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First Trip to Longhua

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As the title says, this was my first trip to Longhua... this place was completely out of control.  China is a complete assault on the senses.  There is just SO much going on.  I think the driving was what I thought was the absolute craziest... at least that's what I had the most fun with... But as  you can see from the pictures there is just so much more... new and old juxtiposed right next to each other... the pollution... the old art right next to new commercial crassnes... it just goes on and on...

 

 
View of the outside in front of my hotel   Flats... no one lives in houses in China
     
 
I really liked the archers in front of the hotel... took way too many pictures of them   Not sure what this drive was... a round about?.... not really
     
 
     
     
 
My bathroom   Street scene in front of Foxconn
     
 
Jay walkers were everywhere... these folks seem completely oblivious to the fact that cars weigh a lot more than they do   Over pass leading to Foxconn
     
 
Chairman Mao... my driver had this little picture posted proudly   The traffic lights had this count down... not sure why but it would be fun if we had them in the U.S.
     
 
Typical street scene... there are a lot of these in the pictures below    
     
 
     
     
 
    This cyclist didn't care that there was a big van right behind him ... for a really long time
     
 
Same cyclist (on the far right) much further down the road   Notice how thick the air is
     
 
My favorite driver.... absolutely NO English    
     
 
More traffic insanity... actually it's constant   You'd think this cement truck would have the right of way... not in China
     
 
Cyclist riding opposite flow of traffic... that's probably so he can see us better    
     
 
These tricycles fascinated me... it was amazing that they could care so much..   .... and often seemed to have a death wish
     
 
A moto-trike... with passenger... I wonder if he's belted in    
     
 
Construction project   This dump truck driver decided to gas up right in the middle of traffic causing a traffic jam that was almost endless... notice the pool of gas forming under his rig?  Kaboom!
     
 
More tricycle action   Just taken a stoll out in the middle of a four lane street
     
 
Another crazy cyclist   Safely back at the hotel.. I just loved seeing those archers
     
 
I swapped rooms to get away from the disco on the floor below me...   ...and this was my new view
     
 
Wow!  Avon is everywhere!    
     
 
Front of my hotel...    
     
 
Back at Foxconn... and the industrial nightmare   Another clear sunny day in China
     
 
I wish this picture wasn't blurry... this guy is carrying a bunch of those big ole water jugs on the back of his trike... good grief!  Hope he doesn't have to go up any hills   I think the air pollution is one of the reasons that I hardly ever saw any old people in Longhua
     
 
     
     
 
It's almost lovely in troubling sort of way    
     
 
If you saw someone doing this in the U.S. you'd stop and stare... in China it's everyday   Sometimes they'd stack these things so high that you couldn't see the guy doing the actual pedaling
     
 
Man I wouldn't walk under it either...    
     
 
    Street cleaner in China..
     
 
     
     
 
Sketchy    
     
 
Okay... I think that this is the first time that I ever saw actual policemen in China...   Seeing these guys though made me wonder... what would you have to do to actually get pulled over in traffic?  Shoot someone?
     
 
I don't know what to say about this...    
     
 
These trikes will carry anything    
     
 
This guy had a big load...   And this wasn't a trike... it was just a bicycle... WHAT A MAN
     
 
This was the office area where I worked during my time in China... my desk (ledge) was the one in the foreground next to Angie    
     
 
I had a fan blowing on me most of the time... it was about 90 degrees with humidity...   The hall outside of our office area
     
 
Back in the car again... a better picture of my driver - Chairman Mao    
     
 
    Hmmm... I wonder why these folks stopped and didn't just walk right out in front of us
     
 
    Foxconn worker types
     
 
More street mayhem    
     
 
    The street mayhem is nonstop
     
 
See this guy... again, he's just on a bike... what a stud!    
     
 
Policemen... Again... what would they possibly give you a ticket for   Oh yeah... this intersection... some of the best traffic moves I've ever seen were made at this intersection
     
 
Like this guy in the black car... what if you saw this in the United States?  Here in China it's totally normal behavior    
     
 
I want one of these trikes   Oh and the wheel barrows.. no tires.. so primitive... but they totally work
     
 
     
     
 
Construction folks going... home?  Nah... they work all night here in China... not sure where these guys were going   Brickwork
     
 
The guy who operated this digger thing was an absolute artist... he could do anything... and do it in the most confined space   Always surprised me when I'd see folks sweeping... there was so much garbabe everywhere that sweeping seemed so futile
     
 
Also... check out the broom... classic Chinese    
     
 
This was the operator of this digging machine.. This picture was taken out of sheer admiration    
     
 
The lobby of the Royal Garden Hotel   Seem precarious huh... well these guys would climb these things at night too
     
 
    Beginning the trip home...
     
 
Look at this guy!?   Why are all these guys carrying buckets?
     
 
Shenzen sky line   Constant construction
     
 
Apartments... and the crazy thing is that hardly anyone reading this caption would be able afford one of these flats... prices in China have gotten completely out of control   Taxi-fest
     
 
Immigration going from China to Hong Kong   The rest of it...
     
 
Our driver preparing our passports for the drive through    
     
 
    Okay... now notice anything strange here?  Yes!  Everyone is driving on the opposite side of the road... meanwhile China drivers stay to the right... so where does this transition take place?... At the border into Hong Kong!
     
 
This is the endless tunnel was soon after the border... it is literally miles long   Our driver had all these goofy things on his dashboard... not sure why I felt compelled to take a picture of them..
     
 
I shrunk this picture pretty far so it's hard to read this sign... it says "Keep Left" as opposed to our "Keep Right"... ho hum... I wasn't even jet lagged at this stage so I have no excuse for this being interesting to me   Awesome bridges in Hong Kong... there are several of them
     
 
Hong Kong or the closest thing that I saw that could have been Hong Kong in the distance    
     
 
I mean this bridge was absolutely amazing   And look at all of them reaching off into the distance!  Bridges are cool
     
 
    This picture was supposed to show a goofy sign at this toll station but it got kinda blurry when I shrunk it.  But the sign says in English... "No Need to Pay Here"
     
 
Oh and I had no idea that there was a disneyland here in Hong Kong   With Mickey Mouse ears and everything
     
 
These buildings were absolutely amazing... there are several of them.  I can't believe that they would actually stand up by themselves... they're appartment buildings...   They're very narrow... I think only one apartment wide or two at most... so everyone has a lovely view... the airport is on the other side
     
   
Yay!  The airport... and home a mere day away    
     
     
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