Monday afternoon: I went sightseeing on the opposite side of the Bund along Huangpu River. It's a new side built in the last 15 years. The pace of development here is staggering. Rebecca tells me that at least three new metro lines have opened since she was last here in December. My destination is the Pearl TV Tower, a very controversial high-rise building, a huge tourist attraction which some find an architectural eyesore, but is a must see for visitors. It resembles something like a cross between the Eiffel Tower and a space station a la the Jetsons. It was inspired by a poem that spoke of pearls dropping on a jade dish, by a Chinese poet from the Song dynasty. It falls short of that, but it is eye-catching. As it's a hot day I spend about 3.5 hours there, the museum itself is at the base of the Pearl, and it has many interesting exhibits. Most of them chronicle Shanghai's more recent history since the turn of the 20th century. The Chinese are crazy for models and the Pearl museum is rife with to scale models of important buildings throughout Shanghai, as well as displays a la Madame Tussauds. The place is packed, as is any tourist spot in Shanghai, and mostly people are less concerned with seeing the sights and reading the placards than they are worried about having their photos taken in front the displays. There are wonderful photos of Shanghai in more recent history and replicas of old trolley cars, rickshaws, carriages, and sedan chairs, as well as bicycle powered taxis. There was one particularly ornate vehicle, a sedan chair made for a wedding by a master sedan-chair-maker, that took ten years to make. Notable displays included a period teashop, barbershop, cotton-making shop, blacksmith, costume-shop for Peking Opera, and other various examples of life at the beginning of the 20th century. That evening Rebecca and I ate our New Orleans style dinner at home. It was not bad for being halfway across the world, but let's just say that the Chinese sausage doesn't compare to a good kielbasa. Tuesday, I return to Pudong and spent the afternoon trolling the fancy Super Brand Mall, it's quite expensive for the average Chinese, but is incredibly Western. But unlike western malls it has 7 or 8 floors. There's the ubiquitous McDonald's, KFC and Burger King, but also Chinese fast food as well as pricey-fancy restaurants. The Chinese tend to trust brands and put a lot of faith into customer-loyalty so chains are considered good and consistent (if not status-inducing) places to dine. The stores had everything from Best Buy to Lacoste to department stores. Towards the seventh floor there was an area devoted to entertaining the youngsters complete with an arcade and games painting and the like. I sat at a table for a while just watching people and writing and a young boy came up to me and said hello. He told me his name was Howard and I guessed him to be about 8 years old. He was bright-eyed and a bit of a spit-fire. He asked me where I was from and chattered a bit in English, which was quite good. Then his mother discovered where he had gone to, and snatched him away. It was a really cute exchange. Later I walked several blocks down to the river, from there you can see the Bund. It's quite a spectacular view of old European and Art Deco architecture. The spot where I sat was really quiet and peaceful, something difficult to find in Shanghai. I sat on my step overlooking the river, and every once in a while a Chinese tourist would come up and ask to take a photo with them, but because looking at the Bund from this vantage point is not popular, there were few tourists there. I did have an unpleasant exchange with a pompous Russian tourist, who despite his ample frame had little-man syndrome. He was truly a caricature of some pretentious Russian autocrat. I was not unhappy when he left.
Wednesday: I spent the day doing what most people do when they come to Shanghai: shopping. I took the subway which I feel pretty comfortable navigating now down to Nanjing Dong Lu (Nanjing East Road). It is a walking mall about 1/4 of a mile long that is a shopper's paradise, as they say in Maine, "If we don't have it you don't need it." I bought a couple of T-shirts in the bargain basement of one of the department stores, which was kind of a neat experience. You pick out your merchandise, hand it to the salesman, he gives you a ticket, you go pay at the cashier, then you return to the salesman with your receipt and he gives you your merchandise. Not the most efficient thing I can think of, but it works for them. Next stop was the No. 1 Chinese Food store, a cross between Shop'n'Save, Whole Foods, and Dean and Deluca's. You can get anything from candies to baked goods and snacks. They had so many kinds of dried mushrooms and stuff I've never seen before! You can get any type of fresh fish or seafood, they had a licorice section, tobacco, frozen foods, prepared foods, ready-to-prepare food, teas, at least five kinds of eggs (from quail to duck and in varying sizes), the most intriguing section was the "pickle"section where there are many kinds of pickled vegetables to choose from. I also saw the spice section, and wended my way upstairs to the food-court so that when the smells attacked your senses you can satisfy your hunger in any sort of fashion. I spent at least an hour and a half in there, just taking in the sights, sounds and smells that barraged me from every side, before meandering back out to Nanjing Dong Lu. I wandered in and out of shops including the pearl market just to get a glimpse of stall after stall of pearls in every hue shape and size. All the while being beckoned in "Just take a look-a, just take a look-a." Today's venture was merely for "Kan-yi-Kan", a little look, and I won't even attempt going to this place without my trusty bargain queen: Rebecca. I also wandered in and out of a store exclusively selling chopsticks, recommended by my guide book that was totally overrated, as well as a shop that was just selling silk fabrics. My taste for shopping culminated that day with a trip to the Carrefour on the other side of town. It is a grand supermarket, even larger than a super Walmart, with every Western product available as well as Chinese items. The first floor is a food-court, the second floor is everything from appliances to clothes to kitchenware etc. and the third floor exclusively groceries. Things that are hard to find in the average Chinese markets are found here, because they cater to the Western clientele, but there were plenty of local Chinese shoppers here as well. I came away with an electric fan, as well as some other items I had been unable to get like basil and thick tomato paste. By the time I arrived home it was close to ten. I went to bed early because Thursday Rebecca was bringing me to Qibao, a suburb of Shanghai. An hour's subway train the next morning brought us to Qibao, "Qi" meaning seven and " Bao" meaning treasures. It is a Chinese Venice of sorts, and very touristy but not overrun with tourists, and a pleasant way to spend the day. As you enter the gates to the shopping area, the most fascinating to me was the vendor selling crickets of all sizes. We meandered up and down the stalls buying a few tchotchkes to bring home, and quenched our thirsts with coconut juice and a mango slushy. If you buy a ticket you can see several different museums in the area including one dedicated to the art of cricket-breeding and fighting, one dedicated to traditional shadow puppets, a famous artist who collaborated with the TInTIn cartoonist Hergé who had studied in Europe, and an exquisite miniatures exhibit. We had Jasmine tea later on that afternoon in a teahouse/restaurant while the workers were on break, all playing cards or napping. We spent about 45 minutes watching an animated game of Chinese Gin Rummy between the cooks, who chain-smoked and aggressively threw down cards, while Rebecca sketched the scene, focusing in particular on one fellow with a lopsided grin and a large persona who was obviously the ringleader. He got the others going quite easily. It was as much fun to peek into their break time as it was to sip our tea. Later we visited the monastery nearby with its accompanying pagoda, and climbed up to the top, obtaining a stunning view of Qibao. There were several halls that we passed through including a hall with sixty different deities dedicated to different aspects, brightly colored, and each holding a varying pose. It was funny because so few people were there, perhaps because it was off of the beaten path. However we did run into a family from Los Angeles, the mother was from Taiwan and dad from Vietnam, with two teenaged boys. They asked us to take their picture in from of the pagoda and we chatted with them as we walked back to the subway. We were trading stories and giving travel tips to places within Shanghai. It was somewhat ironic, since they were originally from Southeast Asia, especially when the mom asked me if it was safe to travel in the area. The father was particularly skittish eating something that he was uncomfortable with. It was very hot that day and we all ended up in the same place to get something cold to snack on. Rebecca got the best mango smoothie we've had yet (can you tell that there's a mango theme here?) and Melinda thought she was ordering another type of smoothie but instead, when it came out, was a bowl full of custard floating in milk, shaved ice in the center and around the sides were little sections of sweet red beans, barley, and two different kinds of tapioca chunks. It was certainly different and not unpleasant but definitely weird! We got home in the late afternoon and Rebecca fixed dinner for us as we have an early day tomorrow as we are going to the Expo. Friday morning we got up and headed to the Expo around 9. It was really hot so we made sure to bring water and/or clothes that would be appropriate for going to services later if we didn't have time to go back to the apartment to freshen up. The Expo site is HUGE and spans the Huangpu River. I'm not sure how large an area the whole complex takes up, but the buildings are impressive as are the streets, sidewalks and elevated walkways. We went to the urban best practices area as Rebecca is interested in seeing what is going on regarding her research. I was happy to tag along as I was interested in seeing the expo and wanted to get a feel for it before Matthew comes as he will want to go, and this way I can scope it out to see where to go. Tickets for students are 15 dollars for the day. Adults pay 20. For what you get , it is an amazing deal, but perhaps above the price range of a lot of Chinese folks. The amount of visitors that day was staggering. There were lines everywhere, some for as much as 4-6 hours wait to get into a Pavilion. That was definitely not for us. We only chose places that had no lines. Some of the pavilions were totally dorky, but others were fascinating. My favorite that day were the Mongolian Pavilion where we saw a wonderful performance of Tuvian throat singers and the Korean pavilion where we were treated to a dance performance. We also saw a really cool, brightly colored and wonderfully elaborate yurt in the Kyrgyzstan and watched several craftsmen working on a manpowered lathe in the Maldives Pavilion. The North Korean Pavilion was so devoid of any fascination that it was so terrible that it was great. We ate in a Chinese cafeteria with basic food…filling but unremarkable. The Iranian Pavilion was very interesting and they were selling some of the most beautiful (and pricey) silk and wool rugs…pieces of art really…not for use in the mud room. Several of the other Middle Eastern countries were selling wares as well, set up like the souks that you find all over. Rebecca was always greeted with smiles and whistles. Her blonde hair was striking in the midst of these shopkeepers and the Chinese tourists. We also went to many pavilions that were touting new methodologies for environmental change and showcasing cities and towns all over the world that have put these into practice. We left around 5:30 in order to make it back to services at Chabad. The place was packed again and we sat this time with a group of American tourists from New York and New Jersey who were on a kosher tour. They were led by a wonderful woman who lives in New York who has lived all over the world and was originally from England. They took this particular tour because many of them keep kosher homes and only eat in kosher restaurants. However, some of them wanted to go to China but were filled with a bit of trepidation about the food. Clearly not risk takers in the food department. They ranged in age from 50 to 70 and were fun to sit with. We also were greatly entertained by the Rabbi's three children who had returned home with their mom from a trip to the states. The oldest son loves to sing and his chanting of the Prayers during the service was awesome to listen to. Saturday was very uneventful. Rebecca taught her lessons and I stayed home to take care of laundry and such, and relax after a long week. That evening we went down Feihong Lou "Road" and ate street food consisting of grilled meats and vegetables and an assorted hot pot of vegetables noodles and fish. We found a new little market to stroll through and as usual they are fascinated to see people in their neighborhood who are not native. We turned in early because tomorrow we had plans to go to Suzhou with Ayelet. We met Ayelet at the train station and got on the train around 10 AM. We didn't have seats for the way over, but it was only an hour ride. Some kind Chinese woman moved over in her seat so that I could sit down and Rebecca and Ayelet perched on the edge or stood during the ride. As fate would have it, there was a French couple and one of their sons on the train. The father spoke minimal Chinese and the son spoke minimal English so I was chatting to them in French. Rebecca on the other hand and Ayelet were chattering with the Chinese people around us and then Rebecca started translating from French to Chinese and back. It turned out to be a really interesting and fun trip over. We had originally planned to rent bikes but had difficulty in finding where any sort of bike rental was despite the fact that we had been given instructions. We asked at several places including the police station but nobody seemed to know where one could do this. We started out our sightseeing at a small garden called " ? ", which was off-the-beaten-path and not crowded. As always the feng shui took a prominent role in the layout of the gardens and there was one little building where a young woman was having a lesson playing on a zither. It was really cool to see the thin mallets flying over the strings and surrounding the building there were special rocks placed there appearing to lean as if to listen the music. The next stop was the tallest pagoda in Suzhou, the North Pagoda, meandering in that direction for about 45 minutes through the downtown section. As we approached the pagoda there were hawkers outside selling random Chinese themed trinkets and snacks. Ayelet purchased one of the long European-style cucumbers, which people eat like fruit. Peeled right in front of you and tucked into a filmy "diazo", bag, they munch on it quenching their thirst. I had forgotten my fan that day and so I selected one and asked how much. The woman selling the fans selling them told us 3 kuai, and not having any kuai coin I attempted to pay in mao, which is the equivalent of 1.5 cents and she vehemently refused to be paid in 30 mao. A chinese who was also looking to buy a fan, yelled to her husband to give her 3 kuai and motioned that she would pay for me and I paid the woman in 30 mao. We all had a good laugh at the obnoxious vendor. Unlike the pagoda at Longhua, we could climb up this one, 7 flights and a spectacular view of the city. Playing on the feng shui theme, we went to eat a chic vegetarian restaurant not far from the garden, to make it easier for Ayelet who keeps kosher. We had Jad rice, which was a stir-fried rice with garlic and some unidentified but spectaular ingredient rendering our mutual favorite dish. We also sampled some odd once type dish, some stir-fried vegetables, and a few other dishes. We went to one of the most famous classical gardens in Suzhou after that. Suzhou is noted for is potted feng shui plants, also known as "bonsai", which the Japanese also stole from China. This particular garden had some of the world's finest specimens, a few of which had won world renown. Unfortunately it was densely packed with ear-piercing Chinese tour guides who nattered loudly on their microphones at the gape-jawed Chinese tourists wearing neon-orange hats and posing with shit-eating grins and peace signs. The noise level and crowds lessened our enjoyment, but the gardens are extensive and beautiful and we saw our French family from the train within the garden. After the garden we browsed some of the stalls surrounding the garden. Rebecca purchased some blue and red paper cut-outs, Ayelet bought some traditional clay flutes, and mom some random trinkets. We were going to try to buy some Biluochun, which is a notable Suzhou tea, and as we were planning our route to a vegetarian restaurant and a neighboring tea store. As we were consulting our map a nice, middle-aged Chinese woman approached us and offered assistance. Her English was very good and I inquired where she had learned it and she told me that she had taught herself. She showed us to how to get to another vegetarian restaurant across town and suggested a tea shop we should visit. We chatted with her for a little bit and then went on our way, Our cab driver wasn't quite sure where we were going and so dropped us off at a hotel near the restaurant, thinking that that was the only logical place for foreigners to go in that part of Suzhou. We went into the hotel to find out how to get to the restaurant, and there was some kind of contest going on inside. There were people wearing silly costumes, men dressed up in ridiculous princess costumes and holding fairy wands, and spotting the "laowai" they played it up. Pretty absurd. The restaurant was about block away so we walked over. It was a vegetarian buffet, and the restaurant was cavernous, with at least 15 small, private dining rooms off to one side. I've never seen so many different kinds of tofu dishes in my life. After dinner we headed over to try and find the teashop, but it was too late and it was closed. On the way back to catch a cab, we happened upon another restaurant and just as we arrived the whole kitchen staff came marching out. Evidently somebody had messed up or perhaps this was a weird training exercise. But the head chef proceeded to do an inspection of his crew and if they didn't stand at attention in the correct fashion they were ordered to push-ups. We stood there fascinated and giggling, and when they realized that they had an audience they seemed to ramp up the whole performance, especially when the cameras came out. We've seen exercises like this before and I think perhaps they are meant to foster company loyalty or spirit. It's rather amusing to watch. As we made out way back to a larger street to find a taxi, we passed along the road that was obviously preponderance of massage parlors with "happy endings." We got a taxi and took it back to the train station with plenty of time to catch our train. When we arrived however I realized that the ticket I had put in my pocket had somehow fallen out, so we went to the assistance desk. Ayelet and Rebecca explained to one of the officials what had happened. At first he seemed to be ignoring us but then told us to wait and told me that I would have to buy a new ticket. Finally after a few minutes he took us down to our gate and called to the gate official to explain the situation, so she would let me on the train without my ticket. He indicated that I would have to purchase it on the train. We sat down to wait for our train and I was checking my stuff and looked through and realized that my phone was also missing. Rebecca called the phone thinking maybe it was tucked in some part of my purse or bags. And it rang but it was obviously not with me. Finally somebody answered and Rebecca and Ayelet and I started to explain what had happened to the person on the other end. They tried to find out where it was or if the person could send the phone in a cab to the train station, but because of the noise of the train station and his heavy accent there was some confusion. Finally, the guy at the other end said to call back in ten minutes, and so we called ten minutes later and he kept repeating something that we couldn't understand. As the last resort Ayelet and Rebecca went to try to find somebody that could speak English as well the Wu dialect, and spotting somebody that they thought could do so, asked for his assistance. The outcome was that they guy was repeating that he was one floor up at the train station. They went upstairs to collect the phone and thank the kind gentleman for bringing the phone to us, and offered to pay him the cab fare for his trouble. He adamantly refused, just another example of the kindness we have received since we have been here. We sat down to wait the last 20 minutes or so for the train. Rebecca got bored and noticing a young man sitting in front of us trying to take our picture surreptitiously plotted a silly prank. Ayelet and Rebecca were to walk by he and his friend and point and exclaim "Look, Look a Chinese!", much in the way the Chinese often exclaim when they see us foreigners, and they would then insist on taking a picture together. We ended up embarrassing him slightly, but all had a great laugh, and chatted until the train came. We got home close to midnight, and hit the hay, it had been a long day. Monday Rebecca went back to the Expo and I stayed in the neighborhood and relaxed while getting ready for Matt's arrival.
He arrived on the same Delta flight that I had several weeks earlier. I made my way out to the airport on the subway to meet him. Rebecca was going to be meeting us there as well. Matt came in looking a little disheveled but had had an uneventful flight. We then mad our way back to the apartment only to find when we entered that the place was completely torn apart, because of the landlord was doing a "little" renovation. We went to eat "La Mien" again at the same restaurant that I had eaten the first night. Matthew was as fascinated as I with the whole process of making the noodles and took a great video. Then back home, fortunately Kevin was out of town so Matt could sleep in his bedroom (with working AC), because the living room was totally out of commission. Tuesday morning was a trip to the fabric market, we first went to get Matt fitted for suits, choosing the fabric, taking measurements and he ordered three jackets, and four pants. All in all, the total for custom made clothes was $280 USD. Unbelievable! Then it was upstairs to buy oxfords for all of us. Matthew, Rebecca and I each bought fabric and got about 4 shirts apiece. I had one shirt copied that I really liked, then Rebecca picked out a really nice navy blue dress and then we found another place to have cheongsams made. I had brought some Nigerian cloth to China and I had a traditional Chinese jacket made, with matching capris. The whole process took several hours, between measuring, picking designs, and finishes, and Rebecca haggling, and Matt sitting patiently throughout our fittings. Finally, we went to one more stall across the street to have our couch cushions and bar stool cushions copied, I had two sets of couch cushions made, as well as 5 bar stool covers, total cost: $150 USD. After that we brought Matt to the Bund to get a view of the modern China. Along the way we went into the famous Shanghai Peace hotel, noted for its striking Art Deco ornamentation and facade, to get a glimpse of Shanghai's more notorious and glamorous past, as the Paris of the Orient. Matthew whined the whole way, and we sat in the sun, sketching and taking pictures on the Bund as Chinese tourists requested to take pictures with us. After making friends with a young student from Hebei, who spoke minimal English, we headed back home to get out of the heat. On the way back we also stopped at the electronics market just for a quick look. We went back to the apartment to gather up our stuff and got ready to catch our train to Beijing. We knew that we had standing room tickets but weren't quite sure what that meant: a word to the wise, avoid them. We planned on arriving early to make sure we had some sort of advantage and/or perhaps attempt to upgrade. However, when we got on the train and made inquiries there was nothing to be had, and our best bet was to sleep in the dining car. Fortunately, there was a spot to put our carry on bags, on one of the seats, and I slept on top of that, Rebecca was able to lie down on one of the bench seats, and Matt made due by putting his head down on the dining car table. We arrived the next morning a little tired, but first thing was to get tickets for the way back, because you can't purchase roundtrip tickets. While in line we met two guys from Belgium, who when the realized Rebecca spoke Chinese asked for assistance because they did not speak any at all. She negotiated their purchase and then we bumped into a Spanish guy that we had met on the train who she also assisted in getting tickets back. Finally we called Astri and Phil Brooks to let them know that we were on our way to their home. They live in a lovely apartment complex near the 4th ring road of Beijing. It took us about an hour to get there and when we arrived, we showered and Astri presented us with a lovely brunch. Refreshed she took us to the Hongqiao market area, first going into a back-door fake market to buy glasses. Mom bought two pairs for about $60 USD and Matt and Rebecca each bought new and flashy ski goggles. Next we went to her favorite pearl seller to pick up some pearl sets she had requested, Rebecca talked to the saleswoman but thought she could do better with her pearl lady in Shanghai in terms of quality for price. Afterwards Astri departed and Rebecca led us to the Tian Tan, or Temple of Heaven, where the emperors used to make yearly offerings for the health of the crops and his people. Now I see why everyone says that Shanghai does not have nice gardens…these were spectacular. We walked around for a couple of hours before making our way back to the Brooks'. On the way back, we went one stop too far on the bus, and the lady we had been chatting with on our ride was getting off at the same stop. She refused to leave us until she was sure that we were going in the right direction…so nice. We met Phil and Astri and walked to a neighborhood place that they like and had a nice meal of smoked duck, fried julienne potatoes with cilantro and hot peppers, eggplant and stir fried vegetables. It was a nice family restaurant and a nice meal. We had so much fun catching them up on stuff going on at home particularly Beth El. They are planning to return next summer to Maine. Then it was back to their home and to bed for us. We are going early to the Great Wall tomorrow and have to be at the tour bus station at 9 am. Astri had recommended a tour for us and we had made advance reservations. Next morning we were treated to another wonderful repast by Astri. Phil has breakfast with us before heading off to work. We caught a cab to the tour company and boarded our bus. Our tour guide was a cute young Chinese woman by the name of Iris who had studied English and Tourism at Beijing University. Her English was exceptionally good if a little accented and she was very informative and accommodating. Or group was a mixture of Lao Wais. We met a man from Australia who lives in Kyrgyzstan with his Kyrgy wife. He is a sound engineer and has lived all over including an 8 year stint in Dubai. Also we met some French women and an American family from Rhode Island. The mom is living in Beijing for 3 months for work and the family was over visiting. The bus ride over was about a little over an hour. When we arrived at Mutian ( the section that we were going to go to), it was a bit disappointing at first because the base of the area was wall to wall vendors selling trinkets and food and souvenirs. We had the option of climbing up or taking a gondola up and we chose the latter which would give u more time to explore the section of the wall itself. At first glance, the Great Wall is larger than life. I had seen picture of it, but seeing is believing. Nothing can prepare you for the immensity of it. It is approximately 3800 miles long and wide enough to have four horses riding abreast. It is also way taller than I expected…in spots it may be as tall as 30 feet or more and was built over many generations to keep out invaders. Along the various sections are guard houses which were used for living quarters for those posted there. There were small canons set up as well as holes through which one could shoot arrows at the enemies. To think of the blood and sweat that went into the building of this massive structure is something that is hard to imagine for us especially without benefit of modern technology. It is truly one of the seven wonders of the world. Not all of it is passable today, but a good portion of it is. We spent about 2 hours hiking around and marveling at the construction and the views. Unfortunately he pollution that day hampered our view a bit, but it was spectacular nonetheless. We had a couple of options of getting down to our tour bus…walking or a toboggan ride that was included in our ticket. I opted for the latter while the kids hiked down. The toboggan ride down was really fun if not fast enough for my taste. We then met at the bus for another ride to see the Ming tombs. These were built in the Ming Dynasty (I think 1600's, but not sure). Again they were in a large park/garden, beautifully laid out in fen shui fashion and the path leading throughout the park was lined with statues of the most prominent animals in both standing and kneeling positions showing the important stature of the tomb's inhabitants We got back to the tour bus office and decided to walk the half an hour home. We found a place to pick up some wine and flowers for our gracious hosts…the least we could do…and went back to the apartment to refresh before going out to dinner. Phil and Astri had chosen a place to go that we could get Peking Duck. The place was a bit nicer than the place last night, and we ate Chinese style at a round table with a lazy susan so that you can access the dishes easily. We had a great meal there…of course the duck…crispy skin and all and they will carve it table side if you want. They also give you the carcass, (ok shut your eyes you vegetarians) head included if you want to take it home to make soup, but most often they will make the soup there on the spot. We also chose a fish dish and they bring it to the table before it is cooked in a metal container with a flap that opens so that you can check out the fish before it is cooked. Imagine Matthew's surprise when he opened the container up and the fish literally jumped out at him. We had a lovely greens dish that was served room temp, kind of like a salad, eggplant (not as good as last nights) rice and the fish (which was deep fried and served decorated on a platter with a sweet and sour sauce…hen hao chi (delicious) For dessert we had steamed pumpkin cakes which were beautiful but unremarkable in taste. We strolled home and made plans for the next day's outing…the Forbidden City. Astri fed us another wonderful breakfast including homemade granola and locally made yogurt. We had on our walking shoes again because today we would cover a lot of ground. It took us over a hour to get to Coal Hill overlooking the Forbidden City between the subway and walking. Nothing had prepared me for the view…spectacular and amazing…I really don't have words to describe how large it was. You cannot get a feeling for it until you are there because the area that it covers is massive. Unfortunately, despite arriving in the afternoon, the Chinese tourists were out in droves and this too is something that is hard to fathom….the sheer number of people!!!!!!!!!!!! We spent most of the afternoon walking around the city listening to a guided tour on headphones. There were rooms in which the emperor(s) lived along with wives and concubines. They had halls which housed all sorts of artifacts including the most beautiful huge umbrellas used for different occasions to shade the imperial family. We also saw clothes and furnishings as well including the tiny shoes used by the women with bound feet. I'm not kidding when I say that these shoes wouldn't fit a small child. The halls and courtyards went on and on with covered walkways in between many of them all beautiful decorated, but because so many visitors go through, it's hard to keep the place up despite the plethora of workmen and custodians and guards etc. One of the funniest parts of the afternoon was noticing a group of Italian tourists being guided by a native Chinese person speaking perfect Italian and making hand gestures just like an Italian would…just somewhat incongruous. More on this later. I will catch up on the rest shortly...Just want to post this now...coming home soon...ciao babies!

Toasting an exciting announcement!

Well it's been a week since I last posted something, so it's about time I get back to this. In my defense, Rebecca has needed her computer and we have been busy, so I jot down notes and plan to write later. I've got lots to catch up on. So I last wrote Friday,the 31st in the early morning. Later that morning I traipsed over to one of the former residences of Sun Yat Sen. It took a couple of subway changes, but I got to the station closest to it and then walked about a half mile to the house. It was exceedingly hot and I tried to stay in the shade of the tree lined streets as I made my way. I grabbed a pastry of sorts from a bakery on the way...it was very different sort of croissant dough wrapped around a hot dog looking sausage and it had mustard and corn kernels in the pastry as well. I reached the house/museum and it was a relief to get inside to the a/c. I rested once inside sitting on a bench next to an older Chinese tourist munching on the Chinese version of a Little Debbie snack cake. I guess everyone likes junk food. The museum is informative and has tons of artifacts and mementos from when he lived there including household articles and such. Sun Yat Sen lived there with his 2nd wife ( not sure what happened to wife # 1). Originally trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for politics to fight the injustices that he saw. He was considered the father of modern China bringing the country under one rule and not one of imperialism or the monarchy. While he was a powerful individual, he and his wife lived very simply for one so influential. The house is well preserved, 2 stories and has a small but lovely garden. He lived from 1866 to 1925. He became the leader of the Nationalist party, lived all over the world, and became the leader of the Tongmenghui (the Alliance Society) He assisted in forcing the abdication of the emperor in 1912 and developed his doctrine, the Three Principles of the People, nationalism, democracy and people's livelihood. Also Chiang Kai Shek was a protoge of his. Sun Yat Sen was also responsible for the ordering of the cutting of men's braids trying to get away from the concept of indentured servitude into the modern age. I spent several hours browsing before making my way back to the subway. On the way I stopped at one of the lovely parks that Shanghai has in abundance to rest. This one is called Fuxing Park. As usual there were card games and mah jong, people strolling and resting and reading and drinking the endless "cha" (tea) out of their plastic or glass containers ( much like we cart around our reusable water bottles). I actually fell asleep on the park bench, but was awakened by a policeman, quite gently letting me know in halting Engish that I couldn't sleep there. I lazily watched people go by, that's great fun for me. Chinese women's styles of dress are from one extreme to the other. Some are wearing boyish haircuts and shapeless clothing to others sporting diaphanous dresses seemingly floating by clicking on their high heels. Men too vary from the pajama attire to what appears to be long boxers and sleeveless undershirts frequently pulled up to expose their hairless bellies to business suits. They love their uniforms too. Employees at stores all wear matching uniforms from grocery stores to pharmacies. Eventually I make my way back to the apartment and finish my nap before Rebecca wakes me up to head to Chabbad for services. We meet friends walking in (Ayelet from New York, Shachar and Yitzik from Israel) and realize that once again we have missed the service. Tonight is a bit different because there is a large group from Yemen and so we wait upstairs for the room to be reset from service mode to dinner mode. Other friends of Rebecca's are there and the place is humming. We find a seat at the Rabbi's table and 2 others are there, Lubavitchers. Once we sit, they immediately relocate. Was it something that we said?!!! We enjoy another lovely Shabbat meal and I notice that the hot pepper condiment that I have enjoyed here weekly is much hotter, so much so that my mouth is burning. As usual the crowd is lively and there are introductions made. I tell the Rabbi about Matthew's engagement and he and I toast the good news with a hearty L'Chaim and a shot of vodka. Especially noteworthy was a story that the Rabbi told about a woman who visited him this past week. She had been the last person to have been married in the Ohel synagogue before the Jews had to leave Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution. It was pretty amazing. When dinner is over I go upstairs to use the bathroom while Rebecca says her goodbyes. On the way up I begin to feel nauseous and I am really sweating. I think that during dinner I had experienced some sharp pains under my rib cage but paid no attention. Now I am paying attention. I need fresh air and go outside and sit waiting for Rebecca on the steps. I am having a hard time even walking and as we head towards the subway, I tell her that she is going to have to call a cab. I am on my hands and knees unable to get up, sweating profusely and writhing because I am so uncomfortable. Several people ask me if I need help as they leave, but I wave them away telling them that my daughter is bringing a cab. Finally Rebecca returns and I drag myself into the car, but I cannot get comfortable. I feel so ill and I know that I am going to be sick. Fortunately we come to a stop light and I tell Rebecca to roll down the windows. Let's just say that i gave it up right then and there for Shanghai...ALL UP...several times. Fortunately it was out of the cab not in it!!! I beg Rebecca to apologize for me, but the driver is so nice and kind. He tells her that foreigners get sick because of the food quite often. I don't know if it was too many hot peppers, the vodka, or the pastry today...but afterwards I feel 1000 percent better. Back at the apartment I am able to fall asleep easily...it' been a long day!
Saturday comes I keep it rather low key. Rebecca has lessons to give and I spend the day at the apartment relaxing. I feel surprisingly fine with no trace of tummy trouble, but I take it easy just in case. When Rebecca returns, she makes us dinner, a stir fry of veggies and fresh, homemade noodles that she has gotten at the market. We make plans to meet some of her Chabbad friends at a KTV (karaoke bar) at 11:30 p.m. down near Peoples' Square. We take the subway down there as this line runs later than the others. I see a woman with two small children on the platform and comment on them. Rebecca says that they are probably beggars as the woman is wearing traditional clothing and has facial characteristics of someone from the country. She is right because when we get going on the subway, she and the 2 kids get down on their knees to beg. It's always hard to watch people begging, especially when you wonder where they will spend the money...on a hot meal? or perhaps drugs?...it's impossible for me to not feel compassion for them...but looking into the eyes of a 4 year old staring at you...?! I slip some coins into her little fist and think of how chance plays into all of our lives. How fortunate I am to have the blessings that I do and how unfair that others do not. I need to remember and appreciate how lucky I have been...and then I get off the subway with my daughter as we make our way to the most frivolous of Chinese recreational activities. Hmmm...I fee incredibly guilty right now. It takes us a while to find this place. It's several floors up of a building housing Madame Tussaud's Shanghai. Of course there is a life sized model of Yao Ming outside. I have only been to a Karaoke Bar once in New Orleans and this is nothing like that. We are on a floor of a high rise building and there are hundreds of rooms of all sizes for rent, all equipped with multiple microphones and large screen tvs, couches etc. Rebecca's friend Shachar is pulled into room filled with a rowdy bunch and we follow her in, not sure of what is happening. We join in singing along to Billy Joel's "Uptown Girls" before some guy wises up and kicks us out. We find the registration desk and book a room for about 100 kwai (15.00). We can use it for several hours. You can bring in your own refreshments, or buy them. It takes us a while to figure out the selection (of songs) process on the computer, but once we get rolling we sing, dance and jump around to everything from the Beatles to Disney songs to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot to pathetic attempts at singing Chines and Korean Songs (but also quite funny). We all act silly and find our inner rock star. I keep up with the youngsters and even outlast my daughter ( of course she did work today) until 3:30. We get home around 4 am. Yup I am feeling great...no residual from the night before...thank goodness.
Sunday, after our late night, we sleep in, but make plans to meet Ayelet at Longhua Temple later that afternoon. We get a bit delayed because roommate Pierre has decided to cook and we stay to share his lunch. Also unbeknownst to us, Kevin had been awakened at 5 am and had to go to the hospital because his girlfriend's grandmother had had a stroke. They were both pretty upset about it. We finally leave and make our way through the throngs on the subway to the temple. This is a working temple and is the oldest and largest in Shanghai, first constructed in 242 of the common era. It's not in a touristy part of town, so it was wonderfully peaceful and not overrun with either Chinese or Lao Wai tourists snapping photo. On the contrary, most of the visitors are there to pay homage, burn incense and/or the paper origami models representing household items so that their departed loved ones will have the proper accoutrements for the afterlife. In one courtyard which housed one of the many large covered incense burners ( about 5 ft. x 5 ft x 3 ft) there was a group of women surrounding another woman. They were all dressed in white ( the color of mourning). The one in the center was spinning around eyes-closed weeping while self-flagellating with some thin reeds. She was obviously mourning a recent loss, but i could only guess. As we entered the monastery, we first went in to get any information that they might have and were treated royally by the staff, given handouts in English and water all free of charge. (It was a nominal fee to get in maybe 1 or 2 dollars.) The monastery, according to legend was built by Sun Quan the head of the Wu state for his mother who was ailing after the death of her husband. She traveled to this spot and was able to recuperate there. Because she was a pious Buddhist, her son built a temple to express his thanks for her recovery. The temple has been built and destroyed many times. In 1875 during the reign of Emperor Gangxu in the Quing dynasty, it was renovated to the state in which we see it today. It includes a pagoda (taa in Chinese)...a little background on pagodas...they originated in India. (Buddhism spread to China in the 1st century.) Pagodas were built to house the remains of high priest and senior monks. They are also known as monks' graves. They come in several forms. This one is a tower with 7 stories and is 131 feet tall. We couldn't go in this one, but there are others that you can. The "campus" is large. We spent over 2 hours there meandering from hall to hall marveling at the architectural details and the contents of the buildings. Each hall housed a central figure or 2, at least 18-20 feet in hight with intricately detailed painting including gold leaf. Some halls housed larger than life figure after figure who represent heavenly gods from ancient Indian legends and representing different concepts and ideals. The vibrant colors and intricate carvings on such grand scale are proof of a commitment to honor these symbols of faith. Followers entered the halls from time to time and knelt before each altar, bowed, prayed and then dropped coins or paper money into the offering boxes (Chinese Tzedkah boxes). Another kind of funny similarity to Jewish ritual is when they wave their sticks of incense, it's much like when we wave the lulav and etrog at Sukkot. We saw several monks coming out of their sparse living quarters and tried to eat at the vegetarian restaurant there, but it was closed. We meandered in and around and got to a garden area. A small man inside an office adjacent to the garden beckoned us inside to cool off and gave us water to drink. He was a resident artist and was painting watercolors and making fans. The girls chatted with him in Chinese and Rebecca was admiring one of his paintings...a little out of our price ranges though. We thanked him and went on our way, but got a real feeling about how kind these folks had been here. Later we stopped at a tea house/restaurant nearby for a light lunch which consisted of fried pumpkin cakes (Rebecca's favorite) sort of a sweet pumpkin paste the consistency of Nigerian pounded yam on the inside with a crisp outside, jasmine flower tea served in the most delicate clear teapot with tiny clear cups, and a wonderful tofu and vegetable stir-fry with rice...delicious. The Chinese have elevated tofu to high art and it comes in so many flavors, styles, and textures...I really want to learn how to cook with it. Rebecca left for an appointment and Ayelet and I finished lunch before heading out. I stopped to get ingredients to make an attempt at red beans and rice. It will have to be close because I'm not really sure about this sausage, but we'll try it and see.

City of Contrasts 2

Rebecca's vpn, the way we bypass China's blocked firewall is down, so i have to resort to emailing my posts to John again. I think that I left off when we were getting reedy to go to the North Korean restaurant. It is fairly near the Chabbad House and Rebecca had been there once before. I guess the young women that work there are sent from N. Korea and things are very strict for them. They are allowed to work and go to their housing, but no internet or tv or interaction with people outside of work. They are all beautiful wearing lovely traditional costumes. The food is delicious. We really guess at what to order, actually I let Rebecca do it as she's been there before. They have a picture menu which is helpful! To start we have something which is a little like a sweet, chilled baked bean salad, a cucumber salad, kim chee (fermented chinese cabbage) and what looks to be a cake, but is actually sweetened, white, mashed potato served chilled. All are very good! Then we have a spicy translucent rice noodle vermicelli noodle/chicken and veggie dish and sauteed beef slices serve with a dipping sauce on the side and lettuce and carrot and cucumber sticks. You make a wrap with the lettuce to eat the meat and veggies with the dipping sauce…or so we guess. It is yummy. As an added bonus, these young women put on a show for the customers at 7:30. It is at once both charming and awkward. They all sing, dance, and play musical instruments, but it's not like being in a dimly lit club. The lights are glaring and it's mostly male customers. These young women are very demure and attentive and as they sing, they travel around the room shaking hands with the customers. We were enthralled, but also it was a bit odd. At the end of the meal, we paid (but something different here, in China they will never ask you if you are ready for your check, they will only bring it when you ask and you can linger for as long as you like.) We split a lovely mocha mouse cake at a pastry shop across the street called La Paleta and have chilled lemon green tea. We return to the apartment and it's so hot that for only the second time, we sleep with the air conditioner on…it is steamy outside.

The nest afternoon we make a pilgrimage to go to the fabric market area, Shanghai's garment district. The area is full of warehouse type buildings with floor after floor of fabrics and samples of clothing from the traditional cheongsam dresses to any manner of western wear. They will copy an item or you can deign it yourself from coats to suits to shirts and dresses to pants and even bedding and tablecloths, in leather or silk or linen or whatever. It is a veritable cloth explosion and a dressmaker's dream. We will come back at another time to avail ourselves of their services. This neighbor hood at 5:00 pm is humming with activity, vendors selling kabobs and stir fry. As I'm famished, we try a sampling of beef and eggplant and mushroom. The kabobs are cut thinly for quick cooking and are done before we know it. We mender in and around the neighborhood taking in the smells, the sights and sounds. At once disconcerting and fascinating is the chicken we see being bled in to the street shortly after his untimely death. Yes, this is a part of their daily lives. We grocery store shoppers think that there must be (as Gary Larson once satirized) boneless chicken farms. As we wind our way through this dark alleyway maze towards the metro stop, we stop in to a tea shop as I have been in search of a special tea thermos like the one that Rebecca brought back with her from her last visit. It is made of stainless steel and until now I have only seen them in glass. I've hit paydirt and we make our purchase before heading home. Once we arrive, I throw together a chef salad of sorts. I am careful to have washed the lettuce that I had purchased in water with a drop of bleach. Eating raw veggies is not done here very often, but I've been craving salad and so we take our chances. While we are eating the landlord barges in yet again. He is really obnoxious and starts to grill Rebecca. She immediately contacts Kevin ( our roommate who is on the lease) and he returns shortly for the tete a tete with the landlord and an interpreter. There are raised voices, but Kevin, I must say makes his argument in a clear thoughtful way never once losing his cool. The outcome is that we will be able to stay through August for a reasonable sum. Ugh…I don't like the drama. We go to see Rebecca's friend Asya later who is packing to go back to the US after more than 2 years. She is Russian born but lives in the US and can speak English, French, Russian and Chinese…perhaps more. Se spend some time there with her friends before going home.

Thursday was an interesting day. Rebecca wakes up very late and we make plans to go to one of Sun Yat Sen's houses, but then I go out by myself because Rebecca has work to do. I have my key, a bit of money and my metro pass in a small wallet which I must have dropped when I was on the subway car. I immediately go to see the metro officials and between my Chinese-English guide, pantomiming, some broken English and Chinese, and the "magic number" assisting us, I explain what has happened. Unfortunately, there is no centralized lost and found, so the chances of getting it back are slim, but despite the inconvenience of it all, it was not a bad experience. The women and men helping me couldn't have been kinder and more helpful. While I lost a little bit , I gained a better appreciation of the place that I am visiting. I manage to buy a new metro pass and go back to the apartment. I have been in contact with Rebecca because I leave her phone number with the officials in case something turns up. I get her keys and head out to make a new apartment key. Unfortunately, the guy who copied the key before i slowed, but I manage to find another hole in the wall with a key sign on the outside an inquire if he can meek the key for me. Again we pantomime and I get my point across showing him the key and saying in Chinese, "one!". he makes the key and charges me 5 RMB, about 85 cents and gets pissed when I pay him in some small coins. I may not understand Chinese, but i always say it's not what you say, it's how you say it…I return to the apartment with a surprising feeling not of frustration for the loss and the inconvenience, but with a feeling that if hard pressed, I can get around. I spend the evening trying to get in touch with Delta about the lost computer and have way less success with them than I had with the Chinese. Rebecca spends the evening with friends and I try to turn in aery, but sleep eludes me until around midnight. It's now about 5:30 and I am caught up with the blog which is good because I will shower and get out of Rebecca's hair. She has work to do on the computer and I think has been frustrated with having me around. As ist is friday morning here, I wish all of you a healthy Shabbat Shalom and will write more soon. Love to all.

City of Contrasts

It's Thursday morning and I am bound and determine to catch up on this blog, but honestly it's really hard to write when you have been out in the heat all day walking around. By the time you return, you are tired, hot and completely spent. Often when I go to bed I am so exhausted that it's hard to get to sleep and because of the humidity I toss and turn. When I wake up, often I feel drugged because I am dehydrated and woozy. The humidity makes my feet swell, maybe my circulation is not great. So last night we broke down and turned on the a/c in the bedroom as we slept. Wow, what a difference. I think that did the trick. I feel very rested this morning and as Rebecca dozes some more I am going to write.

So city of contrasts...Massive modern skyscrapers with beautifully landscaped gardens and ponds, gated with guards at every entrance adjacent to tiny, cramped cement dwellings on top of one another accessible only own the narrow alleyways by foot , bike or scooter. Modern grocery stores a la super Walmart with every possible option just down the street from stall after stall of veggies, fruit, eggs, and street food as well as carts and carts of household dry goods. The Bund (the original financial district) with its old and elegant architecture representing China' past overlooking the boardwalk and the other side of the river with it's modern and striking skyscrapers representing China's fast paced and frenetic future. Streetside in the French Concession walking down tree shades avenues with all manner of fancy shops nd then going through the narrow alleys behind them where an entire local Shanghainese culturel ives and works hanging their laundry out , even the unmentionables for all to see. A communist country politically with one of the highest rates of saving in the world, yet with some of the most consumerist populations I've ever seen. KFC, MacDonalds, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, providing fast food at, by Chinese standards, high prices packed with customers buying unhealthy processed food when down the street they could get 4 times as much fresh food for the same price. The older population coming to sing patriotic Cultural Revolution songs in the park while their younger counterparts are somewhat disconnected from their history because they are living such fast paced lives. Squat toilets and western style side by side in the same public bathroom. The city is a fractal both above and below ground. Street level provides an impressive skyline of massive high rise structures, modern boulevards, engineering marvels of wide elevated expressways and intense activity. Below ground spanning several levels are miles of metro lines, efficient, clean and crowded and an underground commercial center that is staggering. They say that New York is the city that never sleeps, but Shanghai really epitomizes this. Coming home at 3 in the morning, there are vendors selling their wares, from cooked food to household amenities and cabs and mopeds shuttling passengers like ants in a busy colony from place to place because the metro has shut down for the evening. The work on the highrise being built adjacent to us goes on 24/7. Even at three in the morning, alone, dressed up, you would be hard pressed to be mugged, it's just that safe. I'm not sure how this has been achieved, but it's pretty impressive. To be sure, crime happens, but in a city the size and scale of this one, the percentage must be incrediby small.

Now getting away from my musings I'll recreate the last several days events. Monday Rebecca spent the morning working so I puttered about and went to get stuff at the market just nosing around the neighborhood. Everyday it seems I find something new to see whether it's a strange looking vegetable that i've never encountered or the array of silly little dogs that ride around in the front basket of their owner's bikes tongues hanging out enjoying the view. Perhaps it's because there is the one child policy and thee people crave companionship, but there are lots of dogs here an they are doted on and coddled like the children. We went out to grab something to eat and Rebecca got a text from the student that I was supposed to have and she's decided to cancel. Such is life I guess. I had hoped to do some teaching here, but in the short time i have left, it doesn't look promising. Rebecca tells me that if I were to stay, there would b more work in the fall, but I think tat even though it's tempting, I will be back to the real world (for me) in late August. I am somewhat disappointed, but it will give me more time to explore and because it's relatively cheap to live here, I think that it will be ok. I spend the afternoon reading and attempting to learn a little more Chinese resting up because we plan to go to a club that has salsa dancing on Monday evenings and I want to be ready to dance! Dinner is leftovers and we leave to go to the club a couple minutes after 10 pm which frustrates Rebecca as the cab rates go up precisely at 10...oh well. The club is across town and i in the basement of a building. You'd never know it though. It's got an oval bar and a live latino salsa band, lounge chairs to it and watch, but mostly this is a spectator sport and the place is beginning to fill up. Things really don't get hopping until later. Rebecca bumps into her friend Andrew, a fellow that she met while couch surfing when he first got here this summer. They dance a couple of songs. He is great and Rebecca looks muy caliente as she twirls around the dance floor in her little black dress and spiky sandals. The music is great, the band awesome. We share a drink that has mint and ginger and gin in it...pretty good and I chat with some "ABC's" as the expats call them (American Born Chinese) who have spent the summer interning in Shanghai. They are from USC and Cornell but all are from the Wet Coast. I give them some tips on the dances, though compared to the ones on the dance floor, I'm a novice. However, these guys are even more fledgling than i. Another friend that Rebecca has made recently shows up too He's Nigerian born but has lived all over the world and is working on his second degree now in holland. He speaks English, French, Dutch, and is also learning Chinese. He too interned this summer at a Chinese firm. All of these young people are so worldly and self assured, well traveled and interesting. Rebecca has told him about us going to Nigeria and we chat about our trip and experience there. He is even kind enough to dance with an old American lady. We stay our way past my bedtime (4 am) but without regret. It was truly a great night out. We fall into bed exhausted. Early the next morning I speak to John. I had left our phone in the other room and he had tried to skype us so that we could talk to Van, but I didn't hear it and so we'll have to do it another time. That's the problem with this 12 hour difference in time. I stay awake and do some laundry but Rebecca rests again. Later we go out shopping and plan to vacate the apartment for the evening as Kevin is making a special anniversary dinner for his girlfriend. He is not one to cook very often, so this is a big deal. He has planned the menu and gotten help with his recipes and techniques via the internet. He shopped all over town to find prosciutto and creme fraiche. It's really cute how much effort he puts into it. Rebecca and I decide to eat out at a North Korean restaurant this evening

Sunday in the Park

As the title suggests, Sunday in the park is a big day...families are out in force...actually everyone is out in force. Rebecca is intent on going back to Lu Xun park because she is hoping to show me the groups that congregate to sing Cultural Revolution patriotic songs. So we grab breakfast and that's a whole story in itself... my tummy is a little funny and I just want some normal basic fare, so I ask Rebecca if we can just go to Macdonald's for an egg sandwich...I really want to eat something kind of plain. Needless to say, she gives me all sorts of grief for this and in the end we go someplace else where I get a egg salad sandwich that is not bad at all. Even I couldn't believe that I wanted to eat that but that's what I was hankering for.
We head over to the park this time on the metro and plan to meet a friend of Rebecca's from Chabbad there. We arrive at the park and immediately Rebecca hears the music and leads me to it. About a hundred and fifty or more people are congregated in a circle around a woman who is leading them in rousing songs. They are accompanied by an urhu, an accordion, a violin and a trumpet. It's a kind of sing along that anyone can join in and it's this wonderful spontaneous concert. Some have songbooks, and they all seem to know their parts, but clearly this is not choir practice. It's a come as you can sing along and they are really quite impressive. Rebecca's friend Ayelet arrives and finds us. She is as entranced with this "concert" as we are. She's a Chinese major at Penn and in a short time we have many locals surrounding us trying to chat with us about where we are from and what we are doing here. They are as interested in us as we are of them. We spend quite some time listening and chatting before moving on to explore the rest of the park. Ayelet buys a flute made from a gourd which is quite interesting played more similarly to a recorder and then we wind our way to the badminton courts to watch the matches. We head in the direction of the museum and find an artist selling watercolors painted on thin wispy rice paper. They have some lovely scenes and Rebecca inquires about the prices. While she prepares to bargain a young diminutive Chinese woman approaches us to ask if we require an assistance. Rebecca tells her that she's okay, but the girl jumps in anyway and gets all of the paintings for a mere song. When the girls express their guilt at paying such a low price, this young woman says that this man does this just for a hobby and it's okay. Turns out she is 19 and an English major and is in Shanghai to sightsee with some other students who are shopping. We ask her to join us for the afternoon and she obliges providing an opportunity to experience some cross cultural exchange. Her English name is Nara and she desires to travel when she is done with university. She is from the north, 30 hours by train, but I'm guessing it was a local train making many stops instead of a high speed one. We go again to Lu Xun museum and then invite her to lunch to thank her for helping to get the paintings. She seems pleased to hang out with us and we find a restaurant to accommodate us. Ayelet is a vegetarian while in China as she keeps kosher, so that is sometimes challenging, but the place we pick has a dish with rice and steamed veggies and a fried egg on top, so it's perfect. We chat away and surmise that the girls that she has traveled with are wealthier than she and that they had spent the equivalent of $200.00 on shopping the day before. She explains that she does not think that they should spend their parent's money so easily. She is quite shy and demure, but I tell her that she is quite brave to have some so far away from home on her own (since this is her first trip away from home) and to approach strangers like us as well. We plan to meet some other friends of Rebeccas and go to Shanghai's version of SOHO to check out their art scene and so we ask her to tag along there as well. It is really hot this afternoon and my feet are tired, but we walk and walk and walk. The gallery neighborhood is very hip and chic and the galleries are much like in New York...converted lofts filled with interesting pieces of all sorts. I'm really too tired to appreciate them today and feel like I must come back another time to really give them justice. We depart and walk to the subway and Rebecca notices that many of the outside walls of these lofts are covered with graffiti, something that is rarely seen in China. It is pretty cool stuff and it's pretty apparent that Nara has not seen it as well because she takes plenty photos of the different scenes. We part ways with her as she is going to head back to meet her friends, and we head back to the apartment. While I'm exhausted when we arrive, I cannot seem to nap, so I head to the market to buy stuff to make soup. My stomach is in the mood for Western fare still and I pick up the ingredients for a big pot of beef stew. It turns out pretty well and it's just what the doctor ordered. Later I go with Rebecca to wish her friend Ciara goodbye. She's off to Beijing and then home to Ireland. I say a quick goodbye and Rebecca stays. I'm going home to bed...T-I-R-E-D! As I drift off i am thinking of Arty and wondering if he made it back...got my fingers and toes crossed.

Shabbat and the Weekend

So Friday evening we returned to the Chabbad house and although we missed services, we were welcomed for another nice dinner. This time we were seated next to a family from France. Their origins are from Tunisia. Mom is a dentist and dad, a cardiologist and they have 3 mostly grown children...2 sons in college and a daughter still in high school. We spoke in a combination of languages. They had just arrived and were here to sightsee and see the World Expo. Across from our table was the Rabbi's brother and his family with their four adorable children. We chatted later with some of the same Israeli crew from last week and then met a few new people as well. One man whose last name is Melamed (I think) lives in New York and Shanghai. He has been in Shanghai off and on since he was in high school and is a walking history book. I would guess his age to be about 60 something. I believe too that his family connections go way back in Shanghai and he is related to either the Sassoons or Kadoorie families both huge pillars of the former Shanghai Jewish society. It was another rousing night of singing, toasting l'Chaim and eating very Jewish kosher fare. Rebecca had made plans to go out so we took the bus together until her stop and she gave me directions to get home and I was on my way. When I exited the bus at Peoples' Park, I was to catch a cab...good luck with that at 11 p.m. on a Friday night. I could have taken a motorcycle, but my Chinese is not good enough for bargaining and if I was going to risk life and limb on one of those, I was going to get it for a good price. So I just started walking towards what looked like there were crowds and neon lights. If China is anything, it is really safe. They are not allowed to own guns at all, and I don't normally see police with them come to think of it. I think that the only guns that I have seen have been for the guards watching over the Chinese version of the Brinks' panel vans transporting large sums of money. So even alone I felt comfortable, if not frustrated, walking at 11:30 looking for cab. I managed to walk into an area that was near clubs or hotels where people were coming and going, so I grabbed a taxi there and got to the apartment after much pronouncing in my way too imperfect Chinese. When the driver dropped me off, it took another while to get into the complex. I walked around the equivalent of 2 city blocks before I managed to find the unpadlocked way in. Exhausted I fell asleep around 1:30. I was meeting Arty Burack in the morning at 8:30, so I needed to be up and at em.

My friend Arty ( fFrom Bowerbank, Maine via New York) had come in from Qingdao where he was there visiting. He took the high speed train to Shanghai (about 10 hours) and had stayed in a youth hostel. I was impressed. He knows no Chinese, but with instructions from Rebecca managed to maneuver to our metro stop and I was there waiting for him when he arrived. Rebecca's got some tutoring to do, so we head out on our own. I take Arty to get breakfast down Feihong Road, so that he can get a feel for life here. We grab some fried dough sticks to munch on and continue to explore. Arty has spent the last 2 years in Afghanistan, so hot, crowded places where he did not know the language do not deter him a bit. I catch him up on what is going on in our lives and have him do the same. He is starving for real coffee, so we grab him a cup and head to Peoples' Park. We'll spend the morning there before meeting Rebecca to get fried dumplings for lunch. Arty is a former New Yorker, but even he marvels at the size of the city and the numbers of inhabitants. We browse through the museum in the park and learn about the infamous "Rape of Nanjing" a protracted and bloody campaign between the Japanese and Chinese during which thousands of Chinese were killed and beheaded and women raped. To this day Japanese and Chinese historians dispute the details and as a result, there is much animosity between the inhabitants of both sides. It is yet another reminder of how little we know about the history of this area of the world. Rebecca calls us and we take a break to head over to meet her. After lunch, Rebecca returns for another tutoring session and Arty and I head for the Bund so that he can get a look at that section of the city. We spot model train/plan etc. shop in the subway station and Arty, a model train buff can't help himself. He buys several models and has a great time looking around. This passion for building models transcends different languages and he communicates with the shopkeeper in a language that only people who understand models are privy to. The Bund on a Saturday afternoon is hopping. There are twice as many tourists there today than usual and after walking over there in the heat and taking the requisite photos leaning against the railing overlooking the river with the incredible ever changing skyline behind us, we find a place to sit, chat, and people watch. He is as taken with this city as I am. We watch as a dad puts down paper towels on the sidewalk so that his 2 year old son can "do his business"...definitely not what we're used to, but when in Shanghai. I am approached quite often even without my blonde daughter at my side, to be asked for photos to be taken with us. We oblige chuckling about how silly this seems. I point out different buildings that Rebecca has mentioned for their significance...the Pearl Tower and the Peace Hotel and realize that in spite of myself I am absorbing the vibe of this city. Rebecca finishes her lesson and meets us on the Bund. What did we do before cell phones to assist us in meeting people?! I guess that we gave better instructions. I make her come with us to yet another underground Bazaar that she has not been to so that she can be Arty's designated bargainer; he wants to buy some pearls for a friend. Rebecca's skills are masterful. By the time (about a half an hour) she is done, having walked away several times from the booth, she and the owner have agreed on a price a mere 1/4 of the original number. In the process, we are given a lesson on how to see if the pearls are real (you scrape them to see if they make pearl dust) how well matched and round they are ( you roll the strand on a piece of satin to see the symetry) and select the colors, size and length checking for luminescence ad surface scratches. In the end everyone is satisfied and as an added bonus, they restring my pearl necklace for free. The las time I had it done, it was done really badly and I paid 45 dollars for it and had to wait a week. These were done right in front of me with deft hands and amusing chatter between the shopkeeper and Rebecca. She gives us all bottles of water to drink and when we are leaving presses her cards into our hands encouraging us to return again. Even though we may have paid more than a native would, it was a really wonderful and impressive show of skill on Rivvie's part. Spent, we decide to go to the apartment to refresh a bit. We grab something to drink and a pastry and head back to show Arty our digs. He has 2 things left to do...buy a train ticket back and buy a backpack to take home the extra loot that he has purchased. I offer to loan him my duffel bag. i want to buy a new carry on anyway, and this will be a perfect excuse for me to get one. After a brief chilling out, we head to the Chinese Railway Station for our final activity of the day which proves to e quite the ordeal. The station is PACKED with loud, tired, frustrated, and unwashed bodies. The loudspeakers are blaring and every minute or so the signs flash new train times and departure and arrivals on the overhead screens. Here it is more tricky because none of it is in English. We get into a long line and wait out turn to get to the window only to find out that there are no tickets available to Qingdao for the next morning. Crap...now what?! Rebecca is undeterred. As we leave she looks outside an starts seeking out ticket scalpers much like those who prey on those desperate fans who don' advance plan to see their favorite performers, these guys do the same with train and bus tickets. Much conversation ensues and cell phone numbers are exchanged...the whole thing appears rather shady but Rebecca looks pretty self-assured. We decide to look for the bus station first after this protracted exchange during which we have to move away from the police to transact the deal, just to see if a bus is a possibility. It's like a well orchestrated dance...the police sort of turn a blind eye to what is going on and everyone comes out ahead if not a few kuai poorer. An hour later after getting directions from several sources we have literally run around in circles and not found the bus station. We finally decide that perhaps Arty should just take the train the next day and go back to see if a ticket can be obtained, get back in the long line and wait our turn. I feel sort of sorry for Rebecca and ll of her efforts and think maybe it's harder for us being foreigners, but surveying the crowd, I see faces of fatigue and frustration all around. It's a little reminiscent of an experience in Naples that I once had. FiNALLY it is our turn again and the clerk tells us that there is a ticket for standing room only on the noon train. The one before din't think that the lao wai would want to do that. Arty tells her to book it and we are relieved. It will be a long 10 hours for him on the train tomorrow, so we bid him goodbye and head back. I'm so tired that I'm almost ill. I fall asleep soon after getting back the apartment praying for safe travels for Arty....Wanhang hao. (Good Night.)

It's Monday morning, July 26, 2010. I haven't written in several days because there simply has not been enough time, so I will catch up in these early morning hours when I have the peace and quiet to do so. Of course that comment is taken with a grain of salt as Shanghai like any city has the din and clatter of an urban space 24/7. It is both an intoxicating sound for those of us who like the pace of the city as well as a reminder to me about how fortunate I am that I have the beauty and tranquility of my peaceful and quiet home in Monson (remind me that I said that when February comes and I am complaining.).

While I certainly am not doing it justice, I am starting to stumble by in my broken Chinese. Adding to the hello, goodbye, my name is, and numbers, I now have picked up more vocabulary from pronouns, to simple verbs. I am lousy at memorizing and Rebecca is patient but rolls her eyes at my poor attempts to speak.

Wednesday, Rebecca gave me a couple of places to go visit. She needs to get work done, and I feel comfortable enough to maneuver my way around armed with my map and guidebook. I's another steamy day, so I arm myself with a water bottle and head out. The subways are neat, clean, and the routes are really understandable. Signs are in both Chinese and English as are the verbal instructions on the loudspeakers and the visual prompts that flash on the screens on the subway cars. Did I mention that you can also talk on your cell phones on the subways and watch the tvs that are set to a sort of cnn station?! I'm heading off to see two different historical must-sees...a Shikumen house and the location for the first meeting of the Chinese Communist Party. As usual the trip over proves to be as much sightseeing as the specific location itself. I wonder if Rebecca is testing me as she has routed me through the Shanghai Railway Station. It is a mad crush of people, even more than one usually sees on the subway and you'd better know where you are going because it's easy to get caught up in the swell of the crowd and be redirected by the streaming human tide. Again it's like Grand Central Station at rush hour on steroids. All manner of people are there, women in flouncy dresses carrying parasol type umbrellas, men in light cotton pajamas, couples sporting their "lover's" matching t-shirts, women wearing what can only be described as bloomer shorts, men in business attire. One thing is for sure, to escape the heat of the city, the subway provides a perfect venue. There is an entire subterranean metropolis existing below the high rise building and tenement houses. You could travel for days underground subsisting on fast food and or snacks and buying whatever you needed to live. The bathrooms are clean, but the subways are not 24 hour operations. They shut down from late evening until the morning, so for several hours a day one would have to hide out someplace else. Well if my daughter is testing me, I pass, because I find my way into the French Concession area of Shanghai and walk towards the Shikumen house museum that is my destination. The museum is a restored 2 story house decorated with period furniture and acoutrements of the 1920s. There is a sort of mezzanine room between the 2 floors by the stairwell that was often rented out to artists or writers for a small fee. The influential and controversial author, Lu Xun lived in one such abode. Every detail is apparent. One could believe that the inhabitants of this house are just out for a stroll and left the house open. What is striking is that in this area of the old French Concession, which has been largely renovated on the street level to house shops, cafes, museums etc. all with a very chic, hip feel to them, still is a "working" neighborhood. Tucked away behind the shops in the alleys and above are real homes of the inhabitants. It's much like the French Quarter in New Orleans, but the "locals" here live i much more cramped quarters and the back alleyways still sport the outdoor sinks that are the norm in these parts. Yet trying to get a meal or cup of coffee in one of these chic cafes proves to be an expensive proposition. Yet another one of the remarkable contrasts of Shanghai. I skip refreshment, swill on my water bottle and head for my next stop, the site of the first national congress of the Chinese Communist Party. According to the guidebook, "No.76 Xingye Road, next to Shanghai Xintiandi, a fashionable pedestrian area, the two-story Shikumen building was completed in 1920 as the residence of two Communist Party members. On July 23, 1921, thirteen members held their first national congress of the Communist Party of China here, marking the birth of the Party." It was, in my humble opinion, a flag waving, exhibition touting, of course, the ideologies of the party etc., but very interesting and informative for those of us not well schooled in Chinese history. I cannot wait to do some more reading about the history of this vast and diverse country. It will take some time before it all makes sense to me. Our short U.S. history is really a blip compared to China's. After my tour of the museum, I returned to the plaza between the Shikumen Open House Museum and several of the shops to reflect, chill out and cool off and people watch, of course. This is a real touristy area and a woman started talking to me who was originally from Mexico, but now is from Utah of all places and on a tour. When she found out I was from New Orleans, she was thrilled as she is a huge Saints fan. We chatted a bit before I started to head back to the metro to maneuver back to the apartment. If I thought that this morning was busy, I was mistaken, it's even busier later in the afternoon, or maybe it just seems that way as I am tired. Without much hassle I make it back. Rebecca has had a productive day doing research on the computer. I rest for a bit before showering as we are going to meet friends for dinner at a medium priced (by Chinese standards) family restaurant. As there are four of us, we get four dishes plus rice...kung pao chicken, sweet and sour chicken, fried potatoes, and an eggplant dish. The first two dishes are good but nothing spectacular, but the last two are remarkable. The fried potatoes are coated in carmelized sugar and served with a dish of water to dip them in to cool them off an harden the sugar...delish...and the eggplant is fried in a light tempura style batter and served with julienned strips of chicken in a light sweet sauce. The dishes are plentiful and as there is no tipping ( it is evidently considered improper to tip) our meal costs us around 20 quai about $3.50. I hit the pillow early, but Rebecca goes to a friend's apartment to watch a video. Thursday arrives and Rebecca plans more sight seeing for us. We are off to Lu Xun (loo shun) a/k/a Hongkou (hong ko) park this morning. As a special treat Rebecca gets us a ride in one of the little tuktuks to get there. They are the sort of three wheeled motorized rickshaw vehicles that taxi people for short distances. They are cheaper than taxis, but bargaining is the norm and Rebecca argues with one driver before turning away and finding another to get us to our destination for 10 yuan a/k/a quai about $1.40. There's a reason they are cheap...the ride is crazy and let's just say that I saw my life flashing before my eyes on more than one occasion. About 2 blocks from where we were picked up the driver pulled over and talks to another driver, they switch vehicles, tag team style and then he commences to careen us down busy streets and back alleys to the park. Seriously it feels like roller derby. Anyway upon arrival at our destination, Rebecca gets out money to pay and he wants to charge us more for the ride, the classic take advantage of the lao wai, but Rebecca was having none of it. She stood her ground and told him that the deal had been made for a certain price and he responded with the fact that the other driver didn't know how far it was. Rebecca countered with, I'm not bleeping stupid...do I look like I'm Japanese? (Which in China is a HUGE insult as they have not forgiven the Japanese for the atrocities that were done to them starting in the early 1900's.) I'm a Meiguoren (American), I'm not stupid. Long story short, they dickered and she gave him about 35 more cents and then walked away. As inauspicious as the ride over was, ( of course it's all part of the flavor and intrigue of this experience) our entry into the park , which is free, is lovely. We happen across some groups of ballroom dancers practicing accompanied by boombox. We observe and I sway to the music. One of the Chinese men pulls me over the the dancing area and I dance several waltzes with him as two women nearby offer instruction and encouragement to me. Rebecca takes a photo for posterity and after a bit we thank them and move on. There is a lot going on in the park and it is shady and pleasant as the temperature is climbing again. I am armed with my fan and water, so I am prepared. We stroll around stopping from time to time to observe someone doing tai chi, and people singing somewhat karaoke style but not pop tunes, either Bejiing or Peking opera accompanied by musicians playing the accordion and the erhu ( a stringed instrument about the length of a large violin but played more like one was holding a bass). It looks kind of like a large soup ladle. We stop to sit in a stone gazebo and listen to a trio, two singers and an accordionist. They are good and we are sitting opposite 3 older ladies with great faces who seem as pleased to see us as we are to see them. They are kind enough to allow us to take their photos too. We spend a bit more time there before continuing our exploration of the park and happen on a fellow who is hand lettering painting fans for sale. I select one that I like for a souvenir and he paints my Chinese name and Lu Xun park on it. It's really beautiful with peonies a traditional Chinese flower on the front. The artist knows a little English and we chat as he calligraphies the characters. Later we come across some badminton courts at one end of the park and stop to watch some serious contests. Wherever we stop, we are a curiosity and if anyone knows English they attempt conversation. I understand more and more what Rebecca meant when she said that in Shanghai, she is a treated like a star. While she finds it tedious now, I am amused. Next stop is the museum in the park devoted to it's namesake Lu Xun. It gives details of Lu Xun's life. He was a prolific left wing writer who planned to become a doctor, but dropped out of his medical studies to focus on trying to fuel the spiritual side of his compatriots. He works were translated into at least 12 languages and he was very influential if sometimes controversial. On our way to grab a bite to eat we see couples strolling, card games, and mahjong being played. We decide to eat at the lunchroom in the park which is not fancy, but caters to locals and order tea as well. Our lunch comes on a metal school cafeteria tray: it consists of rice, a small beef chops in a thin brown auce, cucumbers in a broth, sauteed squash with chicken and cooked potatoes in broth. Our tea is served in glasses with loose tea leaves floating in the boiling hot water. It is accompanied by a well worn thermos of steaming water as well. Rebecca explains the tea drinking scenario to me. First of all there are all sorts of teas...leaf teas and flower teas. The best teas are from the first harvest as the new tender leaves are the best; they are referred to as daughter teas. The next harvest is good, but not as special and they are referred to as the mother teas. Finally the last harvests are called grandmother teas. Those are the ones that are more bitter and the ones that we get most often to drink in the US. When drinking tea, you are supposed to pour hot water over the leaves once "washing" the leaves then dumping that water out and pouring fresh hot water over the leaves thus rendering a drink that is less bitter. By the third round of hot water, the tea flavor is optimized. It is served plain without sugar or cream which were added by the English to mask bitter tea. After lunch, we linger over our tea. Rebecca reads and sketches and I people watch and read as well. There are a group of 4 men in the lunchroom playing cards and puffing furiously on cheap Chinese cigarettes. A man at another table snoozes, taking his afternoon siesta brought on by the heat of the day and a full belly. Other patrons read or chat and watch us as we look at them. A group of summer camp children march by perhaps on their way to the amusement park section or to get snacks at the kiosk next to the lunchroom.When we have rested thoroughly we head home and grab vegetables at the market so that we can make spaghetti sauce for dinner. You cannot find fresh basil anywhere, but we have dried and that will have to suffice for now. It proves to be okay and and we share dinner with one of our roommates. Now if only we had a good glass of John's homemade red wine and a hunk of romano cheese... Earlier in the day we get a call from Arty Burack. I found out that he has been in China, but because we have been having internet problems, couldn't get in touch. He plans to come to Shanghai for an overnight and we make plans to meet on Saturday.

Friday morning we spend taking care of laundry and puttering around the house. We plan to get a bit to eat close to the apartment and find a little dive restaurant and order noodle soup with what Rebecca thinks is chicken and fried rice. The soup is good, but the bones in it look like a smaller bird complete with head and feet...kind of weird to our Western eyes. As we eat we watch the quick fingers of one of the assistants as she stuffs and closes the seams of the dumplings that she is making in deft precise patterns. We eat our fill and stop in the convenience store on the way back to get water and kiwi juice for later. For dessert we stop at a Happy Lemon franchise to get my favorite frozen smoothie drink, mango flavored. It's cool and refreshing as well as delicious. Around lunchtime we get a call from the young woman that I am supposed to be giving lessons to nest week. She is going to be delayed, so i won't teach her until the week after. Rebecca is disappointed, but that's life...we will think of something else. The afternoon is spent readying for the weekend and relaxing. Will write more later...I'm off to go salsa dancing with Rebecca...