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Jim Becker
12-10-2007, 10:36 PM
Last week, I spent my time in Beijing China, ostensibly for work training sales and sales-technical new-hires, but also enjoying some wonderful sights and history. I thought I'd post a few pictures (of the 300 I took...) for you to enjoy. There are also a few of woodworking-related interest since this is, after all, a woodworking forum site!

Oh, one of the special moments was calling Professor Dr. SWMBO from on top of the Great Wall. Yup, great cell service even out there in the sticks on top of a mountain. Whoda thunk? :)

76872 Last Emperor's Desk

76873 A wonderful buffet

76874 Nice sculpture in the hotel

76870 Notice the trees...

76871 In the Forbidden City

Jim Becker
12-10-2007, 10:37 PM
And some more pictures at the Great Wall of China and Summer Palace in Beijing. Oh, and on that fourth picture...I walked to where I'm standing all the way from the cable car building near the top of the picture. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down... :D

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John A. Williams
12-11-2007, 12:32 AM
Very cool pictues, Jim. It looks browner than I imagined. The mountain look like the mountain around here, Southern California. Did you by chance see any of the Olympic Venues? The swimming events are going to be held in "The Cube" or "The Water Cube". A very interesting looking building.
John

Doug Shepard
12-11-2007, 5:12 AM
...
Oh, one of the special moments was calling Professor Dr. SWMBO from on top of the Great Wall. Yup, great cell service even out there in the sticks on top of a mountain. Whoda thunk? :)
...


Can you hear me now?:p

Thanks for the pics. Love the furniture.

Karl Laustrup
12-11-2007, 6:45 AM
Amazing!!!! You can get cell service while on the Great Wall and yet I can't get service as I travel between the Dells and Reedsburg, only 15 miles away.

Thanks for the travel log Jim. So did you have time to visit the local BORG? :D

Karl

Keith Outten
12-11-2007, 7:18 AM
Thanks for the pictures Jim.

Ya know, we could be playing Where in the World is Jim Becker

:cool:

Anthony Anderson
12-11-2007, 7:46 AM
Thanks for posting the pics Jim. China is an amazing and very interesting country and culture, to say the least. It is not always that brown though, just go to the Great Wall in the late Spring or Summer, early in the morning and you will get some breath taking views. Definitely one of the must visit places on earth. Glad to see you got some time off.

Tyler Howell
12-11-2007, 8:20 AM
Great adventure Jim.
Thanks for sharing.

Jim Becker
12-11-2007, 10:57 AM
Can you hear me now?

Wrong carrier, but right response! :D I'm a GSM user, but surprisingly, one of my associates who uses a CDMA carrier in the US did have service in Beijing.


It looks browner than I imagined. The mountain look like the mountain around here, Southern California.

It's winter, so things are a bit brown -- Beijing is at about the same latitude as Philadelphia. I actually would love to visit the Summer Palace during each of the four seasons; similar to places like Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, the gardens, etc., are very different throughout the year.


Did you by chance see any of the Olympic Venues? The swimming events are going to be held in "The Cube" or "The Water Cube". A very interesting looking building.I did see the aquatics venue and yes, it's an amazing looking structure. Unfortunately, I could not get a picture of it as we whizzed by due to barriers. I did get a picture of the Olympic Stadium, however...done by a French architect, the locals call it the "Bird's Nest" and you can see why...

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Tom Godley
12-11-2007, 11:51 AM
Nice pictures! - I can go on a trip and take two -- and then forget to download them!

My last trip to China was in Feb - I have been shocked at the changes that have taken place - especially in the last 10 years. The Olympic Games have really put them into high gear -- have you ever seen so many cranes!! My first trip was with my parents in 1976 - when the forbidden city was still forbidden

I have enjoyed the drives along the way to the less popular "Gates" -- they are less restored and less crowded -- but you need to be part mountain goat!

Also get a kick out of the indoor electronic/everything bazars (especially the big one not far from the forbidden city main gate) -- I always end up with too many flashlights!!

TAG

Jim Becker
12-11-2007, 2:18 PM
Tom, most of the world's construction cranes are currently in China and the Middle East...there is SO much construction going on. I've been to both Beijing and Shanghai in the past few months and it's incredible what's going on.

I shopped the Silk Market on Sunday morning before heading to the airport...it's quite a "dance" and a lot of fun to bargain for what you want!

Oh, and I only took 300 pictures this trip since I only brought the small camera. In Shanghai, I took something like more than double that...:rolleyes:...had the D70 along for the ride. It was a mistake not to take it this trip, primarily due to battery life, but also because I couldn't capture some "fast moving" stuff due to the delays inherent with small, portable cameras.

Bruce Page
12-11-2007, 2:43 PM
Awesome pictures Jim!
I would love to go there someday.

Tom Godley
12-11-2007, 5:42 PM
Yes -- The "Silk Market" -- I never think of that building as the SM.

I remember the real "Silk Market" - about the same location -- That actually sold silk! It was a street market -- I think the last of it was was bulldozed in 05. Like the "Bird Market" in Hong Kong -- now just a building.

The Chinese are just building over the old -- with little regard to what actually makes for a grand city. Not unlike Mao!


TAG

Jim Becker
12-11-2007, 7:27 PM
Silk Street is still there, but much more up-scale. I didn't get there, however...no time.

randy street
12-11-2007, 8:16 PM
Jim,

That picture of the Olympic stadium the sky appears a lot clearer than when I was there last year.

What did you think of Shanghai? I was there twice last year. Its a very nice place. We stayed at the Hyatt, very scenic.

Randy

Fred Voorhees
12-11-2007, 8:42 PM
Alright Jim.........now I'm jealous! That looked like a really cool place to visit. Well, maybe in five years when I retire. I can dream - about going there, not about retirement....that's happening.

Jim Becker
12-11-2007, 10:19 PM
That picture of the Olympic stadium the sky appears a lot clearer than when I was there last year.

I was lucky that the weather and "air" during the day all week was pretty reasonable...they are working hard to clean it up. But at night and early in the morning, there are still so many folks burning the soft coal briquets for cooking and heat that the air gets very bad. Beijing also has somewhat of an inversion issue similar to Los Angeles that doesn't help matters.


What did you think of Shanghai? I was there twice last year. Its a very nice place.

Shanghai is a booming, modern and very "vertical" city...the soon-to-be world's tallest building is there and there is so much office and residence tower construction it's mind-boggling. The subway is great and the taxis are cheap. I'm hoping that at least one of my Asia trips next year is back to Shanghai...and, of course, I'd like to return to Beijing to do some more exploring! And since Professor Dr. SWMBO works with a bunch of folks in the Shanghai area, I get to visit with friends, too, as well as some great co-workers.

Chris Foley
12-12-2007, 8:40 AM
Jim,

I was in there about 12 years ago and I loved it. The only thing I did not get to see was the Great Wall as we ran out of time. Did you get to see the clock exhibit? Man, that is truely amazing...

Dennis Peacock
12-12-2007, 10:35 AM
Can you hear me now?:p



LOL.!!!!! I was waiting for that one for some reason. :D

Dennis Peacock
12-12-2007, 10:39 AM
Nice shots Jim and thanks for sharing your travels with us. I'll show them to the LOML when she gets back from town.

Glenn Clabo
12-12-2007, 11:58 AM
VERY Cool Jim...One of the only places left that I'd really like to visit.

(BTW...who's that 'Merican tourist who keeps getting in the way of those wonderful shots?);)

randy street
12-13-2007, 11:27 AM
Shanghai is a booming, modern and very "vertical" city...the soon-to-be world's tallest building is there and there is so much office and residence tower construction it's mind-boggling.

Here are a couple shots out out hotel window at the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai, which is in the current tallest building housing a hotel in the world (Jin Mao Tower).

It had been cloudy and raining all week and this was the clearest day.

The cranes building the soon-to-be world's tallest building were only up to the 50/60 floors at that time.

Randy

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