China 2006 Report

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Sunday, April 30, 2006

Chapter 1

Today we wake up for the last day of the tour. A day trip around the parts of Shanghai.

Now, I will just go over a story about housing. In Prince George back in 1980's, there was a grouping of low income housing on Rainbow Drive behind Spruceland Mall Shopping Centre. It was nick named the "Yellow Uglies" because there was nothing but these kind of buildings for a few blocks behind Ospika and several blocks up Rainbow Drive. They were multi-family apartments, usually 3-7 floors, and you had all matters of poor people living in them. They were all painted a dull yellow, which looked like crap, because all the years I went to school at Lakewood and PGSS, they were never maintained and thus started to look like a slum. Well, it was already a slum now I guess it is even worse... a ghetto. Anyway, even when I went back to visit 20 years later, the yellow uglies are still there and still yellow, although I think the owners have finally repainted them. I am sure every city in the world has their "not so good" part of town, this is it for Prince George.

Here is our lame breakfast again. Notice we have been eating same kinda crap for the last 5 days.
Some expensive hotels.
Really tall Jin Mao Tower. It stands 88 stories, 420 metres high.

side building
Pearl TV tower from the observation deck 88 stories up.
View of the first floor lobby from the 88th floor deck. Doesn't this look like something out of Star Wars?
Remember my comment about the "Yellow Uglies"? Well, this is to give you an idea that an entire district is loaded with these things.

Boats in the river travelling by the HSC building.
By the replica on the observation deck.
A view of the boats past the Bund.
Me with the Pearl TV tower. Goes to show how you can't mix close and far objects with two different light conditons.

Me at the front of Jiao Mao Buidling.
Ami at the base of the building looking up.
Me beside the Jiao Mao building.
Me on the ground with view of Pearl TV Tower.

Presentation at the on ramp of the Lupo Bridge.
View of the bridge from the off ramp side.