Short-lived

The peach blossom stayed only for a week but I tried to savor a daily moment marveling at such beauty.

Bikeless Weekends

My biking aspirations for this spring have been repeatedly frustrated by busyness and recurring colds. The weather is already in the mid to high twenties Celsius and I have get out there before it hits thirty-plus...
Hopefully a bike update very soon.

Looking Down

Had a meeting on the 93rd floor in World Financial Center yesterday; below me a couple minnows: Jinmao Tower (88 floors) and the Pearl Tower.

Rain or Shine

I had to push myself to get out there this morning in the drizzling rain, but in the end was glad I did. Leaving Tangzhen I quickly snapped this one, wondering how long longer this little bridge would be here, as new developments encroach closer and closer. Then toured around Chuansha, smelled the fragrance of spring blossom, said hallo to the bicycle repairman on the street, came upon the most isolated subway stop (surrounded by farm houses and nothing else), and made my way home after 24 km just before the rain got heavier. Another day in the life of a biking Pudonger...

Pudong's Children

One of my favourite things while biking through the countryside is stopping in the villages and chatting with the kids. Most of them moved here with their families from either Henan or Anhui province, to seek a better life.

Preserving the Old

Biked about 34 km through southern Pudong yesterday and came across this Catholic church in the middle of a huge area which had been completely flattened. The building was completely empty, with only the walls still standing. I checked on Google Earth; only a year ago that area still had villages and canals.
On the map you see Shanghai's maglev track curving on the left. To the right of that and below the outer ring road (S20), everything is gone...except the church. To be confirmed, but I imagine this church was related to the Tangzhen Church, which was built in 1898.
(See http://vansteenblogen.blogspot.com/2007/01/winter-ride.html)

Disney Carwash

Finally on the bike again through the Pudong countryside, with great weather today (16 C).

A Beautiful Country with Friendly People and a Troubled Past

The eight days in Cambodia was an unforgettable experience: visiting old friends Phnom Penh, a time of relaxation on the beaches at Shihanoukville in the south, and the visit to the Killing Fields, which left a deep impression. During the Pol Pot reign of terror (1975-1979), more than 2 million Cambodians died of torture and famine, out of a total population of 8 million...
And yes, I did get a short bike trip in at Sihanoukville; no comparison to the Vietnam trip (and not that I was looking for that level of excitement), but more like Langkawi (beaches, some steep hills, and wild monkeys).
We didn’t have time to visit the world-famous Angkor War in the north, so that gives us an excuse to visit this beautiful country with its friendly people and troubled past again.

Rest in Sihanoukville

Arrived in Cambodia's (mostly underdeveloped) beach town. The main beach is rather narrow and noisy with one pub after the other, but after a 15-minute tuktuk ride we found a beautiful and quiet place, Otres Beach. The rest speaks for itself...

The Killing Fields

Hard to describe what I saw today at the Genocide Museum at Tuol Sleng (where prisoners were tortured by the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot) and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center in the countryside (mass graves). Seeing the torture rooms and standing at the edge of the (now empty) massgraves I could feel the screams of the victims in the silence that surrounded me. Deeply impressed.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Spending a week in Cambodia; wonderful weather, people, and food. This panorama shot (with my iPhone) was taken at the Royal Palace the capital Phnom Penh.

Shanghai Snow

It doesn't happen too often, but this past week we had two solid days of snow. Taken on the way to work (Jinmao Tower).

Sunset in Suzhou

It worked! I just emailed this photo from my mobile phone directly to Blogger and it was automatically posted within 2 minutes. The pic was taken with my iPhone.

Jinan

Visited my in-laws in Jinan for New Year's and came across this huge Catholic church...




Also found some of my mother-in-law's pictures of the time when she was an actress; these are from the mid-seventies; the Cultural Revolution had just finished and she played Mao's ex-wife Jiang Qing.

aaah...Rome

Finally found a way around the Great Fire Wall of this country...
I had the pleasure spent some time in Rome last summer. As I was jetlagged, I ventured outside at 6:30 AM, before the hordes of tourists arrived. The Colloseum is absolutely a breathtaking piece of architecture. Later that day I went inside to take some more pictures (click on the pictures for more details).