27th Oct 2006 - From Dalian to Shanghai for a night before returning home. Sunset from my hotel room. That evening I walked from my hotel to the famous Shang Yang Lu (copy market) but was dissapointed to discover that it had been closed down!! No more North Face coats for USD40! Too bad - The price you pay for going into WTO....


That evening, on my own; I looked up the internet for a Jazz joint and stumbled upon the Cotton Club!! An excellant mixture of jazz and blues. Location No. 8 Fuxing Lu Xi. (Where FuXing Lu and HuaiHai Lu meet)


Next morning, I take the Levi train back tothe airport. At maximum speed the train reaches 450 Km/h and then comes back down. It is absolutely smooth and the cornering is quite amazing.

Another succesful buisness trip......

25th October, 2006 Dalian - I always look forward to Dalian after the hustle and bustle of DongGuan. Arrived at midnight and made our way to the hotel. Dalian is very unlike many other cities in China. The streets are not filled with people and bicycles. Much of the shopping is done underground away from the bitter cold.

Dalian is parralel to Namp'o, North Korea and is probably within the N.Korean nuclear range - gulp! Along the hilly coast of Dalian is a huge park reserve and a navy base and lookout. It is apparently a very strategic point and gateway as it faces North Korea and the East China Sea.

There are many condominiums and apartment complexes in Dalian which would look like any other suburb in Boston or Maryland. The Picture on the left is taken from the parking lot of a seafood restaurant. ...Great seafood!

My last trip to Dalian, I had a taste of this sea urchin (Pic on the left) Our host asked if I would like a sea urchin, I politely declined this time. Its served as it is, cold and cut in half. Its inside is orange in color and very rich...like caviar.

On the right is a plate of fish roll cooked in ginger and spring onions! Delicious! I would recommend anyone who visits China to make a trip to Dalian.

After Hong Kong, it was back over to DongGuan. I rarely make my stay in Shenzen anymore as its expansive and there's always a jam getting out in the mornings and coming back in the evenings. Over the last 5 years development has spread out to various cities around DongGuan, like Chang-An, Hou Jie and Chang Ping (which has a direct train to Hong Kong). Hotels are new and plentyful.

Good friends and great hospitality in Chang Ping as usual. Our host brought us to the Mao House (Mao Jia). Every dish is cooked with red chillies. Apparently this was Mao's favourite type of food!
I enjoyed it, but the next few mornings thereafter was a little uncomfortable. The table was spread with colorful dishes adorned in red chillies. My favourite was probably the fried anchovies with red chillies.

Just completed my Tour of Duty, a grueling 10 days beginning in Hong Kong, DongGuan (Southern China), Dalian, and then Shanghai. The consolation is the good food with good friends….

Hong Kong is always quite magical; the star ferry at the harbour, the lights, night market, Nathan Road...



If you are looking for a great restaurantwith good ambience go to The Peak. They serve good western and local food. The duck is good, the ribs-superb. The Peak Lookout has garden tables or indoor but it would be wise to book a table ahead or via the net as I did.


The view that evening from The Peak was quite good. It overlooks the buildings on Hong Kong Island.



The night market at Mongkok is still a good place to buy copy stuff. I withheld hoping to do my shopping in Shanghai. However, disappointed to find out that the copy market in Shanghai (Shang Yang Lu) has been closed down. So the night market at Mongkok is still one of the last few surviving copy market.
For a night of good life jazz music, try Ned Kellie's Last Stand off Peking Road, somewhere on the right.


The hustle and bustle of Hong Kong is still uniquely Hong Kong...
Picture is Nathan Road on Tsim Tsa Tsui.