McKigney Travels Beijing, Shanghai, Hanoi - May 14 thru June 10 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-02:/blog/?domain=mckigney 2008-11-05T20:42:48Z McKigney img/travel-blog-feed.png Vietnam Pictures tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-05:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=31&entryid=136159 2008-11-05T20:42:48Z 2008-11-05T20:42:48Z Picture Albums Album 1 - Hanoi Album 2 - Hanoi Album 3 - Hanoi + Sapa Hanoi Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXjXfg0tUa8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrUHJ0O58-Y ... Picture Albums
Album 1 - Hanoi
Album 2 - Hanoi
Album 3 - Hanoi + Sapa

Hanoi Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXjXfg0tUa8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrUHJ0O58-Y

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]]> Day 25 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-09:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=30&entryid=113214 2008-06-10T03:41:49Z 2008-06-10T03:41:49Z Sunday was a relaxing day. Still in Sapa, we woke up to rain. Our train was scheduled to leave Lau Cai at 7:30 PM so we had nearly the entire day to spend in Sapa. The rain quickly passed and the day turned out to be beautiful – sunshine and a slight breeze. We mainly just chilled out around town, hopping from café to café playing cards, reading, eating and drinking. We took a stroll ... Sunday was a relaxing day. Still in Sapa, we woke up to rain. Our train was scheduled to leave Lau Cai at 7:30 PM so we had nearly the entire day to spend in Sapa. The rain quickly passed and the day turned out to be beautiful – sunshine and a slight breeze. We mainly just chilled out around town, hopping from café to café playing cards, reading, eating and drinking.

We took a stroll to take in some more amazing views of Sapa and did some last-minute shopping. The Hmong women are very aggressive and persistent in their sales efforts. I decided to purchase blanket.and was checking out the one offered by one woman when I was immediately swarmed by 3 or 4 women all with very similar blankets. They only varied slightly – just different shades of blue and purple. My attempts to barter with them failed and as I walked away they continued to swarm and even grabbed me. One thing I can’t handle is being grabbed by the arm! I swatted them away and continued to barter more aggressively considering their aggressive state. I got one to agree to my price and purchased. And then was still followed with the women saying “buy two,” “buy from me.” They even reappeared after an hour or so continuing to harass me about purchasing from another woman! Lesson learned there I guess – be sure there’s only one person around!

After our shopping and wandering were complete we hopped in the bus for the long, jerky trip through the mountains back to the train.

I have a few more pictures of Sapa that I will post once I get back to the states!

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]]> Day 24 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-07:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=29&entryid=112907 2008-06-08T01:40:26Z 2008-06-08T01:40:26Z Saturday was planned to be our day of trekking. The mountains in the area are unbelievably amazing so we planned to set out and see the views. First, we checked out of our hotel, Sapa Rooms ($25/night) and moved down the street to Cat Cat Hotel. I think Cat Cat is the name of the village just outside of Sapa. The room is much nicer, has a great view and only costs $15/night! So far ... Saturday was planned to be our day of trekking. The mountains in the area are unbelievably amazing so we planned to set out and see the views. First, we checked out of our hotel, Sapa Rooms ($25/night) and moved down the street to Cat Cat Hotel. I think Cat Cat is the name of the village just outside of Sapa. The room is much nicer, has a great view and only costs $15/night! So far so good.

As soon as we set out trekking, it started to rain and we realized the fog was incredibly thick. No sense in doing all sorts of walking if you can’t enjoy the view so we ducked into a café for our second breakfast and cards. Still raining we then moved on to another café for lunch and cards. Eventually the fog cleared, the rain stopped and we were on our way. We basically walked downhill the entire way, trying to keep in mind that we had to go all the way back up on the way home. We saw some amazing views though – mountains, low clouds, rice fields, farm animals, Hmong women, young kids, waterfalls, etc. It was amazing and, of course, my pictures don’t do it justice! We hiked along a river until we came to the part of the trail that required crossing the river. Considering it had just poured and it might rain again, we decided the water was too deep and fast to cross. So we turned around and started the long climb back up. My lesson here = stairs are way more difficult than just a plaved slope. The first part was stairs and I was just dying. Luckily it changed to pavement and we made it just fine.

Finally got some pictures posted -- here they are!

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]]> Day 23 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-07:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=28&entryid=112906 2008-06-08T01:41:34Z 2008-06-08T01:38:29Z We arrived in Sapa around 6:45 AM and had to wait in the hotel lobby until nearly 7:30 for 1 room. Mar and I were exhausted so we took a nap while we waited for the second room. After a nap and a shower, we ventured out to check out the town of Sapa. It’s a mountain town with amazing views (I promise pictures soon. The internet connection is not that reliable). This is definitely ... We arrived in Sapa around 6:45 AM and had to wait in the hotel lobby until nearly 7:30 for 1 room. Mar and I were exhausted so we took a nap while we waited for the second room. After a nap and a shower, we ventured out to check out the town of Sapa. It’s a mountain town with amazing views (I promise pictures soon. The internet connection is not that reliable). This is definitely the best scenery I’ve seen so far. Maybe the Great Wall beats it, but just barely!

There’s a Hmong minority group in the area. The women and children come to town to sell their embroidered goods in their special outfits (very beautiful). Everything’s very beautiful but they can be a bit aggressive. We were sitting outside at a coffee shop playing cards and a old woman came up to us and before I knew it she had tied a bracelet to my wrist! Then she moved on to Tyler and pulled the same trick. What do you do then? Reach for the wallet I guess. Marianne fell victim to a young boy with his baby brother on his back selling bracelets. She paid 10 VND and the aggressive lady sold Ty and me one for only 3 VND each (roughly 15 VND equals $1).

We mainly spent the day enjoying the perfect weather. Sapa is much, much cooler and much, much less humid than Hanoi. Here you can actually walk outside and feel chilly! I’ve never appreciated cool, cloudy weather more than when we arrived here! Our activities for the day included shopping, reading, playing cards (I taught them rummy 500 so that’s basically all we play), and eating. We had dinner at our hotel then moved on to some bars for a few drinks. We even played a game of pool (we all suck).

We weren’t that impressed with our hotel. It got good reviews on Trip Advisor but it was incredibly damp, the rooms were bare, and full of mold. So we found a place down the street for our 2nd night.

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]]> Day 22 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-07:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=27&entryid=112821 2008-06-07T13:38:43Z 2008-06-07T13:38:43Z On Thursday we woke up sweating to no power. We quickly got out of the apartment and headed for some A/C and Internet access. It was nice to just relax a bit (not that I haven’t been doing a lot of that, but still nice to lay low). Also, I got to have a nice long conversation with Dana over Skype! Afterwards Tyler had a migraine and went back to rest. I opted to wander ... On Thursday we woke up sweating to no power. We quickly got out of the apartment and headed for some A/C and Internet access. It was nice to just relax a bit (not that I haven’t been doing a lot of that, but still nice to lay low). Also, I got to have a nice long conversation with Dana over Skype! Afterwards Tyler had a migraine and went back to rest. I opted to wander the city for a couple of hours. I did a little shopping, tried on the bridesmaid dress for their wedding, and just walked around the lake. I was thoroughly impressed with my ability to not get lost! I really have trouble in Hanoi – every street looks somewhat the same, but I made it all on my own (with only slight help from a map). It was a beautiful afternoon, but still not cool enough to sit around the apartment with no AC.

Tyler and I met up, went for lunch and then to a movie to enjoy some more AC and popcorn. We saw Iron Man – very good – and then headed home to pack for Sapa. The train left at 8:40 that night so we grabbed some KFC on the way to the train stations and we were off. We had a sleeper cabin – not bad, but still difficult to sleep. The train got in at 5:45 AM where we were picked up and taken on the long, windy, hilly road to Sapa.

I'm a bit behind in my postings, but trying to get some pictures posted, but I'm struggling. The internet here is a bit slow!

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]]> Day 21 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-04:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=26&entryid=112560 2008-06-05T04:10:25Z 2008-06-05T04:10:25Z On Wednesday we headed out in the morning to visit Hanoi Agricultural University, where Tyler first worked in Hanoi as an English teacher. The university is 30 minutes by bus from the center of the city. Almost as soon as we got on the bus (we had to stand) the bus driver slammed on the breaks sending many of us violently forward. I had just enough grip to keep upright but had we come to a stop ... On Wednesday we headed out in the morning to visit Hanoi Agricultural University, where Tyler first worked in Hanoi as an English teacher. The university is 30 minutes by bus from the center of the city. Almost as soon as we got on the bus (we had to stand) the bus driver slammed on the breaks sending many of us violently forward. I had just enough grip to keep upright but had we come to a stop 1 second later I would have been on the ground. Either the bus driver hit a motorbike in front of us or slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting him – difficult to tell. The rest of the ride we were a bit scared of the driver but we made it without any more incidents. Once we got there, we walked around enjoying the quiet.

For lunch, we met up with someone who worked in the same department as Tyler. Then we headed back to Hanoi, resting at their place in the A/C and then out to do some shopping. Then we went to meet Marianne. She and I went back to the spa where I got a facial for less than $10 and she got a massage – very relaxing. It was a gorgeous night so we had dinner near a lake and then did 2 laps around Hoan Kiem Lake near their place.

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]]> Day 20 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-03:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=25&entryid=112284 2008-06-03T16:53:12Z 2008-06-03T16:53:12Z Tuesday Tyler and I set out to see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It is only open from 8-11 so we left around 9 only to find the longest line I’ve ever seen in my life. Not so much the time it took to get into the mausoleum but just the sheer mass of people. We took the motorbike and drove next to the line and it just kept going and going. Then we parked and ... Tuesday Tyler and I set out to see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It is only open from 8-11 so we left around 9 only to find the longest line I’ve ever seen in my life. Not so much the time it took to get into the mausoleum but just the sheer mass of people. We took the motorbike and drove next to the line and it just kept going and going. Then we parked and walked and it continued to keep going and going. Eventually we found the end. I bet the line was like 8-9 city blocks long. Total estimate (I’m really bad with distance estimates) but it was an incredible line. Hard to imagine that that many people line up each day to see a man that died 30 years ago. Of course, no cameras allowed so nothing to share of Ho Chi Minh himself, but just imagine a huge mass of people, loud and pushing, and then entering the Mausoleum people remove their hats, become quiet and stare as they walk past. Interesting. Then we visited the Presidential Palace grounds. Ho Chi Minh chose to live in a house on stilts as opposed to the palace.

Afterwards we visited the Army Museum where we saw pictures, army gear and US airplanes and tanks. Weird to be in a foreign country and see US military stuff. Tyler mentioned that in like a 9 year period the Vietnamese shot down something like 30,000 planes. Amazing.

Later in the afternoon we just hung out – did some reading, shopping, etc. Also went to the fabric market – totally overwhelming. Haven’t really been in the clothes shopping/making mood so think I’m going to skip the tailor. Then we met up with Mar for a coffee at a café overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake before we went for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Then back to stuff wedding invitations!

Here are pictures from today.

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]]> Day 19 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-02:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=24&entryid=112215 2008-06-03T06:52:54Z 2008-06-03T06:52:54Z On Monday, Marianne had to work so Tyler and I went out to do a bit of sightseeing. We first went to the Hanoi Prison. First built by the French, it was used to hold Vietnamese. Then Japan conquered Vietnam only to have it taken back by the French (I think I got all of that right). Then the Vietnamese gained independence and it was used to hold Americans during the Vietnam war. In fact, ... On Monday, Marianne had to work so Tyler and I went out to do a bit of sightseeing. We first went to the Hanoi Prison. First built by the French, it was used to hold Vietnamese. Then Japan conquered Vietnam only to have it taken back by the French (I think I got all of that right). Then the Vietnamese gained independence and it was used to hold Americans during the Vietnam war. In fact, John McCain’s plane was shot down and he was held at the prison along with many other Americans.

Afterwards we chilled at a coffee shop with our laptops and books. It was a nice break from the heat. I’m such a wimp – it’s not even that hot but the humidity is killing me. After our break, we went to the Temple of Literature – the oldest university in the world. It was cool to see, but there wasn’t much there so it was a quick stop. Next we came back to the apartment and then went out for lunch. We had some Vietnamese food sitting on some little plastic chairs. Of course, then the rain came and we were without rain coats. So we headed up to the restaurant balcony to drink some beer while we waited out the rain. Then it was back to the apartment for the evening of rain. We ordered in Indian and played Scrabble – overall a fun night!

Pictures of these sites can be found in the post below!

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]]> Hanoi Video & Photos tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-02:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=23&entryid=112092 2008-06-02T12:32:37Z 2008-06-02T11:53:45Z Pictures from first 2 days. Video of motorbikes in Hanoi - they're everywhere! Next time I'll get a video from on the motorbike! [video provider=youtube videoid=KrUHJ0O58-Y] ... Pictures from first 2 days.

Video of motorbikes in Hanoi - they're everywhere! Next time I'll get a video from on the motorbike!

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]]> Day 18 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-06-01:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=22&entryid=112010 2008-06-02T05:42:40Z 2008-06-02T01:14:53Z The first full day in Hanoi was great. Tyler and I went for breakfast, then met up with Marianne for some shopping. We also went to the spa! Marianne and I got pedicures and our eye brows waxed for less than $10! It was great. My feet were really in need of some attention after all the walking I’ve done on the trip so far! Afterwards, we went for lunch (excellent pho), a movie, ... The first full day in Hanoi was great. Tyler and I went for breakfast, then met up with Marianne for some shopping. We also went to the spa! Marianne and I got pedicures and our eye brows waxed for less than $10! It was great. My feet were really in need of some attention after all the walking I’ve done on the trip so far! Afterwards, we went for lunch (excellent pho), a movie, and dinner. The food has been great. The weather, on the other hand, has been hot. It isn’t as hot as it was a couple days ago (from what I hear and saw on weather.com), but it’s hot for me! It’s just so unbelievably humid.

Marianne and Tyler use a motorbike to get around Hanoi – along with everyone else in the city! Since I’m visiting, they rented another. It’s one thing to walk on the side of the road and see the chaos, but it’s another to be sitting on the back in the thick of it. Eventually I’ll work up the courage to take a video to post, but for now I just hang on and flinch a lot as motorbikes barely miss my legs.

Day 18 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 17 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-31:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=21&entryid=111886 2008-06-01T02:11:03Z 2008-06-01T02:11:03Z Saturday was mainly a travel day. Many of us had flights out of Shanghai around 10 PM so we had a bus bring us to the airport. The schedule turned out to be a bit tight – I only got to the gate about 15 minutes before boarding began. That’s a bit tighter than I can handle, but everything turned out fine. I had a 3 hour layover in Hong Kong and then arrived in Hanoi ... Saturday was mainly a travel day. Many of us had flights out of Shanghai around 10 PM so we had a bus bring us to the airport. The schedule turned out to be a bit tight – I only got to the gate about 15 minutes before boarding began. That’s a bit tighter than I can handle, but everything turned out fine. I had a 3 hour layover in Hong Kong and then arrived in Hanoi around 4 PM (I’m now just 12 hours ahead of central time). Marianne and Tyler were waiting for me at the airport. Much smaller than I thought so I had no problems finding them. We then took a taxi back to their place. After sitting outside for a bit, we went to the tailor where she’s having the bridesmaid dresses made. We did my measurements so that the measurements are right and I can get it while I’m here. I think if I had an affordable tailor, I’d be getting clothes made all the time! Anyways, then we went and had coffee and dinner. It was a gorgeous night so we sat out, relaxed, chatted, etc.

Hanoi is obviously very different from the other cities I’ve visited. Hard to put my finger on it yet, but just a different vibe really. No big skyscrapers like Shanghai. Tons and tons of motorbikes though – unbelievable and overwhelming actually. When crossing the street you just kind of throw yourself out there and slowly make your way as motorbikes go around on either side of you. I think I’m really going to enjoy it here. A nice wrap up to a good trip!

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]]> Final China Photos tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-30:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=20&entryid=111747 2008-05-31T05:34:53Z 2008-05-31T05:34:53Z Last Shanghai Pictures Collection of all pictures so far ... Last Shanghai Pictures

Collection of all pictures so far

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]]> Day 16 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-30:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=19&entryid=111744 2008-05-31T05:01:17Z 2008-05-31T05:01:17Z Friday is my last full day in China as tomorrow morning I depart for Hanoi. I’m really excited to see Marianne and Tyler! We had a ton to get done today, but the morning started off with a course wrap up at 8:30. After being out until 3:30 AM, the class found it slightly difficult to make it up that early. When I got there a few minutes after 8:30, there were only 3 people there. ... Friday is my last full day in China as tomorrow morning I depart for Hanoi. I’m really excited to see Marianne and Tyler! We had a ton to get done today, but the morning started off with a course wrap up at 8:30. After being out until 3:30 AM, the class found it slightly difficult to make it up that early. When I got there a few minutes after 8:30, there were only 3 people there. After the wrap up, we ventured to the underground market. It was interesting and we all found way too much stuff. I got some purses, wallets, a watch, and some sunglasses. Then we headed to the soft spinning market where we all had custom made clothing waiting for us. My jacket turned out pretty good so excited for that in the fall. Then we went to do some shopping for jade, but I found it a bit too expensive. Then just dinner, drinks and packing. Now I’m on to the next stage of my trip – hopefully the best part! Can’t wait to see Marianne and Tyler and get a taste of another country. Hope to post some more soon! We plan for much relaxation and a trip to Sapa by overnight train for 4 days. More soon!

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]]> Day 15 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-30:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=18&entryid=111742 2008-05-31T05:00:40Z 2008-05-31T04:59:33Z Thursday was the day of the presentation to Polaroid. We got up early to finish our slides, had lunch, and then presented. All of the presentations went really well – ours included. We were all thrilled to be done. Afterwards we had a farewell dinner hosted by Polaroid. We had good food and lots of beer (some of it was warm again). We’re generally learning that they do stock some cold beer but with ... Thursday was the day of the presentation to Polaroid. We got up early to finish our slides, had lunch, and then presented. All of the presentations went really well – ours included. We were all thrilled to be done. Afterwards we had a farewell dinner hosted by Polaroid. We had good food and lots of beer (some of it was warm again). We’re generally learning that they do stock some cold beer but with 25 of us plus the CK students, we get through it pretty quickly and then it’s on to the warm stuff.

Next we went on to karaoke at Party World. This time wasn’t quite as wild as we were only drinking beer – last time we had Chinese liquor as well. Still fun, but luckily this time I got out of there around 12 AM instead of 2.

Day 15 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 14 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-28:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=17&entryid=111423 2008-05-29T02:08:32Z 2008-05-29T00:32:34Z On Wednesday, we needed to wrap up our project. Lindsay and I got up early to finish our slides. We had them done by 11:15 and then went out to do the sight seeing and shopping we had planned to do Sunday but ended up spending the time doing surveys. Our other group members had already left – apparently comfortable with how far they were on their part of the presentation. We found some excellent souvenir type stuff, ... On Wednesday, we needed to wrap up our project. Lindsay and I got up early to finish our slides. We had them done by 11:15 and then went out to do the sight seeing and shopping we had planned to do Sunday but ended up spending the time doing surveys. Our other group members had already left – apparently comfortable with how far they were on their part of the presentation.

We found some excellent souvenir type stuff, ate at Pizza Hut (KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut are everywhere) and then went over to Pudong to go to the observation deck at Jingmao Tower. We took the subway over, got outside, looked up and realized we couldn’t even see the top of the building – it was in a thick layer of clouds. It had been somewhat rainy all day, but we hadn’t considered how low the clouds might be. Since that was a bust, we got back in the subway, went back to the hotel only to find out that our group was no where near completing the presentation. So we all scrambled but are still not done. Thursday morning we’ll start at 8 AM to try to wrap things up for our 1 PM presentation to Polaroid. Wish us luck.

Day 14 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 13 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-27:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=16&entryid=111263 2008-05-28T01:14:02Z 2008-05-28T01:13:46Z Today was another fairly uneventful day of working on our project. We had a lecture on the Chinese economy from 9-11:30 and then spent the rest of the day working on our project. In fact, we didn’t wrap up until 9:30 PM! We then had some horrible room service food and headed over to the piano bar for a drink. Now I’m off to bed. The project is coming along although it’s less than ideal. ... Today was another fairly uneventful day of working on our project. We had a lecture on the Chinese economy from 9-11:30 and then spent the rest of the day working on our project. In fact, we didn’t wrap up until 9:30 PM! We then had some horrible room service food and headed over to the piano bar for a drink. Now I’m off to bed. The project is coming along although it’s less than ideal. If we had really wanted to produce a quality product for Polaroid we would have spent more time last week working on the project, but the class wasn’t structured that way so we’re just trying to do the best we can.

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]]> Random thoughts tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-26:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=15&entryid=111082 2008-05-27T06:43:31Z 2008-05-27T03:55:53Z Want to know what i miss the most? COLD DRINKS! I've had more warm beer here than ever in my life. water too! Amanda knows I love my ice water, but here it's generally room temperature! The pollution in Shanghai is nothing compared to Beijing - you can probably see that in my pictures. Good luck to all those Olympic athletes -- I nearly died going up some stairs let alone actually working out. ... Want to know what i miss the most? COLD DRINKS! I've had more warm beer here than ever in my life. water too! Amanda knows I love my ice water, but here it's generally room temperature!

The pollution in Shanghai is nothing compared to Beijing - you can probably see that in my pictures. Good luck to all those Olympic athletes -- I nearly died going up some stairs let alone actually working out. I've used that as my excuse for not working out at all.

The food has been amazing. There are days we all crave cheese burgers and fries, but generally we have great Chinese meals every day... and cheap!! I'm pretty good with chopsticks now. I think I've eaten every meal with them -- practice makes perfect I guess.

I generally feel very safe here. Walking around in the city back home at night can sometime be nerve racking, but here I am almost always at ease. Everyone is so friendly.

The language barrier hasn't been too much of a problem. The school gave us some sheets with local restaurants written in English and Chinese. We get into the cab, point at the one we want to go to and we're off. Restaurants generally have an English version of the menu so we point at what we want. Works well usually!

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]]> Day 12 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-26:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=14&entryid=111070 2008-05-27T01:03:46Z 2008-05-27T01:03:46Z Today was the last full day with our Cheong Kong students so we needed to be productive. We met at 10 AM to head out and complete the rest of our 70 surveys (we had 30 completed over the weekend). Everything here seems to move a lot more slowly than we’re used to – people just don’t have the same sense of urgency as us Americans. It can be frustrating, but there’s little we can do. ... Today was the last full day with our Cheong Kong students so we needed to be productive. We met at 10 AM to head out and complete the rest of our 70 surveys (we had 30 completed over the weekend). Everything here seems to move a lot more slowly than we’re used to – people just don’t have the same sense of urgency as us Americans. It can be frustrating, but there’s little we can do. So we met at 10, but didn’t actually start any surveys until after 1:00 PM! We split into 2 groups and managed to do 35 surveys all day – a bit lower than our goal of 70. We’ve given up though – too difficult.

To do the surveys we visited an IT or Digital Mall. An interesting concept – there are just tons of little shops each selling 1 or 2 brands exclusively where you can bargain and get things for roughly 20% less than a normal electronics retailer. The one we visited had 3 or 4 floors of shops crowded with people and a food court – a great place for surveys. Unfortunately the management didn’t agree. After about 10 surveys, we started to attract their attention. Before we knew it there were 4 of them surrounding us with walkie talkies asking us to leave. They even said something “not very friendly” according to our Cheong Kong student. Unfortunately, she wasn’t willing to elaborate – we have a feeling it was something bad about the Americans!

The rest of the day was spent doing secondary research. Things are coming together nicely – we’re all feeling a little better about having something together for Thursday’s presentation to the Polaroid executives. It was a long day though – class discussion started at 9 and I’m just now (10 PM) getting back to my room!

Day 12 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 11 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-26:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=13&entryid=111068 2008-05-27T01:02:43Z 2008-05-27T01:02:43Z Sunday didn’t go exactly as planned. We need to complete at least 100 surveys but we’re finding it rather difficult so Lindsay and I decided to meet up with one of our Cheong Kong students to try to complete some. We figured we’d go for a few hours and then have the rest of the afternoon to do some additional touring. We met Eric at 10 AM and ended up spending the entire day (back at 5 ... Sunday didn’t go exactly as planned. We need to complete at least 100 surveys but we’re finding it rather difficult so Lindsay and I decided to meet up with one of our Cheong Kong students to try to complete some. We figured we’d go for a few hours and then have the rest of the afternoon to do some additional touring. We met Eric at 10 AM and ended up spending the entire day (back at 5 PM) and only accomplished 19 completed surveys. What a frustrating way to spend a day we were supposed to have free! Plus our other group members were out having fun. It was fun to spend the day with Eric, but not exactly what we had planned.

In the evening, we met up with some other students and went for dinner at an Indian restaurant. It was excellent food – nice to have something other than Chinese. Afterwards, we walked down to a bar where they had pitchers of beer for $3 and outside seating. We spent a few hours there and then headed for home. Overall, a good night, but somewhat uneventful.

Day 11 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> More pictures tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-24:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=12&entryid=110768 2008-05-25T01:37:11Z 2008-05-25T01:37:11Z More from Shanghai Nanjing pictures ... More from Shanghai

Nanjing pictures

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]]> Day 10 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-24:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=11&entryid=110766 2008-05-25T01:48:02Z 2008-05-25T01:32:50Z With the weekend off, we decided to take a train to nearby Nanjing. Nanjing was the capital of China before it was moved to Beijing so there is a lot of history in the city. We went by train leaving our hotel at 6:45 AM and returning at 11:00 PM. The trip was approximately 2 hours and the train accommodations were better than I expected. The train went between 150 km/hour and 250 km/hour depending on ... With the weekend off, we decided to take a train to nearby Nanjing. Nanjing was the capital of China before it was moved to Beijing so there is a lot of history in the city. We went by train leaving our hotel at 6:45 AM and returning at 11:00 PM. The trip was approximately 2 hours and the train accommodations were better than I expected. The train went between 150 km/hour and 250 km/hour depending on the distance to the next stop. That’s roughly 100-150 mph.

While in Nanjing, we visited the Presidential Palace and the Ming Tombs (yes, more Ming Tombs since some were buried in Nanjing before the capital was moved to Beijing). There were 10 of us so we needed 3 taxis. This caused us to spend a lot of time trying to figure out where each taxi let people out at. We wasted quite a bit of time allowing us to only really see 2 attractions. We did, of course, leave plenty of time for eating. We had 2 rather large meals. We quickly learned that Nanjing is far cheaper than anywhere we’ve been. The meals were 30 RMB each ($4) and you could get a bottle of water for 1 RMB (14 cents) although the average water cost 3 RMB (43 cents).

It was incredibly hot today. 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees F) and not a hint of wind! I don’t remember the last time I sweated that much. We were all happy to be home and jump in the shower! Tomorrow is a more relaxing day with a little group work for our project in the morning and then touring some more around Shanghai.

Check out my pictures from the trip.

Day 10 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 9 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-24:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=10&entryid=110763 2008-05-25T01:29:13Z 2008-05-25T01:19:41Z Today was a tiring day. I got about 5 hours of sleep last night after karaoke so it was pretty tough to get up by 7:30 for our 9:30 meeting with the Suning executives (an electronics retailer in China). The meeting went well and then we went out to lunch with our group. Our Chinese group members continue to take us to some excellent restaurants where we try interesting dishes. The food continues to be amazing… ... Today was a tiring day. I got about 5 hours of sleep last night after karaoke so it was pretty tough to get up by 7:30 for our 9:30 meeting with the Suning executives (an electronics retailer in China). The meeting went well and then we went out to lunch with our group. Our Chinese group members continue to take us to some excellent restaurants where we try interesting dishes. The food continues to be amazing… and cheap! This afternoon’s meal with 10 dishes plus drinks and deserts was only $75 RMB (that’s only $10.75). Tonight a friend of mine and I went to this great little restaurant called Amy’s and had 2 courses (lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork) plus fried rice and drinks for a total of $88 RMB so only $5 each!

We also did a bit of shopping today. We’re finding it difficult to do any laundry so our solution is to buy. Luckily I’m doing ok since I brought so much for Vietnam. But I did find some cheap clothes – just a couple shirts. Now it’s off to bed. We’re going to Nanjing tomorrow morning by train for the day. We leave at 7:30 AM and return around 10 PM.

Day 9 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 8 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-23:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=9&entryid=110560 2008-05-23T08:21:38Z 2008-05-23T08:19:43Z Thursday was a very, very long day. Four of us in our group work for Target so we visited Target Sourcing Services where we met with the Director of Import Transportation and a manager in sourcing. It was very interesting to learn about Target’s operations here in China. Afterwards, we had a lecture followed by our welcome dinner. The dinner was originally scheduled for Monday, but moved to Thursday due to the 3 day mourning period ... Thursday was a very, very long day. Four of us in our group work for Target so we visited Target Sourcing Services where we met with the Director of Import Transportation and a manager in sourcing. It was very interesting to learn about Target’s operations here in China. Afterwards, we had a lecture followed by our welcome dinner. The dinner was originally scheduled for Monday, but moved to Thursday due to the 3 day mourning period for the earthquake. During that time, there could be no entertainment – no music in stores, no karaoke, no bands, etc. The dinner was excellent – our best meals are when our Chinese friends order for us! We definitely learned that they like to drink! We had lots of beer (Tsing Tao), a Chinese wine, and Chinese liquor (incredibly strong – someone read 52% alcohol). They do bombs similar to Irish Car Bombs with beer and the Chinese liquor. Needless to say, we all were a bit tipsy and then had to go attend a conference call with a director from Polaroid. That was interesting given our state, but we made it through.

After that, we all ventured out to try some karaoke. We all (30 or so of us) piled into a small room where we did karaoke from like 11 – 2 AM. It was very fun and an interesting experience. A very late night though followed by a meeting with the VP of Suning (a electronics retailer in China) this morning!

I forgot my camera in the room so I'll try to get some pictures posted tomorrow!

Day 8 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 7 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-21:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=8&entryid=110362 2008-05-22T05:27:15Z 2008-05-22T05:27:15Z Today began with a 3 hour lecture about global acquisitions. I found it difficult to concentrate with my computer open in front of me – email, weather, and news calling my name. Afterwards, we grabbed a very quick lunch at a supermarket (similar to our convenience store) of pineapple bread, a Coke and a Magnum bar (ice cream) all for $9.50 RMB, equivalent to roughly $1.25. We then jumped back on the bus for a trip to ... Today began with a 3 hour lecture about global acquisitions. I found it difficult to concentrate with my computer open in front of me – email, weather, and news calling my name. Afterwards, we grabbed a very quick lunch at a supermarket (similar to our convenience store) of pineapple bread, a Coke and a Magnum bar (ice cream) all for $9.50 RMB, equivalent to roughly $1.25.

We then jumped back on the bus for a trip to two electronics retailers – Best Buy and GoMe. The Best Buy was very interesting – set up similarly to those in the US but with 6 floors. We actually ran into some managers from Minneapolis and learned a lot about the consumer electronics market in China. GoMe utilizes a slightly different model, but is much larger sales volume than Best Buy.

Then it was on to the textile market, where you can get custom made clothing. There were 4 floors with vendor after vendor displaying their goods. Many people purchased business suits, spring and winter jackets and shirts. I settled on a spring khaki trench coat for less than $50. We’ll see how the finished product is, but the one I saw was very cute! Hopefully in Hanoi I’ll be able to get some more clothing made?!

Tonight we finally met with the Cheong Kong Graduate School of Business Students. They took us out for dinner and drinks. We had a wonderful time getting to know them (must develop a personal relationship before business/school work). They sure like to drink!

Tomorrow we have a full day – visit Target Sourcing Services (TSS) in the morning, lecture in the afternoon (aka computer time), welcome dinner in the evening (previously delayed due to the period of mourning for the earthquake), and then a conference call with Polaroid later in the evening!

Day 7 remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Pictures so far tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-20:/blog/?domain=mckigney&thisblog_entryid=7&entryid=110203 2008-05-21T02:46:12Z 2008-05-21T02:28:03Z Beijing Pictures Shanghai Pictures ... Beijing Pictures

Shanghai Pictures

Pictures so far remains copyright of the author McKigney, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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