Shanghai Part 2 - February 2015

More photos from Zoe's trip of the Jade Temple and Yu Yuan bazaar and gardens..

This is a very clean example of a ladies toilet!
Luckily you can normally find a western toilet
 too in Shanghai, not so when you get more rural though!

Outside the Jade Buddha Temple

Opposite the entrance is this lovely wall

Being New Year the temple was packed with people.

They come and pray the the various Buddha images
 around the temple and donate.

This is just one of the many status

The reclining Buddha.

Lots of New Year lanterns 

The temple buildings

In the court yard below the Sitting Buddha
room.

Incense burning and the temple courtyard.

The main three large Buddha's in the
courtyard.

The main temple courtyard

Main temple courtyard - very busy.

From the hop on bus

The courtyard below the sitting Jade Buddha

Buildings in the Yu Yuan bazar in the old style.

Crowd queuing to walk across the bridge to the gardens.

Amazingly busy during the new year period, so busy
that there was plenty of crown control and a one way system.

Entrance to the gardens

signs that spring was on the way..

lots of lovely pavilions, halls,
rockeries, ponds and cloisters and all have
 unique characteristics 

Looking back through the entrance.

the first pond area from one of the pavilions.

Fish!

from the walkway looking back at the first pavilion.

lovely carving on the wall.

very quiet little room over looking this waterway.

One of the many dragon features on the walls.

A lovely tranquil bamboo garden

another pond near the bamboo garden.

lovely Chinese Ming dynasty buildings

I loved the paving in some of the gardens

More Dragons

Chinese hobbits!

It was busier than my photos suggest!

lovely walkway and some of the new shanghai in the background.

Some of the many visitors

The famous weathered Jade rock with 72 holes.

These Chinese hobbits get everywhere!

Entrance way between gardens

Close up of the Dragons

Selfie!

Another selfie using a mirror in the back of the small pavilion
overlooking a waterway.
yes its was on average 8-12 degrees during late Feb.

Busy enough?

Hard to describe the amazingly large crowds.

Shanghai Part 1 - February 2015

Zoe had here own adventure in February to Shanghai, A friend wanted to trace her family who lived in Shanghai and were interned in the concentration camp at Weishang.  While this was part of the trip lots of fun and great experiences was had.  Even trying snake!

Yu Yun Garden, historical gardens that have been
made a national monument.
 Stunning gardens and a lovely taste of old China.

French Concession, modern area with plenty of restaurants.

The lanes in the French Concession, lovely lanes of
 little boutique shops and a great coffee shop called Kommune!

More of the lanes.

Lovely door with New Year wishes among the lanes.

The fish, snakes and eels are all very fresh!

Fresh Crab or turtle anyone?

Array of gorgeous herbs, spices and ingredients in the food
market part of the Lanes.

The fresh produce in the food market.

Chicken feet are a delicacy.....

A small garden on the Bund.

The MAGLEV train runs between the airport and Shanghai's outer city centre.  It gets up to speeds of 430 kmh using electromagnetic technology.

From the Waibaidu Bridge by the Hotel looking over the Pearl of
Shanghai and the Pudong side of the river.

December 2014, India turns 11

Some significant birthdays occurred in December this year! India also got her hair straightened, very different look!

Waihi - January 2015

In January we had a family camping trip to Waihi Beach at the bottom of the Coromandel Peninsula, gorgeous place and lovely warm water.  We had a day trip to Paeroa, home of L&P, old mines at kahurangi gorge and then the modern Gold mine at Waihi.  There was some pretty impressive side-burn growing occurring from Josh during the summer and ingenuous pizza making to try the awesome woodfire pizza at the campsite.

July 2014, UK Trip

In July we were able to return to the UK as a family for the first time since leaving for NZ in 2007. We had a very busy schedule from visiting family, friends and a hit list as long as your arms of things the kids wanted to do.  As anticipated there was only so much we could fit into less than 3 weeks and many things that we will have to do on another trip......
We did manage to squeeze in trips to the Isle of Man and the Southern 100 races, and yes we got to see guy Martin, and family, including the bump that would become cousin Xander!  From there we caught up with some family in Warrington, stayed with good friends Kate and Rob and caught up with many friends from the lower Beeding area. Family in Surrey, trips to Lego Land, Brighton, London and of course shopping!  We certainly had full suitcases coming home!