INSIDE THE TAIHU LAKE MANDARIN HOTEL

The hotel, isolated in its singular placement on an island in Taihu Lake, is a curoiously exotic environment, creating for its guests... a world of its own.

The vast lobby's high ceilings, chandeliers, and glorious murals, and paintings covering the ceilings as well as walls, create a dramatic setting.

Suprisingly, all the paintings were reproductions of European Renaissance mythological scenes.

Here's our spacious, airy room, overlooking the lake.

This is what you see from the window. At night, the bridge on the right was lit with a string of lights. The occasional car going to another island, and soft ripples of the lake were the only sign of life after dark.

The modern bath and shower were lovely.

Wandering the lower hallways of the hotel, Kathy found that there was a "Spa" with one gentleman practioner at the desk. This is the choice of treatments. Kathy did not have time to have her feet pinched or scraped, her sole massaged or even her back wiped, but that Biluo Chun (lower list) is something we were to learn more about! (We'll share some later.) If you are wondering what treatment on that list was "taped over" and why... we don't know, and only Chinese was spoken there...in spite of the sign.

Nor did we have time for bowling...we didn't see anyone else doing that either. But this massive bowling alley took up a good deal of the lower floor. Unfortunately, there was no swimming pool, and we never saw anyone jumping in the lake.

This is the lovely dining hall, where we had a wonderful buffets with our group, at breakfast and lunch each day, and several dinner meals, served more formally, at the tables.

And finally, here is the lecture hall, and Rick giving his lecture at 8 am the morning after we arrived at the hotel.

BUT WHERE'S DINKY, OUR LITTLE REPORTER BEAR?
He's resting up after the trip, soon to make another appearance.

RICK AND KATHY IN CHINA AND TAIWAN

May 12 to 22, 2005

MEET DINKY, your guide!

Read 5 Shanghai Dumplings, 2005
poems by Kathy, written during the 5th Shanghai Conference on Combinatorics

• ARRIVAL AND DAYS IN SHANGHAI (May 13 – 15)
  
• THE FIFTH SHANGHAI CONFERENCE on COMBINATORICS begins in SHANGHAI
  AT THE NEW CAMPUS OF JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY
  
• VIEWS from the BUS (from Shanghai to the Lake Taihu)
  
• ARRIVAL AT TAIHU LAKE NEAR SUZHOU for the main part of the conference (May 15 – 18)
• The Conference Tourist Boat on Taihu Lake, China (May 17, 2005)
  
  ARRIVAL IN TAIWAN(May 18);
  (above includes a ride on the fastest train in the world to the Shanghai airport!)
  
  THE CTS Conference on Combinatorics and Its Applications
  at
  Newest update (June, 2005): INSIDE TAPEI 101 (The Food Court) (Taiwan)
  
  Our Karaoke Bus Ride to Tapei, Taiwan (May 22, 2005)
  
  THE PALACE MUSEUM IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN(Saturday, May 22, 2005)

  MINIATURE PORTRAIT GALLERY OF SPEAKERS Sketches by Kathy, done during the lectures at both conferences TAIWAN CONFERENCE newest portraits: Friday & Saturday Speakers, May 20 and 21, 2005 Thursday Speakers, May 19, 2005 SHANGHAI CONFERENCE Speakers Tuesday and Wednesday, May 17 & 18, 2005 Speakers Monday, May 16, 2005 Speakers Saturday and Sunday, May 14&15

  IN TAIWAN

  National Chiao Tung University IN HSINCHU, TAIWAN (May 19-21)
  

  TAIWAN CONFERENCE CELEBRATIONS PHOTO ALBUM
  

  TAIWAN BANQUET FOOD ALBUM
  

  RICK'S TAIWAN LECTURE(other conference photos to come)
  

  A WALK IN THE GARDENS OF HSINCHU(May 21)
  

  TAPEI 101 (visiting the world's tallest building)
  

  Read Dinky's Best of Taiwan Reviews
  

  (May 22)OUR FLIGHT HOME

  TIME DIFFERENCE: WE WERE 15 hours ahead of California time,
  12 hours ahead of New York time

  check on the time and weather in Shanghai

  
  Kathy and Rick in the Gardens at West Lake near Hangzhou, May 2002

  READ KATHY'S SHANGHAIKU
  (written during our last trip to Shanghai, for the FOURTH SHANGHAI CONFERENCE on COMBINATORICS

  Kathy&Rick Home Page