AMAZING RACE: Challenge #2

UPDATED:

Challenge #2: Weather

I have been following the weather closely, and I have to say that for the last several days it has not looked great. Keep in mind that we will be moving around a lot, plan on hiking around a mountain or two, and will be on a boat for a day. I am packing rain jackets but if we get seriously wet, we won't even have too many extra clothes. Hmm, this challenge could also lead to a packing fail. Because I am an eternal optimist, I choosing to believe one forecast that said it will be cloudy during the day and rain at night. But time will tell . . . Here is the forecast from the BBC (this is in Celcius, for you Americans think upper 60s, lower 70s):

Challenge: ☑ Pass (it only rained one day and that was in the evening. I must confess this one was worrying me a bit) ☐ Fail

AMAZING RACE: Challenge #1

UPDATED

Challenge #1: PACKING

Because we will be on the move so much and this is one of the peak weeks for travel (it is estimated that more than 120 million people travel within China during this one week), therefore we don't want to be encumbered with suitcases. So instead we are taking all that we need for the 5 of us for 8 days in these:

Yup, just 2 backpacks. We will need to do some creative packing, and just not take very many clothes. Personally, clean underwear is really overrated, don't you think? Kidding! (Sort of). My plan is to pack 1 pair of pants, and 2 shirts for each of us plus what we are wearing and then we will wear those clothes into the ground. Because we also need to pack some food. Getting off the beaten path means that what we will find to eat is unpredictable. And while we all seriously enjoy eating Chinese food, I think there will PB & J in our future. So let the packing begin!

Challenge: ☑ Pass (We wore our clothes, slept in them, wore them the next day, and

eventually changed after a day or two. But the backpacks were the way to go, we were

so thankful for them later in the trip.)

☐ Fail

The Bridal Tour

China is the land of tours. Go to any famous place (or even one not-so-famous), and you will inevitably find a tour group with coordinating hats or shirts (sometimes both) being led by a person with a flag and a megaphone. At the expo we saw the tour to end all tours: THE BRIDAL TOUR. I kid you not. There was a group of brides (and some men dressed up, but there didn't seem to be matching number of brides and grooms. not sure what was going on there) complete with the tour director with the hat and megaphone. Andy and I were left speechless. So clearly, I had Andy get some pictures.

Apparently, they went to Turkey. Can you spot the bride?

Is it me, or do they seem to be missing some grooms?

All lined up waiting to go into the exhibit. Like I said, speechless.

AMAZING RACE: Wilcox-style

Friends of ours repeatedly tell us that we would be great Amazing Race candidates. (And if they ever do a whole family version, we would be there.) But I really don't think that a lot of our trips are that adventurous. But all that will change on Friday! We are doing our most adventurous trip yet. 8 days, 7 destinations (though all within 1 HUGE province), and at least 5 different types of transportation. While I will not be blogging in the midst of it, I will make note of our various challenges and whether we passed or failed. Stay tuned. . . . For the AMAZING RACE across Sichuan!

Shanghai 2010 World Expo

On Saturday we took the train into Shanghai for the day to attend the 2010 World Expo. We talked to our parents the week before and neither even knew that there was a World Expo going on this year in China. Please, tell me that somebody out there heard that it was happening!?

Anyway. . . . We had researched which pavilions that we wanted to see. What might be worth standing in line for (to see some country's pavilions the lines were 8+ hours long!!). Thankfully, none of our lines were that long. But then again we avoided the worst offenders (Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Germany, ...) and found some others that were interesting.

One of the corporate sponsors. I think this sounds a little better in Chinese: "Come to the Coca Cola Happy Factory. We will wait for you there!"

But I just don't get the "happy factory" part.

Thailand

Saudi Arabia -- the costliest exhibit

The lines were crazy long at both the U.A.E and Saudi Arabia so we opted for a similar cultural experience and went to Qatar. Wait time: 10 minutes.

Yes, my friends, we are in this line! Waiting to go to India.

While waiting in line, some people behind us were eating these and gave us some to try. They told me what it is, but I had never heard of it. I then proceeded to amuse those around us as I tried to get them open (really hard) and get the nut-like things inside out (even harder). While it wasn't my favorite thing in the world, we ate all that they gave to us. It kind of reminded me of a cross between a nut and a bean. ???

Standing by a Christmas tree (that is actually the kind) created by the set designers of Lord of the Rings (I heard that the entire New Zealand exhibit was created by them).

India -- this is the pavilion that we waited the longest time for (a little over an hour). But it was worth it for the amazing lunch we had inside.

Mmm, curry and tandori chicken.

The girls and I showing off our henna from the Indian pavilion

We ended up seeing almost 20 pavilions and WOW we were tired by the end of the day!

No Vase

Last night we were invited to dinner with friends. Since it was our first time to their house, I went to the flower shop to pick up some flowers to bring with us. I picked some pretty, bright-colored daisies and he set to work arranging them. After he had the bouquet all put together (and I really need to get a picture of one sometime, they are something else), I started to peruse the different kinds of vases. He saw what I was doing and told me that with these flowers a vase wouldn't look good. Since I didn't really agree, I kept looking. He told me again that it would not look good and said that he would give me something else that would look better for free. He gave me a small basket (almost like the kind that you pick fruit in). I am not really sure how the vase didn't look good and this did.... but I was done arguing with him about it. I just went home and picked out one of my own vases to give them in. ;-)

Then in true China fashion, I loaded my flowers into the basket of my bike and rode home. Sorry I don't pics of all this, but use your imagination.

Feeling Prettyish

I have not had really good Chinglish to share in a while. Here is a shirt that I saw at Tesco:

Just in case you can't read the print, it says:

Prettyish

Get all dressed up

Follow your feelings

A new romance

Silence

Often when I have a period of silence of blogging it generally means that I am just too busy to write. But this last week, unfortunately my silence has been for another reason. I have spent much of the last week sick. :-P So while the kids were off to their first days of school, I spent much of my time on the couch. Though I am still not feeling great, I hope to be doing well enough for my first day of school tomorrow. But for now, I think the couch is calling to me for one more nap...

WHAT is that on the bike?

When you need to transport something and you don't have a car, what do you do? Clearly, you transport using what you have. Can you see what this man is carrying on the back of his bike? A tank containing goldfish and small goldfish bowls. He is ready to park somewhere and sell his fish! As long as they make it to the destination without sloshing over the edge. :-)

Last Ice Cream

Tori enjoying a last ice cream at Graeter's.