I am still trying to figure out how to make this blog look good, but in the meantime, I want to show you what we are seeing. So, here goes!
Dalian as seen from the window of our (first) room, more on that later. The lights on the buildings are amazing, and the ones in Hong Kong (more on that later) are truly amazing! (Thursday, 7/11 at about 8:00 PM)
View from the ground the next morning, from in front of the hotel. High rise construction is everywhere, all of it as far as i can tell reinforced concrete, and going up all the time everywhere. Not different from when i was in China 10 years ago, they are building all the time, everywhere, and only going up. I went out for coffee to the mall attached to the hotel, and was disappointed it was not open, until i realized how early i was up and about. A stand-alone Starbucks in the US would be open this early, but one in a mall would not. (Friday, 7/12 at about 6:30 AM – think jet lag)
Looking back toward the city, at least our part of it, from near the water. The building in the foreground is the Dalian Convention Center, home to the World Economic Forum about two weeks before our arrival. (Friday, 7/12 at about 11 AM)
Dalian as seen from our second room (more on that later!) Again, high rise construction is everywhere. Dalian is a mid-rank city in China, with a population of about 6 million people – bigger than any city in the US. (Friday, 7/12 at about 11:30 AM)
Photos of our visas that we were asked to send to LION Friday about noon. This was not a good omen! All’s well that ends well though, I am typing this in Hong Kong International Airport while waiting for my flight back to Dalian.
The Galleria, the mall next door to our hotel. Four levels, very large, full of shops and restaurants. We had lunch there and did some window shopping. (Friday, 7/12 at about 4 PM)
Dalian 2019 