Zhouzhuang!!!

A few additional pictures from Zhouzhuang that didn't make it on the other blogsite. Not too much needs to be said about the place, the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. Our friends and fellow Canadian travellors Seb and Anne-Marie made the trip with us while visiting and staying with us in Shanghai (the final stop on their 18 months 'round the world' trek).

A pleasant, tourist-oriented water city, which undoubtedly still retains some of its traditional charm, if you look beyond the 'dreaded Chinese tourism makeover' which has taken place.









A traditional dish around these parts - pork leg. Look at that fat.
It was tasty I can tell you...

More Guests (Part II - The Beijing Trip) (Feb. 2006)

One of the best trips ever (okay okay I admit it's a pretty long list...) was the trip within a trip that we took with Helene and Ashkan to visit Yannick and Annika (and Elisabeth's cousin Ulrik and girlfriend Linda), who live in Beijing. Along the way we discovered Ulrik happens to be very good friends with Helene and my ex-flatmate Jens - Jens now also lives in Beijing - so suddenly we were hanging out in, ahem, a very Danish bar in the middle of Beijing with our ex-flatmate who we never expected to run into. Anyway, enough rambling. It was a superb trip. Here's a few pics...


On the train...






Breakfast - note the toaster is actually a heater...

A famous Chinese historical spot...



Tourists?

um, yes, the Forbidden Palace is very exciting...



Doing it like the locals do...

We accepted his invitation to play a bit of ping pong...
he took it very easy on us...

Home (Beijing) away from home (Shanghai) away from home
(Denmark) (away from home (Canada)). It get complicated.
Dinner in Beijing with Ulich (Elisabeth's cousin) and Linda,
Yannick, Annika, Helene, Ashkan, myself and Elisabeth....

If you're really clever, you can find a special spot on the foot.
"It feels good, but I don't like it..."

Then we stumbled across this really big wall...

And took the kind of pictures you're supposed to take...

And petted the sheep like you're supposed to pet the animals...

And fed the donkey like you're supposed to feed a donkey...

And took more pictures like you're supposed to take pictures...



And went to a cool antique market...

With cool antique-like things...

and broken pottery...

And that guy.



A nice addition to any living room...

Also a nice addition to any living room...



The birthday boy blows hard on the train...

We love visitors! Helene and Ashkan (Feb. 2006)

So Helene and Askan showed up for 3 very joyfully relaxing weeks in February. Here's some pics...




It's bloody cold in Shanghai in February, so we spent a bit of time
watching DVD's the only way we can...

And that is indeed Ashkan enjoying a plate of cow tongue...