Adam+Shanghai

It was 800 days ago I landed in China.  The decision to come here wasn’t planned.  I didn’t study Chinese language, culture, or history at university, and I certainly wasn’t, as they say here, a zhongguo tong (“China expert”) pursuing a passion or a dream.  I’d been backpacking once through Southwest China once.  It was [...]

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After living in China for almost two and a half years, the number of truly “foreign” moments approaches zero.  Tonight was an exception. I’m in Qingdao (Tsing Tao for all you beer fans) this weekend, relaxing, enjoying the beach, parks, and generally pleasant city. Tonight I stepped into a Korean BBQ restaurant for dinner – [...]

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A handful of videos I shot of wild monkeys in Bali, Indonesia.  I’d never been so close to, or seen anything like these amazing little creatures before!  Most of these were taken at the Ubud Monkey Forest, and the rest at Pura Luhur at Uluwatu. Monkeying Around Chowing Down on Food Offerings Left on a [...]

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After lots of positive feedback on last year’s list, I figured it’d be fun to share a few more favorites from the past 12 months. Lunch & Dinner Chiangmai Thai – Rumor has it one of the key chefs bailed on the owners of Coconut Paradise and Lost Heaven (reviewed last year) to start up [...]

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Fourth of July’s got nothing on this place.  For the past 5 hours, Shanghai’s 20 million residents have taken to the streets, firecrackers and fireworks in hand, before dinner, after dinner, before midnight, and soon to be after midnight, to ring in the lunar new year with a thundering vengeance!  On a rare clear night, [...]

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About a week ago I started having problems with my jiaotong ka, the RFID powered “ka” (card) used to navigate the Shanghai metro system. As Murphy’s law would have it, I entered the metro without problem at the Hengshan Road station downstairs and around the corner from my home, but upon arriving at my destination [...]

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Another 5 months in the hole.  Swine flu came and went, and I went traveling – Fukuoka, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Sheshan, DC, Antwerp, and Copenhagen, where I’m parked at a quaint Danish café with a live DJ turning vinyl.  A few more visits to familiar places – Beijing, LA, Seattle, Hong Kong, Amsterdam.  A few journeys [...]

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For better or for worse… I never drink cold water.  Chinese believe it’s better for your stomach, and the belief has somehow rubbed off. I pick my fruit and fruit juice based on whether or not it will lower or raise my body temperature.  Cucumber and watermelon juice have been favorites this summer.  I also [...]

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A view of the Pudong skyline from Mr & Mrs Bund on a recent Spring evening: I’ve been in a really good mood lately.. that sort of life is awesome waiting for the other shoe to drop while hoping desperately it doesn’t sort of mood. During the last six months on the travel front I’ve [...]

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1. I haven’t lived in one city for longer than 3 years since I was 16 years old. 2. I don’t have a 5-year plan, just a simple new years resolution to be able to do business in Chinese by April 2010.  我没有五年的打算，只有一个简单的新年的打算在四月2010以前能用中文做商务。 3. Over the last year I flew on 10 new airlines, saw [...]

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