tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850358011546852532024-03-07T09:50:25.679+01:00In Transit!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-55103973018222916342007-06-19T16:22:00.000+01:002007-06-19T16:29:19.397+01:00Hangzhou<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Some weekends ago the Yunnan gang (and my roommate Chico) went on one more trip. This time we went to Hangzhou, a nice “little” city (with only 6.4 million inhabitants) in Zhejiang province, only 3 hours away from Shanghai.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMrrU5cy6uTdJXxLvYEWtR87AdiSlZekBGMqVhQMBhpEZnrBp9uTNtXFV5Ku6F9tpDCNlJTUI5TmyRr2ea3aRX75z9GZuELsC6UCeDS4QRRlBlUH5ZzwhtMBe40ie5LSyA7REBpuYpmh8/s1600-h/Map+Hangzhou.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMrrU5cy6uTdJXxLvYEWtR87AdiSlZekBGMqVhQMBhpEZnrBp9uTNtXFV5Ku6F9tpDCNlJTUI5TmyRr2ea3aRX75z9GZuELsC6UCeDS4QRRlBlUH5ZzwhtMBe40ie5LSyA7REBpuYpmh8/s400/Map+Hangzhou.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077797136812009586" border="0" /></a></div><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">We left Shanghai on a Friday. The bus trip was kind of funny and annoying at the same time once the driver kept pulling a really loud horn that seemed to be under our seats. On top of that he had huge amounts of saliva that he insisted in throwing out of the window every two minutes in a way every single person in the bus could hear. Amazing, huh?<br /></span> </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">We arrived around 10 and it was time to find our hostel. After the trip to Yunnan and sleeping</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZ4QSR9-fFyI0hmillXp29zUUSxrcQ2FzrOhaci6itRfpa7ix0gYJYVp4ta5y0Q3iOe8QauJQf_PvEnPCU_w_VprDjb9YjQGB-_Zm3a8Vc3hyphenhyphenT0XXcpK3V6AjZnPEzBTmL0RB8QIV3s90/s1600-h/hangzhou05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZ4QSR9-fFyI0hmillXp29zUUSxrcQ2FzrOhaci6itRfpa7ix0gYJYVp4ta5y0Q3iOe8QauJQf_PvEnPCU_w_VprDjb9YjQGB-_Zm3a8Vc3hyphenhyphenT0XXcpK3V6AjZnPEzBTmL0RB8QIV3s90/s320/hangzhou05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077797690862790802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> in really nice hostels we opted to stay in another hostel. It was by the West lake one of Hangzhou’s biggest attractions. Once again we did not regret our decision. The hostel was really nice but there was a problem for the first night; we were 5 and there were only 4 people bedrooms! One of us </span><span style="font-size:100%;">would have to share the room with some other people. We thrown a dice and, as usual, I lost so I had to move to a room where one Chinese guy and two Chinese girls were already getting ready to sleep (while the guys were still laughing out loud).<br /></span> </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">We hadn’t had dinner so it was time to search for something. Alves and Chico had already been in the city so we headed to Reggae Bar fo, their recommendation, for some pizzas. The bar was pretty full and everyone was really enjoying themselves, great vibe! After that, the usual… Partying! :) We went to 2</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> different clubs and ended up home around 5!<br /></span> </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Friday night partially spoiled our sightseeing plans for Saturday. We woke up quite late but, despite the high temperature, we still rented some bikes to go for a tour around the lake. The place is really amazing. Many trees and a big lake. Unfortunately the place is quite touristic so we ended up riding our bikes in the middle of huge crowds!<br /></span> </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">After a junk food lunch (they are becoming a </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBKg-pOHZhhY5IamJrYlX9_VfvwwRlgCCGtIpEbmfCl36s6QgMoI-x0O9LBEoArw-eXB9X7A0s6QcclZTUmUsW5C6yAPWx0bj-Ve5C2BJ_mqG2zuR3PiZhEelDow1vEter36_r0hWZkZR/s1600-h/h1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBKg-pOHZhhY5IamJrYlX9_VfvwwRlgCCGtIpEbmfCl36s6QgMoI-x0O9LBEoArw-eXB9X7A0s6QcclZTUmUsW5C6yAPWx0bj-Ve5C2BJ_mqG2zuR3PiZhEelDow1vEter36_r0hWZkZR/s320/h1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077797377330178178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">habit after a night out) we went shopping for shoes. They have a very traditional Chinese neighborhood where they hide illegal shops that sell any and every kind of fake merchandise. I ended up buying new football shoes which suck despite the fact that they look good and not fake.<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >On Saturday evening we did an “encore” of Friday’s evening (this time our good friend Paulo came all the way from Shaoxing to be with us) and on Sunday it was time to head back to Shanghai (Nuno the poor guy from Beijing still had to take a flight back home). The weekend was a lot of fun but there were a lot of sights we missed. A place to return…</span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-28582968234302469442007-05-12T15:10:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:27:27.037+01:00Yunnan in Pictures<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As promised... :)<br /><br /><div style="background-color: #000000; padding: 0; height:435px; width:435px;"><embed src="http://static.filmloop.com/looplets/flash/v2/player2.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" flashvars="base=looplets.filmloop.com&weblinkid=/XjCTVHHSqPjk3/S5DFK64K-gaLw7Iih&incr=5&title=Yunnan&description=May%20Golden%20Week&showtitle=1&showdescription=1&showcaption=1&color=000000&ntype=player&cw=435&ch=415" name="looplet" align="middle" bgcolor="#333333" width="435" height="415" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div style="background-color: green; background: url(http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_divider.gif) repeat-x; margin: 0 2px 2px 2px; width:431px; height:18px;"><div style="float: left;"><a href="http://looplets.filmloop.com/link?id=/XjCTVHHSqPjk3/S5DFK64K-gaLw7Iih" target="_blank"><img src="http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_show.gif" style="margin:0; border:0; padding:0;" /></a></div><div style="float:right;"><a href="http://filmloop.adbureau.net/adclick/CID=0000085c0000000000000000" target="_blank"><img src="http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_create.gif" style="margin:0; border:0; padding:0;" /></a></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-43212136429756271512007-05-07T13:47:00.000+01:002007-05-10T17:01:17.812+01:00Yunnan<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">...is a region in the south of China. It has borders with Tibet, Burma, Laos, Vietnam and two other Chinese provinces and accounts for "only" 60% of all biodiversity in China. Impressive, huh? :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We took a flight from Shanghai to Kunming, the capital of the province. This was the first of 6 stops in only 9 days... An intensive journey, as it should always be! :) Kunming, a city of 5 million inhabitants, received us well. Broad avenues, noisy roads, busy people and a feeling from the west that "only" McDonald's, KFC, Louis Vuitton and Nike seem to be able to provide. The other face of the coin is a city where poverty is constant and people struggle to live decently.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">As big cities were not really what we were aiming for the next stop was Shilin and the stone forest. Can you imagine a massive amount of huge rocks with imponent and funny shapes in the middle of trees and green? Well... I couldn't either, that's why we decided to go, and we weren't disappointed! I guess the pictures (that I will post soon) can speak by themselves!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Back to Kunming to sleep the next stop was a little village called Dali. Located in a valley by a lake, Dali seems to be a bit lost in time. Old buildings, nice little shops, a great Thai/Indian/Burmese restaurant, a cute and unbelievably cheap hostel (1€ per night) and a very cosy bar called Kafka made us feel at home. During the day we rented some bikes and got lost in some villages in the surroundings. We met really nice people who work in the fields all day, don't get more than 70€ a month but still smile at us. It really made me think about how privileged we are...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The next stop was Lijiang. About 4 hours in a bus to complete less than 200km. There, we found a picturesque city, which is humanity patrimony by Unesco. In downtown all buildings are made of wood and the background view is stunning... a mountain, almost 5000m high! Unfortunately we had not much time and we just stayed one night. We hired a driver who had a jeep and continued all the way Shangri-La. In between there was an obligatory stop: Tiger Leaping Gorge. It's one of the biggest Gorges in the world, just amazing. The less amusing part was the number of people there. Still worth it though!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In Shangri-La we visited a Buddist temple and went to a national reserve park where yaks walk around freely. Everything there is very peaceful but, as always we had to run. This time a plane was waiting for us back in Lijiang. After the mountains it was time to go to Xishuangbanna and its luxurious forests. That day we woke up with 5 degrees (Shangri-la) and went to bed with over 30 (Xishuangbanna)... Yes it's still the same province! :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The objective was to go to the forest and sleep in a tree house. In between we visited some Dai villages (Chinese minority) and visited their homes. Incredibly simple and warm, it was great to be able to share a bit of their lifestyle. At last we arrived at the forest. It was already dark when the guard walked us to our cabins and for our luck there was no electricity. The dark and noisy forest and us... We spent part of the night waiting for the elephants but unfortunately we didn't see any (we believe we heard them though) :). The day after was spent walking around in the forest and seeing the animals; elephants, monkeys, snakes, wild pigs and many more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Our trip was about to end so we decided to take it easy in the last day. Good food, great weather, it was time to relax before taking the plane back to Shanghai. Feeling tired never had this taste... The best ever!</span><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-56070323369740093422007-05-07T04:55:00.000+01:002007-05-07T12:30:01.793+01:00Golden Week<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;">...yes, I was out traveling again! :)<br /><br />I know it seems like it has been all I've been doing since I arrived China but everything happens for a reason. This time the reason was the May Golden Week! God Bless that!!! :)<br /><br />In order to celebrate the workers' day all Chinese have 3 days off <span style="font-style: italic;">- actually this trip showed me that most Chinese don't have vacation, but it looks like everyone do because there are so many of them! </span>These 3 days become 5 working days because everyone works the weekend before the holiday. In the end, and counting the weekend after there are 7 nice vacation days!<br /><br />The final result is many millions of curious and adventurous Chinese traveling inside the country and abroad. Well; in China, be Chinese - only to a certain extend :) - so me and my friends João Alves, Rui Bom and Nuno Pereira decided to go to Yunnan, one of the most exquisite provinces in China.<br /><br />Before the post about the trip here is a map that will certainly give you a hint about why we chose to go there! :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliIk3lSUXrI3nQptMo1sNwattw1TfG8mRwb-ZGq4NxV3YX-5S3pxOnuG3Xts21uBVDwGIWpxyaVXfCvSsBNRDohaGSo3oTMDi-qijVjFsGpK_idFV9NM8MC4u-uHAde5O9d45pB7yjSBB/s1600-h/china.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliIk3lSUXrI3nQptMo1sNwattw1TfG8mRwb-ZGq4NxV3YX-5S3pxOnuG3Xts21uBVDwGIWpxyaVXfCvSsBNRDohaGSo3oTMDi-qijVjFsGpK_idFV9NM8MC4u-uHAde5O9d45pB7yjSBB/s400/china.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061779466039852210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-28557222563335617452007-04-14T03:40:00.000+01:002007-04-15T16:42:15.137+01:00Hainan!<span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 204, 255);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">...and you all want to know where the hell is Hainan? One month ago that was also my question...</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMTvHb75INHmEpcrvh6Shv7DS415UaW90u3-1H6_xlW7biNqfdD7Knv0eVR9MRP5h8DmK7kzThIWbxsoR1cmX_P5OaFdmG4wtqE6JxJ3GJic-qBhf6fQAWOEtjKyekk7GSN7SycUYWHEj/s1600-h/Map+China1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMTvHb75INHmEpcrvh6Shv7DS415UaW90u3-1H6_xlW7biNqfdD7Knv0eVR9MRP5h8DmK7kzThIWbxsoR1cmX_P5OaFdmG4wtqE6JxJ3GJic-qBhf6fQAWOEtjKyekk7GSN7SycUYWHEj/s400/Map+China1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053113851166826754" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">...so I checked a map! :) Good surprise, huh? Hainan is an island in the very south of China, in the same latitude that Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Burma. And what does that mean? Yes... </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">GREAT WEATHER!</span> <span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">The weather in Shanghai changes a lot. It's perfectly normal to have a day with 26 degrees followed by a day with 13 so me, my roommate Chico and my friends Rui Bom and António decided that was time for some sun and to get rid of our pale color.</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);"> Sanya, in the very south of Hainan was the location... 3 hours by plane from Shanghai et voilá! Welcome to the tropics! When we went out of the plane we could feel it right away, 25 degrees and the clock was already 11pm! Waiting for us at the airport was a taxi driver, that happened to be the craziest we've ever met. He didn't speak a word of english so we had to use our "broad" knowledge of the Chinese language (thanks Rui without u we wouldn't make it!!). He was supposed to take us to the hotel but we started to ask rightway where the clubs were. He got confused because he thought we wanted to go somewhere else and specially because he was not understanding much of our Chinese. Why? It took us some time to figure out... It happens that he spoke cantonese instead of mandarin!!</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">On the way to our resort (check it out at</span> </span></span><a style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><u>http://www.resortintime.com<wbr>/english/default.aspx</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >)</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">the music in the taxi was loud and the guy was dancing! (I'll post a video proving :P). Eventually we got to the hotel and then it was time to relax.</span> <span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">The beach was good and the weather perfect. The resort facilities were not 5 stars (although they were rated that way) but were still very good so apparently nothing could go wrong. But there was one little thing about Sanya... The nightlife was a bit disappointing and we spent all nights in the same bar - Sky.</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">One of the days we went to a small island nearby to do scuba diving. We had a driver all day with us for 150 RMB (15€) that took us there and waited all day. We were a bit disappointed with the scuba diving but the beach was definitely worth it! We ended up sitting in the beach and having a foot massage...</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">As we also have to eat, (and Portuguese do like to eat well :) ), we ended up in a Brazilian restaurant and meeting one of the 2 brazilians that live in Hainan, Armando! Other than us, Armando and many Chinese, Sanya was full of Russians... There were people coming all the way from Moscow! We don't know why but they were there... Lots of them! :)</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">To sum up, we came back happy, relaxed and tanned! All for 270€ (plane and 3 nights at the hotel) + 120€ (other expenses). You got to love China!</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-64686711176903485842007-03-20T12:02:00.000+01:002007-03-20T13:20:48.255+01:00New Biker in Town<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Two weekends ago, me and Chico went to buy bikes. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> said I would never ride a bike in Shanghai but... Ev</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">olution is inevitable, and we have to be enough open minded for new challenges. Yeah, it's dangerous as hell <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">- the only rule is that the bigger vehicle has priority regardless of any traffic sign or regulation -</span> but I </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">decided to risk it! I believe that if I am able to ride a bike in Shanghai I'll be able to ride a bike anywhere in the world (maybe even become a MotoGP rider). :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Chico had bought his bike before me and spent the whole day telling me about the advantages of having one. After a whi</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJim-ZcraIfYoRru4oAKsiMiQsC44skn09xRXRpOB1Ph1JbW0746GifjNeheA_lLNJlBYw0X2SAG81DEVKABH_CkWnpVgv1gs7pIrOp_kH1kH_vN4OvTuRETLDgZjYGXSBLTdTZoCGoeUJ/s1600-h/.+058.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJim-ZcraIfYoRru4oAKsiMiQsC44skn09xRXRpOB1Ph1JbW0746GifjNeheA_lLNJlBYw0X2SAG81DEVKABH_CkWnpVgv1gs7pIrOp_kH1kH_vN4OvTuRETLDgZjYGXSBLTdTZoCGoeUJ/s320/.+058.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043972627616406114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">le I agreed and we left. The objective was buying the bike and then going for a tour in Shanghai. He took his bike and I sat in the "back seat". First stop Taco Bell for great enchilladas and Chinese people dressed like Mexicans. The best thing is that when we entered the restaurant all of them were shouting HOLA!!! at us. Just hilarious. It happened that it was the only word they knew in Spanish. Good effort though. :)<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After lunch we went on with our journey to the bike shop. We were half the way when the unexpected happened. Chico bought the cheapest bike in the store (something like 18€). Obviously the material was not the best and not prepared to carry 2 guys... Result: the wheel collapsed!! We almost fell down and everyone couldn't stop laughing!! One day after buying the bike we had trashed it... Nice, huh? We could not ride it anymore so we took it to the bike shop (about 30 minutes walk) on our hands.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7784HqI0xiVMTEJeOVOc3vCAGxyzkmGSEzlEF54p2dEF71NooOrE1JlB9nQIMGkwMQoFTWvOElofAWO9772TjLI2nluBKlsVwB5eCnmrDg501VVydrj2H7cwdu2VbgrzaxhWS28eb-uDt/s1600-h/.+064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7784HqI0xiVMTEJeOVOc3vCAGxyzkmGSEzlEF54p2dEF71NooOrE1JlB9nQIMGkwMQoFTWvOElofAWO9772TjLI2nluBKlsVwB5eCnmrDg501VVydrj2H7cwdu2VbgrzaxhWS28eb-uDt/s320/.+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043974513107049074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Just a bit busy! :)</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The bike shop is in a very busy street full of traditional shops that sell almost anything. The guy only speaks chinese and.... GERMAN! Why? Because he lived there for some years... Got some money and opened his own business in Shanghai. Chico gave his bike to the mechanic and I started my search. It took 3 minutes, I had found my baby! Yeah!!! The only thing that was keeping me from "her" were 40 long minutes of bargaining (i have no idea how i managed but I guess my GerChinglish is quite good!). But no one could separate us! 300 RMB (30€) and my upgraded (yes... 2 locks, a bell and a hamper) babe was ready for Papa!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxsmHHRCmxiRZryF5My0Ra_gjNnOcAtPSonbAsa1XvNB6xl60-nNP-H0cHF28zfJdgTlyoykHxz7dkE4uXmhLKdp5N-9Lb0vVK75P_vRfv5ePegsAHXcbxtOBvrxpCH7ApqFnOurqXkVG/s1600-h/.+065.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxsmHHRCmxiRZryF5My0Ra_gjNnOcAtPSonbAsa1XvNB6xl60-nNP-H0cHF28zfJdgTlyoykHxz7dkE4uXmhLKdp5N-9Lb0vVK75P_vRfv5ePegsAHXcbxtOBvrxpCH7ApqFnOurqXkVG/s320/.+065.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043976806619585154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">About to find my Babe!!</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As security comes first I had to buy a helmet, hehe! The result was this... Shanghai has a new biker in town!<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PEEqg6CoBr2JY8mQMES4f6gbyAufxIHnuXctzfFSeO6MUalC3RX-rjr27cX8OYl9u8Gu8owsBPb4xb05rcvrWOiTmouww2F8p9qZAugNauEQCVBwObbzxDsk1L3bhgTcKZGdpzmORQGN/s1600-h/.+069.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PEEqg6CoBr2JY8mQMES4f6gbyAufxIHnuXctzfFSeO6MUalC3RX-rjr27cX8OYl9u8Gu8owsBPb4xb05rcvrWOiTmouww2F8p9qZAugNauEQCVBwObbzxDsk1L3bhgTcKZGdpzmORQGN/s320/.+069.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043979048592513682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">My Cutie... :)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuQ5dXrDCit7I1YQ8oAyXEYmyWz7RwKs9fc7iVMj-5PPpORqiPmNEuBkG6fBUnm4gLLTxObS4Hq13aZXgBMqknOgU5hb6sjq0K55C12DEiE7vh4nlnAoe4w9REvex9Vk_QdbZrG9frSKQ/s1600-h/.+062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuQ5dXrDCit7I1YQ8oAyXEYmyWz7RwKs9fc7iVMj-5PPpORqiPmNEuBkG6fBUnm4gLLTxObS4Hq13aZXgBMqknOgU5hb6sjq0K55C12DEiE7vh4nlnAoe4w9REvex9Vk_QdbZrG9frSKQ/s320/.+062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043980143809174178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">YMCA? :)</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-48735036617979591862007-03-06T15:54:00.000+01:002007-03-06T17:02:00.288+01:00The JLJ Group<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">I have now been in China for over a month and I haven't written a line about my job... I know, I know, a shame!<br /><br />Well, I am working as a Consultant at a company called JLJ Group. Basically, the company provides solutions for companies interested in starting or developing a business in China. From market consulting, to corporate formation, human resources to tax & accounting. To sum up, everything a company might need here in China! :) (my boss will have to pay me for the free advertising, hehe).<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwowdNwHsA5obyxARnfrGH1UbabGUfuvjEFKb_GCZjaPOuGzg180VVlgSzvWIa6_t6lXc37cBRwJBshWi_-7NPimGSdgjW3TIGFBN4RIEAeE59wT4YPozKvcHIs8GqDmJ0ykIGZ4dt9U_z/s1600-h/JLJ.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwowdNwHsA5obyxARnfrGH1UbabGUfuvjEFKb_GCZjaPOuGzg180VVlgSzvWIa6_t6lXc37cBRwJBshWi_-7NPimGSdgjW3TIGFBN4RIEAeE59wT4YPozKvcHIs8GqDmJ0ykIGZ4dt9U_z/s400/JLJ.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5038835735707744338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">JLJ welcomed me at the company's website! :)</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.jljgroup.com/index.php?id=45&lang=en#e26">http://www.jljgroup.com/index.php?id=45&lang=en#e26</a></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">The company is located in West Nanjing Rd., in the very center of Shanghai and just a nice 20 minute walk from my apartment. It has about 50 employees in the different divisions and we're about 8 in the consulting team. Everyone has been really friendly with me and I do have great colleagues. I know I have only been working there for about one month but I can already feel that I am learning a lot. Both Alessandro (my Boss and the Partner in charge of the consulting division) and Candice (Project Manager) have great experience in the industry so everything has been rewarding even if sometimes I feel really lost. Consulting is not an easy industry but I believe it will eventually pay-off all the hard work. I am currently working on a logistics project and it has been a great challenge. I've been placed in the "spotlight" and given a lot of responsibility. I surely wasn't expecting it but I think I'll be alright! :)<br /><br />Three weeks ago, just before the Chinese New Year, we had JLJ's annual dinner in a very nice Japanese restaurant. Everyone was there and I had a lot of fun. Monica, our office manager prepared gift exchanges and fun games... I ended up playing Twister at the restaurant with Jonas - a Swedish guy from Umea (how amazing is that!?!?) who is charge of the tele-marketing division) - and two other Chinese colleagues. It is important to refer that there was some heavy saké drinking during the dinner. You're suppose to celebrate the new year with everyone and whenever someone says GAMBEI you have to take a shot of whatever u are drinking. We were "only" 50 there so take your conclusions!!<br /><br /><div style="background-color: #000000; padding: 0; height:435px; width:435px;"><embed src="http://static.filmloop.com/looplets/flash/v2/player2.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" flashvars="base=looplets.filmloop.com&weblinkid=X7TuF-VPoHMz2sBT94pBC7V/8J9fI9J2&incr=3&title=JLJ%20Annual%20Dinner&description=Gambei!!&showtitle=1&showdescription=1&showcaption=1&color=000000&ntype=player&cw=435&ch=415" name="looplet" align="middle" bgcolor="#333333" width="435" height="415" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div style="background-color: green; background: url(http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_divider.gif) repeat-x; margin: 0 2px 2px 2px; width:431px; height:18px;"><div style="float: left;"><a href="http://looplets.filmloop.com/link?id=X7TuF-VPoHMz2sBT94pBC7V/8J9fI9J2" target="_blank"><img src="http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_show.gif" style="margin:0; border:0; padding:0;" /></a></div><div style="float:right;"><a href="http://filmloop.adbureau.net/adclick/CID=0000085c0000000000000000" target="_blank"><img src="http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_create.gif" style="margin:0; border:0; padding:0;" /></a></div></div></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-36042391544883915952007-03-04T12:33:00.000+01:002007-03-05T16:44:44.570+01:00Loop from Beijing<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You just gotta love technology...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To your delight... Pics from Beijing! (The Vids will come soon)<br /><br /><div style="background-color: #000000; padding: 0; height:435px; width:435px;"><embed src="http://static.filmloop.com/looplets/flash/v2/player2.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" flashvars="base=looplets.filmloop.com&weblinkid=x/rgJCOMsCqN44AbERSXJBDepkLxIxS9&incr=3&title=Beijing&description=Living%20a%20Chinese%20kind%20of%20Life&showtitle=1&showdescription=1&showcaption=1&color=000000&ntype=player&cw=435&ch=415" name="looplet" align="middle" bgcolor="#333333" width="435" height="415" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div style="background-color: green; background: url(http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_divider.gif) repeat-x; margin: 0 2px 2px 2px; width:431px; height:18px;"><div style="float: left;"><a href="http://looplets.filmloop.com/link?id=x/rgJCOMsCqN44AbERSXJBDepkLxIxS9" target="_blank"><img src="http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_show.gif" style="margin:0; border:0; padding:0;" /></a></div><div style="float:right;"><a href="http://filmloop.adbureau.net/adclick/CID=0000085c0000000000000000" target="_blank"><img src="http://looplets.filmloop.com/images/metal_create.gif" style="margin:0; border:0; padding:0;" /></a></div></div></div><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-49360865622840173262007-03-03T05:51:00.000+01:002007-03-03T06:01:43.945+01:00168, Xinzha Lu<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">...That's where I live!!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdyA55iPFG8GF1iH_druiI1IubuPS9P6urQc2CY1HCywhTJwlf3H9mod-cyLrp9HlJvIaHQUMNFU8EznsogA3YWKXOl1P3Go88y2TEib9T7VNKFX5VVTuBUHlWmMj-iC9idTpnYFp9Ecb/s1600-h/CIMG0005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdyA55iPFG8GF1iH_druiI1IubuPS9P6urQc2CY1HCywhTJwlf3H9mod-cyLrp9HlJvIaHQUMNFU8EznsogA3YWKXOl1P3Go88y2TEib9T7VNKFX5VVTuBUHlWmMj-iC9idTpnYFp9Ecb/s400/CIMG0005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037557390957515890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">View from my Balcony - Meridien Hotel (high building to</span> the left) and Radisson Hotel (high building to the right)<br /><br /><br /></span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-78455861677381408662007-02-26T14:45:00.000+01:002007-02-26T15:13:08.275+01:00Beijing in Pics<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCWyD_gN8mJUPYr6fBt3IoNFyt3GsQuDhyphenhyphenxCNDHm5VQ-Vb35XzJU3S5af5C6CPuPGNp4CQVEbYR7B5hqUJiBTdc1noi7J0JXgUdYnOE5sioND3PrArL09biHVUnMv-cbasxdnH8-CyVkf/s1600-h/CIMG0196.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCWyD_gN8mJUPYr6fBt3IoNFyt3GsQuDhyphenhyphenxCNDHm5VQ-Vb35XzJU3S5af5C6CPuPGNp4CQVEbYR7B5hqUJiBTdc1noi7J0JXgUdYnOE5sioND3PrArL09biHVUnMv-cbasxdnH8-CyVkf/s320/CIMG0196.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035840770147885186" border="0" /></a>The Portuguese Clan in Beijing + a Shangainese :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65miplxPsJ6NLebR576mBhleVZxAsZOR7YO3V3WKq8n7Gm4xK5RwxeQ9OfnfNKR8Wxow2qHzIoO0hwfvr9WGCi0Hch2BRMicnW0kGed1SCj4T1CuuxoPi8uA1Kshlb0bmCY8x2eYzTM2d/s1600-h/CIMG0212.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65miplxPsJ6NLebR576mBhleVZxAsZOR7YO3V3WKq8n7Gm4xK5RwxeQ9OfnfNKR8Wxow2qHzIoO0hwfvr9WGCi0Hch2BRMicnW0kGed1SCj4T1CuuxoPi8uA1Kshlb0bmCY8x2eYzTM2d/s320/CIMG0212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035842118767616146" border="0" /></a>Emperor Temple outside Beijing<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUeFde-4CHQxrbx0mX1qdd8HeNEHKVLuljZh4R8GrpD5RFs0TfEpgARAJC5bj5uaPsOhijznOGzJXHjjq8XELcyX-xmYRd-ZGdZD9Xatr2-Hvb1alyZF1VRDGmgcrfVwXNN64WrsHYzN6/s1600-h/CIMG0235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUeFde-4CHQxrbx0mX1qdd8HeNEHKVLuljZh4R8GrpD5RFs0TfEpgARAJC5bj5uaPsOhijznOGzJXHjjq8XELcyX-xmYRd-ZGdZD9Xatr2-Hvb1alyZF1VRDGmgcrfVwXNN64WrsHYzN6/s320/CIMG0235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035843282703753378" border="0" /></a>The Great Wall<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-91638802437411329792007-02-25T03:27:00.000+01:002007-02-25T05:36:32.747+01:00Chinese New Year<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;">I know I am in debt with you... Sorry!<br /><br />Haven't written for quite a long time and the blog was kind of abandoned for these days. Well, but I am back... Writing this post sitting in my bed and using my brand new wireless connection. Not bad, huh? :)<br /><br />As some of you might know this week everyone celebrates the Chinese New Year. Everything closes for the week and even I got one week vacations! :) It is quite an experience. It is a time to be with the family, relax and also "pray" for good fortune in the new year. This celebration materializes with a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LOTTT</span> of fireworks, food, visits to national monuments and many millions of Chinese moving from one place to another.<br /><br />As I won't have so much vacations during the year I went to Beijing for some days to visit my friend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nuno</span>, his girlfriend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Andreia</span> and other Portuguese friends who are working there. A 2 hour flight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">et</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">voilá</span>... Welcome to Beijing! The city is completely different from Shanghai... It is disposed like a square (they believe it is better this way) and all the roads follow this disposition. You don't see a lot of trees and parks inside the city and the weather is very dry. Gobi desert is coming closer and closer to the city and it is said that is wining 12km every year!!!<br /><br />I had a great time in Beijing. During Chinese New Year I was even invited to have dinner with a Chinese Family, which was a great experience. They ordered over 20 dishes (for most of them I had no idea about what I was eating!!) and we drank all night long... I really thought there was some heavy eating during Portuguese Christmas, but I guess the Chinese beat us quite easily! :) I also visited Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace and the GREAT WALL!!! It's impossible to miss it, and I must confess it is quite impressive... We just chose the wrong day to visit it once there were thousands and thousands (maybe millions!!) of Chinese visiting the wall... Let's say it was a bonus to our experience.<br /><br />As pictures tell more than words here you go... :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRftKHYMUw6BQQiHz27QNip1zp07ByeCKWz9YmX9OV4mHpNmDA-TH5zGyF8ZWqug-YY3uV0_6EdqnUy6AUoRFjeD5qzDKKiPF-Kssq9mRMVFMS2hAKvsdfw97PjSk2A39F6pF1D3PgJJgh/s1600-h/CIMG0080.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRftKHYMUw6BQQiHz27QNip1zp07ByeCKWz9YmX9OV4mHpNmDA-TH5zGyF8ZWqug-YY3uV0_6EdqnUy6AUoRFjeD5qzDKKiPF-Kssq9mRMVFMS2hAKvsdfw97PjSk2A39F6pF1D3PgJJgh/s320/CIMG0080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035298869829181522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Nuno's appartment view in Beijing<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PTzP14ibC7Uzaw39BTEjE-sGXayWjLxEUCgbGg2TFafkP3qIkkIaCEq88_QJlPAqA4rkYFGOc96-u-VmWNDgM81lsv_mdYoojhdTcV6BTTfpeQad_82UIqLLewzo8QjG5RJirE2IKZhV/s1600-h/CIMG0139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PTzP14ibC7Uzaw39BTEjE-sGXayWjLxEUCgbGg2TFafkP3qIkkIaCEq88_QJlPAqA4rkYFGOc96-u-VmWNDgM81lsv_mdYoojhdTcV6BTTfpeQad_82UIqLLewzo8QjG5RJirE2IKZhV/s320/CIMG0139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035295124617699362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Chinese Family Dinner<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Rui%20Rapazote/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Beijing/CIMG0080.JPG" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxqggLMDx9WOM_CnypAnj6YR4ru8-64Pq0j8uRDKJV3jkMmOjkiiVEfLEIozWcStZrP0rLf-Mn9SpOaMB_rLoeD8Rdk_ghOUDdwTHkAhPPCb3Z-uCksiXap0cWo_y_i7_oD3mOjZZYc_I/s1600-h/CIMG0163.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxqggLMDx9WOM_CnypAnj6YR4ru8-64Pq0j8uRDKJV3jkMmOjkiiVEfLEIozWcStZrP0rLf-Mn9SpOaMB_rLoeD8Rdk_ghOUDdwTHkAhPPCb3Z-uCksiXap0cWo_y_i7_oD3mOjZZYc_I/s320/CIMG0163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035296425992790066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Fireworks in the street (Leo, M</span><span style="font-size:85%;">e & Nuno)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY9LZsdb2aOPesiZUK_XXBBzTY_HGPpgdFTpnn2CM67IJgLGrl5QwDN-CRKpOyOy5CX39gcLloN6ip_xDw9hhqaRFLRE3Ik9UzYpj8nRe_tyq7YPhLxTqCsst73gdcn9Q5vg3oTYgBNtt/s1600-h/CIMG0187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY9LZsdb2aOPesiZUK_XXBBzTY_HGPpgdFTpnn2CM67IJgLGrl5QwDN-CRKpOyOy5CX39gcLloN6ip_xDw9hhqaRFLRE3Ik9UzYpj8nRe_tyq7YPhLxTqCsst73gdcn9Q5vg3oTYgBNtt/s320/CIMG0187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035300587816099938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Summer Palace (Good Picture, huh? :P)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaTHzx0uub_XC7IQbLuQ_jvp2Ot8uvzsADaqMWJy2fL7S_7dT1y82KnE_urCcih4vCus85bPeBWGSXAqQB7j_j9i3waBjY_YNIdZZVQLVPIZ0qKHBu1k8AgPxdSoVE5okPPaRM7C61RMI/s1600-h/CIMG0106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaTHzx0uub_XC7IQbLuQ_jvp2Ot8uvzsADaqMWJy2fL7S_7dT1y82KnE_urCcih4vCus85bPeBWGSXAqQB7j_j9i3waBjY_YNIdZZVQLVPIZ0qKHBu1k8AgPxdSoVE5okPPaRM7C61RMI/s320/CIMG0106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035301146161848434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Me & Andreia at Tianamen Square<br /></span><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-6360258907403485562007-02-03T17:55:00.000+01:002007-02-03T18:45:52.537+01:00New Emotions...<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You can´t really get enough of this city!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I haven´t posted in quite a while (because it has been quite hard to arrange an Internet connection at home) and I don't even know where to start!!! A lot of fun and amazing stories... Almost unbelievable. I'll try to make a short version of everything...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Me Madalena and Chico got a really nice apartment. A condo with security 24/7 on the 15th floor. 170 square meters, 2 bathrooms, 2 big plasma tv's, a big balcony and a great view over the city and two of its nicest buildings the Radisson Hotel and the Meridien Hotel. I just couldn't get worse than this! My room faces the river and I even got to choose my furniture (from some very fancy (or not) chinese furniture shops). To sum up, I'm living well... Very well! I promise to post some pics from the mansion soon!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We've spent a lot of time doing a bunch of little things (shopping, buying stuff for the house, registering in the police and other) so we haven't really had the time to stop and visit some of the sights... Well, I don't mean the night life! Regarding that one I'm becoming an expert... The supply is so big in here that I could probably go to great clubs every day for a month! No kidding... I'll dedicate one post only to this subject!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Back to our apartment... You already know a bit about it but what you don't know is that we are thinking about getting a maid. The truth is that we don't have any yet but we got good references about a butler that cooks and cleans quite well. All of this in a suit!!! It's sureal... All for 1,5€/hour. He's working for some of my friends and I'm hoping he's not fully booked. I'll keep u updated!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For the record, and before I can tell u more, here are some pics... :)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXklCJ1B79COUm0wvaJbIdL6BfhxK0thD6CqxCbn-L1w3uwBgGpccdQCRRUl_dbDCYvbnPC2ws6itk4eAMcUxwakd9XAT2ocx03GGgVbw7_T5zQfAjUQVEapNMr6iy_0fT6c7qJ7oR7mD1/s1600-h/CIMG1610.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXklCJ1B79COUm0wvaJbIdL6BfhxK0thD6CqxCbn-L1w3uwBgGpccdQCRRUl_dbDCYvbnPC2ws6itk4eAMcUxwakd9XAT2ocx03GGgVbw7_T5zQfAjUQVEapNMr6iy_0fT6c7qJ7oR7mD1/s320/CIMG1610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5027362048642912610" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;"> Me and 27.000RMB (about 2.700€), yes we had to pay CASH for 3 months</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWWOj6pDX_iKowbOUt8XjPOo7GL3cW7UE1rYLcN7C3O2Qo91K4CcjCGyLcb3abEh4Y6Wg4blUwTBXqLVg5fF4W3GGNNJxhWxPJAvtsVv6YvCZ6T52AD9LgRuFE_-d5VRxeIVdbNvMmfs0/s1600-h/CIMG1783.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWWOj6pDX_iKowbOUt8XjPOo7GL3cW7UE1rYLcN7C3O2Qo91K4CcjCGyLcb3abEh4Y6Wg4blUwTBXqLVg5fF4W3GGNNJxhWxPJAvtsVv6YvCZ6T52AD9LgRuFE_-d5VRxeIVdbNvMmfs0/s320/CIMG1783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5027363569061335410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> Me and Chico at one of the busiest streets in Shanghai (even busier on a Saturday afternoon)</span><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-65611795296653140712007-01-26T08:19:00.000+01:002007-01-26T10:27:00.439+01:00Landing in Shanghai!<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;">After more than half a day travelling... <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">SHANGHAI</span>!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Z4MlRY_cqKg3toVg2FmLVWedkO_zAP0YM6BcYxw5bYrBh7iMVNgvf70QRnojmXNNj1QbywJtSCE3rsi3cbBihA6bLRZxBIYz7QeEN6ru-4v90lGuIZsjJ_fKh_fW7P08FaVo30NF3h8q/s1600-h/shanghai_pudong2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Z4MlRY_cqKg3toVg2FmLVWedkO_zAP0YM6BcYxw5bYrBh7iMVNgvf70QRnojmXNNj1QbywJtSCE3rsi3cbBihA6bLRZxBIYz7QeEN6ru-4v90lGuIZsjJ_fKh_fW7P08FaVo30NF3h8q/s320/shanghai_pudong2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024261421557616962" border="0" /></a><br />I arrived around 9am January 21st and it has been quite hard to get a decent internet connection (there was an earthquake in Taiwan some weeks ago which affected the internet connections), and I haven't really had the time to be online enough time to write a post.<br /><br />Well the journey was an odissey... I travelled with Madalena, João Alves, Paulo, Luis & João Gago (they are also doing an internship in Shanghai) . It was long flight but we got here. Waiting for us was Manuel Couto de Miranda the representative of Portuguese Commerce Agency in Shanghai and his assistant Paulo! We were very well treated; maps, mobile cards for everyone and a minibus trip to our first home, the Magnificent Hotel! Thank you Manuel!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdPO-wlm42zKa1SFHg5RmR1MbfGACotO-z2tJlOOu0hEFY1koB30zBGCpDPVdS9AAVMWmrjJktXLBLy_yJG40Leprew3WILdD8YWCFKZzRAtqFnnw_hh-3AMInk6ACRzAnRNwXxs-UxTp/s1600-h/magnificent.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdPO-wlm42zKa1SFHg5RmR1MbfGACotO-z2tJlOOu0hEFY1koB30zBGCpDPVdS9AAVMWmrjJktXLBLy_yJG40Leprew3WILdD8YWCFKZzRAtqFnnw_hh-3AMInk6ACRzAnRNwXxs-UxTp/s320/magnificent.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024262306320879954" border="0" /></a><br />Most of us didn't sleep much during the flight and I didn't even sleep in the last night in Portugal. Despite of this we went to visit some apartments right away. António, who had arrived Shanghai before us, had already arranged some meetings with some agents and I went with him. In the evening we had dinner at Manuel's place with some of his friends and other portuguese people that are living in Shanghai. It was a great idea once we started to meet some new people.<br /><br />We were exhausted when we got to the hotel, so exhausted that not even that hard bed kept me awake! The days after were spent visiting apartments with Madalena who, along with Chico (arriving on the 28th), will be my roommates for 9 months. We already got an apartment (more like a mansion!! :P) but I will only talk about it in the next post! I'm not homeless anymore!!! :)<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-911652133718913512007-01-19T14:05:00.000+01:002007-01-19T14:55:43.719+01:00Cya Portugal<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Less than 24 hours to go and still a whole bunch of things to prepare! Amazingly I don't feel the pressure... YET! I guess this situation tells a bit how I am when I'm travelling. Without pressure it seems like nothing is happening until someone warns me about the time. :) I guess it is more exciting that way!<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6Ag9Xa_0XaAeMOu7pdRJlR-hUJ2jL5ibw45O47nOCXW5-4QU8cvsXtO2jiI4DmYdh-sHofDCKt8RkbiceNe_MTWtWLR_V73-x5QYXGUHx2hpfB9bN2w7pbEXvQMoJtSRBs_liqqvH8KU/s1600-h/lux.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021738433213894946" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6Ag9Xa_0XaAeMOu7pdRJlR-hUJ2jL5ibw45O47nOCXW5-4QU8cvsXtO2jiI4DmYdh-sHofDCKt8RkbiceNe_MTWtWLR_V73-x5QYXGUHx2hpfB9bN2w7pbEXvQMoJtSRBs_liqqvH8KU/s200/lux.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Anyway, after my last evening at LUX (club in Lisbon) with my good friends that are also going to work abroad (Ricos - London, Ricardo - Krakow (a.k.a. The Bandits), Coutinho - London & Miguel - Prague) it is time to pack. I can only take 23kg and I'm trying not to exceed it cause it feels stupid to pay extra for luggage when you can buy anything quite cheap in Shanghai.<br /><br />Tonight I'm meeting my childhood friends and hopefully they won't keep me partying all night long. I need to be at the airport around 7am. It is time to say Goodbye Portugal... Hello China!</span> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021739081753956658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVpsoZknQTzj9VRRa1uji_sI7DNvhHCNQ8PZQ33lqR2NS0a_5l-5OrSphEpqtKKbSCZ22-LnAPvNaKWDfA1p3XXbwFJt5LY1O0MibfLON6Q_6j8ZiG3Oe1FV3nljLJnpULidaNOdhj5Oj/s320/lx.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-42143760309472451452007-01-13T12:27:00.000+01:002007-01-13T19:29:17.976+01:00Countdown Started<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmFEb_8R3B54OY1bbNiuzABUeLYDY7Lhw9_1Sk4bFW6Jd1yJ-OcmCCN1ugycz7ANtEF6Kv2U1IMvrVi-aIfNv9lvjnnO5rPErS-FEUiv-a1WdF7hbsIduAgYgF1FtP80wiXqWOyVLDUwS/s1600-h/plane.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019489162051726514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 278px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 226px" height="243" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmFEb_8R3B54OY1bbNiuzABUeLYDY7Lhw9_1Sk4bFW6Jd1yJ-OcmCCN1ugycz7ANtEF6Kv2U1IMvrVi-aIfNv9lvjnnO5rPErS-FEUiv-a1WdF7hbsIduAgYgF1FtP80wiXqWOyVLDUwS/s320/plane.jpg" width="315" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One week to Go!<br /><br />Time starts to run under my feet. After one whole day travelling from Stockholm to Porto and having to wait 7 longgggg hours in London I got back to Portugal. On Wednesday I took care of the visa and on Thursday I got the good news... </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Leaving to Shanghai on January 20th!!!<br /></span><br /></strong>Suddenly there are thousands of stuff to do and a lot of friends to meet... And only one week left. As a good Portuguese that I am, I know most stuff will be done in the last minute but I am trying to avoid that as much as I can.<br /><br />I will fly with BA first to London and then directly to Shanghai. I have no idea how many hours I will sit on a plane, but I know it will be boring as hell... Fortunately I will fly with 3 more friends that will be in working in Shanghai as well. In the end it might be fun!!</span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-22037514365439728992007-01-08T12:54:00.000+01:002007-01-08T13:43:13.918+01:00Goodbye Sweden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15m83TOlwk_TwHjwuBpibLHW_LrwAgSJ4ysk95qtaufTP5D01ppWJQ8qvOJYuPCfI6JTOKfUkWV5cd0bf567oJwBDZtFHKCiFU4VjMn8hq4kYyVpoaom2ICwA0T3YyUs5LE4MFCUAl0IO/s1600-h/stockholm.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017632147337500706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15m83TOlwk_TwHjwuBpibLHW_LrwAgSJ4ysk95qtaufTP5D01ppWJQ8qvOJYuPCfI6JTOKfUkWV5cd0bf567oJwBDZtFHKCiFU4VjMn8hq4kYyVpoaom2ICwA0T3YyUs5LE4MFCUAl0IO/s320/stockholm.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">...not until tomorrow! :)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway... Mixed feelings. Home is where I am but Stockholm is, to me, that special place that just pulls me back all the time. Yes, I know... It's cold, and dark but how is it possible to resist it? It's a cosy city which gives you a very warm feeling. Ok, ok... I'm not a hypocrit! Swedish girls also help a bit but it´s not the main thing! :) </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My dear Family & Friends made my stay great (as always) and, despite the fact that I'm still here, I already miss everything. Hopefully I'll get some pics from the parties to post later on!<br /><br />Well, tomorrow, a new adventure with Ryanair waits for me. After almost missing the plane in London on my way here due to extra super mega tight security procedures that took ages, I am now hoping for little less emotions (other than the natural rough landings Ryanair Pilots love to offer all passengers!). I'll land in Porto and I'll leave to Lisbon on Wednesday. Hopefully I'll be able to say goodbye to Family & Friends there.<br /></span></div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585035801154685253.post-35506208346971839472007-01-04T13:07:00.000+01:002007-01-08T13:41:55.780+01:00Day 1!<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh well...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is official. I am Man of the Year (Times Magazine published it). They gave this award to everyone who posts stuff over the Internet. I needed something to improve my Ego so here it is! :) Now seriously, as some of you know, I´m starting a new chapter in my life. Moving to Shanghai, China will be a huge challenge and it should be fun to keep a track on what´s happening as well as keep family and friends updated about my adventures. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I hope I can keep it updated and fun to read and I count on you to give me some feedback!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I chose to name this blog in transit cause, honestly, is how I like to be. I love travelling and airports have a special atmosphere. If I had to sum it up... "I love to walk around and keep changing place." Always looking forward to the next plane, train, bus (well I don´t like buses so much!) or taxi! :)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">So far the departure date is not defined yet. I came to Sweden for some days so I won´t be able to take care of my visa so soon. I just hope I won´t be the last one to go and having to sit alone 15 hours in a plane.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I´m having a great time here with my host family & friends... Somehow i feel nostalgic! I guess I´ll have to come back again and live here for a couple of years more. I am home! </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1