ChernayaAkula Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 (edited) 1) no I really didn't steal that pic.2) unfortunately "youtube" is not accessible here... 3) Spot on regarding the trees !!! 1) I know. Hence the " :D ". I just wanted to say this picture is "coffee-table book"-stuff. :( 2) Hmmm, too bad. How about LASTFM? Player is at the top right. 3) I should know. If not, my father would be pretty POed. :lol: He has worked a lot with the Chinese Forestry Ministry, also on urban forestry. Edited July 26, 2009 by ChernayaAkula Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 1) I know. Hence the " ;) ". I just wanted to say this picture is "coffee-table book"-stuff. :wub:2) Hmmm, too bad. How about LASTFM? Player is at the top right. 3) I should know. If not, my father would be pretty POed. :) He has worked a lot with the Chinese Forestry Ministry, also on urban forestry. Hmmm, Your comment is too kind my friend !!! (Thanx) Just tried the second linky You provided but I can't seen to get it to work. It seems I need to log in... I'll have a closer look at it once I'm back home again. (Internet tend to work a bit different in this region...) Didn't know that about Your dad's work. Just had a quick look through the pic's which I posted and found "what I was looking for". If You go back to page 3 of the trip-report, You'll find a pic of an older Chinese lady playing the flute in the pask with surrounds the Temple of Heaven. Anyway, if You look carefully at the pic, You'll see a tree on her right (left-hand side of the pic). You'll see that the tree has a dark-green tag on it... Here in China quite some trees have been labeled (especialy in the parks which You find in Beijing). On the label You'll find a unique number indicating the exact specific tree. If a tree carries a red label, it means that the tree is over 300 years old. If the tree carries a green tag, it means that the tree is between 100 & 300 years old. Guess the Chinese take great care of their trees... One of the trees You'll find a lot in Beijing is the "Cypres-tree". "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Well Guy's & gall's, no update for today 'm afraid... As mentioned I had a pretty long night last night so I got up pretty late. As a result I had to re-arrange my planning a bit and decided to take things slow. Tomorrow will be my last day in Shanghai & my train is scheduled to leave for Beijing at about 21.30 in the evening. Guess I'll be having quite a busy schedule tomorrow in order to scratch the last items of my list. Oh well, nothing wrong with a bit of pressure... ;) I've been taking a look at the shots which I mentioned in my previous post and as I axpected there isn't realy any good material to post... Guess I'll just have to skip a day. Hope You guy's don't mind... I'm pretty sure that my (probably) last post will attain some more interresting stuff for all of You to view... After that it will be time to go home again & bragg about my adventures in China at the bar... :) On a more serious note: I'll probably enjoy it more to hear my collegues speak highly about their holiday's in Europe, just remaining sillent and showing a lot of interrest in what THEY have experienced. The "unspoken word", You know... Only thing left to do once I'm back home again is to figure out what part of the world I vill visit next. Let's see... Still got some African countries on my list as well as Japan (once again), Vietnam, Austrailia, Nepal, and the list goes on & on... Choices, choices, choices... Ah I know what I still like to scratch of my list... :wub: INDIA...!!! Yepp, I think that's were I'll go next... India it will be. I'm sure I'll have a blast over there trying to learn some more about that country, it's history, relationship with Pakistan and the related situation in regard to Afghanistan... After all, my boss has send me over there in the past to clean up some dirty job's so it might be interresting to learn a bit more about what the h*ll is going on in that region & how it has evolved the way it has... "Check Six...." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 (edited) . Edited September 12, 2009 by HOLMES Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Trebor Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hi Spooky, Just want to add how much I have enjoyed your pictures and words about your trip. I have only been to Hong Kong once and that and your photo essay has made me want to see some more of China. Safe journey home. Robert Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 So Spooky,it is with pleasure that I say that the night shots are just AMAZING and the plaque did intrigue ME and I did wonder if the tree was special and now with your emaculate explanation, you have celared that up for ME so thank you... Are you sure you will be able to leave this very exciting, vibrant ,intriguing, city after being " ravished" by a Ravishing lady that talks of silk "top to bottom"... Hope yout trip back to Beijing is just as excting as it was when you first arrived there, and it has not lost any of its charm and enslaving delights now that the Full Eclipse has come and gone.... Safe trip back to Beijing and home. HOLMES Hi there my friend, How nice of You to pitch in once again. I get the feeling Your realy enjoying this thread. If I didn't know better I might even start to think I have obtained a fan !!! (Well, there's nothing wrong with day-dreaming being a superstar is there...???) What can I say... Sure I'll be sad when I leave this extraordinairy country but then again... There are soo many things in the world to look forward to & I'm sure I'll find something new to look forward to once I'm back home again. It'll probably only be a matter of time... Besides, I already got my work cut out for me. Planning a trip to India will take quite some time & normaly something like that keeps me busy for some 3 to 6 month's... "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hi Spooky,Just want to add how much I have enjoyed your pictures and words about your trip. I have only been to Hong Kong once and that and your photo essay has made me want to see some more of China. Safe journey home. Robert Hi Robert, I don't recall any comments from You before soo: Nice of You to drop by !!! I guess You pitched in at an excellent time, not having to wait between my updates (?). As You have been able I've planned this trip a bit hastely, otherwise I would definately also would have visited Hong Kong. Oh well, I'll just look on the bright side: gives me a good reason to return to China in the future some time. (If I didn't already have a reason for that: I'm realy having a blast out here !!!) Next updates coming up... "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 OK Guy’s & Gall’s, You’ve guessed it right... It’s update time again. Currently I’m back in Beijing & since the weather isn’t too good here today, I’ve decided to stay in the hotel and take it slow before I depart back to The Netherlands tomorrow again. I’ll probably go out into the city later this evening to grab something to bite but right now I’m pretty dead-beat. The silky lady kept me awake again the entire night before last night so I’m pretty exhausted, not having had any sleep, having strawled the streets of Shanghai for the last time yesterday & having a restless night in the night-train from Shanghai to Beijing last night… Anyway, before we go back in time again to yesterday (the 27th) I would like to start of with something else which might be handy for any of You that travel a lot. Normally before I set off to an exotic destination on the other end of the world, I prepare my intended trip in detail. I do so by composing a small travel-guide in which I put all kinds of stuff that might come in handy once I arrive at my destination. I learned this trick from a good friend of mine (Thanx Mike !!!) and I do have to say it often saves me a lot of hassle once I’m on route. Basically I put all kinds of stuff in it such as: • Emergency information (Contacts, Blood-type, Medical insurance info. Ambassy info, etc. ) • Time Conversion Table • Currency Conversion Table • Flight-schedule • Hotel information • Local Transport Information (How stuff work’s & what to look out for.) • ATM-Cash Machines (Where to be found & how they work) • Sight-Seeing Information, as per destination • Paper copies of valuable documents such as passport, Military ID, MIC, etc.. Once finished I print it all out at check-list format so that it can be easily handled during travelling. Besides the fact that it’s extremely handy it also always draws the attention from the locals and therefore is a great way to start a conversation… (I’ll get back to that later.) Something else that might be nice to show is the lovely food I’ve been enjoying over here. I’ve already mentioned it a couple of time but have failed to take any pictures of if. While wandering through Shanghai I stumbled upon a cozy little restaurant which caught my attention due to the fact that it was rather crowded. Since I hadn’t eaten at the time I decided to have a look to see what was on the menu. Great fun I tell You: all was written in… CHINESE !!! After some sign-language I was able to explain to the waitress that I didn’t really cared what she served me as long as it was genuine Chinese food. This is what she came up with: Some delicious Nasi Goreng Accompanied by little pieces of chicken with peanuts and a sweet-hot spicy sauce. Spicey & Hot, me like...!!! I’m telling You, once You’ve eaten this stuff You’ll never visit a local Chinese restaurant in Europe again…!!! OK, now let’s see how I spent the 27th in Shanghai. As mentioned before a very sweet lady had robbed me from my sleep once again so I was already pretty dead-beat even before the day started. Yet, there were still some things on my wish list so time to pay the usual nasty bill again & get on my way. First stop… You’ve guessed it: STARBUCK’s !!! After a nice cup of coffee and a couple of Italian Panini's it set of to find a local modeling shop. A Chinese guy on ARC had supplied me with some possibilities. I don’t know his name but he normaly put’s up a post under “XSM†(Haneto…???). Anyway, since I thought Trumpy-stuff might be pretty cheap in China itself, I set of to the Xiangyang Store on Nanchang Road 595. Since I had no clue how far it was located from my hotel, I decided to take a taxi. Man, no that was an experience by it’s own…!!! I’m telling You, Your average “dog-fight†is nothing compared to a taxi-drive through Shanghai !!!!! To start with: Shanghai currently is best compared with one extremely large construction-site. Those guy’s are building everywhere. You might be able to imagine that that’s no fun for the cabbies since they have to take a lot of detours and traffic in general is one big chaos. Furthermore: although they have street signs, nobody seems to care for them. You have pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles all over the place, so everybody is fighting for a spot. This results in a very hilarious experience: communication by horn !!! Anyway, at one point this guy was tipping 95 KM/H in the middle of the city, dogging other traffic in the process. I do have to admit that my heart stopped beating a couple of times every now & then. Once on the “free-way†things tend to get a bit more organized since everybody is going the same direction. Still everybody is fighting to get to their destination as soon as possible. Since cabbies earn their money through fares they tend to be a bit more bold. You might compare this adventure with flying along with The Red Arrows, having formation-changes constantly, with the difference that not one single aircraft within the formation is flying at the same speed…!!! Well, since I’m able to provide You all with this update, I guess I’ve made it in one piece… Once at my destination I was in for another surprise. I had read that this shop was a two story shop so I had quite some high hopes. Once I entered it I was stunned. The shop was no bigger than some 7 square meters (approx. 20 square foot) !!! Stuff was packed all over the place and at first glance no stairs were to be found… Besides that I was a bit disappointed due to the fact that must stuff on offering was not of my interest (lot’s of armour, ships & Sci-fi). In the back of the shop I discovered a door and behind it was a flight of stairs. I wasn’t really sure if I should go up ‘cause it looked more as if I would end up in some ones living room. Yet I decided to give it a shot. If I wasn’t suppose to go up there, the shop owner certainly would come after me, right? As I walked up the stairs nothing happened so I thought things were OK. Once upstairs, there was nothing to be found but a closed door. Should I enter? Oh, why not… I’m glad I did ‘cause this is what I found: As can be seen nothing is really organized but it’s more a matter of “where can I stuff the size of this box?â€Â. It does take some time to figure thing’s out but still they have quite a bit on offer. The Trumpy-stuff is indeed cheaper over there & I managed to score a lovely F-100D & a Mil Mi-24, both 1/32. I also spotted a beautiful Lightning but decided to leave it as it was. First of all I read some things about shape-issues about it on ARC & secondly I also had to fly back home again… The big scale is pretty nice once finished but the down-side of it is that the boxes are rather large… Oh well, two sweet bird’s for little over the price of one back in Holland isn’t too bad, right ?!?!?! (More to come...) "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Once outside my adrenaline had gone up a couple of notches, that I even forgot to take a shot of the shop itself from the outside… (You guy’s & gall’s know the feeling.) Besides, I had something else to worry about: it had started raining !!! How on earth would the cardboard-boxes survive… Well, in my line of work we have a saying: “triple P, makes triple P !!!â€Â, meaning: “**** Poor Planning makes **** Poor Performance !!!†As You might imagine, Yours truly isn’t blown out of the water that easily ! Although all my travelling bag’s are of waterproof quality I always carry with me one or two large garbage bag’s, just in case so to speak… “Problem solved within no-time…†For the past couple of day’s I’ve been opening my post’s with “guy’s & gall’sâ€Â. Since I figure the lady’s on ARC share the common interest in modeling I guess any of them reading my trip-report will have enjoyed it just the same sofar. I can also imagine that the water might start running from their mouth’s when seeing my stash-extension, yet: it’s a fact that most lady’s often also have other interest’s… In an attempt to satisfy all You lady’s out there, I thought it might be nice to also take some shot’s which might especially interest You. Of course I could take some pic’s of window shops filled with jewelry, perfume and the like but You can also look that stuff up in a catalogue, right…???!!! Instead I’ve chosen to show You some of the fashion in these part’s of the world… (Sorry for the reflections but I don’t care too much for fashion. I rather see my lady wear the stuff than spent hours & hours dragging the streets from shop to shop…) OK, one with the show again. After I had my shot of “plastic elixer†it was time to scratch off one very important item from my wish list: the Shanghai World Financial Center. For You that don’t know: this was the world tallest building before the Burj Dubai was finished recently. Those who know me a bit better can understand that this sucker had to be conquered…!!! Before we get to that I first want to show You all some stuff which I found along the way. Let’s start of with the following shot. See if You can find something peculiar… OK, I’ll give You all a small hint… Still don’t know what I’m getting at ??? Take a look at the last shot: even the freaking trees in the streets are camouflaged !!! I don’t know the name of this tree but You find them all over Shanghai. The bask is basically white but it is covered with patches of green & brown. I’m sure they make a nice camouflage in the wintertime within a snowy landscape… (More to come...) "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Next thing I’d like to share with You is this building. It can be found in “The Bund Area†& was opened back in 1923 by Sir Ronals MaCleay, who was minister to China at that time. In front of the building lamp’s like these can be found. The ventilation slot’s at the bottom clearly indicate this type of lamp dates back to the day’s that gas-light was still in use… Typical English wouldn’t You say… “Now isn’t that familiar…???!!!†When You finaly think You’ve seen it all… A DUTCH flag in the middle of Shanghai…!!! Actually these are the national colours from Luxembourg since the blue is way too light. After some inquiries I learned that it was supposed to resemble the Dutch national colours though. Oh well, who am I to criticize the Chinese. Must be pretty hard for them anyway… Unfortunately the Spanish flag prevented her from flying in full glory. Pretty ironic since back in the day’s when the Dutch were the “fear of the seven seasâ€Â, we couldn’t really get along with the Spanish. Guess a little “payback time†is allowed for once… (More to come.....) "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 OK, finally it’s time for the main-event of the 27th. Of course it was just my luck to have awe full weather, but hey: “You can’t win ‘em all now, can You…†Maybe it was even better this way since I’ve seen hardly any blue sky over shanghai while is there. Whenever the temps were up really high, the sky was filled with smog. Besides, even though the weather was pretty poor, it sure was an amazing experience to be up amongst the clouds “without leaving groundâ€Â. You don’t have a chance to experience that too often, now do You…??? Anyway, I’ll start of with a pic showing the Jin Mao Tower neatly in front of “my target†of the day. Pretty impressive, huh…?! Allthough the Jin Mao Tower is impressive, take a look at this baby… I give you: “The Shanghai World Financial Center†Viewed from a different angle she’s even more majestic… : Remember this little fellow ? Here the Jin Mao Tower is viewed from above. Don’t be fooled, she still stands at a dazzling 421 meters !!! Never-the-less, she’s being dwarfed by the Financial Center which top’s a mind-blowing 487 meters. On the observation-deck You’ll have to settle for a mere 472 meters but I assure You: that doesn’t spoil any of the fun…!!! “Clouds-bottom at slightly over 1500 Ft…!!!†Just a pitty that it was impossible to avoid the reflections in the glass, but to be quite honest: I don’t give a $%@& !!! (Just one more to come...) "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 You might be wondering what I was doing there… Well, couldn’t resist a Royal Elevation leak at nearly 1500 Ft now could I… (Yeah Mike, I know: I nicked that shot. But hey…) Well, my friends: That wraps it up pretty neatly don’t You agree ? Leaves me with only two more pic’s to show. You might remember what I wrote regarding my “travelling-guideâ€Â. Here is a nice example of what happened to me nearly every day… Aren’t they cute ? OK, time to wrap it it now. Spooky is pretty exhausted & is going to call it a day. Last post will be made when I’m back home again. With it I will give You my “verdict†regarding China. Guess You all can figure out that this trip has scored pretty high sofar so I think I will have a hard time to find any weak spots… “Check Six…..†Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) . Edited September 12, 2009 by HOLMES Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) .... Edited September 13, 2009 by GreyGhost Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Spooky,Gret shots of life....so you went "female" window shopping for the ladies out there...Oh aren't you the kind soul..well the Lingerie is where I lingeredmost...ah.. BUT to move on....the tress as you say ae camouflged are actu;;y covered in LIME paint to stopp the bugs and the lime disease easting away the trees.. after a while they look white...well at last that is what they do to tress in Asia..unless it is WHTE paint...{INDIA does the same to its big trees, coates it wilt LIME paint to ward of the dieases that can and will kill them off if left untreated}... The food looked quite appetisin and well almost feel its smell .as the aromatic spces fills ones nostrils..... and the juices in the mouth flow readily.... The stash ...sweet STASH...looks like you cam prepared....Hang on I go back and have a look at the models in the shop....WHOA!!! No not thst stash, the Lingerie....Hmmmm....!! And the Building opens by SIR RINALD MACLEAY looks quite familiar..looks almost similar and as the WHITEHALL building in LONDODN..simialr cloring and frontage.. Spooky was this a Govt Building becasue it has many Flgas flying... Any way it is nice to see that you have had a great, enthralling time in ASIA and that you gained experineces from it that will never be erased form your mind.... and of course the Silk Lady.... you naughty BOY!!! :) THANK YOU for your excting, special, enthralling, captivating { I am captivated by the Lingerie .Phewf!!}delightful, funny, comical, teasing us, photographically journalistic, a sad, poignant, weird, report and ARC BLOG of your TRIP of a lidetime.... THANK YOU.. HOLMES :) P.S Just saw the JIN MAO TOWER...WOW !!! STUNNING !! Well, well HOLMES..... You devil !!! It almost sounds as if the two of us are alike... I'm glad to read You've enjoyed it so much & hope that You'll enjoy my next trip just as much (or possibly even more). That is: if I make it to India... Thank You once again for Your sweet comments. I feel honoured.... "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Great update, Spook !Thanks for sharing the travels ... Safe Journey Home ... Gregg You're welcome my friend !!! I'm glad to read You've enjoyed all of it. "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
sxm_m Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) After a nice cup of coffee and a couple of Italian Panini's it set of to find a local modeling shop. A Chinese guy on ARC had supplied me with some possibilities. I don’t know his name but he normaly put’s up a post under “XSM†(Haneto…???). Anyway, since I thought Trumpy-stuff might be pretty cheap in China itself, I set of to the Xiangyang Store on Nanchang Road 595. Since I had no clue how far it was located from my hotel, I decided to take a taxi. SXM, not XSM. It's me!!!!! ;) you ask me "Any good model-shop's in Shanghai I worth visiting...? Planning to visit Shanghai by the end of the month. TIA" in my A-7E WIP topic. http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....=185674&hl= And i replied this topic many times. Sadly.......... Edited July 28, 2009 by sxm_m Link to post Share on other sites
haneto Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hope you've enjoyed your trip in China,especially Shanghai. BTW,my office is just in SWFC,11th floor. You are much luckier than me 'cuz when I payed RMB150.- to get into the 100th floor of the bill(where I works everyday but cannot access there from our office area!),it was totally foggy that day and I can barely see the Jin Mao building... Your other photos are also very interesting,especially for those who live in the city like me,those schemes are too common to pay attention. ;) Yufei Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Dude. you´re having a really neat trip there!! Been reading through it all now that I´m home at last from my not so far trip to Finland :P Awesome pics, there´s lots of prints I´d like to ha for my walls ( they are a bit bare at the moment...we haven´t found much paintings or stuff for them yet) That buildling with the hole at the top looked pretty neat (don´t remember what it´s called), kinda looks like something you´d open a beer bottle with tho.... I know one thing tho....I think I´d get pretty claustrophobic in China....making my 196cm fit there looks like a chore :P Waiting eeagerly for your next update! Cheers mate!! Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I think those trees are called - you're not gonna believe it - planes. :D Platanus is the Latin name. Also think the World Financial Center looks like a giant bottle opener. Jin Mao Tower looks rather cool, though. Must be one helluva view with clear skies. :lol: Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 SXM, not XSM.It's me!!!!! you ask me "Any good model-shop's in Shanghai I worth visiting...? Planning to visit Shanghai by the end of the month. TIA" in my A-7E WIP topic. http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....=185674&hl= And i replied this topic many times. Sadly.......... Hi there my friend, I would like to appologize for not getting Your "tactial" right but I had to do it by heart. I knew the right letters but I wasn't quite sure if I placed them in the right order. Sorry dude... As for Your guidance regarding the possibilities of modellingshops in Shanghai. I saw Your list on ARC and copied it down. I would like to stress that it was very usefull, especialy since I'm very sure that the place I visited would have taken years to find !!! While looking at the list You've so kindly provided I only had "written information" to guide me and I was triggered by Your comment that the shop I visited had quite some Trumpeter stuff. Compared to the west the shop sure had a "strange" look compared to what we are accustomed to. Never-the-less, Your directions were "spot-on" and in the end I walked out with two beautifull boxes. Therefore please don't feel offended if my discription of the shop itself was/is less flattering. Didn't mean it that way... Well, that being said, thanx once again & should You ever come to Holland make sure to ask for some directions if desired... "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Hope you've enjoyed your trip in China,especially Shanghai.BTW,my office is just in SWFC,11th floor. You are much luckier than me 'cuz when I payed RMB150.- to get into the 100th floor of the bill(where I works everyday but cannot access there from our office area!),it was totally foggy that day and I can barely see the Jin Mao building... Your other photos are also very interesting,especially for those who live in the city like me,those schemes are too common to pay attention. Yufei Hi there Yufei, how nice of You to pitch in. Boy, too bad I didn't know You work at the SWFC !!! Sure would have been nice to just drop in for a minute and just say "Hi"... Oh well, who knows. Maybe next time. Nice to read You've been enjoying the pictures I've posted & yes, I guess it's true that You tend to look at every-day stuff differently once You've seen tem through the "eyes of a stranger"... "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Dude. you´re having a really neat trip there!! Been reading through it all now that I´m home at last from my not so far trip to Finland :PAwesome pics, there´s lots of prints I´d like to ha for my walls ( they are a bit bare at the moment...we haven´t found much paintings or stuff for them yet) That buildling with the hole at the top looked pretty neat (don´t remember what it´s called), kinda looks like something you´d open a beer bottle with tho.... I know one thing tho....I think I´d get pretty claustrophobic in China....making my 196cm fit there looks like a chore :P Waiting eeagerly for your next update! Cheers mate!! Hi Aigore, how nice of You to drop a line !!!!! I hope You've been able to enjoy some R&R in Finland my friend. Sure am flattered to read Your comments... If there are any pic's I can please You with, just let me know. I'll send You some hi-res copy's which You can make soem quality prints from to adorn Your wall's. Sure would feel honored !!! If You decide to do so, please shoot me an e-mail via private e-mail address. (Won't be around ARC that often in the future...) Next update is about to come on-line. Most of it will be written text but I'm sure You will enjoy it anyway so stay tuned... "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 I think those trees are called - you're not gonna believe it - planes. :P Platanus is the Latin name. Also think the World Financial Center looks like a giant bottle opener. Jin Mao Tower looks rather cool, though. Must be one helluva view with clear skies. :o WOW, how appropriate would that be..."planes" !!! :P "Check Six....." Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
Spooky 01 Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Part.1 (“Interlude of an ending…â€Â) Well Guy’s & Gall’s, guess it’s time for a final Update. This one will be divided into 3 parts for Your convenience. In “Part 1†I’ll tell You guy’s something about my last day’s in China & my flight back home, including all the “nasty†thing’s life was able to throw at me… In “Part 2†I will take some time to write down my “final verdict†in regard to China. In the last part, (yes, that will be titled “Part 3â€Â) I’ll conclude this trip-report with a couple of thoughts which have filled my mind as a result of this trip. This will also be the part where You will find the only picture which I’m going to enclose in this update. As always it’s there for a reason but You’ll be able to find out why when You hit “Part.3â€Â. All parts are meant for all of You to enjoy & I can only hope I’ll succeed in doing so… Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax & enjoy. Here we go… I’ll start off by kickin’ in a couple of word’s because of two reasons. First of all I’m a guy that likes to finish what he’s started simply ‘cause it’s the “right thing to doâ€Â. OK, OK, I can hear some of You thinking: “So when will You be finishing those bloody WIP’s You’ve started in the past…???!!!†Well, just be patient with me. I will when/if time permits… Secondly, I’m a strong believer regarding the expression “What comes around, goes around !!!†Basically that can go two way’s: • If You do good, “good†will come to You • If You do bad, “bad†will come to You Not keeping a promise is regarded as “doing bad†and I wouldn’t like that happening to me. Certainly when it comes to promises since they are meant to be kept. They are regarded by me a one of the most sacred thing’s in life which may never be broken, disregarding any reason You might be able to think of which might justify “not keeping a promiseâ€Â. I for one sure wouldn’t want to evoke the rage of the God’s above upon me, so: let’s get this show on the road…!!! I’ll start of by telling You something regarding my last day’s in China & my flight back home again: I left Shanghai on july 27th, late in the evening in order to make it back to Beijing in time where I would take my flight back home again. After a terrible “night of sleep†in the night-train, I arrived in Beijing save & sound. First thing to do was to get to my hotel and since I was pretty tired I thought it was a good idea to grab a cab. Hmmm, was I in for a surprise… First thing to do after I left the train was to get outside the station. So off I went: 1 large Backpack strapped on my back, 1 laptop slung around my shoulder, one small backpack slung around my other shoulder and two large clumsy Trumpy-boxes to take care of… You guy’s sure would have enjoyed a picture of that sight: basically nothing but luggage moving around…All together that must have weighted some 50 kilo’s and since I’m just a small skinny guy that was quite a challenge as You might be able to imagine !!! Once outside it was time to refuel. Temps were once again 30+ C and I was sweating like dog, not to mention smelling like a pig… Time for some of that magical cold tea !!! By now the calendar had flipped over yet another day and july 28th had welcomed the day. Once I had refreshed myself a bit it was time for a “status-checkâ€Â. My God, it seemed that the entire Chinese population had gathered in front of the station, all waiting for a cab !!! OK, sure wasn’t gonna make it walking back to my hotel in my current configuration since this sucker was fully equipped for a heavy Mud-Moving mission instead of a swift Air Defense mission. Time to “rolexâ€Â, dupe my intended “flight-plan†and start the waiting game… After about 1 hour & 15 minutes I finally was able to capture a cab and now the journey to my hotel could start. By now Beijing rush-hour was at it’s peak so no hope getting to my hotel soon… I just relaxed and took things as they came. No need to get uptight regarding things You’re not able to change, is there now…???!!! After getting to my hotel, the waiting-game began. Feeling the way I felt I was very glad regarding my planning. I had planned to get back there one day ahead of my departure back home so I could have some rest and right now it seemed I had just done the best thing I ever came up with. I still had one entire day to relax & make sure I got a good night of sleep. Triple P makes Triple P, and that sure wasn’t gonna happen to me due to the fact that my planning had been spot on !!! What else can I say but: “all in a day’s work for an old C2 dog…†The next day, that calendar thing had worked it’s magic again and it had turned things into july 29th. Time to leave China & head back home again. The 29th started very early ‘cause I wanted to make sure I would make it to the airport in time. At about 05.00 AM I got up, took a shower & gave all of my stuff a final check-up to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. Didn’t take me long though since I had already packed my stuff carefully the day before. After that it was time to grab something to eat. I had already figured out that it might be a bit “difficult†to get some early breakfast in the hotel, sooo… The night before I had order two Ham & Egg’s sandwiches and put them in the small fridge during the night. It was a blast finding those two suckers had made it through the night in excellent shape so once again my planning had been spot-less !!! After check-out I headed out for the airport. Lot’s of fun again… Spooky was dead-beat and only had one thing on his mind: getting home !!! Of course sweet life still had a few trick’s in store for Yours truly… It all started at the airport where I was checked 4 times by customs. Not really something to look forward to when Your somewhat “eager†getting home. To make things worse, it seemed like a gazillion people had decided to fly that day so things went really, really, really slow…!!! Finally I made it to my 777 which would take me to Paris so off we went… Normally I always spent the entire flight looking outside but this time I was too tired to do so, so I just closed my eyes and tried to get some rest. After some time I was “awoken†by quite a bit of turbulence. Didn’t take me long to figure out that we must have hit the Gobi-dessert again so I opened up the window-cover and took a peak outside. Yep, there it was. My God, what an incredible piece of land !!! Word’s cannot describe it so I won’t even try to. What was most interesting was the fact that we were cruising at some 38.000 FT, yet still the hot & turbulent air over the dessert was able to rock this mighty 777 from side to side & up & down like a small plastic model…!!! After arriving at Paris we had made some good time: probably due to some strong tail-wind’s we had touched down some 30 minutes ahead of schedule !!! Thinking I would have some extra time to grab a cup of coffee kinda made me smile. Well, just my luck. Ground-support had been able to produce some solid “Triple P†so we had to wait about 20 minutes before we finally could pull into our gate !!! Oh well, I was already very close to home so I would be able to deal with this small hick-up as well. Besides, the final leg of my flight took place without a glitch so I shouldn’t really complain. After arriving at Schiphol, life played it’s final trick on my. Well, that is to say: regarding my return flight. I went over to the baggage-carrousel to pick up my backpack and guess what…??? Yep, second time this happened to me: no backpack to be found…!!! Fortunately things were sorted out within some 30 minutes And I finally was a able to grab a train back home where life would play it’s last funny trick upon me, so it turned out !!! When I finally made it through the door of my sweet little home, I went about things which You normally do once You get back home again: • Pick up some mail • Put down Your stuff • Make a well-deserved cup of coffee • Take a shower & slip into something comfortable • Sort out You luggage • And try to relax and settle in a bit again No surprise to tell You guy’s that things didn’t quite went as I expected… God, coming to think of it I sure must be blessed having such a turbulent way of life. NEVER A DULL MOMENT WHEN YOU HANG OUT WITH SPOOKY !!!!!!!!!! Before I left China I had received a somewhat disturbing e-mail from a very good friend of mine. At that time I wasn’t able to respond to it properly so I shot him an e-mail telling him I would give him a call as soon as I would get back home again. Once I had finally been able to make it back home and had somewhat sorted initial things, it was time for me to live up to that promise. (Promises are meant to be kept, right…!!!???!!!) Well, anyway, as I picked up the phone… Yep, probably no surprises there regarding what’s about to follow !!! For some reason the phone had gone dead. Can You believe it ? A good friend of mine needed some sound advice and the God’s were putting in all their sick little trick’s preventing me to get hold of him… How sick is that ???!!! In between I have been able to get a hold of him & I’m very pleased to be able to tell You all that I’ve been able to have a chat with him and straighten him out a bit. (Yet another target obtained, so to speak…And “YESâ€Â, those God’s sure have some questions to answer when I knock upon their door in a couple of years time…!!!) Oh well, to put it in the word’s of my good friend Aigore: “Such is life…!!!†(Brilliant word’s my friend & I hope You won’t mind me using them as a quotation since they hold so much truth in them…) Since I was truly exhausted it was time to crash down into all the comforts of my sweet little home and let my daily routines set in again slowly. The past two weeks have been a blast (and I do mean each & every single adventure which I have been blessed to experience !!!), so now time has come to settle down again and truly take the time to “suck it all upâ€Â, so the speak. Besides the planning, the travelling itself and the experience of all those impressions, this too must be one of the greatest things to truly enjoy including all the good things as well as all the possible bad things… (End of Part. 1) “Check Six…..†Spooky. Link to post Share on other sites
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