Stirring up the Chinese: July 2007

Zai jian Beijing, Ni hao Shanghai (July 20)

My favorite Fuwuyuan who has made me feel like home.

I am cleaning out my closet..

Toby took over the last surviving fish.

My favorite Fuwuyuan from the reception.

Returning the keys

My Milka-blue bike (middle)

Arni and his entire household! I had arteries like waterhoses after arriving in Shanghai.

The Zijing Apartments.

Got it! In the end, I shot the 100 Yuan bill by chance, now I got the 2 (Hainan), 20 (Yangshuo), 50 (Lhasa) and 100 Yuan (Beijing) bill!

Arni II alias Chao helped me carrying all the luggage into the train, that was a big help.

My new home on the 21st floor: Flat No. 2101, No. 3, Lane 535, Long Hua Xi Lu, Shanghai 200232

Our view from the kitchen onto the Shanghai Stadium where the women's soccer world championship will go down in September.

Urumqi (Wulumuqi 乌鲁木齐) - July 19

Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the most 'inland' city in the world.

Rugs, carpets, Uygur-style hats, knitted sweaters, ethnic costumes, hand-made embroideries, jade carvings....shop until you drop.

Uyghur traditional medicine.

Ha, my favorite car mag hanging outside a newspaper store.

Don't know him.

China United Airlines is an airline based in Beijing. It operates a scheduled charter services in co-operation with local enterprises. Its main base is Beijing Nanyuan Airport. China United is the only airline that uses this airport, a former military airfield 18 km to the south of Beijing. In November 2002, China United Airlines terminated its scheduled services across the country. On June 4, 2005, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) approved China United Airlines to be reconstructed by Shanghai Airlines and China Aviation Supplies (CASGC), with Shanghai Airlines holding 80% of the stake. The China United Airlines fleet consists of the following aircrafts (at March 2007)
2 Boeing 737-700
1 Boeing 737-800 (we flew with it)

We were the last to leave the luggage hall since we gave our luggage tags attached to one of our boarding passes to another person who switched seats with us. At the exit, we even had to unpack our stuff to show that the dirty underwear was ours.

Turpan (Tulufan 吐鲁番) - July 17-18

Pomegranate juice, highest antioxidants!

Taking the 11h-night bus back to Urumqi, then the next bus to Turpan.

Turpan. The city, which is also known as Huo Zhou (a place as hot as fire), is the hottest place in China.

The abundant sunshine gives the melons and grapes ideal conditions to grow. The fruit here is widely known for its high sugar content, especially the grapes. Turpan is praised as the 'Hometown of Grapes'!

Emin Minaret (Su Gong Ta)

Flaming Mountains, yet the weather was only sub-optimal.

The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, situated in the Flaming Mountains, contained at one time some of the best preserved Buddhist images and statuary in China. Then, in 1914, Sir Aurel Stein showed up and took most of it away. The site is still beautiful.