Shanghai and HK

Holy crap, I am almost caught up!  Seriously.  This was just a week ago!  This blog is almost topical again!

We were in the States for nearly 3 weeks, arriving in Stockholm on 4 Jan... and then I left the morning of 6 Jan for a week in Shanghai and Hong Kong.  That is way too many time zones (and flights) in such a short period.  

Despite my D-R-E-A-D to get back on a plane, it was great trip to Asia.  (Though my wallet is much lighter thanks to all of the sales on in HK.)  I was surprisingly not too jet lagged, which is probably due to how awesome melatonin is.  What would I do without that stuff?

I was greeted by China Unicom (and their unfortunate spacing issues), employing my FAVORITE Engrish phrase "Welcome to."  I have mentioned it here before, but I am still as taken with this awkward phrasing as the first time I heard it.

As if having it in my own personal text message wasn't enough, I spotted THIS at the Pudong Airport.  Be still my freaking heart!  There it is on the wall!  Y-E-S.

But besides all that, welcome to look at my photos:

Such serious signage on the "luggage handling counter," which is really just the place you get yourself together after being hassled through security.  I shudder to think of the sight of a collision occurring while someone is climbing on this thing.  Oh, the horror!  Thank god there are warnings!

Our new office moved down the road, nearer to the Jing'an Temple.  I didn't go in the temple this time, but it's pretty cool to have it right smack in the middle of the city.

Oh, and this guy's one of two out front.  His paw is telling that baby thing, "Don't mess."

Over in HK, I wandered around the Wan Chai area, where I found the delightful boutique Ka-Pok.  There is a smattering of other cool boutiques in the area, including the Monocle store, which was the least cool of them all.  Unless you need a back issue or something.

I give you Wan Chai:

I snapped this lonely little stool in the elevator on my way up to a fabric appointment.  Guess the elevator attendant had stepped out for a minute.

I am fairly obsessed with the 10 HKD polymer banknotes.  I mean, there is a clear window on them!  And they feel all slick-like in your hands!