MARCH 24, 2008

Happy Easter, loyal readers!! Sorry to have been away from the blog so long. My life has truly not been my own lately as will be explained below.

While Randy's boss, Carrie, was in town a couple of weeks ago, she introduced us to a friend of their family, Debbie, from Davison, MI. Debbie was on temporary assignment for a few weeks in China for General Motors (both in Shanghai and Beijing), and Carrie thought it would be nice for her to have American contacts during her visit to China. Debbie and I hit it off, and we made plans to see one another several times during her stay.

As the Scots, Alan and Paul, were still in town working at the plant, we took our visitors to Latina, a brilliant Brazilian restaurant which boasts beautiful roasted beef, lamb, chicken, and pork (all you can eat served straight off the skewer to your plate) with a gorgeous buffet of sides, salads, and desserts. Debbie met us there before we headed out for a walking tour of an antique Chinese alley that Randy and I have visited often in that area.

Randy and I have definitely become the "American Welcome Wagon in Shanghai" ... and that's OK with us. It serves as a testament to the fact that we have really "settled in" here and know our way around enough to be able to play tour guide for the newcomers visiting our fair city. As others here have done this for us in the past, we are more than happy to pass on the service to our acquaintances, colleagues, and loved ones. And we enjoy meeting new people, so this has become a bit of a pleasant habit for us.

Debbie was joined by an American supplier, George (originally from Michigan, but recently moved to Anchorage, Alaska from the southern Illinois region), and Andriano, her counterpart at GM in Brazil. We enjoyed meeting and getting to know them as well, and we included them in several activities while they were here.

One evening saw us enjoying a traditional Chinese meal at South Beauty, a very nice restaurant on the Pudong side of the Huang Pu river with a truly lovely view of the Bund across the river from the glass windows of their 10-story location in the Superbrand Mall. Everyone was quite brave about trying new and interesting foods ordered expertly by Randy.

After our meal, we were treated to live music and drinks at a truly unique bar in the Shangri-La Hotel (where the GM contingent stay when they visit) called Bats. Bats is located in the basement of the Shangri-La and does, indeed, look a bit like a bat cave. The walls are dark brick, and candle-lit alcoves line the outer walls where one can enjoy drinks while seated upon overstuffed sofas and loveseats. A three piece female Filipino band did a fair job of imitating some well-known popular music while dancing in very short, slinky sarongs that drew the attention of all the men in the place. And also for the men, the highlight of the evening was visiting what was described as the largest urinal in the world in the men's room! Randy claimed it was about 15 feet long, 12 feet high, and had a perpetual water fall flowing down the back of it for flushing purposes. Only in Shanghai!!

A few nights later, we all enjoyed burgers at Blue Frog (American restaurant known for great burgers) and pitchers of margaritas after a shopping trip to the Pearl Market (the best place in town for gifts for loved ones back home). A few of us were "over served" in terms of alcohol (I won't name any names ... maybe because I can't remember!!) but a really good time was had by all, and there is a taxi driver in Shanghai that I hope I never meet again .... and I'm sure he feels the same way!!

On the evening of March 14, we picked up my folks and their dear friends, Vic and Jan, at the Pudong Airport for a month long visit. So once again, we are performing tour guide duties here in Shanghai and having a much needed visit with family. It is always interesting to be with people who have never visited China and see their reactions. My family all come from small towns in rural Michigan, so Shanghai is completely on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of expanse of skyscrapers, congestion, traffic, noise, and general activity which usually elicits "shock and awe" (to borrow a phrase from our beloved President). I will admit to a bit of nervousness in terms of showing everyone a good time all while keeping them safe and entertained. My mother, shortly upon arrival, came down with a horrendous chest cold which effectively stopped her in her tracks. We've done our best to include the entire group in our activities, but it hasn't always worked as my mother is a fairly slow walker when she's healthy. She's making progress now though and hopes to be included in all our activities soon.

We have taken the group on many walking tours of our neighborhood, and to various restaurants with which we are familiar (making sure that plenty of beer is served). On Saturday, we took the group out to visit the plant, and then to the Shanghai Auto Museum which is very near the plant. The Shanghai Auto Museum was a very nice surprise. It is a big, brand new building that is filled with displays of history and actual vehicles from every aspect and area of the industry (many on loan from Europe and the USA). Very interesting!! The museum is located in a somewhat remote area, and we appeared to be practically the only visitors, but the building was sparkling clean, and the antique vehicles were spotless and shining, and beautifully displayed!

We have played a lot of cards (something we miss .... no one here knows how to play our favorite card games), done a lot of walking through parks and local neighborhoods, taken many photos, and guided tours to shopping and restaurants in an attempt to show our family how we live our life in Shanghai. Now if we can get Mom healthy, we'll be all set. It's a bit of a trick to do the meal planning and grocery shopping. Our refrigerator is quite small and food for six people fills it, as the people do in our apartment, pretty quickly. But as we are all good campers, patience and tolerance as well as cooperation are the attitudes of the day. And the weather has really been terrific. The suns shines most days now and the temps are hitting the mid and upper 60's lately. Perfect for long strolls in parks full of budding trees, shrubs, and flower beds.

We are one week into a four week visit. I'm sure there will be more activities to report soon.

MARCH 3, 2008

We had such a jam packed weekend that I felt I must write about it before I forget any details. As mentioned in the previous post, the weather has turned quite pleasant .... sunny and warm with only a chilly breeze occasionally to remind us of the winter we are leaving behind. It's been in the upper 50's and maybe even touching 60 briefly. My disposition has improved exponentially as the temp inches upward. I know there's a point at which I'll start to wilt due to heat but with any luck, that is several months away.

My usual walking buddy, Suely, has been short one Ayi as her full time gal is on maternity leave. Usually she utilizes one full time and one part time so her part time Ayi is attempting to pick up the slack, but the situation has cut into our usual walking schedule. Our usual morning walk has been replaced by one in the afternoon whenever Suely can get away. Actually, this might be somewhat preferable this time of year. The mornings are still quite chilly, but the afternoons are warming up to be lovely and pleasant, much more suited to a walk with only a light jacket necessary for comfort.

Friday found me performing many of my own "ayi" functions ... cleaning up the kitchen, laundry, checking emails, and general fussing around the apartment. I knew Suely would probably be up for an afternoon walk so I tried to clear my afternoon for that possibility. And as anticipated, we hooked up around 1:30 for a walk in the warm sun.

My metro card was dangerously low so I suggested a walk to the nearest subway station to replenish my card. The metro cards are very handy .... the size of a credit card, they can be utilized for subway, bus, or taxi use. Much better than carrying around large sums of cash. Anytime they are used, the amount remaining is displayed so that a suitable balance can be maintained. So we hiked the 10-minute walk to the nearest subway station on Weining Road.

Having accomplished that mission, I suggested a walk down Shuicheng Road to the nearest Starbucks which is about a mile and a half south of our compound. She agreed so off we went. Of course, once we arrived at Starbucks, we decided we needed frappacinos. I love the balance of it .... burn off calories walking, replenish them upon arrival. Yeah, I know. We're more than likely consuming more than we're burning, but oh well. Tasted so good!! Suely and I were included in a group of 10 other expat women from our compound that had planned a ladies night out for later that evening. The plans included dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and then the JZ Club for Salsa Night later. We decided that since we hadn't been doing a very good job of getting together for regular walks lately, we'd head out early enough to walk to the restaurant that evening approximately 40 minutes away. That OUGHT to take care of the calories of the frappacinos!!

We arrived at the front of the Japanese restaurant just as the cabs of the remainder of our troop appeared. I don't know the name of the Japanese restaurant because the red neon characters on the front of the establishment were all Japanese. Good thing a couple of the others had been there previously because the remainder of us wouldn't have even known this was the correct place. We informed the hostess that we were the party of 10 for 7:30, and were led to a foyer area where she indicated that we were to remove our shoes. Bela lamented that she might have holes in her socks, but she needn't have worried because we were escorted to a private room with a sunken table under which we placed our feet. Our bottoms were cushioned by plush pillows which had been placed upon bamboo rugs for an authentic Asian experience.

We had quite the international group ... 2 Brazilians, 2 Finns, 2 Chinese, 1 Chilean, 1 Aussie, 1 Malaysian-American who had been raised in the Netherlands (don't know what's up with that), and me. Everyone spoke excellent English (at least until the alcohol started flowing), and it was a friendly, animated group of women who were excited about a night out on the town! This particular restaurant boasts an "all you can eat" menu of either 169 RMB per person to include beer and sake, or 149 RMB if you prefer no alcohol ... a deal either way as their menu included lovely sushi and sashimi as well as some beautifully cooked Japanese selections. Intrepid as ever, Suely proposed to the one of the two waitresses attending to us that we only be charged 149 each as we had such a large group. Surprisingly (at least to me), it was agreed. I guess it's true what they say .... everything in China is subject to bargaining. I suppose if you don't ask, you'll never know!!

The cuisine was plentiful and delicious, the service was excellent, and the company lively! Of course, the beer, wine, and sake (Japanese rice liquor) started flowing immediately, but being that I was the grandma of the group, I took it easy and decided to try to keep my wits about me. What was nice about this kind of group is that a very diverse selection of foods was ordered, and if someone wasn't familiar with a certain food, somebody else would have had some experience with it and could explain. I'm pretty brave about trying new foods (an old hat at this point), but other folks aren't quite that carefree, so it helps to have a good definition of the unknowns. One doesn't want to stumble upon a sauteed scorpion if one can avoid it, I suppose! It makes for a truly glorious eating adventure, of which we are having many here in China.

After a fantastic meal, it was decided we'd embark on the next leg of our evening and travel to the JZ Club. As there were 10 of us, it became clear that we'd need approximately three taxis, so shortly after we assembled in front of the restaurant, the Finns and one Chinese gal decided to take their chances hailing a cab on a more well traveled street about a block away. The rest of us remained hoping to mentally call a taxi to our location, I suppose. A dark, Buick van pulled up to the curb in front of us and a Chinese fellow asked if we were looking for transport. A bit of dickering ensued and it was agreed that he'd drive us for 10 RMB each ... a great deal at less than $1.50 USD per person. We piled in and literally filled every seat. About a block down the street, we saw the Finns and the Chinese gal still waiting for a taxi, so we instructed the driver to pull over for our friends. He expressed some concern about getting more people inside, but we assured him it was no problem! So of course, we somehow managed to cram three more women into the van, and we were on our way. One of the Chinese gals sat up front next to the driver, and we all had a big laugh when she informed us that he was the driver for the Finnish consulate!! He'd ended his work day and was on his way home when he saw his opportunity to make a few quai. This is quite common too, but it was particularly funny as our group included some of the Finnish expat community! He could tell that we'd had a bit to drink, and we were probably a little louder than a usual van-full of ladies, but he added to the cacophony by putting on some loud disco music for us to enjoy, and we all sang along.

We arrived safely at the JZ Club which is known more for being a smoky jazz joint, but I believe every Friday is Salsa Night which is the reason we were attending. Stephanie, one of our Chinese gals, must know someone at JZ's because she had managed to wrangle an "extremely hard to obtain" reservation in front of the stage to the right of the dance floor. A trio of Latin men were playing some excellent Spanish guitars and we immediately started swaying to the music. Turned out that the "Latin" men were in actuality Western Chinese (from the far western province of China) where the folks look more Latin than Chinese. They sang in Spanish which also lent itself to the illusion. They were great, and got the entire room singing during their rendition of "Volare."

We continued lubricating ourselves by ordering a couple bottles of red wine of which I drank one glass, but shortly thereafter, Suely and Bela ordered a couple of tall glasses of caipirinha which intrigued me. Suely explained that it was similar to a mojito but made with a special Brazilian kind of liquor called cachaca. It looked like a tall glass of lemonade jammed with crushed ice and lime slices but the bottom of the glass had a layer of raw, coarse cane sugar which was sucked up through a straw along with the tart, slightly bitter mixture. It was wonderful .. light and refreshing!!! Suely tells me that this is probably the most famous and favorite of all drinks in Brazil. I think I have a new favorite drink (Rio, here I come)! So I had a couple of those as the guitar trio packed it in for the evening and the salsa band took the stage.

The band included two keyboards, a trombone, a trumpet, a bass player, two bongo players, a percussionist, and a couple of singers who also took turns with ratchets, maracas, and various other noise makers. What a wonderful riot of lively, sexy, "party in Rio" type music!! One could not HELP but move when this group gets going!! The only female member of the band took the stage after the initial instrumental opener and started asking the crowd their origins (the crowd by now had grown to "beyond building code regulation" size). She started yelling out different countries and people from those countries would cheer enthusiastically. Of course, there were LOTS of South and Central Americans in the crowd as well as a few North Americans. Here and there on the dance floor were very accomplished salsa dancers gyrating in time to the rhythm, and watching these truly magnificent performances, along with the intoxicating combination of great music and drink, had me mesmerized!!

I danced a little with some of the other gals, but as the crowd had become uncomfortably thick, I opted for enjoying the performance from the relative safety of my bar stool at our table. JZ's has a second floor which provides a balcony overlooking the entire stage and dance floor, and this was packed with people watching the spectacle beneath them. It was definitely a major party happening!

Bela had come along to JZ's with some reluctance as she had left her kids with an Ayi at her apartment for the first time (at least in the evening). Her Ayi had never slept over previously, but had planned on it for this night due to her husband being out of town on business. I had promised Bela to accompany her home whenever she decided it was time to exit (and again, being the senior member of the group, I was sure I would be among the first to poop out). Well, as it turned out, this was a very good plan. Bela, who had consumed slightly more than healthy portions of beer and sake at the Japanese restaurant, had gone on to several glasses of caipirinha, and seemed to be struggling with simple tasks such as paying her bar bill, decided it was time for us to quit the club. I may have stayed on longer as I was truly enjoying the music, but I'd promised (and as it appeared that Bela truly needed my assistance), so we got her coat on and hailed a taxi without too much difficulty.

Poor Bela, she had become convinced that someone had stolen her money at JZ's (which I cannot say is true or not, but at that point she definitely could not find her money). On the way home, while waiting for a traffic light to change to green, she kicked the driver's seat from behind because she was quite certain that he'd fallen asleep at the wheel and/or was trying to take us for a long ride (I was pretty sure that we were on the right track). But I gave her the benefit of the doubt as her mind was clouded by alcohol .... someplace I have been numerous times in the past! We pulled up in front of her building, and I managed to get her to the lobby without incident. Suely mentioned the next day that Bela didn't have much recollection of how she'd paid her bill (Suely covered her) or got herself home the night before which is too bad! I hate to see someone having such a good time and then not be able to remember it!! Lest you think badly of Bela, let me assure you that she is an intelligent and well behaved Brazilian expat here at our compound, and I count her as one of my good friends here. So I was glad to have been here to help her in a weak moment, one many of us have experienced.

It was just as well that I got myself home comparatively early (1:00 AM .... I guess the others didn't make it before 3:00) because Suely and I had made plans for the next day to visit the Shanghai Zoo with her daughter which is not too far away here in our neighborhood. I met with Suely at her place at 10:00 Saturday morning (she was looking pretty fresh considering our activities of the previous night!) and, with her Ayi in tow for assistance with Laura, her 2-year old daughter, we set off for the zoo.

I should point out that I am often not much of a zoo fan. I am an enthusiastic animal lover, and my tendency is to always feel the yearning to release all of the animals held in captivity. But having said that, I set off for the zoo trying to hold an open mind and understanding that for many people, it's the only opportunity to witness these animals. It was a beautiful day to be outside, sunny and warm (near 60), and of course, the opportunity for another adventure.

Shortly after our arrival at the zoo, we ran into Paul, a fellow from Scotland who is working here at the plant for a couple of weeks. Randy had informed me that he might be visiting the zoo today (Randy had to work Saturday) but I never dreamed we'd actually meet each other there ... the zoo is a huge place. Of course, it is a bit easier to spot a non-Asian person among all the heads of black hair here. Paul and I were happy to see each other and decided he'd join our group for the day.

I have to say that the Shanghai Zoo pleasantly surprised me. For the most part, the animals appeared healthy and well maintained. There are large expanses of green space and lovely gardens and walks to provide a really pleasant experience for those looking for a place to take the family and enjoy the lovely spring weather.

There were things that surprised me though such as a very large dog display. Yes, that's right .... dogs on display at the zoo! It was explained to me that until recently most Chinese didn't keep dogs for pets (I can read your mind .... yes, many folks in the states claim dogs are part of the Chinese diet but I cannot say that I have seen any evidence of that, and when pressed about that, most Chinese will tell you that doesn't happen in China, only Korea). In fact, during the cultural revolution, large dogs were trained and often starved in order to make them mean enough to help control crowds in a rather unpleasant way. As a result, the average Chinese adult and the elderly are often very afraid of dogs, especially large ones. But they are quite fond of smaller and toy versions of dogs and are very proud to display them on fancy leashes often wearing beautiful coats and sweaters (the dogs, I mean). I've even seen some white poodles with ears dyed orange, blue, or pink .... the ultimate in canine fashion statements!! But I digress.

The dog exhibit was very interesting (and yes, I fought my urge to find a way to release them all). Each dog (or often, pairs of dogs) had their own little apartment complete with little "dog furniture." The front of each of these apartments were glassed for public viewing. The dogs did indeed appear healthy and well-fed although a few of them looked antsy as though they were pent up too long and needed a good run. Most every breed was represented (sorry, Mattie .... no Aussie Shepherds though), and there was a place where you could have yourself or your family photographed with a couple of beautiful golden retrievers who waited patiently for the business. It did not surprise me that no one seemed to want this particular service though .... like I said, the Chinese in large part are afraid of large dogs.

Most usual zoo animals were represented in nice exhibits, and there were stadium type shows that staged elephants and sea lions in various performances. The elephant show was really quite good. They sold plastic bags of carrots so that the audience could participate in feeding the beasts. Between each "trick," the four elephants would be allowed to go to the audience for a treat of carrots, and even some apples and oranges were offered in some cases. Suely purchased a bag of carrots for Laura who seemed interested in the feeding process until one of the larger pachyderms approached us and the business end of his trunk was right in our laps. Laura freaked out and screamed, and I had visions of deaths by trampling running through my head. I grabbed Laura's carrot and stuck it the slimy snoot of the animal, and he winked his approval at me. Well, I needn't have worried .... I'm sure this sort of thing has happened in the past and they are quite used to it. Laura clung to her mother and sobbed for some time, sure that she was to become the next elephant lunch.

The other really neat thing we saw that day was a pair of gorillas in the primate display who had recently added to their family. Mother gorilla was carrying around baby gorilla that couldn't have been more than a couple of weeks old in one hand. Her hand was big enough to cradle the baby's back and head in her palm and fingers, and the infant was carried around in this manner until Mom would sit down to cradle her child in her arms for breast feeding just like a human mother. It was truly incredible to see!! Of course, Dad was peering through a hole into a kitchen where meals were obviously prepared for them. I could imagine a caption reading something like, "Could I get a beer here, please?" It must have been getting onto meal time because he kept looking expectantly through this hole .... "OK, what's taking so long???"

All in all, the zoo was a very pleasant experience. There were a few displays that could've used a good cleaning, and we watched a rhino push a boulder right up to a wall and put his front feet on it to boost himself in what appeared to be a sincere attempt to escape (much to the surprise of a Chinese fellow who chose that exact moment to peer over the wall ... there he was face to face with the horn of a disgruntled rhino. Yep, he back pedaled a bit!). I was imagining the headline on CNN later that day .... Panic ensues as rhino escapes Shanghai Zoo!!!

We also noted that we had FINALLY found a place for Randy to go fishing!!! There was a good sized pond full of 3 to 4 inch orange colored goldfish (is that an oxymoron?), and for a small charge, a cane rod was provided for fishing. You could fish for as many fish as desired and they charged accordingly. A small bucket was also provided so that live fish could be taken home ("To flavor the rice that evening," Randy quipped).

After a day on my feet at the zoo, I met Randy at home where we took off for a much needed massage. Heaven!! Then we met up with Paul and Alan for a great dinner at Simply Thai and dessert at Coldstone Creamery. No, I'm NOT losing any weight!!

Sunday demanded that we get going early and pick up some much needed groceries before heading out by subway to meet Paul and Alan for some sightseeing on the Pudong side. We greeted one another at the base of the Pearl Tower in the breezy warmth of the sunny day. The Starbucks in the Superbrand Mall across the street beckoned, and armed with hot cups of caffeine, we decided to head to the Jin Mao Tower where there is an observation deck on the 88th floor. This structure was the tallest building in Shanghai until the construction of the Shanghai World Financial Building which is right next door. You haven't lived until you rise 88 floors in less than 30 seconds!!! Whew! Was that light headedness a caffeine rush or G forces???

What a view of the city from 88 floors in the sky!!! It was a somewhat hazy day, otherwise I'm quite sure you could see for miles in any direction. We had a fantastic view, nonetheless, of many types of river traffic where the Huang Pu meets Suzhou Creek (which runs past our apartment compound), and the final stages of construction of the aforementioned Shanghai World Financial Building that could be viewed in very close proximity. We noticed that we could see the temporary residences of the construction workers well above our heads in the SWFB and wondered about people who live and work 100 floors above the earth!! These workers walk around on flimsy looking platforms without so much as a safety harness with seeming sureness and serenity! I suppose they are used to it. Made my head spin!

The day ended well with a BBQ on our kitchen balcony for Alan and Paul, and brownie sundaes for dessert (now that Randy has learned how to operate our Chinese oven/microwave combo unit) while watching a video of the Eagles Farewell Tour dvd.

Well, we managed to cram a lot into one weekend (especially when you consider that Randy worked on Saturday), but after what has seemed like a long winter, we didn't want to waste a moment of the great sunshine and warmer temps (I can see the rolling eyes of our friends and family in Michigan!). I guess our blood has thinned after living in a tropical climate for over a year, and we, like everyone here, have been anxious for the arrival of spring.