Yes, once again in catch-up mode, it is time to give you a sweeping summary of our quick trip to China.
Shanghai
Arriving from the airport, we chose the stylish option into town - the Shanghai Meglev, better known to some as the Transrapid. What's so awesome about it? Well, it's the only high-speed magnetic levitation train operating in the world and can reach 430 km per hour! That's 270 mph! Of course only German engineering could come up with such an amazing technology. :)
After checking out our amazing new home, the
Rock & Wood International Youth Hostel (we can highly recommend them!), it was time for the most famous vista in town: Welcome to Shanghai!
This is the view from the Bund onto the Pudong side of the river. Most visible is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (close-up coming soon).
The opposite side of the river is known as the Bund. It is a collection of old colonial-style buildings housing banks and hotels since its early days...
Time for one of those touristy things: The Sightseeing Tunnel. Ironically you don't see any sights during the short 5-10min ride. Instead, it reminds you of a laser light show - computer simulation - Star Trek experience. Fun, but no need to do it more than once...
And tadaaaah! Of course you come out at the foot of the most famous building in Shanghai: the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.
From there is was a short walk to the tallest observation deck in the world: The Shanghai Financial Center. (Kinda looks like a bottle opener.) Up at 474 m (1555 ft), you get to enjoy sweeping views of the entire city and even look down on the next-tallest building right next door: the Jin Mao Tower.
Great view of the city from the observation deck! Makes you realize how much of the city is divided into planned communities.
AND ALL IN ONE (from bottom to top):
Jin Mao Tower, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Huangpu River, and the Bund in the background.
Maybe even prettier by night than by day...
The city that doesn't sleep much. Lots of shopping and restaurants to keep you entertained late into the night.
Next day, it was time to catch up with old friends. GO LOGGERS! :)
Had a great time strolling through the old alleys in the French Concession neighborhood.
Can't miss a visit to the Old City.
At the heart is the elegant Huxingting Tea House. The tea house can only be reached by a zig-zag shaped bridge that was designed to keep the evil spirits away (since those can't turn corners).
After a quick bite of steamed buns and other local snacks it was time to tackle the Yuyuan Gardens.
From Shanghai we decided to take the high-speed bullet train to Beijing. So here's the thing. We knew one of the most important holidays in China was coming up: Golden Week.
Since this week includes the Chinese National Day and also coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, it was bound to be a mega-holiday.
And to make a long story short, let's just say that all the trains were booked out except for the VIP class. So....
Welcome to First Class!
The view from the train was a mix of uniform cities full of newly planned communities and fields of corn and wheat.
Beijing
Our first night in town: time for a some local delicacies. Enjoying the Manchu specialty of Mutton Hotpot. Genius business idea. They just give you all your favorite fixings and you have to cook them yourself!
Maybe not with
ALL the fixings...
Of course the first place to see in Beijing is the center of town at Tienanmen Square.
The square decorated for the National Holiday. It was actually very lively and full of people. But military police was quite present and monitoring the visitors.
Entrance into the Forbidden City. See the crowds? That's just the beginning...
In front of a bridge leading to the Gate of Supreme Harmony.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony
People practicing their calligraphy skills with water brushes.
Beihai Park just north of the Forbidden City (with White Pagoda on the top of the hill).
Random side note: One of the most popular items for sale by street vendors were bunny ears. No kidding! Some girls got very creative with their hairstyle to emphasize them too. Now I'm not sure if this is truly just about the Mid-Autumn Festival (where you see a bunny in the moon) or just another crazy fashion trend...
Visiting the hutongs (traditional Chinese quarters). Here the tourist version with many shops...
... and here the local version in the back-alleys.
The Lama Temple (also known as Yonghe Temple), one of the largest temple complexes in Beijing. This one follows the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism.
Three Buddhas, representing the present, the past, and the future.
The 18 ft (26 m) Maitreya Buddha is a sight to behold! One does feel very small next to that...
(Max barely reaching the statues feet.)
Another famous sight: The Temple of Heaven. Looks like the picture on our tour guide... :)
And in all its glory!
At the Echo Wall. Can you hear me?
Huh? Um, not sure what happened during the last thunderstorm, but really?
Time to say goodbye to the temple grounds with its large crowds and brave new challenges...
Welcome to the Night Market! Famous for its "specialty food" stalls. What might that be? Well... observe and enjoy!
Yep, that kind of specialty. Scorpions, snakes, spiders, bugs, you name it. All available for a crunchy/chewy meal.
The small scorpions were actually still well alive and moving. They just fry them for you to order, so they are extra fresh and tasty! Yum!
Are you gonna try that??? I'M NOT!!!!
The stuff of nightmares...
So we have to admit, we chickened out and did not try these local specialties.
Respect to our Logger friends who already did on their last visit to Beijing. We just couldn't do it.
Not just the food alley was popular. The shopping district was overrun with crowds EVERYWHERE!
To get some respite from the bustling city life we took a day trip into the country side to a small village called Mutianyu. Just happens to be one of the most popular spots to see this little architectural thing spanning the countryside. You might have heard of it:
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Yikes, that's steep!
(But less tourists that way.)
But once you made it to Tower #1 it was a great view of the entire section...
Made it! Tower #1!
Decided to continue exploring past Tower #1.
Oops, didn't see that one!
An old section of the wall that hasn't been restored yet for tourists. The real thing.
While the crowds entertain themselves on the other side of the section of restored wall, we get to enjoy some peace and quiet...
Back at the restored part, actually managed to take some pictures without 10 tourists crossing through.
And now for the fun part. Made in Germany!
Sommerrodeln/Toboggan!
Yeeehaaaawwwww!
I'M COMING!
Aaaahhhhh! So much fun!
On our way back into the city we did a quick stop at the Beijing Olympic Stadium, the Bird's Nest. Quite impressive.
The whole area is nearly unchanged and still very popular with Chinese visitors!
The Water Cube, where Michael Phelps won his record-breaking 8 Olympic medals.
For a more serene finish, we visited the Summer Palace just outside of Beijing.
Chinese A/C
A view of the main temple of the summer palace complex.
The Long Corridor. Only emperors used to be allowed to use it. Things have changed...
The Tower of Buddhist Incense on top of Longevity Hill. A bit of a climb, but definitely worth it.
A final view of Beijing from Longevity Hill. We had a wonderful time in this strange country.
Told you it would be a big post!
Now off to more familiar (English-speaking) parts of the world. Coming up next: Singapore!
Next up: a brief two-day stopover in Singapore. Not only conveniently located for us en route to Darwin, Australia (we'll get to that), but also definitely worth a visit by itself.
The skyline again, as seen from the ground... with a tiny hint of blue sky on an otherwise very rainy day.
The First Generation, by Singaporean sculptor Chong Fah Cheong, honors the first immigrants and the important role of the Singapore River in their lives.
Nightlife: catching up with Alexandra over drinks...
... and authentic Singaporean cuisine in the Holland neighborhood. Yum! 
One more thing left to do: Sylvia spent two months in Singapore for an internship back in 2000. Time to visit the Clementi neighborhood and see how much has changed in 12 years.
