Xiaoshan Harbor

[herrmill]

Well the move has finally taken place & I've made my escape from Shanghai.

By escape, we barely missed getting snowed in on the main highway with the major winter storm that has been making the news. 14" of snow fell on us within 24 hours which is something to behold considering we're at the same latitude as Jacksonville, FL where I used to live. Here in China their idea of DOT winter snow removal is to arm the local peasants with brooms & shovels. :p

Once I get things organized at the new office & house :eek:, I plan to set up my new workshop in the next few days during the CNY holiday & get back to building.

[bigford]

got to love the white stuff :eek: were still looking for it on long island
snow seems to be everywhere but here the temp for today is 50*

[smart_racer]

That is alot of snow...what location did you relocate to?

[simo10]

wow Jacksonville huh, well here in Jacksonville it's 65 and tomorrow is scheduled to go to 78 :D

[Kmot]

You may be cold, but it is very scenic and pretty! :)

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

Looks like you need an Icebreaker in the fleet.

:)

[herrmill]

Xiaoshan is just across the river from Hangzhou, 200km southwest of Shanghai, & I'd gladly welcome warmer temps anyday! Yes, the snow is pretty & certainly makes a lot of where China a lot more attractive to the eye, but I doubt it was beneficial to the orange grove down the road from us.

As mentioned before, its an area with over 8,000 years of history & home to the world's oldest boat discovery. I'm surrounded by lakes & rivers, the mountains less than 30 minutes to the west & we have five major Buddhist temples within 10km of our place so I'll have a few more options for weekend diversions once we get settled in.

Chuck

[smart_racer]

Nice M26...is it built, or still in the box?

[Kmot]

Chuck, is that bike and sidecar some sort of Chinese knock-off? It is waaaay cool!!!

[james carey]

I'm with you KMOT , not sure if it's a current model or a restoration?

Nice bike , hope the traffic is better than Jakarta , but some how I don't think so:)

Cheers,
James

[herrmill]

That's a restored Chang Jiang (http://www.changjiangunlimited.com/) 750 which is a direct ancestor of the original BMW R71 that the Wehrmacht used in the late '30s. It made its way to China via the Soviet Union after WW2.

I've been waiting for several years to buy one once I made the move from Shanghai since I didn't want to become a statistic riding one there. They can be had here from anywhere between USD2500-4000 depending on desired modifications & who's doing the work. Hangzhou has a CJ club that I'll join for the weekend sidecar outings up into the bamboo forested mountains where the roads were designed for riding bikes like these.

Jakarta? I get the willies thinking about that fine city after having had the "pleasure" of sitting for hours in the traffic. I used to do a lot of business to the east in Surabaya, but had a few suppliers outside of Jakarta & tried to stay away as much as I could. China hasn't gotten that bad...yet!

Chuck

[herrmill]

Nice M26...is it built, or still in the box?

Its built & will soon be joined by a M4A1 in the motor pool. Nick A. in Houston makes an excellent resin cast hull & turret for the early Sherman that I'm just about to start on. I've got several Tamiya as well as modified HL & WSN tanks to play with when I want to stay on land. Am certain we'll amuse the local peasants when they see us playing army. :D

[Ghost 2501]

how far is Tai-shan mountain?

[pkboo]

Chuck, congrats on the move and buy of most excellent motorbike :) as they would say in China! Hope you get time to play sometime soon :D

[Kmot]

That's a restored Chang Jiang 750
Something else to lust after!

[herrmill]

how far is Tai-shan mountain?

A bit farther to the north in Shandong. Nice place to visit, especially in summer around the same time as Qingdao's beer festival. :D

[herrmill]

Something else to lust after!

Tom,

I can add a 2nd bike to my order... taking delivery in late March. Shipping would probably be under $500 to the west coast.

Chuck

[herrmill]

Chuck, congrats on the move and buy of most excellent motorbike :) as they would say in China! Hope you get time to play sometime soon :D

Thanks Gene! The welcome mat is out for you & everyone else who may have reason to travel this way.

Chuck

[Kmot]

Thanks Chuck, wish I could! :)

[herrmill]

Come on Tom... you only live once!!!

Happy Year of the Rat! :D