Three Weeks in China

After many weeks, a couple of threats, and a kick in the pants the long awaited pics of my business trip to China are here. Above is outside my hotel in Shanghai.

I don't think I could handle working as an electrician in China because of the high wire act that has to be performed. One of the things I have immediately learned about our Chinese brothers and sisters is that they are eager to work and are all about getting the job done.

For those of you who know me well, I got a little week in the knees and had to shed a tear at the sight of the Coke bottle god that stood before me. Too bad it wasn't Diet Coke. HAHA. an interesting thing about soda pop in China... It was hard to find cold ones there. Warm pop was a hard thing to get use to but our friends there made sure we had a awsome supply all the time. thanks again guys.

Some of the older spots of Shanghai were a sight to behold. From the neat buildings to the awsome shopping areas, Shanghai had a lot to take in. Speaking of taking in, I think the dude behind me took in too much bean curd. What the heck is he doing?

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes, everywhere! I have never seen so many bike in my life before. My mind was kept busy by thinking of a million ways to adapt a motor to these bikes. (see Shane's Garage) I was told by one of our many new friends there that there was over 9 million bikes in Beijing alone. ( that's also a song )

Many of the bikes were of a more classic style and were used as daily transportation.

With the up coming Olympics there is a massive rush to freshen up the buildings. It was very common to see bamboo scaffolding used.

This is the entrance to the Paragon Medical facility in Changzhou. Oh yeah, I was there to work too.

I had alot of help with the installation of the cnc lathes. Everyone was eager to learn and excited to get the facility up and running. This transformer was grounded out on the casing due to shipping and when we threw the switch it was Chinese new year all over. We got it adjusted and pressed on.

Birds eye view of the awsome facility from the up stairs offices. As you can see, lots of room to grow.

When our first weekend came we lucked out and got a three day weekend. China has a holiday kinda like Memorial day called Tomb Sweeping Day. Anyhow, Tom, the manufacturing manager arranged it with the director of operations to send me, my boss Jeff and the company's secretary Jane, to Beijing for some sight seeing. We had to take an overnight train ride that lasted about 12 hrs. We sleeped most of the time.

Just outside the front of the forbidden city.

One of the many spots inside Forbidden City.

This granite slab featured 8 dragons. It was so heavy and large, the had to drag it in by waiting until winter and dropping water on the ground and making an ice sheet to slide it on.

This sight was called temple of heaven.

After a great day of touring we ate at the world famous Roast Duck Restaurant. 5 star.

The roasted duck was amazing. Even the feet which was served cold was quite interesting. Yeah, I ate some.

And for desert....

The Great Wall will never be forgotten.

We started out in small gondola.

Oh yeah, we found out after we got to the wall that the return ride was going to pick us up at a sight 10km away.

I called my wife from one of the 7 wonders of the world and she wasn't there.

Many parts of the wall are falling apart.

I KNEW IT!

This clock was counting down until the Olympics begin.

The Nest will be hosting the many of the events.

Our last place to tour in Beijing was the Garden Palace.

A lot of women were posing in front of this beautiful tree and Jane, our friend thought it would be funny for me to pose too. Thanks Jane.

Beautiful bridge in the Garden Palace.

A shopping area in the Garden Palice the was built for the emperor's family so they could shop within the safety of the protected grounds. It was really huge.

One evening we were invited to eat dinner with all folks at one of their apartments. It was a great time and the hospitality awsome. Thanks again Mark , York, and Tom!

During the time we were there 3 of us including myself had a Birthday party thrown for us. The cake was huge and very tasty. It was quite the surprise. Thanks everyone.

I was even prompted to give a small speech at the end. A couple days later it was time to go home. We spent one more night in Shanghai before our 11 hour flight home. All I can say is that my trip truly was a chance of a lifetime and will never be forgotten. All the friends I made there and the hospitality shared will always be cherished.