Up up » 2010-11-30 China Escorted Tour 12 days Slideshow

Splendid China 12days
Leaving for vacation
Driving to Alex's
Alex with ChinaFocus rep
ChinaFocus rep and Igor
Air China plane
Guy we met at SFO, works as contractor in Beijing
Walking to towards the connecting flight
Beijing airport
Sitting waiting for Beijing to Shanghai flight
We were given food due to long delays
Igor eating
Igor eating2
Hearing bad news that connecting flight was cancelled
People argue to waste time
Alex dumbfounded
Igor just tired
Beijing airport2
Child sleeps on man's arms
Outside of the huge airport
Beijing is really cold
Putting luggage into the bus
Hotel to stay at and leave at 6am
Alex sleeping on the plane
Little girl on plane
Igor on plane
6am
Airport statistics
Finally on the connecting flight
AR by Shanghai Expo sign
Igor by World Expo sign
Onto Shanghai
Shanghai first guide talks
Under metal overpasses
Welcome to Shanghai
First driver
Columns and buildings
Residential buildings for the overpopulation
One of the many stadiums
Buildings of different shapes and colors
Crossing
Trees along road
First stop for food
Igor's meal
First meal in China
Building with a large hole
People crossing
Ikea
Buildings in Shanghai1
Buildings in Shanghai4
Buildings in Shanghai5
Buildings in Shanghai6
Buildings in Shanghai7
Buildings in Shanghai8
Entering tunnel
In the tunnel
Buildings out of tunnel
Alex smiling about some thought
Sharp looking building
Alex by Pearl tower
Holding it
Igor by Pearl tower
Alex Igor near Pearl tower
Square by Pearl tower
Pearl tower
Alex by stairs
Igor jumping for joy
Lion statue
Posing with the Expo guy
Passing by onto Pearl tower
View from Pearl tower - of smog and skyscrapers
Igor in the Pearl tower
View from Pearl tower
Lady in red looks
View from Pearl tower2
View from TV Tower
View from Pearl tower3
View from TV Tower2
View from Pearl tower4
View from TV Tower3
View from Pearl tower5
Standing on glass floor
Alex thinking about jumping
Igor looking down
Igor on glass floor
Quite a view below
View from Pearl tower6
View of keyhole building
Alex with view from Pearl Tower
Smog filled air
Snapping pics
Inside a small gameroom in the TV tower
Purple glass
View from lower part of TV (or Pearl) tower
View of Shanghai
View of Shanghai from Pearl tower
The circle below
Highrisers
Apple logo is thing of art here
View from lower part of TV (or Pearl) tower2
In the elevator
Onto the museum, next to the Pearl tower
Alex by the structure
Igor by the museum structure
Old car
Old trolly
Old car2
1930 bus
New car
Personal transport
Closeup
Inside an old hut
Walking
Silk work
Baby in a jar
Carrying her
Tea drinking
Working with hammer
Cutting
Silk
Writer perhaps
Museum's hallway
A rare sight of Alex smiling
Igor sitting by the canal
Alex standing by canals
Igor standing by canals
Realistic looking buildings
Infront of fair judge
Some shop
Alex by opium-smokinghouse
Alex flirts with a female at a bar
Igor reaches for her hand
Igor infront of female at a bar
Alex sits by bench and some painting behind it
Igor sitting infront of some painted gate and trees
Inside Shanghai History Museum
Yea
Alex intrigued by her lead
Miniature houses in the museum
Counting something of his
Courthouse
Another miniature street
People sit and drink and socialize
Miniature rooftops
Miniature rooftops2
Ball
Miniature farm
In the tunnel2
Sun peeking through
Smaller street
Many moped riders
Girl with a mask
Guy on a bike
Arriving to The Bund
Not Alex's best
Igor by flowers
Alex at the Bund
Igor at the Bund2
Walking along the Bund
Alex Igor by the Bund
View from the Bund2
Walking along the Bund2
Alex by the Bund
Igor by the Bund
View from the Bund
Family taking pics
Evening at the Bund
Night streets Shanghai
Night streets Shanghai2
Night streets Shanghai3
Night streets Shanghai4
Group eats in Shanghai
Night streets Shanghai5
Night store in Shanghai
Night streets Shanghai6
Alex tired and with discharged cellphone
Family waits for the show
Waiting for the show
Man checking his cell before the show
5 bikers not crashing in 1 ball
Thanks
Night streets Shanghai7
Busy streets at night
Green buses pass at night in Shanghai
Cars and bikers at night
It was all a blur
At hotel lobby
Alex by the Xmas tree
Igor by the Xmas tree
Igor by the Xmas tree2
Bar upstairs
Moisture
Misty windows in the morning
Pretty view below
View of Shanghai buildings
World Expo stadium below
Hotel room
Buffet breakfast in the morning
Food I picked
Attendant in the lobby
Igor rests by window
Igor shows his backside by window
2nd Hotel room
Alex with water
Moto driver1
Moto driver 2 with helmet this time
Uncomfortably seated moto driver with lots of boxes
Residential complexes
Balconies
Igor laying with his pro camera
Expo man behind trees
Large ad
Walking on a touristy street in Shanghai
Outside aquarium with mini sharks and turtle
Marching forward
Street
Street2
3 guys talking
Some unfamiliar food
No picture of me
Recycling...
Choo choo train
Reviewing a funny picture
Picture of picture-taker
Igor on a street
George Clooney
Various expressions
Gap exists
Street3
Lots of overhead wires
Laundry
Mopeds
Igor kneels to shoot
Inside a store
Ko, Li ya hot
Shanghai Bund during the day
Bull
People along the bund
Alex wasn't happy that morning
Igor at the bund
Along the bund
Building tops
Slightly overexposed background
Igor with a ship in the background
Boarding the bus
Thanks Yana
Pretty Chinese building
Intersection
Alex's version of the shot looks good
Meat on the hangers
Various things hung
Heading to this museum
Buses wait at long light
Entering Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition
How it will look
Closeup of skyscrapers
He was there
How it looked in 1920
Trying to figure out how to work this thing
Miniature houses
Got it, ready to shoot
Russian artists' work in the following pictures
Crazed female
Morning
Morning Tea
Golden Russia
Russian Bathhouse
Woman on the beach
Freedom and beauty - apparently it's called
Enormous room of city structures - before lights were turned on
Someone's enormous effort
Insane work
Alex is quite taken himself
So is Igor
Igor with miniature city in the background
Miniature city from above
Miniature airport
Alex is excited he can drive the boat
Stoked
Igor supposedly mesmerized by such beauty
Small city
View from museum's window
View from museum
View from museum2
Socialistic new village
Crispy view from museum
Igor gathers his food
Igor with tapioka
Igor eating a ball
The infamous tea tour
Drinking various teas for $50
Everybody happy
Flower growing in the cup
Growing some more
Almost open
She's stirring his develish mixture
Bloomed
World Trade building in Shanghai
High risers in Shanghai
Advanced toilet
Futuristic elevator
Onto the next set of elevators
Nice shot from Alex's cam
On the top floor lobby, people snapping pics
View from WT tower
View from WT tower3
View from WT tower4
Alex looking down
Alex by window
Alex closeup by window
Igor looking down, at Shanghai
Igor by window
Igor looking down, at TV tower
Igor and Alex by window
Alex by window2
Hole in the floor
Igor pointing down
Converging lines
Converging onto me
Igor pointing outside
View from WT tower2
View from WT tower5
Alex's pic of Shanghai
He's taking pic of me
View from WT tower6
Guess how this picture was taken
Beautiful image of Shanghai from tallest building
Beautiful image of Shanghai from tallest building - vertical
This is how I do it
Alex's calm but dark pic
From all my heart, this is breath-taking
Igor by the view
Igor by the view2
Alex with a smile
View of the opposite side of the city
Another night shot of Shanghai
Down the escalator
Converging onto me2
It was all a blur later that night
Taking a cab
TV in a cab
On a brightly lit colorful street
On a brightly lit colorful street2
Approaching Fuxing Road
Various TV lights
Gap store with lots of lights
Huge apple store
Traffic director
Waiting at the light
Louis Vuitton
Cars passing by on a lit up street
Shanghai Times Square, and bus 926
Very cool restaurant entrance
Girls in motion
Igor by Times Square
Lit up streets of Shanghai
Lit up streets of Shanghai2
Lit up streets of Shanghai3
Lit up streets of Shanghai4
Cool lit overpass
Cars under the purple lit overpass
Busy street2
Food cooking pots on the road
Busy street
More lit up streets at night
Igor looking over the shoulder
Stinky seafood
The most tender meat tasted
Cow meat was good too, this makes me hungry
Dirty street
View of the stadium
The wait
Driving from Shanghai to Hangzhou
To Hangzhou
Farmer's houses being built
Farmer's houses being built2
Toll road
Our driver2
Overpass for railroad
In our van
Our tourguide James
James talking while most are photographing, lol
High speed train racing us
Igor sitting in front
Soldier guarding
Igor and Alex during our quick stop on a 2.5 hour drive to Hangzhou
Overpass for the train
Farmer houses windows
These are some of the larger single family farmer houses
Poll worker
Alex finds something amuzing
Arriving to Hangzhou
Hung undies
Hung clothes
Hung clothes2
Hung clothes3
Pretty walk along the street
Tree infront of a building
Another residential building
Tall residential building
Dad with a son
Lots of moped drivers
Made a connection with him
Lady on a bus
Tricyclist with lots of stuff
Various expressions and lady with a child
Father pets his child
Katie tickles his ear
Our benz
This is where we ate
On a street with yellow leaf trees
Plants in water, forgot it's name
Boat among plants
Igor by scenery
Sun in Alex's eyes
Smoggy
Boats
Woman giving me a strange look
She could have disliked me
Igor on the boat
We're one large family
Cruising
Alex's majestic look
Igor relaxing on the boat
Hey there on other boat
The other boat
Bridge
James, the guide
Floater with 5
Kinda flirty smile
3 on a private boat
She seemed to like me
Too well dressed guy on a boat
Just chilling
Igor's imperfect skin
Igor looking on
Rowing team goes by
Long bridge with tiny tunnel
Buildings far away
Boat on water
Nice looking Chinese boat on water
Girl in green and boy smile at me
Igor and girl in green with guy smiling
Igor and girl in green
People in the passing boat
Something cute, furry and pink showing itself from Alex's pocket
Greenery by the lake
Greenery by the lake2
Big yawn from the guy
Few pagodas in water
Pagoda in water
Alex infront of big pagoda
Igor infront of big pagoda
James looking at me
Family by lake
Trail we left behind
Igor Alex chilling on boat
Dad
Alex was intrigued by navigation of sea vessels
Yellow leaf trees road
Some temple
Igor fixing hair
Alex smiling by temple-like building
Igor looking to the side
Guy driving with his guitar
Entering a tunnel, on our way to Tea Plantation in Hangzhou
On our way to Tea Plantation in Hangzhou
Igor raises hands
This is a Tea Plantation
Freshest leafs are ripped have the green tea ingridient
Igor sitting by the tea plantation
Igor sitting by the tea plantation2
Alex sitting by the tea plantation
Checking one of 200 emails Facebook sends him daily
He creepily grinds the tea in warm pan
Kruschev probably
About to enter the tea garden
The statue of a man incharge there
Alex finds comfort by the statue's feet
Igor by the statue
Katie by the statue
Alex getting silly with the kettle
Igor taking it a step further
Alex by the tea garden
Igor by the tea garden
Thinking of something
Tea garden
Katie plays with a doggie
Igor plays with the doggie
Green tea leafs
Our cute presenter
This is supposed to heal your eyes and muscles
Alex sipping on sone jin n juice, tea
Alex smelling things
A greately flavored tea
Took pics of the kettle
Talking to us
2 cups with rice, water, and iodine inside.  Farther cup gets tea poured
Green tea has cleared the iodine from the water in the cup
Showing us some leafs
Igor's nose up close
Can't help not to smile
Her face
Trying some of that potent green tea
Green tea has cleared iodine from water and rice in that cup
Evolution of tea flower
This should improve your health
Sniffing grass
Evolution of tea flower2
Evolution of tea flower3
Evolution of tea flower4
Evolution of tea flower5
Little boy is a good helper
Dragon
Dragon2
A dirty vehicle
On the way to Golden Dragon Cave
Some chinese sign
I made a coin into the hole, assured love
Alex tense look
Caves
Some god
Igor by scenty rocks
God of fortune telling
Alex by fortune-telling god
Igor by fortune-telling god
Uhh your fotune not so good
What's my fortune
Mom called
Really, luck for me
Care
Taking pic of the god of fate
City at night
Igor seen checking his phone
Checking their fate results
Marco Polo
Weed
Interacting with Jim
Healthy choice
Less healthy choice
At theater for a show
At the show
Igor with clappers
2 girls playing instruments
3 green girls
Blue girls and a ball with a girl
More blue girls
Calling something out
Army appears
Looking up at something
Very flexible indeed
Dexterity
Butterflies
More musical instruments
Igor looking at the show
Igor looking at the show2
Cool effects
Milti-armed
Alex with a tense glance
All performers
Random street
Kind Reminder for half of China's population
Checking into rooms at Hangzhou
Alex working hard after long day
Streets at night
Club G Plus
Club1
Club2
Club3
Club4
Club5
Girls dancing
Getting it going
Dancing
He sang very well, I liked
View from hotel window
View from hotel window2
Hangzhou hotel room
Breakfast mmm
On the way to Suzhou
Fields, seen during a stop
Dirty pond and fields
Alex talking to James
James and Alex interact
Ouch, cut with razer
Store didn't have anything useful
Construction at toll place
Arriving at Suzhou
Girl in purple on a bike
Maybe a guy and a girl in orange
Driving down touristy street in Suzhou
2 walk along the street
Smoking
Walking down a little street, towards Garden
Hanging laundry
Women doing laundry
Squeezing
Washing laundry
Deep in there, for water
Alex sincerely curious
Igor being rather silly
Overview of the garden
Group listens to James
Nice looking structure top
Entering large doors
Furniture inside
Alex in a cave
Igor in the cave
Igor in a cave2
Rock structure
More rock structures
Little pond
Orange fish in the pond
Under a 2000 year old tree
Leafs on pond
Igor curiously looking at 2000 year old tree
Igor holding something 100 times older than he
Igor by the garden2
Igor by the garden3
Igor was a bit bored
Igor by the garden
Igor with his cam
Igor sitting
Igor sitting looking up
Igor sitting looking at the pond
Alex sitting
Baby photographed
Looking at me
Group marches on
More royal rooms
James explaining things
Katie by sunshine
James and Katie by windows sunshine
Igor's nice back
Igor looks back
Very cool, by Alex
Brotherly massage
Overview of the garden or mansion where royatly lived
Dead looking tree
Red tree
Igor holding onto the tree
Golden light tree
Stuck in the cave, not meant for 6 feet
Igor stares down
Igor touching a tree, Jim in uncomfortable pose
Alex marching back
People selling fruits on the street
Random steet2
Grabbing lunch
Scented bathroom stall
Food this time
Onto the silk factory, progression of silk worm's life
Silk worm
James showing us real from the fake, silk
Playing with real silk worms
Igor with 2 silk worms
Many generations old clothes
Emperor's clothing from generations back
Silk production
Silk production2
Silk factory
Woman selecting silk worm's cocoons
8 cocoon threads create 1 silk thread
Working with silk creation
Working with silk creation2
8 being pulled together into 1 thread
Women work diligently, one hopes
Curious to try a slik-worm
Machinery
Machines can produce silk material faster, few meters a day
Stretching out
At the silk store
Igor and guide
Curious kid
Curious kid2
Showing me how to turn on water there
Curious kid3
Curious kid4
Various silk clothes
Alex chilling with music
Entering the gates and onto Grand canal
Same gate on other side
Area inside the gate, old city of Suzhou
Area inside the gate, old city of Suzhou2
Snapping pics by boats
Alex snaps one himself
Our boat driver
Canal bridge
Floating down the canal
Other side of the canal
Many fishermen along canal
Oncoming boat
Under the bridge
View from within our boat
RTV
Sunset over the canal
Structure of sort, maybe pagoda
People on the bridge
Floating further in the canal
Just avoiding getting hit by the overpass
Floating further
Mom with a kid looking
Various shops on sides of canal
Alex with music, floating along canal
Igor posing at canal
Igor posing at canal2
Floating down the canal3
Various balconies along side of canal
Various balconies along side of canal2
Various balconies along side of canal3
Our boat cruising on
Canal scenery
Drying her meat
By the window
Canal scenery ahead
More Venice-like houses on water
Various objects hung
Working on her barely stable balcony
More clothes hung from balcony
More canal scenery
Igor on a boat, takes pics
Old man looking out the window
Old house
Bringing stuff out
Chained cat!
Putting out fires
More canal landscape
Taking her picture
Sunlight peeks in
Checking their picture
We all move forward
Pagoda on the shore
Bridge ahead
Igor barely fits in the boat
Driver's assistant
A bridge
I don't think he peed
Badminton
Choo choo
Dog peeing
Driving a hefty load
Spinning that spindle
Guy in warm white jacket
Arriving to our hotel in Suzhou
Wedding was happening in the lobby
Pretty walk in the hotel, but cold
Groom and bride
Food eaten that day looked spicy
Car turning onto a street
Woman crossing
McDonalds
Gaga club
Driving down Suzhou streets
Returning to our hotel after spicy dinner
A TV tower in Suzhou
On our way to Tongli
Interesting bridge over road
Road to Tongli
Dog also on his way
So is this truck with dirt
Little shuttle that'll transport us in very cold weather, freezing temps
Trees outside
Our guide James infront of the shuttle cars
Me, in our cart
Grim driver
A dog with a bone