day 15 - i'm all over china

this last trip in china included visits to shanghai, kunming, sichuan, and leshan. i'm getting a bit lazy on keeping up with the blog and it's just way too much useless info. i'll just basically sum up my overall opinion on this china trip. many parts of china is still very underdeveloped. due to this reason alone, there are vast opportunities to invest in china. if you've got an idea that hasn't been done, it will most likely boom and that's money in your pockets. shanghai is possibly the busiest area in china. shanghai is very developed (versus areas like kunming and leshan) and foreigners are not an uncommon sight. there are still parts of shanghai that is still underdeveloped but that's just like every major city in the u.s. there are ghettos and projects in chicago and that goes the same for shanghai. the cost of living in china is a lot less than the u.s. but if you plan on hitting the clubs then be prepared to empty out your pockets because it isn't cheap. don't bother saving money on apparel shopping in china. foreign brands in china costs 30% more than it will in the u.s. one thing i've never really figured out about china is prostitution. technically it is unlawful to exchange sex for money. no one really gives a fuck though. illegitimate massage parlors and bath houses are all over china. we had an extremely hard time to find legimate massage parlors.

we've stayed close to 3 and half weeks in china. our trips included shanghai, kunming, sichuan, and leshan. shanghai is BY FAR the more entertaining area compared to the other cities we've visited. no quotes are on the uploaded photos. questions? just ask. cheers.

day 14 - from hong kong to shanghai

the plane ride from hong kong to shanghai was a smooth and comfortable 1 hour ride. upon arrival, we noticed the tremendous weather difference. the weather was cold and the sky showered the earth with drizzled rain. during the 2 hour and $45 cab ride to our hotel, we absorbed much of shanghai's scenic views. major parts of shanghai is very much like new york city, as we were surrounded by tall buildings and skyscrapers.



checking in at the hong kong airport













getting refreshed at the juice bar













touch down in shanghai airport













theres something about entering a communist country that just sends chills down my spine












the airport in shanghai was vacant when we arrived












a loverly view of the ground from our 15th floor hotel room












we finally got our taste buds on some read bean pie. it is capitol omg delicious. if you live in asia and still haven't tried the red bean pie then you're a damn fool










of all the venues in shanghai, we decided to eat at hooters china. the prices are more or less the same as back in the states and theres a minor difference in taste. hooters girls in china are required to speak more than descent engrish in order to accompany foriegn patrons. this particular hooters girl works here part time and only makes 1500rmb a month.






ever heard of sun dried tomatoes? well, this is sun dried chicken.... i think












steak and chicken flavored cheetos













pizza hut in asia is considered fine dinning. pizza hut in asia is the equivelance of cheesecake factory in america











hmm sausage filled crust pizza













salmon pizza













our first night in shanghai ended with a 1 hour massage and 1 hour foot rub. all for the cost of 80rmb per person.

day 13 - lots of catching up to do

we lost a lot of constructive days during our downtime and unfortunately we missed the first few days of chinese new years. chinese new years is celebrated very differently in asia and this is my first time being in the middle of this entire event. during this festive celebration, majority of the none corporate venues are closed till further notice and most restaurants are closed up because everyone is enjoying delicious dinning at home with their friends and families. the importance of chinese new years in asia is equivalent of christmas in america and is usually celebrated for more than 2 weeks.


a 'small' bus ride to mcdonalds













cemetary in hong kong














mcdonalds in asia are usually very busy and in order to get to the front, there is usually a 15 min wait













variety of toys that comes with your happy meal














the best haircut in hk














many shops are closed up during chinese new years














jin the emcee flopped in america but he is a fan favorite in hk. he dropped his cantonese rap album last year so go cop it












grilled chicken at the chinese owned italian restaurant



















meat balls in marinara sauce














not so good looking and not so good tasting sausage pizza














a crowd of people gather at the corner of a side walk to view the firework display














thousands of people filled the streets to partake in the fireworks event














randy plays an interesting game at the local arcade. this particular machine requires the user to catch fishes by throwing tokens in the coin slot














red bean pie is the new hype at mcdonalds. we were unable to get a hold of this delicious looking pie because it was sold out at every mcdonalds we visited










hk mcdonalds offers a promising 24 hour delivery service



















a chinese/western style wedding taking place at a local restaurant












this is a common sight to see in high trafficked areas of hk














would you wear an elephant thong?














hk community college














a view of the tall buildings from the bay area