Video Montage

My very talented sister-in-law, Rebekah, made this incredible video documenting our two weeks traveling through China together. Sometimes videos can show you what pictures can't. She did a great job. Enjoy!



Oh and I can't finish my vacation blog posts without mentioning the dear friend we made on the 33 hour train ride from Haikou to Shanghai. Before boarding the train in Haikou a few of us walked across the street to the food carts set up to get some dinner. It was a popular hang out for the train conductors and this is where we first met our new friend who was chowing down on a chicken's foot. He started joking with us and we told him what train we'd be on and then learned we'd be traveling together.

He was so friendly to us the entire time and would come and sit on our bunks with us to take a break. We'd try to teach each other how to speak and write our native language. We shared laughs at our inability to communicate with each other properly. He was so patient with us and truly wanted to help us speak Chinese. He was also really funny and sang a great rendition of Happy Birthday in English. He was very proud of that.

We were only able to purchase five beds for the six of us which meant one of us would spend two nights and one day sitting in a chair. We decided we'd take shifts. After Wayne slept the first night in the chair we decided to take shifts all during the day and following night but Isaac figured we could just sneak everyone into the five beds we did have and it would all work out. Hannah and I were scared we'd get in big trouble and didn't want our new friend to get mad at us. When it was Isaac's turn to take over my two hour shift sitting in the chair alone with crowds of Chinese people staring at the one blonde headed, white girl on their train he decided he'd come for a little while and then join us back at the beds without any of else taking over his spot. The seat was probably taken by someone who had a standing only ticket in a matter of seconds.

We think because we had become such good friends with the conductor that when they came to check our tickets that night and saw two people in one bed they let it slide. Phew! It was a relief and a risk I probably wouldn't have taken on my own. I was grateful our new friend didn't get offended by our actions or think we were trying to take advantage of him.

We snapped this picture once we arrived in Shanghai after being crowded on a train together for 33 hours without showering. Not our finest moment but sometimes you sacrifice beauty for memories.

First Day with Family

Andrew and Hannah's brother and sister, Isaac and Rebekah, arrived safely in 

Shanghai Friday night to come and join us traveling for two weeks across China. 

Our first day with everyone together in Shanghai we saw all the typical things in China and did some shopping. 

This is just going to be a quick post with photos. 

We took a plane yesterday to Yangshuo, China and it's our first morning here. 

We will be leaving soon to go out into the mountains. 

I'll try to continue to upload along our trip when I have time. Thanks!

The 4 siblings all together in China!

The streets are lined with Chinese New Year decorations.

We went to the top of the Shanghai World Financial Center which is the 2nd tallest building in the world and the tallest in mainland China. We were able to get the most amazing view of the city. It was scary at times walking up there because they had some tiles on the ground that you could see through all the way down to the road below. 

They had a Chinese New Year Bell you could ring for a small fee and hand your written wish around  it.
Wayne  decided it was worth it!

I found this little gem that someone wished for.
 "My friends will find the happiness of Eternal Families."

 SHOPPING AT THE YUYUAN BAZAAR

SNAKES WERE HUNG EVERYWHERE IN 

CELEBRATION OF THE UPCOMING 'YEAR OF THE SNAKE'

THIS PICTURE IS FOR YOU, MOMMA OLSON, THEY HAD A STORE NAMED AFTER YOU!

Science is Broken

I like learning and going to museums just as much as the next person. Okay, so maybe I am a little nerdy but I was really excited for the museum in Shanghai. 

Learning can be cool. 

Museums can be cool.

The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is not cool. 

I was grateful for the old rich guy who either donated a lot of money or the animals themselves, I'm not sure, because seeing all the stuffed animals was the best part. But seeing as that was the first thing we did. It got boring real fast. Outdated and broken down museums are especially boring when you didn't eat breakfast and end up being there until 2 in the afternoon. Lesson learned. 

My brother-in-law Wayne

I thought it would be a new, fun experience to see an IMAX movie in a dome theater. The idea of laying down and looking up at the screen that seemed to encircle you was intriguing. I was unsatisfied yet again when you had to sit in a chair at practically a 90 degree angle. The movie was about how different cultures use horses. It was in Chinese so I had no idea what was going on but the horses were pretty and they showed Texas and the Rocky Mountains. It was a nice escape to pretend I was there again.

This is the large projector wheel the movie was on. It was one of the most interesting things of the day because it actually functioned.

So many of the exhibits seemed exciting when you saw them on the map and then you got there you realized that nothing was actually alive and working or it had dust all over it. It's just like the Chinese people to make something seem really cool on paper only to lure you into a disappointing trap. 

I guess I shouldn't have gone to the aquarium the day before or else maybe the water life exhibit would have been more entertaining. I walked through there pretty fast but was able to snap a couple shots.

Andrew and I both agreed we were tired of looking at animals and wanted to get away from life science and into the cool stuff like robots. Our hopes were high that this exhibit would be one to remember. How can you go wrong with robots?

Well, as you can guess most of them didn't even function or they were stuck in one position while a conveyor moved around them. Lame.

But this little one actually could draw a picture. I couldn't get close enough to see if it was a good picture because people were probably so excited to see a robot really do something that the crowd was too big.

Robots and archery? Okay. No, the yellow robot did not shoot arrows. It only holds the bow and doesn't move.
Andrew had to show the instructor how to properly put the arrow on and I guess it gave them a good laugh.

TWO HEADED COW. After all I've seen I'm not optimistic that it's real.

This is when things started to get really boring. I love science and find it really interesting but they just didn't know how to make it engaging. i.e. the nuclear plant model and video circa 1985.

When you're driving in Shanghai and see this building-- keep driving north to the ocean aquarium.

MORAL OF THE STORY: 

"Science looks really interesting and cool on the outside but when it comes down to it everything is broken." 

-Wayne Christenson 

(Famous words from my brother-in-law in the polar bear picture. He's working on his PhD in Physics.)

Under the Sea

Sharks, penguins, sea turtles, jellyfish and more! The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium was the perfect way to spend the first day of 2013. I don’t think I've been to a real aquarium…that is unless Sea World counts.

This place was massive with three stories and seemed to have every possible creature with fins, tentacles, or webbed feet.  I felt like a kid in a candy store; amazed by every exhibit in sight. My new favorite animal, if it can be considered that, is jellyfish. I especially like the bright pink ones. They had at least three different types in massive tanks. They were really stunning swishing around in the water with their bright colors like new clothes in a washing machine. I suppose that doesn't sound very luxurious but they were really pretty and you can see the pictures to prove it.

They designed it so you start on the third floor and work your way down the building before exiting in the coolest way possible. We were anxious to see the sharks the entire time and they saved the best for last. You exit the aquarium on a 508 ft “travellator” (moving sidewalk) through an underwater tunnel. Looking around you saw huge sharks, sea turtles, and schools of fish. On a few occasions I was looking over at nothing in particular only to see a huge shark swim right in front of me.

I really enjoyed our afternoon at the aquarium and bought a little key chain souvenir to remember it. If by chance you come to Shanghai some time in your life I would highly recommend it if you can stand fighting your way through a crowd of people hovering around one tank to all look at the same thing. But once you've been in China long enough you are used to fighting your way through crowds. 

Baby Shark Eggs

Weird fish swimming on their back...

Pufferfish

Garden Eel. 

These little guys were awesome. They would bury themselves in the sand, pop up, and then sway in the water. I want them for pets.