Here and There Blog

Tahiti has the beautiful beaches and if I ever go back, that's where I'll stay. The snorkeling is where it's at and I don't need to see the flowers and hills again. That could be the mosquito bites talking but the water is the place to be. Below, some different views. Boats in the water.  My allergies are still going from all the flowers.  This is why the water is the place to be.  View from the top of the mountain.  More allergies for me.  Light house, monument. Windy and hot.

I had to say goodbye to my bungalow this morning. One last look at the sea urchins and I was off to the airport. What a relaxing vacation but any more time here and I wouldnt fit in my clothes!

Perfect morning start. Open curtains, see ocean. Make coffee and drink on deck. Slather on SPF 50 and bug spray. Wave to paddle boarder. Drink more coffee and eat fresh pineapple. :)

I did get to release a baby turtle to the sea but have to wait to post sonce that photo is on another device. TodY we say bye to Moorea and head back to Papeete. Bye room and view!

The hotel sea turtle center has 50 baby turtles that are getting released today. If all goes well, I will be on the release boat!

Took a jeep ride up a steep trail for this view. It was both fun and bumpy! The hotel has a sea turtle rescue center. This little guy is gaining strength for release back to the ocean.

Moorea. It looks like the pictures and does not disappoint. We had clear skies in the morning and showers at lunch.Snorkeled  with sharks and rays and explored the reefs,

Shanghai's a crazy place and not always in a good way. A country that can find small pockets to place a park, build tall high rises, still has a long way to go with people's rights. A big mystery is the  birth defects street beggars. People without limbs, huge tumor growths, and indescribable phyical deformities are wheeled out each  morning and placed on the sidewalk near Nanjing Rd. to beg. Or, as they can't talk, to sit by a cup. And someone puts blankets on them and checks from them from time to time and then wheels them all back somewhere at the end of the day.  Sad. Strange. No answer. As a western tourist there's the hassle of walking down a tourist street. Big scam that has to end soon. People are holding up cell phones and pretending to be tourists. You can tell them from the real tourists who are holding up cell phones and taking selfies. The fake tourists ask if you will take their photo when "selfie" is the easy answer these days to their dilem...

When you are a tourist on Nanjing Rd. you get the show. Dozens of people coming up to your face to sell you a watch, all the street people that need money, and the various side shows that go on daily to part a person from their money. Walk 3-4 blocks away and you can peacefully stroll along a river without harassment. You do have to ignore the smell and stick of urine but it's a good trade off in some ways. No one bothers you for example.  It's nice  to see something that's normal life instead of big city, even while I'm still right in the city.

Nanjing is the walking road that is full of shopping, merchants, people trying to sell you fake Rolex and is the most congested street around. But you never know what will be set up to get your buying power attention. Pandas wearing headsets? They're here.  Entrance to street of more shopping! It's here too.  At the conclusion, along the river, Chairman Mao stands tall.

Buildings everywhere. Shanghai's skyline is not impressive during the day. It's gray, concrete, and rather depressing looking. At night the buildings all light up in Las Vegas style neon and it's fascinating to watch the lights. Daytime, not so great. The river area itself has a pleasant walk and during this time of year it's not full of summer crowds.

I guess you have to take advantage of a dry day to hang out the laundry. Roof top drying at it's best. For a city that has so much neon, sometimes the best color comes from other things!

After 7 hours waiting at LAX for a delayed flight that ended up being csncelled, I finallt am in Shanghai 22 hours late. Luckily LAX hotels are easy to get on a Saturday night so I avoided sleeping at the airport. So much for the free day that I hsd planned. So it's unpack, sleep, and go straight to work in the morning. 

Updated 5:45 pm. Flight cancelled and rebooked for Sunday. Off to Hotel! Got to the airport this morning for the news that my flight to China was delayed 6 hours. Ugh. 6 hours of waiting around an airport. Now my perfect plan of late evening arrival, unpack, sleep is condensed to midnight arrival and pass out asap. Airport activities for long layover: Walk. Need that circulation before a long flight. 1 round done and one or two more to go. Eat. Breakfast done. Postpone lunch to as late as possible. Exchange money for destination currency. Done. Read or watch what's downloaded on iPad. Nope - save for flight. Catch up on email. Done. Bored. Buy bottled water for flight. Do right before flight so I don't have to lug the extra weight around on the next walkabout. Stare at airplanes.

Flying out of Houston right before sunset. The clouds were rollong waves in the sky.    One day at home and off again Saturday!

Everything closes down on Sunday in the area of Honduras where Im staying. Even the hotel bars as no alcohol is served on Sunday. This reminds me of Ecuador where we ran out to find underground beer sellers. Mini bar is empty too.  Such is life.