Home Sweet Home

Feb. 14, 2007-Feb. 27, 2007:

Derek and I took a short trip home to Minnesota in February. We filled our guts with Chipotle, Juicy Lucys, Savoy Pizza, Pappasito's (via Texas), Grand Shanghai (Emily!) and waddled our way onto the 13 hour plane ride back to Beijing. Here are some pictures from our jaunt back to the States.




Grandma (looking fabulous), Derek (jet-lagged), Grandpa (looking sharp), Stacey (jet-lagged).



Jamie, VK, Emily. Em's bridal shower.



Stephanie, Isabelle, Valerie.



Mother and daughter. Can the girl be any cuter?



Emily, Jamie.



The bride-to-be and the little munchkin.



Mother-of-the-bride and the bride-to-be trying on their domestic garb. John and Jason should be expecting lots of cheesecakes, muffins and pies baked from scratch.



We took a short trip down to Texas to visit my Dad and Debbie. Above: Derek and his father-in-law talking bonds, politics and Packers v. Vikings over a fine Pappacito's margarita.



We were able to soak up the 80 degree weather poolside.



Tucker (almost asleep) poolside.



The three amigos: Gretchen, Tucker, Dad.



Everything is bigger in Texas, including their all American breakfasts.



Back on a plane and back to Minnesota. Derek and his sister, Krista.



Derek and our wonderful friend, Ms. Re-Kook-EE.



Pants, Craigers.



JJ, DS.



Sweatpants night, although Carisa apparently never received the memo.



Oh how Derek misses shoveling, scraping ice off the windshield, and warming up the car.



Derek and his youngest brother, Eric (and yes, their names rhyme).



Derek's sister Britt putting on a recorder concert.






And just like that, it was time to say goodbye again over some Italian Nachos at OC.



And I had to throw this picture in for old time's sake (with the caveat that the endorsements shown in the picture do not necessarily reflect the political views of those pictured).

Guangzhou

Dec.2-5th, 2006: Derek and I flew about 2.5 hours south to the crazy and crowded city of Guangzhou. There, we were able to visit some family friends of ours from good old Bloomington, Minnesota--who were kind enough to take us around town.

Guangzhou is the capital and the sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province in the southern part of the People's Republic of China. The city is also known by an older English-language name, Canton, which is based on a French language transliteration of the name of the province in Cantonese. It is a port on the Pearl River, navigable to the South China Sea. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 6 million, and a metropolitan population of 12.6 million, making it the most populous city in the province and the third most populous metropolitan area in China.

Children playing in the water at a local park:



Some large and in charge koi (DeWayne's long lost cousins who go by the surname DeWang):



Shoe sale on the streets of Guangzhou:



Famous five goat statue:



Pictures below are of the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees which was built in 537 during the Liang Dynasty.

The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees was originally called the Baozhuangyan Temple, but during the Northern Song Dynasty, a writer named Su Shi wrote the inscription Liu Rong (Six Banyan Trees) because of the six banyan trees he saw there and it has since been called the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. The temple was burned down and rebuilt during the Northern Song Dynasty.

Flowery Pagoda (pictured below), the main structure of the temple, was built in 1097, and was named for its colorful exterior.








Views from the top of the Flowery Pagoda:









The streets of Guangzhou (a sea of black hair):

More Guangzhou Pictures

Our lovely hosts:





The outdoor kitchen of a local squatter:



Local storefront:



Guangzhou Hold'em:



Honey making business of a squatter:

China News Update

In the China Daily (the only English written newspaper in China) they do a recap of local news around the country. The stories are often odd and/or funny, check out the following:

HUBEI TEEN CONTRACTS USUALLY-SENIOR DISEASE

A 14-year-old boy named Chen Chong was a big surprise to his parents, doctors and nurses after he contracted carcinoma of the rectum in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, early this week.

Carcinoma of the rectum is usually diagnosed among senior citizens, but deep-fried food, which is Chen's favorite, has been determined to be the culprit of the disease.

Chen, a grade one student in a local senior middle school, used to eat fried chicken legs every day.

Besides his emaciated condition, Chen's symptoms include haemafecia and anus pain.

Macau Casinos

With the opening of the Sands Macau, the largest casino in the world as measured by total number of table games, in 2004 and Wynn Macau in 2006, gambling revenues from Macau's casinos were for the first time greater than those of Las Vegas (each about $6 billion), making Macau the highest-volume gambling centre in the world. Other casinos and hotels slated to be opened through 2009 are: The Venetian Macao (2007), Four Seasons (2007), MGM Grand Macau (2007), Ponte 16 (2007), Far East Consortium Complex (2007), Grand Hyatt (2007), Galaxy Cotai Megaresort (2008), City of Dreams (2008), Oceanus (2008), Mandarin Oriental (2009). The first Phase of Macao's Cotai Strip is scheduled to open in 2007 and will include 19,000 guest rooms throughout seven resort hotels, with the $1.8 billion Venetian Macao serving as the anchor. The head of Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, is in the latter stage of negotiation to secure land in Macau, where he is going to set up a US$3 billion casino resort complex. As a result, Macau's economy is growing rapidly due to gambling related tourism and construction from the new casino entrants.

Fortaleza do Monte

Fortaleza do Monte (Mount Fortress or Monte Forte, officially Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de Sao Paulo (Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul)) is the historical military centre of Macau.

The fort was initially built in the 16th century for protecting the properties of Jesuits in Macau. Later it was seized by the Governor, for the defense of Macau.

The tree covered park at the top of the fort has a panoramic view of the mainland area of Macau.