tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82149431419931895712024-03-13T17:28:34.844-04:00Gwagg's Travels and Grumpy thoughtsGregg's adventures and nerdy thoughtsGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.comBlogger523125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-17285953995109253102014-07-26T02:36:00.000-04:002014-07-26T02:43:26.560-04:00Trip 7 - Work, Work, Wuxi, Nanjing and TaipeiTrip 7 to Shanghai was/is my longest to date. By the time I am done it will be 74 days since I was standing in the USA. I am changing and Shanghai is changing.
My body has adjusted and I am eating regular Chinese everyday for lunch and dinner. I will admit I partake of a huge Western/Asian buffet every morning because it is included in my accommodations. &Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-31696300474110277242014-05-09T01:51:00.000-04:002014-07-26T01:52:01.394-04:00Train ride to the BoroFriends, I hear you; "what were you thinking" but after a multitude of trips on China's extensive railroad I had to try USA style. No matter what you think a train ride is so much more relaxing and economical for a single rider. Yes it may take 2.5 hours longer by train but when was the last time you had nothing to do for 7 hours. For the Orlando to Savannah trip the Amtrak Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-81122168331099096202014-04-12T01:41:00.002-04:002014-04-12T01:41:43.900-04:00Trip 6 includes a lot of work, Tomb Sweeping Holiday and a trip to Hangzhou
This trip found Kelly flying over with me. On Sunday we walked around Yuyuan gardens and a few other places around town. We had three weeks of meetings and she was here to help get the most important week kicked off.
I celebrated my birthday on this trip at a dive bar with the team for a few hours. The Americans stayed late but our Chinese colleagues returned to theirGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-33009829698606545942014-01-29T09:35:00.001-05:002014-04-12T01:56:57.132-04:00Technology Joke
Sometimes the dumb ones are the funniest-
A man received a text message from his neighbor...
Sorry sir I am using your wife ... I am using day and night ... I am using when u r not present at home ... In fact I am using more than u r using...
I confess this because now I feel very much guilty ... hope u will accept my sincere apologies...
Man went home and had a big fight with his wife...Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-45109188275879988982013-12-20T09:15:00.001-05:002014-04-12T01:53:29.522-04:00My 1st Great Wall visit
I just had my 1st Great wall experience and it was inspiring but there was something missing. Not having a loved one to share the moment, a hand to hold while stepping over rough terrain was in a way sad. I missed my family and for the first time became home sick. The haze was everywhere and Beijing is actually better than Shanghai this weekend regarding the smog. As the sun came up Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-84316230576896833452013-12-06T09:33:00.001-05:002013-12-06T09:33:16.541-05:00Hello from Beijing-- Sent from Gmail Mobile Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-86562163795730740292013-12-06T09:31:00.001-05:002014-04-12T02:22:50.014-04:00Suzhou China trip
Suzhou is a neighboring city that in a few years will have Shanghai metro link connecting with it. For now you can take a 20 minute high speed train from the Hongchaio train station.
G trains run on electric overhead cables and travel up to 346 Km/h but are governed to 300 Km/h due to some train accidents in 2010.
Tiger garden was a great place to come and Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-49204909408706717982013-12-06T09:30:00.001-05:002013-12-06T09:30:22.307-05:00Thanksgiving in China-- Sent from Gmail Mobile Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-42961903245246057202013-10-06T12:18:00.001-04:002013-10-06T12:29:49.157-04:00Places I have visited, I have a lot more to see!
visited 31 states (62%)
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visited 21 countries (9.33%)
Thanks to this site for the mapsGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-58817245156339384852013-10-01T12:18:00.000-04:002013-11-23T22:38:28.945-05:00Wine CountryHeidelberg is in the Sonoma region. Nestled in a valley formed by the Russian River, the area is famous for their grape farms and wineries. Our hotel was called the H2 which was odd for me as my SHDR project uses the name H2 for the to-be named value hotel. H2 in Heidelberg was a very modern European style hotel run by very young people. The downstairs is a very chic restaurant and bar Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-21485166810305482532013-09-30T12:17:00.000-04:002013-11-23T22:01:21.898-05:00Redwood ForestFerndale was very quaint historic town with a lot of antique and artistry shopping. We found Mom a birthday present and shipped it from the little post office. We were to travel another 90 miles north to the Redwood forest but the locals told us to return how we came and follow the “Avenues of the Giants” a scenic rode that goes through massive Redwood stands. The drive was spectacular. We Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-38307437154726317352013-09-27T12:16:00.000-04:002013-11-23T21:58:00.782-05:00Wine Country via San FranciscoSally has had a dream for years to visit “Wine Country” She did not know where or what region just somewhere near Sonoma. I did some research and found Wine Country Bikes in Healdsburg, CA specializing in tours via a bicycle. There were many options and knowing how important this was I chose a two day package with the 1st day guided and the second day on our own. I wanted to try a tandem so weGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-26949872597882074282013-08-30T17:22:00.000-04:002013-09-13T17:32:16.482-04:002013 Savannah Century12 friends rented a cottage on Tybee Labor Day weekend. Sunday was the Savannah Bike century which was a blast. I was recovering well from my jet lag but came down with a stomach virus so no biking for me. Seven riders started with one finishing the 56, two finishing the 75 and four finishing the 103. Good turnout from the Team Peace wearing their Orange Cycle Jerseys.
Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-63124648286732131672013-08-25T03:11:00.001-04:002013-09-13T17:18:07.722-04:00Find the translation mistake
Our visit to Qingdao was short. On the way to the airport our guide and driver took us through the city and past the big public tourist beach. The picture below was not taken by me but was somewhat close to what we saw.
The flight to Shanghai was delayed multiple times but one of my travel partners was a Delta black Diamond traveler and was able to get us in the China EasternGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-14287722469808213552013-08-25T03:10:00.000-04:002013-09-13T13:02:07.356-04:00Tsingtao beer festival
Sent from my iPhone
Gregg Wagner
More pictures to come...... Words will never explain what we experienced
I posted more pictures of the festival in the Google+ album mentioned in my previous post. the only way I can describe the festival is to think of it as a giant state fair; but on a magnitude of 10x larger. Everyone was having a good time and outside of the crowds weGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-71400579717033407022013-08-25T00:58:00.000-04:002013-08-25T00:59:03.583-04:00China beach
Sent from my iPhone
Gregg Wagner
Took a one day trip to Quingdoa, china. This is a coastal town that has one of the few swimmable beaches. Not recommend for westerners. The city is known for its history in WWI and WW2. Quingdoa has been occupied by Germans and Japanese.
More to come as I only have my mobile devicesGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-11105953935344782492013-08-18T10:06:00.000-04:002013-08-18T19:43:25.301-04:00Water village
Today, Sunday, I organized a trip for 9 people to the Zhujiajiao Ancient water city. Zhujiajiao is an ancient water town well-known throughout the country, with a history of more than 1700 years. There are not many Western tourists, this is where the Chinese come for time off. I am told the little town is the best-preserved among the four ancient towns near Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-3666927416450717502013-08-17T00:57:00.001-04:002013-08-17T05:30:37.414-04:00Shanghai trip 5Back in China for a project kickoff. Second time being here in August. This year there is record heat and is hot ~ 35 - 40 Celsius . What a better way to quench the heat is with a cool drink.
Vietnamese Beer on ice for lunch at Pho Yummy
Scotch on a sphere
Dinner Friday night was wonderful at Lost Heaven restaurant down near the bund. The cuisine was Yunnan Folk and Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-45324084590726892882013-05-16T17:36:00.000-04:002013-09-13T17:43:52.098-04:00GSMTR 2013 Windrock Park in Tennessee
Chance and I spent the weekend at Windrock park near Olive Springs, TN. Great Smokey Trail Ride is one of the largest gatherings of Toyota 4x4 vehicles in the East Coast. We spent a few days and nights wheeling but we also got in one of the best bike rides I have ever done.
The ride below was "Epic" for flatlanders.
More info about Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-38289180350748120492013-05-07T08:55:00.002-04:002013-05-07T16:46:13.047-04:005 Boro Bike Tour
A second cousin told Sally and I about a bike ride in NY city. The ride goes through the five boroughs of NY City. It is the largest bike event in the US. Over 33,000 people participated in the one day event. To get that many people to travel 40 miles within the city is quite a feat. First the city agreed to shut down all vehicular traffic along the route. Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-13971467753673490262013-04-30T07:56:00.002-04:002013-05-07T15:17:41.591-04:002013 MS Bike ride "Citrus Tour"Another great ride through the orange fields of Polk County. This year Kevin, Mathew, Sally and I did the 100 mile route on Saturday. Eddie, Chance, Debra, Jeremy and Jana did 50 miles. Sally suffered the most with a new seat that was not right for her. With the van at Bok tower Chance, Mathew and I headed back doing another 50 miles on Sunday. Amazing how this year the hills people have Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-11098407201996121602013-04-15T14:39:00.001-04:002013-04-15T14:41:26.563-04:00The medical center loop morphedOn April 7th Kevin and Mathew did what I am referring to as the Mega Medical Center loop. This 80+ mile ride is perfect primer for a flat florida century. With St. Cloud at the mid-point and the shopping center at Narcoosee and LeeVista at the 3/4 mark; this is a great ride. We also pass many other cyclists, usually going the other way. Bike lanes for 90% of rideGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0Orlando, FL, USA28.5383355 -81.3792364999999928.091721999999997 -82.0246835 28.984949 -80.733789499999986tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-17072794987027288532013-03-27T09:09:00.001-04:002013-08-17T05:34:23.136-04:00Travel home
I traveled with a medium large wheeled suitcase, a square duffel and my backpack. Luggage does get misplaced on these international flights and if I found clothing that would fit in China it would be at the Gap or H&M! So I put two days of clothes in the duffle and carry that onboard as a back-up plan. Weather this trip was typical Spring weather like Washington DC whereGwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-90170407256966242722013-03-24T20:41:00.000-04:002013-04-09T08:45:25.119-04:00The end of our Volvo Oversea Delivery (OSD) experience You can go back in the archives and find trip posts about our Oversea Delivery of our 2013 XC60 in December 2012. The end note to this incredible experience was the long wait for the delivery. I belive dropping the car off in between Christmas and New Year added to our delay. Leaving the car in Copenhagen instead of the factory in Gotenburg added delivery time. A very Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214943141993189571.post-86147588373465536612013-03-24T08:51:00.000-04:002013-04-02T06:38:35.372-04:00South Bund fabric market
I have visited multiple electronic malls in Asia where hawkers try to lure you in their tiny stores. On Sunday I accompanied some colleagues to a similar mall hawking fabric creations instead of electronic gadgets. On the recommendation of others we made our way to booth 226 where my waist, hip, thigh, calf, leg length and crotch were carefully Gwagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13967888285043517307noreply@blogger.com0