Chinese + English = Chinglish

I got a kick out of reading some of the signs we came across over the weekend, and thought you might too.

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Therefore we did.

Please watch for falling rocks. Will do.

Just how exactly would you go about lighting a candle with smoke? I didn’t get a photo of the next sign but it said “No burning.” You just can’t win.


A nice little warning.

I love this one!

Yes we do.

No gawkers! Stop and have a look or please keep movin’!

If the light is on, the toilet is in use. If the light is off, come on in. Klynt had to explain this one to me.

No Flash?

The shower in our hotel room posted this friendly little reminder.

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Time Flies

Where does the time go? Seriously. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea. It just seems to whiz right by. I’ve been told that the older you get, the faster it goes. As of right now I can’t imagine it going by any quicker. Of course there are those days when you’d really like to speed this whole process along, but that’s an entirely different matter. ;)

Anyway, what got me to thinking about time and how it passes so quickly, is our upcoming visit to Xian. This weekend Klynt and I will be meeting our brother-in-law Dave and a couple of his fellow co-workers there. Now it was almost one year ago that he, Kari and the girls were here in China, and we all were gallivanting around Shanghai, Suzhou and Beijing. It just doesn’t seem like it has been that long already.

Posted below are a few of the highlights.


-Shanghai
Along the Bund with the Shanghai skyline for a backdrop. This photo is one of my favorites.

A famous shopping district in the city.

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-Suzhou

Making an entrance at Tiger Hill.

Showing off our new t-shirts along Jin-ji Lake.

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-Beijing

The Great Wall of China is pretty amazing.

There was a Panda sighting at the Great Wall. Luckily we were able to capture the moment.

In the heart of T-Square.

The Forbidden City in enormous!

Thanks Mr. Longfellow

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

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Thai by Simon

Just when I thought life couldn’t get any drearier, it did. It has been raining on and off (mostly on) for about three weeks now. The few dry days we’ve had, have been sad and grey. I’m a solar-powered girl, so for me, the weather really impacts my mood. Some people claim rainy days or sunny, they suffer no side affects. Okay. Sure. Whatever. This morning I woke up, poked my head through the curtains and then promptly went right back to where I came from; curled up under a cozy flannel blanket dreaming the morning away – only to awake a few hours later to the same reality. What does any of this have to do with Thai food? Basically nothing. Well, other than the fact that one of the best restaurants in town has closed its doors for good. No warnings. No goodbyes. Nada. I guess it just sort of adds to the general dreariness of life lately. The few people that have visited me here in my temporary home know the impact this will have. It was one of my favorite places to eat, and not just in China.

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Photo Booth

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Street art in Shanghai - We were just passing by, but looking at this photo, I now wish that I would have stopped and taken a closer look. I'm always afraid to seem too interested 'cause then the pressure is on to buy.

I Was Here

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While shuffling through some recent photos, I came across this particular one, and found myself thinking “gosh, that’s me, a small-town girl a very long, long way from home.” Who would have thought? Not me! At times the world seems pretty small, but at this particular moment it felt big, incredibly big.

Often I find myself in different situations, for example; having dinner with friends, at a wedding, riding in a taxi, or shopping downtown, and feel as though I am experiencing them similar to how you would experience a movie；I guess that would explain it best. I mean you are there, in the thick of it and at the same time, somewhat…well, seemingly not really there. Everything is foreign. The faces, cuisine, fashion, art, customs, architecture, landscapes, world views and language all seem, at times, surreal.

Oversized Load

I have been trying to get a photo like this for some time, and it’s a bit trickier than you might think. Seemingly, it boils down to always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This guy almost snuck by me as we were intently focused on trying to flag down a taxi. If my multi-tasking husband wouldn’t have brought him to my attention, he would have quickly disappeared into a bustling city, full of commotion. It is fairly common to see a truck, scooter, bike or any other moving vehicle for that matter, making its way down the road, maxed out, above and beyond capacity.

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