MAY 29, 2008
Randy and I didn't have all that much planned for the weekend but that seems like the time when we have the most excitement. Our friends, Margaret and Tom, had just moved into a new apartment in Pudong. We hadn't seen it yet and I was needing a hair trim, so I called Margaret to ask if they'd like to meet us at the salon in Pudong on Saturday afternoon. They did and Tom took Randy back to the new apartment while Margaret kept me company at the salon.
I've been growing out my hair which is a trial for me. Those of you who know me, know that I am a "short hair" girl (until this past December, Randy had run the trimmers over my head for me once a month or so). But since I have more time for fussing with it, I decided to grow out my hair while I am not gainfully employed. As such, I've been going to a fellow in Pudong at Margaret's recommendation who actually is not only a great stylist and cheap (70 rmb, or $10 US dollars), but also speaks pretty good English. When getting a haircut in China, one almost always gets a pretty nice head and neck massage along with the shampoo process. Takes a bit longer but is definitely worth it!
After the trim (a concave bob, as Margaret calls it .... or "make the back of her head look like the ass end of a wombat" as Ali calls it .... those Aussies DO know how to turn a phrase nicely, don't they?), Margaret and I walked a few blocks to their new apartment. The new apartment is beautiful but they are still in the process of getting settled ... lots of boxes yet to be unpacked and not a lot hung on the walls yet. We enjoyed some beer and wine while the repair man came to fix the leak from the shower into the master bath, and the service folks with the satellite dish came to install that on the front patio. As is usual in China, only one thing was accomplished and not very well at that. The "repair" in the bathroom was a lousy job that will more than likely need to re-done and soon. The satellite dish could not be installed as a signal could not be received due to it being blocked by a building. More than likely, they will simply hook into someone else's signal above them in the building, but as is almost always the case in this part of the world, nothing is simple.
The four of us soon removed ourselves to Blue Frog for some great food (terrific burgers) and a pretty decent view of the river traffic and the Bund on the opposite side about a block away. It was dark when we arrived, and the lights in Shanghai are finally shining brightly again (at least on the weekends). It's been since the bad snowstorm in February that the city lights have been restricted but it was lovely to see the sparkling cityscape across the Huang Pu and the barges, cruisers, freighters, and junks motoring up and down the river with all their lights shining!!
Our friends, Rich and Magali, in Suzhou had invited us to their place to view the Olympic Torch Relay which was to pass very near their apartment compound on Sunday. We'd arranged a driver with a decent van for the trip Sunday morning at 8:00 leaving ourselves plenty of time to arrive (one and a half hours to Suzhou) for the viewing of the torch run which was advertised to pass by the area between 11:00 and noon. The torch had actually spent the last three days being run through Shanghai but we never found ourselves in any proximity to it during that time.
We took off Sunday morning on time after having hit the ATM for cash and the bakery for some breakfast rolls and bottled water. Our driver was a good choice, knew a few words of English, and the van was clean and comfortable. Rich called us shortly after our departure to say that most of the streets surrounding their compound were blocked off and it was already very crowded as busloads of people were pouring into the area. He was doubting our ability to get anywhere near enough to make our way into their area. We decided we'd persevere. If nothing else, we'd have a nice lunch with Rich and Magali after the crowd dissipated.
The drive was leisurely for the most part, and we actually didn't see much of a crowd until we approached the block on which their compound sits. We asked our driver to turn left to go there but this was impossible as the streets were all blocked. Finally, we simply asked him to let us off at the next corner and we jumped out realizing we only had to walk about a block into the compound. We arranged to meet our driver back at this same spot at 4:00 in the afternoon and started to pick our way through the mob.
It was certainly quite the festive atmosphere!! Buses full of students wearing uniforms were being unloaded all along the street. There were armed and helmeted guards posted everywhere to ensure a peaceful gathering, but many excited folks were making sure that WASN'T the case. Everyone was yelling and screaming (but happily), waving Chinese flags, wearing buttons and stickers proclaiming their national pride and sporting the five Olympic rings. As we approached the street to Rich and Magali's apartment, we realized that it was also being blocked to pedestrian traffic as well ... bummer!! I said to Randy that if we acted like this was OUR apartment complex, maybe we could fake our way in. So Randy said in his best Mandarin, "Wei jia!" ("Going home!"). Yep, that did the trick. They waved us in without so much as a second glance. Sometimes it helps to NOT look Asian. It was obviously an expat compound so we appeared as though we belonged there.
We walked through the gates of the compound, again, as though we belonged there, wished the guards "Good morning," and found ourselves at Rich and Magali's door at around 9:30. Magali was still eating breakfast, so Rich, Randy and I decided to go scope out the festivities in the street.
As we approached the relay route, we were immediately handed Samsung flags to wave. Samsung is a major sponsor of the Olympics and had employed people to pass out these flags. There were street vendors everywhere selling T-shirts, buttons, stickers .... everything imprinted with Chinese flags, Olympic logos, or slogans written in Chinese on them. It was hard to not get swept up in the gaiety and excitement of the festivities. People were yelling "Chongguo ... Jai you!! Beijing ... Jai you!!" ("China ... let's go!! Beijing ... let's go!!"). The crowd was already 3-4 deep along the relay route. Rich found some friends who were prepared with their Mexican flag (they were of Mexican heritage ... same as Magali), and we wrangled ourselves spots near the barricade with them. The Chinese are not ones to be shy about getting themselves where they want to be, and there was a LOT of pushing, shoving, and elbowing going on for the best vantage point on the route. But everyone was happy and remaining friendly in spite of the heat and crowded conditions.
Suddenly, a loud cry arose, and we noticed a bus moving slowing through the street with people carrying unlit torches inside it. This was the bus dropping off the runners along the route. I guess I assumed that the lit torch simply gets passed along to the next runner, but no, they actually light each other's torches as the runners meet. It wasn't more than a few minutes later when a female American expat came trotting along with the lit torch and met a male American expat to light his torch. We were lucky enough to have the torch exchange happen right in front of us. The yelling and screaming rose to a deafening crescendo!! It wasn't even 10:00 yet.
We walked back to Rich and Magali's apartment after the torch passed lamenting the fact that Magali had missed all the excitement, but as we reached the apartment, she informed us that she could see it all very clearly from their balcony. We speculated why the relay had passed through almost two hours earlier than announced, and all agreed that it was more than likely a plan to foil would-be rabble rousers and protesters as well as a good crowd control scheme. Too bad for the folks showing up later who would have missed it all though.
We all agreed that none of us had had our daily allotment of caffeine, and that a walk to Starbucks was in order. So we headed out in search of our requisite jolt for the day. We mingled with the locals, perused the street vendors for T-shirts and other Olympic paraphernalia. At one point, there was a Chinese reporter who was VERY keen to have laowei recorded for posterity (and probably the evening newscast). He interviewed Rich and got a few comments from him about the Olympics, and then turned his attention to me and Randy who had each purchased a T-shirt. He was pleased to learn that we had a few Mandarin phrases in our arsenal, so Randy and I let loose a few "jai you's" for the camera while holding up our newly purchased Olympic apparel. Between earthquake interviews and Olympic related events, I'll be a celebrity yet!!
We continued through the throngs and the trampled foliage in the street beds (unfortunately) until we made our way into Starbucks for much needed iced coffees. The day had started out rather grey, but the temp was climbing and the humidity right along with it. We sipped our coffees and planned the rest of our day.
Magali and I decided that we needed to do some shopping (primarily for sandals) and coerced the guys into accompanying us to a discount outlet not far from there. Of course, they wanted nothing more than a nice tavern with a pool table. We compromised .... one shopping mall, and then we'd go our separate ways for separate pursuits.
So Magali showed me a great afternoon of shopping (she knows her way around a shoe store!!), and the guys ended up at Blue Marlin, a terrific German restaurant/tavern where the beer is cold and the pool tables busy. After a relatively successful shopping trip, we met the boys there where the highlight of my day (other than the torch relay, of course) was an amazing plate of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes .... DIVINE!!!
Randy found our driver just where we'd left him at the appointed time, we said our good-byes to Rich and Magali with promises to get together again soon. We made our way back to Shanghai exhausted but happy to have experienced yet another terrific adventure.
I've been growing out my hair which is a trial for me. Those of you who know me, know that I am a "short hair" girl (until this past December, Randy had run the trimmers over my head for me once a month or so). But since I have more time for fussing with it, I decided to grow out my hair while I am not gainfully employed. As such, I've been going to a fellow in Pudong at Margaret's recommendation who actually is not only a great stylist and cheap (70 rmb, or $10 US dollars), but also speaks pretty good English. When getting a haircut in China, one almost always gets a pretty nice head and neck massage along with the shampoo process. Takes a bit longer but is definitely worth it!
After the trim (a concave bob, as Margaret calls it .... or "make the back of her head look like the ass end of a wombat" as Ali calls it .... those Aussies DO know how to turn a phrase nicely, don't they?), Margaret and I walked a few blocks to their new apartment. The new apartment is beautiful but they are still in the process of getting settled ... lots of boxes yet to be unpacked and not a lot hung on the walls yet. We enjoyed some beer and wine while the repair man came to fix the leak from the shower into the master bath, and the service folks with the satellite dish came to install that on the front patio. As is usual in China, only one thing was accomplished and not very well at that. The "repair" in the bathroom was a lousy job that will more than likely need to re-done and soon. The satellite dish could not be installed as a signal could not be received due to it being blocked by a building. More than likely, they will simply hook into someone else's signal above them in the building, but as is almost always the case in this part of the world, nothing is simple.
The four of us soon removed ourselves to Blue Frog for some great food (terrific burgers) and a pretty decent view of the river traffic and the Bund on the opposite side about a block away. It was dark when we arrived, and the lights in Shanghai are finally shining brightly again (at least on the weekends). It's been since the bad snowstorm in February that the city lights have been restricted but it was lovely to see the sparkling cityscape across the Huang Pu and the barges, cruisers, freighters, and junks motoring up and down the river with all their lights shining!!
Our friends, Rich and Magali, in Suzhou had invited us to their place to view the Olympic Torch Relay which was to pass very near their apartment compound on Sunday. We'd arranged a driver with a decent van for the trip Sunday morning at 8:00 leaving ourselves plenty of time to arrive (one and a half hours to Suzhou) for the viewing of the torch run which was advertised to pass by the area between 11:00 and noon. The torch had actually spent the last three days being run through Shanghai but we never found ourselves in any proximity to it during that time.
We took off Sunday morning on time after having hit the ATM for cash and the bakery for some breakfast rolls and bottled water. Our driver was a good choice, knew a few words of English, and the van was clean and comfortable. Rich called us shortly after our departure to say that most of the streets surrounding their compound were blocked off and it was already very crowded as busloads of people were pouring into the area. He was doubting our ability to get anywhere near enough to make our way into their area. We decided we'd persevere. If nothing else, we'd have a nice lunch with Rich and Magali after the crowd dissipated.
The drive was leisurely for the most part, and we actually didn't see much of a crowd until we approached the block on which their compound sits. We asked our driver to turn left to go there but this was impossible as the streets were all blocked. Finally, we simply asked him to let us off at the next corner and we jumped out realizing we only had to walk about a block into the compound. We arranged to meet our driver back at this same spot at 4:00 in the afternoon and started to pick our way through the mob.
It was certainly quite the festive atmosphere!! Buses full of students wearing uniforms were being unloaded all along the street. There were armed and helmeted guards posted everywhere to ensure a peaceful gathering, but many excited folks were making sure that WASN'T the case. Everyone was yelling and screaming (but happily), waving Chinese flags, wearing buttons and stickers proclaiming their national pride and sporting the five Olympic rings. As we approached the street to Rich and Magali's apartment, we realized that it was also being blocked to pedestrian traffic as well ... bummer!! I said to Randy that if we acted like this was OUR apartment complex, maybe we could fake our way in. So Randy said in his best Mandarin, "Wei jia!" ("Going home!"). Yep, that did the trick. They waved us in without so much as a second glance. Sometimes it helps to NOT look Asian. It was obviously an expat compound so we appeared as though we belonged there.
We walked through the gates of the compound, again, as though we belonged there, wished the guards "Good morning," and found ourselves at Rich and Magali's door at around 9:30. Magali was still eating breakfast, so Rich, Randy and I decided to go scope out the festivities in the street.
As we approached the relay route, we were immediately handed Samsung flags to wave. Samsung is a major sponsor of the Olympics and had employed people to pass out these flags. There were street vendors everywhere selling T-shirts, buttons, stickers .... everything imprinted with Chinese flags, Olympic logos, or slogans written in Chinese on them. It was hard to not get swept up in the gaiety and excitement of the festivities. People were yelling "Chongguo ... Jai you!! Beijing ... Jai you!!" ("China ... let's go!! Beijing ... let's go!!"). The crowd was already 3-4 deep along the relay route. Rich found some friends who were prepared with their Mexican flag (they were of Mexican heritage ... same as Magali), and we wrangled ourselves spots near the barricade with them. The Chinese are not ones to be shy about getting themselves where they want to be, and there was a LOT of pushing, shoving, and elbowing going on for the best vantage point on the route. But everyone was happy and remaining friendly in spite of the heat and crowded conditions.
Suddenly, a loud cry arose, and we noticed a bus moving slowing through the street with people carrying unlit torches inside it. This was the bus dropping off the runners along the route. I guess I assumed that the lit torch simply gets passed along to the next runner, but no, they actually light each other's torches as the runners meet. It wasn't more than a few minutes later when a female American expat came trotting along with the lit torch and met a male American expat to light his torch. We were lucky enough to have the torch exchange happen right in front of us. The yelling and screaming rose to a deafening crescendo!! It wasn't even 10:00 yet.
We walked back to Rich and Magali's apartment after the torch passed lamenting the fact that Magali had missed all the excitement, but as we reached the apartment, she informed us that she could see it all very clearly from their balcony. We speculated why the relay had passed through almost two hours earlier than announced, and all agreed that it was more than likely a plan to foil would-be rabble rousers and protesters as well as a good crowd control scheme. Too bad for the folks showing up later who would have missed it all though.
We all agreed that none of us had had our daily allotment of caffeine, and that a walk to Starbucks was in order. So we headed out in search of our requisite jolt for the day. We mingled with the locals, perused the street vendors for T-shirts and other Olympic paraphernalia. At one point, there was a Chinese reporter who was VERY keen to have laowei recorded for posterity (and probably the evening newscast). He interviewed Rich and got a few comments from him about the Olympics, and then turned his attention to me and Randy who had each purchased a T-shirt. He was pleased to learn that we had a few Mandarin phrases in our arsenal, so Randy and I let loose a few "jai you's" for the camera while holding up our newly purchased Olympic apparel. Between earthquake interviews and Olympic related events, I'll be a celebrity yet!!
We continued through the throngs and the trampled foliage in the street beds (unfortunately) until we made our way into Starbucks for much needed iced coffees. The day had started out rather grey, but the temp was climbing and the humidity right along with it. We sipped our coffees and planned the rest of our day.
Magali and I decided that we needed to do some shopping (primarily for sandals) and coerced the guys into accompanying us to a discount outlet not far from there. Of course, they wanted nothing more than a nice tavern with a pool table. We compromised .... one shopping mall, and then we'd go our separate ways for separate pursuits.
So Magali showed me a great afternoon of shopping (she knows her way around a shoe store!!), and the guys ended up at Blue Marlin, a terrific German restaurant/tavern where the beer is cold and the pool tables busy. After a relatively successful shopping trip, we met the boys there where the highlight of my day (other than the torch relay, of course) was an amazing plate of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes .... DIVINE!!!
Randy found our driver just where we'd left him at the appointed time, we said our good-byes to Rich and Magali with promises to get together again soon. We made our way back to Shanghai exhausted but happy to have experienced yet another terrific adventure.
posted by Roxanne Gillett at
8:16 PM
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