Walking into the salad restaurant, I expected to see folks eating. I did not expect to see an entire indoor skatepark with quarter pipe ramps everywhere. Skaters darted back and forth in the midst of a fairly conventional mall–with Chinese touches, of course, of cascading waterfalls & fake monkeys clinging to fake palm trees–as spectators…
Tag: china
We Set a World Record Together Yesterday
The highest vertical building run ever: 552 vertical meters up Earth’s second tallest building–Shanghai Tower. Shanghai, China. 上海 中国🇨🇳 Always intrigued by Empire during 12 years in NYC, but never tried to get in. And very difficult to get into. But I am a Professional Adventurer now. And it is my duty to run such…
Can’t I Just Take the Elevator?
In a nutshell: No. For the 900 or so of us warped ones, we will be running up. Why? Face my fears. When race organizers say “no” to those who fear heights, I sign up; hopefully, I will not go into cardiac arrest when I look out from above. Life is not about how much…
Beijing Comes to Shanghai
I’d planned to write today about running on the Great Wall last weekend. Yes, life is pretty rad when I can casually type out such statements. But that story will come later. I feel more compelled to tell you all how my boy from Beijing contacted me yesterday. This is the race director, 6 years…
Chang Cheng: I am here
The Great Wall. “Yahweh” first taught me about this place. That’s Professor Hall Peebles of Wabash College. Circa 1997, he opened my eyes to other faiths, cultures, traditions. This had a profound impact on the course of my future. Stories of ancient Chinese traditions flowed from his lips, as the trusty tissue in his hand…
Running Shanghai, Part II: How is it Different than USA?
Hot tea at the ready in Century Park for our pleasure upon finishing a long run in 80% humidity and about 85 degrees. Haven’t seen that in Central Park, nor Van Cortlandt. It was great, though. Actually, at the 10k point of my run, I mixed tea with lemon lime Gatorade. It was quite good….
Shanghai in 5 Photos
Wow. Just starting to venture further afield, getting to know my newly adopted city. There are many elements of Shanghai I’m liking a lot….more and more… Just got home after a few hours out exploring, wandering, adventuring. No captions or annotations this time. Draw your own conclusions from these 5 photos just taken this afternoon-evening.
9th Day: Detained by Chinese Security
40:07 into this morning’s run on my ninth day living in China; that is when I was detained by Chinese security. And the run was going so well. Look where I was: Yeah. Beautiful running route. No one out on this elite school campus yet but a legion of groundskeepers, security & myself. For…
I’m Going to Show Them
Yeah. This is how it’s done. I charged into ICBC bank on Hongmei Road like I owned the joint. Shit, I live across the way now. And I’ve been here nearly 6 days. I’m going to show the 2 Caucasian ladies waiting how an American in China does business. I went straight to the futuristic…
Sometimes,
this is breakfast: No milk in the cereal and a small serving of fruit. But I’m not eating the bowls of ramen or rice with eggs. And I’m not sure what’s in the seaweed. It’s all complimentary so I’d be eating like a king if it was a vegan joint. Crap. I feel bad. A…
Fortuned Freak
That’s the supremely interesting thing about traveling: even when things look the same upon first glance, just look closer. China now is a vastly different place than it was even 15 years ago. It’s far more open, cosmopolitan, even influenced by Western ideas. However, it is still a completely unique place all its own. My…
Running Shanghai: The First 8 Lessons
It’s hot & humid as hell here. That’s lesson #1. Knew it’d be hot, but not like South Texas. Therefore, I am being forced to transition from an early evening runner to a wicked early morning runner. That meant starting out at 0620 today. But on a school day, it will mean starting my run…
Don't Let My Parents Read This 