Goodbye 2016!
Suzy and I enjoyed seeing John Oliver at the wonderful Art Deco Fox Theater on New Year’s Eve. He didn’t disappoint, and it was a great way to ring in the new year. You can see some of my pictures of the evening here.
Merry Christmas!
You can find some photos here from the “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights” exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, taken earlier this month. Happy holidays!
Our China Trip: Wrap-Up
I wanted to add a post with all the links from our trip.
POSTS:
– Our China Trip: Prologue – SoCal layover
– Our China Trip: Chapter 1 – Beijing
– Our China Trip: Chapter 2 – Guilin
– Our China Trip: Chapter 3 – Nanning
– Our China Trip: Chapter 4 – Yangtze Cruise
– Our China Trip: Chapter 5 – Shanghai
– Our China Trip: Chapter 6 – Hong Kong
VIDEOS (playlist of all videos is here):
– Beijing
– Guilin and Nanning
– Yangtze River Cruise
– Shanghai
– Hong Kong
PICTURES: Complete link is here
CHINA MONTAGE: Link is here
We hope you enjoyed!
Our China Trip: Chapter 6 – Hong Kong
After nearly a month on the road, we closed out our trip in Hong Kong. Suzy and I were last there over 20 years ago, when it was still under UK rule. Much has changed since then, but it is still a dynamic and vibrant city. Victoria Peak provides one of the most stunning vistas of any city in the world. We stayed right on the waterfront, and the girls really enjoyed the nightly Symphony of Lights. Hong Kong was a perfect way to cap off our trip to China!
UPDATE: Our video from Hong Kong is now available:
Check out our pictures from the Hong Kong here. Coming next – Wrap-Up
Previous chapters:
– Our China Trip: Prologue – SoCal layover
– Our China Trip: Chapter 1 – Beijing
– Our China Trip: Chapter 2 – Guilin
– Our China Trip: Chapter 3 – Nanning
– Our China Trip: Chapter 4 – Yangtze Cruise
– Our China Trip: Chapter 5 – Shanghai
Next chapter:
– Our China Trip: Wrap-Up
Our China Trip: Chapter 5 – Shanghai
We were thrilled to travel next to Shanghai – a city where none of us had ever been. What an exciting place! It provided a combination of old an new. Whereas in other parts of China, we saw much relating to the dynasties dating back thousands of years, in Shanghai the most fascinating points of interest concerned the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, prior to communist rule.
Of course, when most people think of Shanghai, they think of the gleaming modern 21st century city. And much has been made of how recent most of the development has been, as shown here. It did not disappoint, as it is one of the most cosmopolitan cities I have ever been to!
UPDATE: Our video from Shanghai is now posted:
You can find our pictures of Shanghai here. Up next – Hong Kong. Here is a preview, with highlights from both Shanghai and Hong Kong:
Previous chapters:
– Our China Trip: Prologue – SoCal layover
– Our China Trip: Chapter 1 – Beijing
– Our China Trip: Chapter 2 – Guilin
– Our China Trip: Chapter 3 – Nanning
– Our China Trip: Chapter 4 – Yangtze Cruise
Next chapters:
– Our China Trip: Chapter 6 – Hong Kong
– Our China Trip: Wrap-Up
Our China Trip: Chapter 4 – Yangtze River cruise
After leaving Nanning, we flew to Chongqing, one of the largest cities in China. It was from here that we embarked on a 4-day, 3-night cruise on the Yangtze River, the 3rd longest river in the world. With the building of the Three Gorges Dam, the area has undergone many changes over the last 20 years. We were able to see parts of China that we would have not been able to otherwise. And it provided the added bonus of giving the girls an opportunity to go on a cruise for the first time, which they really enjoyed. The staff was first rate, and many of them doubled as performers in the evening shows that included dances and performances highlighting Chinese culture. All in all, it was truly an unforgettable experience, and gave us a good chance to unwind from our hectic itinerary over the last two weeks.
UPDATE: Video from the Yangtze River cruise can be found below:
Please enjoy our pictures from the cruise here. Coming next – Chapter 5 – Shanghai
Previous chapters:
– Our China Trip: Prologue – SoCal layover
– Our China Trip: Chapter 1 – Beijing
– Our China Trip: Chapter 2 – Guilin
– Our China Trip: Chapter 3 – Nanning
Next chapters:
– Our China Trip: Chapter 5 – Shanghai
– Our China Trip: Chapter 6 – Hong Kong
– Our China Trip: Wrap-Up
Our China Trip: Chapter 3 – Nanning
Next up was a trip to Emily’s and Elisabeth’s hometown – Nanning. Nanning is the capital of Guangxi province in southern China. The city itself has over 4 million residents, and if you add in the surrounding area, the population swells to almost 7 million. It was important for the girls to see and understand just where they came from. The highlight was going to the orphanage that we worked with to adopt them. Best of all was that the orphanage was able to track down their foster mother for their first 11 months, Yi Feng (pictured above with Elisabeth and Emily)! For all of us to be able to talk to her and ask questions about their first year was priceless.
Nanning is referred to as the Green City for good reason – it is lush and tropical (and hot)! We enjoyed the three days we spent there. Here is a short montage:
Please check out the pictures from our stay in Nanning here. Next up – Chapter 4 – Yangtze River cruise
Previous chapters:
– Our China Trip: Prologue – SoCal layover
– Our China Trip: Chapter 1 – Beijing
– Our China Trip: Chapter 2 – Guilin
Next chapters:
– Our China Trip: Chapter 4 – Yangtze Cruise
– Our China Trip: Chapter 5 – Shanghai
– Our China Trip: Chapter 6 – Hong Kong
– Our China Trip: Wrap-Up
