Spring Festival

We leave early on Friday morning for our vacation. We will visit Shanghai, Hainan Island, Hong Kong, Southern China, Viet Nam and Cambodia and will be away until 3rd February. It is possible that we will be out of computer contact for that time.

New Year's Eve in Shanghai

The past week just whirled by. We went to Shanghai on New Year's Eve. We went right from the train station to the airport and ate and then no-one wanted to go back into Shanghai to see what was going on so we spent our time exploring the airport, visiting and getting to bed early.

Terminal two where the international flights come and go is very modern, clean and attractive.

This morning we saw Darwin, Amber, Caden, Chloe and Owen off - at least into the security area. It was sad to watch them go.

The airport was fairly quiet - at least in the international area, but we took a bus to the train station and it was a madhouse. There were so many people they had policemen or security people allowing only a certain number of people in the station at one time. The Nanjing train station likewise was crowded and the subway was the most crowded we have seen, but we arrived back at our apartment safely.

New Year's is a holiday from school and work here in China.

The Shanghai airport from our hotel window.

Good-bye Darwin, Amber and children.
We loved having you here.

Our Day today

This morning Amber and I set out to visit the fabric shops. We went to Bu Bu Bu and that was enough for Amber. They had some very lovely fabric but Amber didn't like the pushy salespeople - and they weren't very pushy at all.

We had lunch at Babela's Italian restaurant and then left the children with our neighbour and visited the Presidential Palace. (Bob and I had visited there in September and posted some pictures then.)

It looks like a warm day, but although the sun was shining it was cold.



In the evening we went out for Chinese Food. We chose a restaurant that is known for making Chinese food that is like North American Chinese food. The meat wasn't cleavered up and didn't have pieces of bone in it. The food was quite good and Caden really liked the french fries.

Campus Art

Confucius Temple & Fuzi Miao Market

This morning we took the subway to the Confucius Temple area. It was raining lightly and there was a cool breeze.

The children were mobbed by Chinese people wanting to take their picture.


Chloe liked the Chinese Lanterns.

More Baines in Nanjing

On Saturday we went by train to Shanghai and met Amber, Darwin, Caden, Chloe and Owen at the airport. They were very tired after the long flight and we went right to the hotel so they could get some sleep.

Amber liked the hairdrier in the hotel

(It blew cold air)

Shanghai is a big city. We didn`t have time to get out and see any of it - just what we saw traveling between train station, hotel and airport.

Sunday morning we returned by train to Nanjing.

Waiting for the train in Shanghai

As we walked from the gate of the campus to our apartments Chloe noticed the trees and thought we were in Hawaii.

Back in our apartment

Help to set the table

Grandad's helper making pancakes

Merry Christmas

Hope you all have enjoyed a Merry Christmas today. Best wishes to everyone.

While you North Americans still have a few hours of Christmas left to enjoy, we here in China are ahead of you and it is Boxing Day.

On Christmas Eve after our classes we decided to forgo our usual Christmas Eve tradition of having Chinese food for supper. We walked over to Salsa, a mexican restaurant (Chinese style) but it was closed so we came home and had spagetti for supper.

I had classes all day yesterday (Christmas day). I left at 6:30 a.m. and did not return until 5:00 p.m. One good thing was that the heat was turned on in the teaching building last week. Bob came all the way out to the other campus on the bus to meet me and ride back on the bus with me. Then we went by taxi and met some of the other BYU teachers at a restaurant called "Henry's Home" where we had some good western food. Bob had steak which he said was the best meat he has had in China. I opted for pizza.

We went over to our friend's apartment and played cards and had dessert. When we arrived back here a few of the BYU boys had come Christmas carolling and were just going to leave as we got here.

Some of my classes had Christmas cards for me, some sent e-mail greeetings and all the students said "Merry Christmas".

All in all, Christmas does come to China!

Now our classes have ended and we don't go back until the 12th February. I still have exams to mark and grades to hand in. Two of my students had chicken pox and couldn't do their Oral English exam so I have to find a time when they can do that. They want to do it the days we are in Shanghai to meet Darwin and Amber, but that won't work.

We don't know yet what classes we will be teaching next semester, but supposedly I have an American History and Culture and a writing class. We probably won't know until the week before we start again. Yes, this is China.