrapers at the center. They are called the Grand Gateway Mall. Go on line and see if you can see it. The mall inside has at least 13 escalators and 4 glass elevators, all within one view. It goes up about 7 floors and gigantic. There is a book store and there are lots of English novels for sale. I believe the Chinese are definitely changing from just a producing country to a consumer country as well.

We took the subway Line 10 find Walmart. It took 45 minutes on the subway and another 15 minutes of walking to get there. I needed an electric hairbrush, and I couldn't find one here. Sure enough Walmart had it. But most people around here have never ever even heard of Walmart. They didn't know what it was. Amazing when you think most of Walmart's stuff is made in China, and that Walmart is the largest company in the world. Anyway, Shanghai's Walmart was about 4 stories tall. It was a Super Walmart.

Our first trip to church by subway took us 8 hours from when we left the apartment and returned; the second time took us 6 hours. We took a different line. It was better and less crowded. The subways are beautiful, clean, well-organized, with English written and spoken directions. They are much better then London's or New York's; but, of course, they are much newer. Also, they have escalators coming up out of the tunnels, so they are less exhausting. At Church, one young mother bore her testimony, telling us that it takes her 1 ½ hours by subway to get her and her two little kids to church by herself; her husband often travels. She said it was so difficult, and that a Brother So and So, learned of her situation, and he started sending his private driver to pick her and her kids up to get them to church. She cried when she expressed her gratitude to him. Wow, and we have trouble in the US getting our kids into our own cars and driving to church on time. Lots of interesting people at church, most are young 20s, 30s, and 40s. Most are business people. We are the oldest people in the Branch.

More from Shanghai later.

September 5, 2010

Today is Saturday, Sept. 4. We have been in China for a full week now, very busy setting up our apartment and getting situated for school. Chuck has just downloaded a VPN, which allows us to by pass the Chinese filters on the inter net. So hopefully we c.an begin posting to our Blog. If anyone reads this, please let us know. Post some notes so we will know it works.

Our friends told us it may go off and you have to reset another VPN.

Virtual Private Networks are legal. They protect you from identity theft. They also protect you from anyone looking at your internet usage. But – nothing on the internet is completely safe so we use it to post and hope it hides our addresses from identity thieves.

August 29, 2010

Last night we walked to BestBuy to purchase a DVD. They told us Phillips brand would work on Chinese and US DVD. They had one on sale. They even set it up for English, very helpful and nice.

We got home and the TV remote was in Chinese. It Took me 3 days with the help of our hall monitor to figure out where the enter button on the remote was. You have to push a button 2 times. We have DVD. We can watch US movies bought off the street for $1.20 and they are real new. Prince of Pershia, Salt, A-Team, Expendables are a few offered. When I get back to the US I may have to re read the copywrite laws that I have worked with for 20 years as a Librarian.

We have eaten more rice and noodles for breakfast actually 24 hours a ay. They hive other food if you want to look for it. The noodles – a big bowl is $0.60 and Ronda can hardly eat all of it – I am full when I get finished. It is so hot I cannot carry it to the table with out burning my hand. Actually it is very tasty. We have eaten there often.

We have eaten in the restaurant of our hotel for $4.50 and it was a big full meal. We only do that on special occasions. $0.60 is much better. Actually it depends on where we are and if we want to go to a nice place. Hotel restaurant is like Sharis. The $.60 is like McDonalds. Yes we have one 2 block away. It is just like home. Cost is $3.00 for a complete chicken meal.

August 28, 2010 – Saturday

This was our first day in China. We flew in at 10:30 on Friday night.

We got up and had a nice breakfast provided by the hotel. We had rice and eggs, dumplings, pot stickers, and several types of buns. We had milk, juice, and hot tea was provided if you wanted it.

After breakfast we walked around the Jiao Tong - Xihui campus. It is very quiet.

We walked down the block and bought some French bread and sandwiches and rolls for lunch.

After lunch we took a nap to help with the jet lag.

In the afternoon we went to WalMart. That was a real trip. 30 miutes by subway. Cost $4 round trip.

When we got there it was amazing to see. But it was very much like a WalMart at home. Except – this is the real Walmart in the real China.

There are more big big big shopping malls then I thought were in the world. We have about 5 with in 2 blocks of where we live. We tried to look in all of them but ended up saving a couple for another day.

We found a big Best Buy just 2 blocks from where we live in case we need some computer stuff.

We ended the day by eating in an Italian restaurant for supper.

It was a long day but very successful.

Now we can ride the subway all over Shanghai.