Vacation – Page 3 – Just An East Coast Girl

What are the chances?

Shenyang is a city of 8 million. 8 million people!!!! That is always so hard for me to fathom in my “small town on the east coast of Canada” mind.

But I LOVE it! I love the busy-ness, and adventure of this city. As we were landing a week ago, I said to my husband it feels like we are coming home. He shakes his head and thinks I am crazy. But somehow, in this HUGE city I can function, I know how to live here. I will truly miss it when we leave tomorrow.

So, in a city of 8 million, what are the chances that you will accidentally bump in to one of your sweetest and dearest little Chinese friends. My friend Xaioxu is the same age 24 as my youngest son. When I lived here I got to know her and her family. Her parents speak very little English. Xaioxu and I would get together so she could practice her English. We enjoyed dinners together and I even spent a Saturday afternoon playing badminton with her parents. Great and wonderful memories.

Xaioxu and I stay in touch with an app called WeChat. We message and send pics back and forth. That is actually how I stay in touch with all my Chinese friends. Xaioxu knew I was coming to China, she didn’t know I was actually coming to Shenyang. I don’t always tell my Chinese friends a lot before I travel here because it is just so hard to see everyone.

So…here’s what happened. I was in the mall close to the hotel going to find a restaurant for dinner with David and the networking team. I was ready to go up an escalator and I heard “Anna”, “Anna is that you?” I turned around in utter surprise because ” who is calling my name here?” and there with extreme excitement was my sweet little xaioxu. WoW!!!!! I was so excited and she was too!

She wasn’t even in the part of town where she lives and imagine meeting her? Lots of hugs and smiles and a very quick catch up, with a few pics, she told me to have a wonderful few days in Shenyang and that we would chat soon.

What are the chances? I feel so BLESSED!

Choo choo…it’s off to Dandong

…and the Great Wall.

One thing that is a MUST when you come to China is to see the GREAT WALL! David & I have been to many sections of this amazing wall. You know it’s not all one connecting wall right? And no it can’t be seen from space.

We wanted to provide opportunity for David’s boss Ron to see this. Since a stopover in Beijing where most of the famous wall sections are located wasn’t going to work, we decided that on our final weekend here we would take a VERY FAST train ride to nearby Dandong city. It is a 3.5 hour car ride which ends up being longer or a quick 1 hour train ride! We chose the train so he could experience traveling on a high speed train too!

Dandong is the largest Chinese border city, Facing North Korea across the Yalu River which demarcates the Sino-North Korean border. Dandong has had a dynamic history because of its strategic location for the northeast’s rich natural resources and because of its convenient access to the ocean. It is designated as a major export production centre for the province, and is a port city connected by rail with Shenyang and Sinuiju. A significant amount of trade with North Korea flows through the city.

First stop in Dandong, the GREAT wall at Hushan. Hushan Great Wall lies near the Yalu River in Dandong City of Liaoning Province, and faces North Korea across the river. It crawls on the Hushan Mountain which literally means “Tiger Mountain”, so named because the two towering peaks resemble two tiger ears pricking up into the sky when seen from afar. The Hushan Great Wall was built to strengthen the frontier defense in 1469 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and is the eastern most point of the huge military defensive system.

15327348_10154807431951514_3689847845056882480_n

15326524_10154807434346514_331621320953006138_n

After the wall we headed back to Dandong city. The Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, a railway bridge connecting Dandong with Sinuiju is the big attraction to see along the waterfront. The differences between the Chinese and North Korean sides are immense: Dandong is brightly lit, glitzy and filled with people. Construction equipment and modern cars are everywhere, hospitals and train stations are at the expected Chinese levels. Sinuiju, on the other hand, goes completely dark at night, looks run-down and if you ever do see construction activity it’s going to be manual labor with even basic tools seemingly in short supply. Border guard activities are similarly different: While on the North Korean side a lone soldier with an AK47 can be seen shivering in the cold in regular intervals, the Chinese side instead uses FLIR-like camera systems on large poles to keep an overview of activities along the river.

15390801_10154807437946514_2804604106152926387_n

15327478_10154807440051514_5054806811604493240_n And just one more thing…

When in Dandong, many foreigners want to try what the locals call the “sweet meat”. Well, it’s not sweet, and this will be my third experience, But for Ron…we once again had DOG. It is a dish that is served in the Chinese Korean Restaurants.

15380620_10154807436821514_8578201456464018900_n

Yes… stewed dog.

Ron has had many experiences and tasted many kinds of food this week!

Next…An afternoon coffee to warm up ( and erase the taste of lunch lol) and then to the train station to head back to Shenyang.

It’s been quite a FULL day!!! But I love the adventure .

Tonight we arrived back in Shenyang and just stayed in and relaxed for dinner. David ordered room service.

Goodnight!

Heading North!

…The “North” part of Shenyang city that is. There are some great restaurants and one of my favourite parks is in the north. Today, my last “free day” because David’s networking meetings finish up today, I went to Beiling Park.

In 1927, Government of the Liaoning Province established the park, which includes Zhaoling, the tomb of the second Qing emperor. The construction of the tomb took place between 1643 and 1651. West of the tomb are flower gardens and lakes.

It is a very picturesque park and since I didn’t get there last year , it was a must on this trip. And in the snow…it has a whole different feel! There were so many “photographers’ capturing this beautiful day on film. So beautiful!!

A Seafood Hotpot at Shifu Square on a SnOwY day in Shenyang

How’s that for a title?

Today it snowed!! I figured it would, and I am just like a young girl!!! eek BIG squeals! Watching from my window on the 11th floor, playing “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow” I couldn’t wait to get out and play in it…rather just walk in it. Today was full of traffic jams in slow moving traffic, taxis that didn’t want to take you anywhere, and overcrowded subways and buses because EVERYONE is using them today. SNOW days create a WHOLE new adventure in China!

15355757_1169509039783964_1883374236791759662_n 15390737_1169509149783953_1131657017718607501_n 15285013_1169509173117284_724836972556199281_n 15337525_1169509266450608_8777770906324635064_n 15337650_1169509243117277_2795293920620151827_n 15350695_1169509356450599_8264516546739722519_n 15338717_1169509469783921_8037714076449585894_n BUT I had to get to Shifu Square ( Government Square)

15390703_1169509279783940_2856259353785348787_n 15267981_1169509346450600_6952743402021153529_n And Today’s special EVENT was a Seafood hotpot with some members of the hiking group that we used to go out with on the weekend. 3 guys, 3 girls and me. They were thrilled to hear I was back in China and of course wanted to treat me to dinner. Sometimes I feel like I get invited to things like this just so they can have a foreigner sit with them at their table. Unfortunately the 3 ladies that were coming were traveling together and had a fender bender, very common on a day like this. I am so glad we took the subway rather than taxi. Anyway it ended up that I had lunch with the group leader (far right), my Chinese friend and another person I have never met from the club.

15350683_1169511889783679_5180809658607965444_n

This was interesting as I could just sit back ( the conversation was mainly Chinese) and enjoy as many plates of crabs, prawns, shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters and the like… were steamed in front of us. After the seafood came the regular hot pot items with one very interesting item…bone marrow. eww…but I ate it and it was ok.

15349597_1169510976450437_455697254639987923_n 15380803_1169511063117095_6901023685145405452_n 15401107_1169511069783761_7418087806039254819_n 15391150_1169511079783760_1010091772887330243_n 15380682_1169511123117089_1310440801254403067_n 15317909_1169511299783738_4745886773324783963_n 15400581_1169511296450405_5030596152482682533_n 15193535_1169511373117064_7922528435260082132_n 15319023_1169511469783721_2398376140902623989_n 15355580_1169511519783716_8372580289171226810_n 15380355_1169511553117046_8788938569672746138_n 15439855_1169511566450378_8048144196187691426_n 15380398_1169511699783698_6301004296171389197_n 15400345_1169511709783697_4189732096660466945_n 15232066_1169511729783695_1686701527414244829_n 15284840_1169511803117021_2227984062883327239_n

15390957_1169511836450351_5873541475521389427_n One thing I can not get used to is the mixed washrooms, side by side, at these restaurants.

15350497_1169511856450349_2533056416229015720_n On the way home I took more pics of the lovely snowfall before taking the subway which was sooooooo crowded. No pics of this because I was literally sandwiched between hundreds of people. I kept thinking if anything happened…explosion or whatever…I would never be found. SO MANY PEOPLE!!! That’s what happens on a snow day.

15391223_1169515893116612_4915383072250847606_n 15401110_1169516199783248_5530125687434033854_n 15439770_1169516263116575_3361194259767149906_n 15267741_1169516356449899_7605781174917548832_n 15400451_1169516429783225_2524074113467815102_n 15284921_1169516476449887_492914185183025558_n 15401015_1169516463116555_3514835676456507817_n 15327373_1169516563116545_473108199364914376_n 15356641_1169516619783206_5949865989980133256_n 15327384_1169516869783181_2435918459882260510_n 15319080_1169516893116512_7239146620308420219_n 15285013_1169521239782744_314752084128453753_n 15355726_1169521296449405_962580367961323430_n 15318019_1169521716449363_763042067379670795_n 15390763_1169521853116016_3511331890713965964_n

David was late getting home from work. He had fun in the snow too, rather trying to get home in it from Michelin. Normally they take a bus but because of the weather the company figured it would be faster by subway too!

15349608_10154730893097770_3408605184795968972_n 15439791_10154796062811514_4263087283756376453_n 15391101_10154796062961514_8586295462633880593_n 15401049_10154796063401514_2160522040285353834_n 15356698_10154796063526514_810103484978952554_n

This evening we were invited to dear sweet friends for dinner. Sarah has been here from the start of the Michelin Project in Shenyang and for the past two years has taken the position of site manager. You have to know she is an amazing lady to communicate in Chinese, and keep things top notch at the plant with mostly Chinese colleagues. There really aren’t too many expats left these days so her circle of business and the people she relies to get these accomplishments are Chinese. Our very first Christmas in China in 2011, they invited us to their home for Christmas dinner, along with a few other expats who didn’t go home for Christmas. Sarah & Rodney live in a serviced hotel apartment that does not have a kitchen and so over the years they have become close friends with the chef that prepares delicious meals for them tailored to their special diets. How wonderful is that? It was so lovely to catch up with her and her sweet husband Rodney. A perfect evening!

15390665_1169530759781792_5941085095658104756_n 15356575_1169530813115120_7273810965451074990_n 15319132_1169531023115099_8882834387250572598_n

15337598_1169530829781785_8111384447463090752_n 15401181_1169530903115111_7891574882054663597_n 15283925_1169530916448443_3604467346774205306_n 15439724_1169530966448438_5239344198094554230_n

Everyday here is like a gift and I will treasure it in my heart for days to come…or at least until one day I can return?

15327479_1169521883116013_6132281222738372370_n

Shopping in Shenyang

Today was all about a little retail therapy. Not a lot, just a little treat for me.

It was actually a nice day, a bit chilly… ok cold! BUT I dressed warm and went for a walk to Nan Er for a couple pieces of fabric. Some silk to make a couple scarves and silk to make some table runners or something. I will decide later. Chinese fabric is inexpensive here so it’s nice to take a little home. That was my treat!

15327346_1167810486620486_218509857676022606_n

Then I took a cab to Mix C mall. This is one of my favourite Western-style malls. I had lunch at a little restaurant here and browsed the mall. The decorations for Christmas here are beautiful. I think I will have to try to return at night to get a few pictures outside.

15400477_1167689506632584_8100024217358255861_n

15400339_1167689363299265_6440101803558883121_n

15327365_1167688469966021_4259709605013441003_n 15337397_1167689099965958_3885241903504236942_n 15326344_1167688193299382_1039349998834970514_n 15380415_1167688169966051_6792916461425314910_n 15327462_1167687626632772_667864250223713222_n 15401155_1167686899966178_1219555414763581145_n 15326374_1167665613301640_4803072146674222822_n 15349724_1167666393301562_766907759040151300_n 15267621_1167667076634827_2585493265294823339_n 15327356_1167667089968159_8640495338354667983_n 15401088_1167667106634824_801927865499405154_n 15380398_1167686353299566_4747971571786148584_n 15349696_1167686453299556_913048353501222017_n 15380535_1167686863299515_9132459514196034945_n 15380712_1167686633299538_7360881309575516960_n There is an indoor skating rink at this mall so I spent a little time watching the skating lessons. The little kids are so much fun to watch and you can tell that one day they will be great skaters.

15319065_1167662676635267_150300561242466196_n

After Mix C I got a snack…little apples with candy coating. A real favourite this time of year.

15355704_1167650539969814_2245225570815959934_n Then just a quick little browse through Zhang lan guan…another market. It wasn’t very busy today and I guess that a lot of the markets are suffering now because of alibaba. EVERYONE is shopping online for EVERYTHING these days!

15317739_1167657166635818_1368954257785680618_n 15355584_1167657833302418_2098227877847247430_n 15380571_1167649293303272_5545616694545969592_n 15350550_1167649593303242_3290352822029635482_n I took the subway home. It’s much fast then taxi and a lot cheaper. Only 2RMB. It’s the fastest way during evening rush hour and some how the taxis struggle finding Somerset with the taxi card I give them.

15391105_1167649009969967_7152659346993532151_n

15391165_1167648549970013_5290933602552675722_n

15420787_1167648119970056_336907928585647507_n I picked up a few things… tea eggs, tomato fruit and bananas, a couple seed squares ( peanut and sesame seed) and a McDonald’s coffee before returning to my hotel. I kinda felt like a Chinese person picking up their daily groceries from the market on their way home for supper.

15267805_1167645879970280_3156874756562468252_n 15400530_1167646796636855_844862422716026361_n

15284016_1167645899970278_1153967476758357509_n 15380634_1167644559970412_2234715296208355968_n 15317922_1167645153303686_2335270437214812986_n

David has another dinner tonight …

15380280_1167810726620462_5688469703397143997_n … and I am relaxing and doing this blog post. Our time is going far too quickly. Tomorrow is Thursday already.

15400903_1167662893301912_4922018184038259579_n

Good night!

15390732_1167862136615321_4414252055076752921_n

Two Dinners on Tuesday

Today David & I each had our own separate functions to attend. After work he was invited to a large 25 person banquet dinner. These work dinners are very common when colleagues from other countries visit, when milestones are reached at the plant, or when someone is leaving. The Chinese people know how to put on quite a spread.

15284941_10154787711071514_1167688389652582124_n 15400499_10154787713496514_3868434323452009195_n 15283928_10154787714846514_6126493603171993440_n 15380368_10154787715121514_6612745635382205355_n 15267742_10154787717141514_4665687431283951851_n

The networking team from Canada, USA, Brazil and China 15337671_10154787710586514_4490759054001797139_n

Knowing that it would be a long day and late night for him, I got in touch with a Chinese friend that helped me teach at a couple schools while I was here, as well as tudor a bit privately. I spent the day at his office, then going back to my familiar and “happy place” Wulihe Park and my old apartment.

15326416_1166872230047645_3727348771271817881_n 15380756_1166873230047545_4150407426976126246_n 15356512_1166873576714177_681867172791491808_n 15337386_1166874110047457_4693065711546010733_n 15356480_1166875336714001_7643995930127367627_n 15326395_1166875980047270_7636465234167838129_n 15356746_1166878770046991_5631846040442723207_n screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-6-48-16-am 15338676_1166879063380295_1264149311601127873_n 15401130_1166879303380271_7021807596812116542_n 15350733_1166879480046920_7272359695342269276_n 15401016_1166879643380237_3614998202073682325_n 15267894_1166880573380144_3442214489105292462_n 15380835_1166880583380143_4725898671004986013_n 15284814_1166881173380084_807453211012645542_n 15349627_1166881116713423_986378100174501346_n 15283900_1166883396713195_8155139685344965395_n

My dinner tonight was with Chinese friends that I taught a bit of English to their children.

It was wonderful to reunite, BUT Chinese dinners are very long. We started at 4pm and didn’t finish until 8:30pm. It’s a very social event, and a lot of catching up and stories and cheers…thankfully I had a translator for some.

screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-4-54-55-am screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-4-55-27-am screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-5-01-19-am

I enjoyed some of my favourites Peking Duck, and silk worms 😛 The guys had some fun food as well…chicken feet and heads and silk worms ( shown in the pics above)…I am used to this food but I wonder how the newbies made out in their first dinner of this kind?

screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-4-49-15-am

We both had a lot of fun at our events and I even managed to get home before David. His dinner went even longer than mine. We were both tired and right off to bed. There’s more adventures tomorrow!

Good Monday Morning Shenyang!

Good Morning Shenyang! I hope today there are blue skies and warmer temperatures BUT …not likely.

Today is the first day of business meetings for David. So he was up early and ready to go! I was up early, actually earlier than him, and ready to figure out what to do today.

I have been in touch with a few different Chinese friends here and want to try and see them. I also want to go to a couple of parks and shops and of course my favourite Wulihe park but I may have to wait until we have a clear, less smog day. It’s just nice being here so I am trying to relax and savour the quiet moments. So that is exactly what I did today. Nothing much. Just enjoyed being here. I went out for a little, ate lunch at a huge food court, interesting dishes and flavours. It looks like a lot of food for one but it is so cheap that you have to try it, besides I didn’t eat it all. And then I enjoyed a wonderful long nap.

The guys got back at 5:30 and were pooped from their day. Ron, David & I went to Pizza Hut for supper and then the guys had a presentation to prepare so I took a hot bath, I’m writing this post, and then it’s off to bed.

Being Tour Guides

Sunday was another day exploring familiar places in Shenyang. This time David & I were tour guides to USA colleagues as well as Ron, David’s boss from Bridgewater.

We thought early Sunday morning was a good time to show them Wuai Market. “Five Love” market is HUGE!!! Anything and everything you could imagine. Since there was 5 of us travelling it was fun to hail a cab for the three newcomers to Shenyang and tell the driver where to take them and then hail another for David & I and then tell the driver where we were going and as well to “follow that cab”. A lot of fun in a busy city.

I think the guys were amazed at what was to be found on the street and beside the heavy winter curtains at Wuai Market. Floors upon floors, booth after booth of clothes, shoes, purses, watches, clocks,wigs, bedding, other household goods, calendar, paper, decorations….and on and on…

It was fun to watch David assist them with buying a couple things. And…I got a 2017 Calendar for year of the Rooster.

15337417_10154781756286514_5145477303894510584_n

Next stop Gu gong. Shenyang’s Imperial Palace. I love this tourist area. It’s also the place that David & I did our 2013 Christmas Card dressed in Emperor’s Clothes. We didn’t go inside the Palace, there’s a lot to see outside and time just doesn’t permit to do a thorough tour.

15283949_10154781750651514_6063580434111297850_n 15326379_10154781751151514_566192258648734695_n 15327234_10154781753296514_902844224651600905_n We browsed some of the shops and I found my Jade lady!!! I couldn’t believe it. I picked up a few small Jade animals and helped the guys with their purchases. Our Jade lady was so sweet and I got BIG hugs as we left. I think she was pretty happy we stopped by today.

Here is a pic from when we lived here in 2012…

0061

And today… she hasn’t changed a bit sweet lady.

About this time it was lunch time and we thought it would be nice to have jiaozi. Dumplings are a staple food but we didn’t want to go to the large famous “expensive” spot. So we asked at a restaurant area if they had jiaozi explaining we wanted a “small hole in the wall” restaurant, we didn’t say “hole in the wall” but he knew what we meant. The Chinese people in general are so very helpful and go out of there way for foreigners. He left his restaurant for a few minutes, took us out on the street, led us down another little side street to a very small place, told the servers what we wanted and then helped order. Small places like this sometimes only have 1 kind of jiaozi. But that is ok. We had pork and celery. I am very surprised at how much of my simple Chinese comes back and what I can communicate when I need to.

15380391_10154781745886514_111090081472341391_n

15317775_10154781756851514_8120958454926905999_n After lunch, we went back to the hotel where I stayed for a bit of a nap and the guys got turned around and went out for more exploring…David wanted to show them the Electronics street.

Sunday night we had dinner with our much loved China Family. Our driver, his wife, daughter and the family’s dear friend. This family is so very special to us and helped us more than you can ever imagine living in China. We enjoyed a feast of delicious food, and special memories, laughs and hugs. It’s hard to imagine that two cultures, so different, could be so close. We love them and were so happy to catch up!

15356646_10154781744601514_5694209754972439076_n

Our driver even had a special gift for me. A little China Bling.

I loved catching up with my China daughter Wan Jia Xiu and hearing about her boyfriend and teaching English in a private school in Shenyang.

It was a pretty AWESOME day. ( I think Ron can see why we enjoyed our expat time living and working here)

Just words for now…

Ok, this might work! I just realized that if I don’t try to add pictures and I just write, then just maybe I can post but add the pictures later. This would be a better option because then I won’t forget.

Yesterday, Saturday in China…I woke up early. Actually I wonder if I even slept much at all. Like I mentioned our first room had such a bad smell ( and I can tolerate a lot here) that it was bothering our breathing. Plus jet leg is a crazy thing to shake. So Saturday morning we were up early and had a nice breakfast at the hotel. Then it was time to hit the streets to show Ron, David’s boss, a few of the sites in Shenyang. A few of the Brazilian colleagues were out and about too. Arriving yesterday they had a head start and in their recovery from flying, so they were headed off to some of the interesting shops. David has experience in these parts and gave them some directions.

First Stop…Mao Square to see Chairman Mao! Born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China, Mao Tse-tung served as chairman of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 1959, and led the Chinese Communist Party from 1935 until his death.

And then stops along Nanjing street, Zhongshan street, Heping, Zhongshan Park, a HUGE flower shop to show Ron the options he would have living here for surprising his partner with flowers lol. haha, I remember the HUGE bouquet David gave me one year for Valentine’s Day.

More exploring of side streets, the Underground ( my how THAT has changed) markets, hole in the wall places…

15267904_10154778540641514_5172588415225785600_n screen-shot-2016-12-06-at-7-12-21-am

…and then our first meal…Hot Pot! I love Hot Pot. Especially at Hai dai lo where they make your noodles in front of you. Just wait till you see the video!

We picked up a few things at Walmart. Gotta see Walmart in China. It’s the best. And guess what? We saw an advertisement for Nova Scotia , Canada lobster!! who would have thought?!

15230564_10154778547226514_8285230010853569513_n

After dropping off some things to the hotel, we took the Metro ( crowded at evening rush hour) to Middle Street. The oldest, most famous walking street in Shenyang. It was dusk so the lights were beautiful! Oh how I miss this. It was fun to walk the street, popping in some of the high end malls to get warm. The cold bothers David’s back so we stopped often.

When we were finished we took a cab to one of our favourite restaurants for some familiar dishes . Yum!!! This is what I miss!

This afternoon we were making plans with our first driver when we lived here. He and his family have become our China family. We will have dinner with them and he just happened to be close to our hotel so he popped in to say Hi. It was so great to see him, and I forgot to take those initial pictures but we will have dinner with them Sunday and have chance to catch up.

Time for bed…I am exhausted!!!

Just as expected!

It is so wonderful to be back in Shenyang China for a week to visit familiar places to eat some favourite food and to see some of the amazing Chinese people ( our friends) we met when we lived here.

But as expected ( although I kinda forgot) the internet here kinda sucks in places. Our first hotel room we had the night we arrived was pretty good and I thought I would be able to do a blog post every day but the room had such a wonky smell (this is common) that we had to be moved to a different room which thankfully doesn’t smell. However, the internet connection to be able to blog and post pictures or post to Facebook is awful, really awful. So…

I just wanted to say, we are great, having fun, recovering from jet leg , and trying to pack a lot in to a short week. However, pictures and blog will have to wait until I get back.

So take care friends, have a great week.

I am just hanging out here in Shenyang, enjoying the wonderful gift my husband gave me.