2017 from China in Pictures

Because we (Mark) could not just send a simple card…

Adventures with Friends

We’ve been fortunate this year to continue cultivating great friendships - both with fellow expats and local coworkers.
From running around the streets of Shanghai during a scavenger hunt carrying out random acts of ‘laowai craziness’… Shanghai Scavenger Hunt …to ‘breaking bread’ with coworkers over hot-pot (It can get messy)… co-workers hotpot lunch …to getting cultured (or pretending to be cultured) by going to the Shanghai version of ‘Sleep No More’… Sleep No More …to celebrating Mark’s birthday at home by turning our apartment into a Lounge with a custom game and home-made cocktails… Low Keys Lounge …to singing pop songs from Taiwan (TF Boys) in a private karaoke room (KTV) until the wee hours of the morning… KTV …adventures with this group of friends have definitely made the year fly by!

The Visitors

Thanks to all of our friends and family who made the journey across the Pacific, we were able to continue contributing to China’s growing economy and really fine-tune our Shark Tour services.

From hitting it off with Mark’s new Taiwan squad when he visited Sharon’s grandmother and learned Mahjong… example alt text …to venturing to one of China’s National Parks (Zhangjiajie) with a business school friend… example alt text …to introducing a friend from Portland to Mark’s online Chinese teacher (second from right) in Hangzhou… example alt text …to taking advantage of a good air day by Shanghai’s iconic Bund with the recently engaged couple (so excited for your wedding!)… example alt text …to teaching Mark’s Mom and her bestie how to navigate the world’s largest subway system (by miles of track)… example alt text …and giving them a taste of the attention you get as an English-speaking foreigner in smaller Chinese cities (the children are asking to practice their English)… example alt text …to celebrating Thanksgiving with Mark’s brother and sister-in-law showcasing an original Mark Brenneman art piece from 1986… example alt text …and doing one of Mark’s famous “light” hikes along the Great Wall… example alt text …to dining with Sharon’s parents in an old Shanghai gangster’s house… Gangster house in Shanghai

…we loved being able to share a little bit of our new home with you all and are so appreciative that you carved out some of your 2017 to spend with us!

The Trips

This year was no exception in the travel department. With so many cool spots to go to that require a shorter commute than braving the 405 in LA or I-5 in PDX during traffic hours, it’s hard to pass up any opportunity. Here were some of our most memorable ones…

India

Eating delicious curries and rotis of all kinds… example alt text …to exploring on jeep tours and eagerly waiting for a chance to spot a wild tiger (we struck gold and saw 3!)… example alt text …and of course, getting a picture in front of the iconic jewel of the Rajasthan region! example alt text

Cambodia

Riding ATVs and bikes to explore rice paddies, water villages, and temples of the lost jungle! example alt text

Zhangjiajie

Soaking in the majestical work of Mother Nature (and inspiration for the movie Avatar)… example alt text

glass bridge …and joining in the local crazy pastime of taking selfies while laying on the world’s longest glass bridge!

Guilin

Cruising along the Yangshou River and seeing the beautiful limestone mountains… example alt text …to picking a single cup’s worth of tea (because Mark was adament about finding the “perfect” leaves) at a green tea plantation! example alt text

Back to the USA

Enjoying some quality time with friends on our first trip back to the States since moving to China… example alt text …to celebrating Cody and Hallie getting hitched in the beautiful Rocky Mountains… example alt text …to enjoying some pinot in Willamette Valley (no stinking merlots here!)… example alt text …to celebrating Tom’s birthday… example alt text …and getting to lounge in LA with Teddy and Cooper! Teddy and Cooper in LA

South Korea

Cooling down with ice teas at traditional cafes… example alt text

example alt text ..and spending some time to beautify our feet with a proper soak (“aerial” selfies were our thing on this trip apparently)!

Vietnam

example alt text Scooting around the cities to explore the local food…

...to kayaking beautiful Halong Bay...

example alt text …and trekking (or really…constantly falling into mud pits) across rice fields in Sapa! example alt text

Scotland

Exploring castles and whiskeys downtown… example alt text …to seeing sheep and “hairy coos” in the Scotland Highlands… example alt text …and celebrating Craig & Charlene’s wedding! example alt text

The journey is half the fun

From Shanghai’s super-cheap rental bikes… example alt text …to trains… example alt text …to more trains… example alt text …and even more trains (we apparently can’t get enough)… example alt text …this year has flown by almost as fast as China’s highspeed train from Shanghai to Beijing! example alt text

That was tiring

Need we say more? example alt text example alt text

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Ugly sweaters at Goose Island Thank you all for playing being a part of our 2017. Can’t wait for 2018!