13 June 2010 China Update
Greetings all,
This has been an cram-packed week. I had 1 day in Shenyang at work, then I had to go to Shanghai for a series of meetings. Rod went to Shanghai with me and we took the opportunity to see some sights!
As you may recall from one of my first entries in the blog, I found a pearl market in Shanghai...so of course I had to go back (and this time take Rod!) Here are a few pictures of pearls at the market!
Rod walked me to the Michelin offices (the tall buildings in the background) and we took photos beside the hotel in Shanghai. Shanghai weather seems to be alot like Columbia, SC...hot. In addition, it rains alot!
As you probably know, 2010 is the year of the world Expo and this year it is being held in Shanghai, China. The expo is an event that lasts for about 6 months and gives each country a chance to showcase themselves. This year, the theme for the expo is "Better City, Better life" and is all about sustainable development and living green. Michelin is a major corporate sponsor of the French pavilion and plays a part in the overall pavilion experience. I was able to attend the expo and I can tell you, it was huge! They have been experiencing over half a million visitors per day...over 2.5 square miles is the area of this expo. The lines were long..(thankfully, since Michelin was a sponsor of the pavilion, we got a VIP entry to the French and Monoco pavilions). Rod chose not to go to the expo..too many people...and too many long lines!
The Great Britain pavillion at the expo
I didn't take a photo the USA pavillion...it wasn't very pretty to me...looked like a huge oil storage tank! (This was at the same time as the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico too...)
The biggest attraction at the expo was the Chinese pavilion...1 huge building where each province of the country had a mini pavilion inside this big building.
The Chinese pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai expo
The Tibet area inside the Chinese Pavilion
The Inner Mongolia area inside the Chinese Pavillion
After the expo, I came back to the hotel and rested my weary feet! The next day, Rod and I went to downtown Shanghai to an area called "the Bund". It's a nice riverside walkway with a lot of skyscrapers on the opposite side of the river and one of the iconic landmarks of Shanghai, the Pearl TV tower. Interesting during the day, but spectacular at night!
We came back to Shenyang this morning and I'm glad to be back home! On the taxi ride to the airport, I saw something I'm not sure I'll ever see again...unfortunately I couldn't get my camera out in time to get proof...we saw a moped on the interstate highway with 3 slaughtered, skinned hogs strapped to the back...the driver cruising down the highway just as normal as possible..no plastic, no covering...just naked, skinned hogs on a moped going to some "open air" market...I think it will be awhile before I can top that!
I've got a busy week this week, then next Monday, I'll fly back out to France and I'll be there for a month preparing for some important meetings on the project I'm leading here in China. Rod will join me mid July, and we'll take a few days of vacation. I'll write another update next weekend, then I'm not sure when the next one will be..haven't decided yet if I'm going to take my personal computer with me or not.
Hope you all are having a great summer! Keep those emails coming!!
Sarah
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