Undescribable.
Ah, Dalian. I started my trip in this city north-east of Beijing. The buildings in this city are positively gi-normous, and often uninhabited. I guess they're going through some kind of rapid growth phase or something. Build build build. I think the building in this picture is a modern art gallery. Isn't it LARGE?
posted by kumagoro @ 2:11 a.m.
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Anyhow, Dalian is famous for its city squares, which were built out of admiration for Parisien boulevards. Two places we visited in Dalian were the Russian-style street, left over from the days Russia controlled the city. We also went to not 1, not 2, but 3 aquariums (and there's another aquarium we didn't get to). Aquarium #2 (forgot the name) kicked some serious ass! Aliens relaxing in underwater living rooms, submerged cars, swordfish on bikes- it was all there.
posted by kumagoro @ 2:09 a.m.
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We took a plane from Dalian to Beijing (only 50 min). Now, Beijing was fun. We hit several major tourist attractions. Unfortunately, being major and all, they were full of tourists. The first of these was the Forbidden City, which was right near our hotel, kind of. The forbidden city is vast, and parts are under-going renovation. I wanted to ride a bike around it, just like Emperor Pu Yi in "The Last Emperor". Alas, it was not to be.
posted by kumagoro @ 2:06 a.m.
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The next stop was the Great Wall, at Badaling. Lemme tell ya, it is *great*. Not just as in fantastic, but as in BIG. And steep. And full of stairs! It was very painful climbing it. I gave up because I really suck. The view was amazing, though. Misty, mountainy and wall-y. There are also a lot of bears living in pans near the entrance to the Great Wall. Why this is, I do not know. But you could chuck cucumbers at them. Some of the splendor of the Wall was taken away by all the vendors hawking their "I climbed the Great Wall" shirts, etc. There was also lots of litter... but overall, it was, um, great!
posted by kumagoro @ 2:02 a.m.
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Last stop was "The Summer Palace". It was probably my favourite. It was also really crowded. I was thinking if someone set off an H-bomb or something, and got rid of all the people, it would be fantastic. The 'Palace is a collection of courtyards, gardens and small palaces gathered around a lake. Very peaceful. It was built in 1750, and later renovated and enlarged by the infamous Empress Dowager Cixi. Some of the highlights included the "Clear and Peaceful" marble boat, the "Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha" (couldn't actually approach it) and a building ("Bayoun Bronze Pavilion") cast entirely from...... well, bronze. Go figure.
posted by kumagoro @ 1:59 a.m.
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Summer Palace Interior: I like the colors! That's all ^____^
posted by kumagoro @ 1:57 a.m.
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Spacious and hot is how I would describe it.
posted by kumagoro @ 1:55 a.m.
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If you look at the picture really fast, they look kind of like big turds.
posted by kumagoro @ 1:54 a.m.
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Our apartment building, which my mom called the Purple Kingdom.
posted by kumagoro @ 1:48 a.m.
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I came home from China yesterday. I'll post pics later, after I sort them. For now, here are the ultra-cute mascots for the Beijing Olympics. The orange one is Yingying, s/he's the best one. And I'm not just saying that because I own a big Yingying toy. Aww, so cute. Makes me feel kinda of misty-eyed.
posted by kumagoro @ 10:22 a.m.
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You might recognize this face. It looks like the lovely Claudia Schiffer, but it is in fact the face of Pure Evil who reigns over a world of Pain and Suffering. Her source of power is called "Perfect Fit: Lower Body Workout" and it can be found on sale at Tsutaya for only 690 yen. STAY AWAY. You have been warned. It will destroy your life (or at least your control over cetain lower body muscle groups. I mean, plie-squat-lunges? That's just mean!)
posted by kumagoro @ 8:34 a.m.
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So, yeah, I bought myself some nice big Saty beetles. I bought two- they came in a set. Trouble is, I ran out of names. So if you can think of his-and-her names for my beetles, please let me know. Names which have been considered and rejected: Barbie/Ken, Bonnie/Clyde, Kurt/Courtney, Steve McQueen/someone else, Antony/Cleopatra, Morticia/Gomez, Beetle 1/Beetle 2.
posted by kumagoro @ 10:53 a.m.
7 comments
Takarazuka Revue, baby! About bloody time. I've been raring to go to one of these shows since.... well, always. And it was FANTASTIC. They must have used a metric ton of rhinestones for the costumes. I love how the 'Revue operates under it's own rules of aesthetics. Excessive eyeliner, unnaturally bright lipstick and mullets? Takarazuka says "Onegai shimasu!". As you may know, the Takarazuka Revue is a musical theatre featuring an all-women cast; they play the male and female roles. It sounds kind of odd, but during the show you can feel that "suspension of disbelief" kick in. The show I saw was called "Phantom", starring Sumire Haruno in the title role. And in all seriousness it was very enjoyable. The lyrics and dialogue, being in Japanese, were incomprehensible, but I am familiar with the story ("Phantom of the Opera") so it wasn't so bad.
posted by kumagoro @ 1:30 a.m.
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... and Bec is not protecting me! I spend too much money at the videostore. Yesterday, I bought a sweet Final Fantasy Advent Children book- full colour, in English and Japanese. But the best part is the pictures and quotes from the seiyuu. I was geeking out! If you don't know what a seiyuu is, then I won't tell you. I'm too embarrassed. This is a photo of Seiyuu Morikubo Shoutaro and badguy Kadaj. かわいいね.
posted by kumagoro @ 10:43 a.m.
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