APRIL 29, 2008

As our weekend loomed closer last week, we commenced pondering our options for another Shanghai pursuit. The previous weekend had been jam packed and full of adventure, and the prevailing sentiment was that something a bit more sedate was in order. Randy commented that this weekend was the BMW Asian Open golf tournament here in Shanghai at Tomson Golf and Country Club (Pudong side). We'd made plans last year to attend as admission is free (which we discovered after a long and laborious trek to the other side of the city via a combination of subway, taxi, and a long hike to a not-quite-completed clubhouse to purchase unnecessary tickets) and we already knew the drill. Alan seemed interested as well, so we made a plan for Saturday morning.

Saturday dawned sunny and warm with light breezes. A temperature of mid-70's was predicted ... in general, a perfect day to witness (or even play) a round of golf. We met Alan at the Loushanguan subway station and boarded line 2 to the Longyang station, then fetched a taxi to Tomson. The trip seemed much simpler this time (as we knew vaguely where we were headed), and the driver took us right to the door of the clubhouse where an official tent was erected for the purpose of funneling the spectators onto the golf course in an orderly manner.

Tomson is a beautiful course with a lovely compound of (primarily expat) deluxe homes surrounding it. The course has a rolling terrain with a lot of sand traps (prompting me to remark to Randy at one point that this should be called "Tomson Desert") and an abundance of trees. The air held the usual Shanghai haze partially obstructing what would have been a perfect view of the Pudong Financial District including the Pearl Tower and the almost-complete Shanghai World Financial Building from the higher elevations of the course. The buildings were shadows in the distant mist rather than the picturesque features they should have been. It was just bordering on hot which prompted us to find shade among the trees quite often, but between the shade trees and the lovely breeze, we were quite comfortable.

As we approached the first tee, we had just missed the opening drives of Marcus Frazer and Greg Norman, who was billed as the "star" of the tournament. They were just walking down the first fairway with their caddies, and the three of us decided that we were old enough to appreciate the celebrity of Greg Norman as we could remember his "Hay Days" of the 80's, and we opted to follow that group. They were among the last 4 or 5 couples of the day in the standings. I wasn't familiar with many of the other players except for Retief Goosen who was a couple of pairings behind the Norman/Frazer crowd. There were probably 50 or so spectators in this particular group, not that many as professional tournaments go, but enough to make it seem like a true gallery for a professional tour.

At the start, the golfers seemed calm and casual, even interacting a bit with the crowd. As it was a small-ish group, Norman called a few times for the viewers to cross the fairway in front of the golfers which is sort of unusual. Protocol is to wait for the golfers and their caddies to head on down the fairway before allowing the gallery to cross. As a spectator, we were probably walking twice as far as the golfers, wending our way up and down hills, between links and hazards, jousting for the best position to witness the action. As play progressed though, the golfers grew more serious in their attitude and concentrated more on the course than the crowd.

Somewhere around the 2nd or 3rd hole, we noticed a small blond woman who was being escorted by a tournament official in our group and wondered aloud if this was Greg Norman's wife. She seemed to make eye contact with him quite often. As it was a small following, she sat down on the lawn very near us several times, and we often walked along with her to the next hole, although she never said a word to us. We didn't feel it was appropriate to start a conversation, but were surprised when a handful of spectators asked for her autograph. We speculated that maybe she was a minor celebrity in Australia, Norman's home country. She was very tan and very thin. I remember thinking that she either works out a lot or is some kind of athlete.

After the 4th hole, Randy noticed on the course map that the 7th putting green was right behind us. He suggested that we find a shady spot near there and watch the two or three pairings in front of Frazer and Norman putt through, then continue on with Frazer and Norman when they caught up. I was ready for a break. The pace was quite fast and, as I'd mentioned, we were hiking a lot up and down some hills around the links (reminiscent of last week's adventure .... my legs are getting a good workout these days!). We found a grassy knoll just above the 7th putting green and watched the action from there.

We were a bit like school children in awe of Greg Norman who passed by within a few feet of us several times. He is still very handsome and in excellent shape. Both he and Frazer flirted with birdies several times, but neither could get themselves much below par most of the day. Frazer, in particular, seemed to miss many putts by just a hair's breath prompting much groaning in sympathy from the crowd.

Randy was great with the course map and several times we did that same routine ... followed Frazer and Norman, and then settled at a point ahead of them to watch other golfers and let them catch up to us. At the turn, we visited a few of the sponsor's tents and purchased some caps thinking that we might have an opportunity for an autograph.

Coming into the 18th, both golfers were even, but had shot well enough to give themselves a chance at birdie. Frazer had gotten into a rut by now, and couldn't seem to find a way out of it ... missed again by not much!! Norman seemed to have taken a card from Frazer's book, and fell to 1 under at the finish. He was NOT a happy camper, and shunned attempts for autographs, so we thought better of bothering him at that point.

We decided to take a taxi home to light a grill as Randy had steaks marinating for dinner. The breeze felt good coming in through the open taxi windows, and the combination of hiking the course and the heat had fatigued me, and I drifted off for a bit of a nap on the way home. OK, not as sedate as we'd imagine, but definitely worth the energy.

Once home, Randy lit the grill while I started cleaning vegetables for salads and a side dish. Randy then went online to check the standings of the tournament. After a few minutes, he came out and said, "You'll never guess who the blond woman was with Norman." "No?" I replied, "Who is she?" He answered, "His fiance .... Chris Evert!!!" Oh my gosh!!! We'd been walking around all day with Chris Evert and didn't even know it!! Well, no wonder I thought she was some kind of athlete .... DUH!!! And no wonder there were folks asking for her autograph. We wished at that point we'd have simply asked for an autograph and of course, we'd then have KNOWN who she was. Oh well. She was probably glad to have a day relatively free of paparazzi and hangers-on.

Randy and Alan had to work on Sunday as this is a holiday week and, as is often the case in China, workers are expected to work some or all the weekend prior to a holiday to make up for the time taken for the holiday. Randy suggested I go back out to Tomson for the final day, but it didn't seem like it would be as much fun by myself. We heard later that Darren Clarke won the tournament by 8 under, and I think Norman ended up at around 10th at 1 under. Frazer self-destructed and came in at 4 over.

Golf is coming on as a big hobby for those that can afford it here in China (and that the group of those that can afford it is growing every day). Randy and I have taken advantage of the relative inexpensive price of clubs and have each purchased a set of Calloways which included a nice bag with wheels, head covers, balls, and a travel bag. Our neighbors across the hall are golfers and have expressed interest in golfing with us. To be more exact, Andreas is a golfer. Claire has taken lessons and has agreed to include me when she starts lessons again this spring.

We have a long weekend coming up for the previously mentioned holiday. I went online to check some packages yesterday, and we have decided upon a weekend at Sentosa beach just outside of Singapore at the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort. Since we had to cancel our Thailand trip planned for last October, we decided that it might be a good time to try again for a long weekend. My head is filled with dreams of warm, sunny skies, and some time to relax on the beach with a tall, frozen pina colada. So, hopefully, I will have another adventure on which to report this time next week.

APRIL 23, 2008

A couple of weeks ago, Randy told me that we'd been invited to spend a weekend with an engineer, Sean (a Chinese fellow) and his family back in Sean's hometown called Lake of 1000 Islands (or Qian Dao in Chinese). Originally, it was my understanding that Qian Dao was just an hour or so beyond Suzhou where our good friends Rich and Magali reside, so a plan was devised to include spending Friday night at their place, then to continue on to Qian Dao on Saturday morning where we were to be entertained by Sean and his folks for the remainder of the weekend. I mentioned in the previous post that Alan is here from Scotland working for a few weeks, so he was cheerfully included in the plan, as well as Lifeng (ADS plant manager), his wife, son, and Lifeng's parents who reside with them in Suzhou.

Randy sent the driver to retrieve me from the apartment Friday afternoon and he squired me away to ADS where we were to have Sean give us a ride to Suzhou. Sean lives in an apartment in Suzhou during the week, and travels back to his hometown on the weekends. We did indeed meet with Rich and Magali, and enjoyed a tasty and lively evening with a group of their Spanish-speaking friends at TGI Friday's (yes, they have those here as well). I am learning that it matters not what language people are speaking, but what really matters is their willingness to open their hearts and minds to having a good time regardless of the nationality. You really CAN have a wonderful time without understanding each word being spoken in the room, and this was, once again, proven in Suzhou at Friday's with Rich, Magali, and our new Hispanic friends. Thanks, Rich and Magali!

Sean picked us up about 7:30 Saturday morning in a rental van after a very generous breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and fruit served up by Magali and Rich. After Randy, Alan, and I were picked up, we went to fetch Lifeng's folks. Lifeng and his wife and son were to follow a bit later. So we were off toward Lake of 1000 Islands. It threatened rain along the way, but blossomed into a beautiful sunny day the closer we neared our destination.

It seems I did not understand the distance we were to travel that day. At some point, someone asked Sean how far we were to drive. He replied that it would take about 3 1/2 hours! I settled in for the ride, and alternately napped and enjoyed the scenery which was becoming more and more mountainous as we progressed. Soon we could see the horizontal striations of the mountainsides where tea is grown. I'd seen photos of this in the past, but it is definitely much more beautiful to witness in person!

Lake of 1000 Islands is a man-made reservoir that, until a few years ago, was a river which was dammed in order to create this lake (I assume for purposes of generating electricity, but the Chinese have creatively realized the potential of this area for generating income from tourism as well). It was very clear that they are on the initial stages of building a beautiful resort community in this relatively small city (population around 450,000). There are quite a number of lovely hotels, apartments, and condos either built or in the process, and the city has developed lovely parks with gorgeous lighting and fountains which produce a Las Vegas-type show at night. Quite impressive!

We picked up Sean's parents and continued to a quite remote restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was actually a log cabin structure that floated in the lake beyond a newly built dock system. We could see the numerous varieties of fish swimming in the confines of a series of netting ponds awaiting their demise in order to be served as someone's next meal. Lunch was presented on a large, open, wooden deck patio, and the surrounding vicinity was not unlike what we Michiganders would call "up north" in appearance and style. Coming from the loud, crowded, ever bustling Shanghai, we delighted in the calm and silence of the area. The sky was blue, the air was clean, the water was almost crystal clear, and the atmosphere almost serene .... heaven!!

Lunch was served Chinese style on a lazy susan in the middle of a large circular table. We sat on small wooden stools and were served tea immediately. This area is quite famous for their tea agriculture, but as is the case everywhere in China, tea is constant for every meal. Sean's parents were totally hospitable and entertaining. As is customary, after the beer was poured for everyone, the toasts commenced. Everyone stood, a toast was offered, and all would drink. Luckily for me, the glasses were quite small (juice glass size) so I didn't have much trouble keeping up. Most of the dishes included some kind of seafood as the chefs of this area pride themselves in being able to prepare the very freshest in fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. Much of what was served was familiar to us although we needed instruction on how to consume the little snail-like shells served in a steaming pot of spicy broth. I think we served as good entertainment to the Chinese who are all expert when it comes to picking up any form of tasty morsel with their chopsticks, placing it in their mouths, working the meat from the bone or out of the shell, then spitting the waste onto their plates, all without ever touching their food with their fingers. Randy is getting pretty good at this as he is served the boxed Chinese lunch every day at work, but I require a bit more practice. But I do have to admit that we ate some excellent seafood while we were in Qian Dao.

After lunch, we were whisked away to the shoreline. There was every manner of boat and ferry available on the lake. We were placed inside a smaller, enclosed boat which I commented to Randy looked like a converted 30' Bayliner (you boaters will know what I'm taking about). Mostly aluminum with a hatch in the front ... holds about a dozen people. Among the 1000+ islands on the lake (yes, there ARE over 1000 islands), about 13 of them have been developed to include various indigenous tourist sites and activities. It is definitely becoming popular among the locals because the lake was FULL of various sized ferries, and the islands were teeming with activity. Some of the larger ferries seem to have luxury accommodations including overstuffed sofas, vases full of flowers, and fully equipped open air kitchen areas on the aft deck on which to prepare meals for hungry travellers. We were the only Westerners we saw the entire weekend, save for one other, so I believe this area is somewhat undiscovered on the expat level.

The first island we visited was a steep, craggy, mountain developed strictly for the purpose of scaling it for a fantastic view of the lake area. There was an enclosed tram system in place for those not wanting to ascend the rock staircase on foot (for a cost), but our hosts indicated that we were setting off as pedestrians, not riders. This was fine with me as we'd been warned against roller coasters and amusement park rides in China as they seem to not be maintained very well, and I wasn't keen on meeting my demise by falling from the skies in a Chinese mountain tram! We began our ascent adventurously and intrepidly like any untested, middle aged fools. Here and there, a lookout presented itself for photo opportunities. It soon became obvious that our little hike in the woods was becoming a major aerobic workout!! It wasn't long before we were a little more than red-faced and panting like a woman in the final stages of childbirth!!!! Randy asked Sean how many steps to the top. He replied, "Around 200." As is common in the translation here, hundred and thousands often get mixed up, and as we were soon to find out, it was AT LEAST 2,000 (Sean said, "Oh, yeah. That's what I meant," as we wondered who among us remembered CPR). OK, I survived it, so I'll quit whining.

I will say, however, that I believe I have now seen what may be some of the most beautiful landscapes (or "lakescapes") in China. The picturesque vistas were absolutely breathtaking and Randy didn't quit taking photos the entire time we were there. It was, without a doubt, worth the expended energy!

It was explained to us that there are still large villages existing under the water which were flooded when the Chinese created this reservoir, and in fact, they are in the process of creating some kind of submarine system whereby visitors can be submerged to take a look at these newly created "Atlantises!" Of course, it's hard not to think about the millions of folks who were displaced when this project was undertaken. Seems to be somewhat commonplace here to remove entire villages in order to create these situations (you have probably heard about the Three Rivers Gorges Dam, the largest in the world. I think 150 million people have been displaced as a result of that dam). But the story of the creation of Lake of 1000 Islands was told to us with great national pride, and of course, who knows? Maybe most of these folks are better off which is what I always hope. Certainly, Sean's folks are doing fine. His mother works for the government, and his father is a high school mathematics teacher. It was obvious that they are very proud of Sean and had put a lot of effort into planning this weekend for Sean's superiors and their families.

I'm not sure if it was a plan, or the fact that some of us looked like we might suffer cardiac arrest, but it was decided that we'd take the tram down the mountainside back to the ferry. I swallowed my uncertainty about safety and stepped aboard, concentrating on the incredible scenery all around us. We descended with no problems.

We boated to another island which had more stone steps and some beautiful spots for hiking that included a small, swinging bridge (a la Indiana Jones), waterfalls, and even an area used to demonstrate the grain milling process (and of course brought to mind our beloved Grindstone City). We all photographed one another in various couplings and assorted groups, and took LOTS of scenery shots. I'm sure it did us a world of good to do some deep breathing in a place that has yet to see the haze of air pollution. That blue sky sure looked wonderful, and the absence of pollution and other various smells seemed really great!

Upon our return, Lifeng, wife, son, and a friend of the wife were waiting on the shore waving a warm welcome. I never learned Lifeng's wife's name nor that of her friend (I don't believe either speak English), but the son (4 years old) prefers to be called James Bond. James Bond is aptly named as he is smart, full of energy, very brave, and meets all situations HEAD ON!! We told Lifeng that back in the states, we'd say that his son was "all boy!!" It took both parents, grandparents, and the friend to keep control at times. JB is a cute, young man who has his family tied right around his little finger. Yep, they have their hands full. I had to stifle a smile .... been there, did that!!

Our hotel was a large, bright red and gold, VERY Chinese looking arrangement of buildings built right on the water. The various buildings were connected by interlocking plastic blocks that created decks, docks, and patios as necessary that also floated on the water. Those blocks even enclosed the "pool" area created by cool, clean lake water. Rentals of paddle boats, jet skis, and various other water sports were available, and of course, James Bond needed a jet ski ride which was provided. Our rooms were sparsely appointed, but clean and functional. Each room had it's own private deck over the water, and standing upon that deck put thoughts of the Great Lakes into our heads. It was fairly warm with a much welcomed light breeze (we were still a bit heated up from our mountain climbing) ruffling the sheer curtains.

Sean knocked to alert us that it was time for dinner and we were escorted to a lovely, private dining room in the main building of the resort which was rocked occasionally by the movement of the water while we ate. Dinner was again, Chinese style, with a lovely assortment of fresh seafood again, along with many other local delicacies. I mentioned in a previous post eating ants at a holiday dinner. This meal included a very thin, light tortilla-type, crisp snack that was garnished with fried ants. VERY good!! Of course, the tea and beer started flowing immediately, and the aforementioned toasting began.

After dinner, we went into town to watch a beautiful dancing fountain and light show set to music. The large park area was full of folks doing a sort of line dancing. It was incredible to watch! There must have been around 400 people all doing this same dance. Sean commented that this is how many people in this community entertain themselves (well, in Shanghai too, as we've seen dancing in most of the parks of this city after dark). We shopped a bit in some of the local stores and purchased a few items, but exhaustion soon overcame us, and we decided to call it a night.

The next day, we set out for more 1000 Island Lake adventures after a nice breakfast buffet. We again embarked on a boat ride upon the enclosed ferry to several other islands. We didn't climb quite as much or as often. Maybe our hosts feared for our health because the first island included a ski-lift style transport instead of a walking hike. Again, beautiful views and vistas awaited us at the top, and numerous photos were taken. One of the islands included another swinging bridge but this one was MUCH larger (actually it was a set of TWO bridges). I wasn't as keen on crossing as the others seemed to be, but I put on my game face. Of course, we were probably halfway across or more when several of the teen members of fellow bridgecrossers decided this was "Scare the S**T out of the Laowai" day. I hung on for dear life and thanked my lucky stars that beer wasn't part of the Chinese breakfast routine as the bridge swayed to and fro. "Yes," I told Randy, "it's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt!!" knowing full well that I sounded TOO much like a mother.

The next island visited was a bird sanctuary which was quite interesting. They do like their birds here in China as the zoo was FULL of various types of peacocks, ostriches, ducks, pheasants, chickens, gulls, even pelicans. This was similar to the zoo on a smaller scale. On the way off Bird Island, we passed over docks that had netted pond areas with large varieties of goldfish in them. We were given fish food which created quite a frenzy when tossed into the pond. Some of these fish were so excited to get a bite that they climbed out of the water on the backs of the other fish to get to the food!

My favorite island visited over the weekend was Monkey Island. It is indeed inhabited by wild monkeys (around 800 we were told). The monkeys are somewhat tame as they have been clearly fed by humans, so you could walk straight up to many of them. But it was clear that one must be somewhat wary as we witnessed what may have been a young mother rushing aggressively toward some children in order to scare them off. There are several "monkey keepers" on hand though to prevent any incidents. I could have stayed there all day watching the monkeys play, eat, swing from tree to tree, scurry up and down, and even nap stretched out along tree branches. The babies were just the cutest things, and they rough-housed just like little kids, screeching at one another in frustration when they didn't get their way (just like human kids do). Very fun and incredibly interesting!! Apparently, during the hot weather, it is common to see the monkeys going for a cooling swim. Sean informed us that there are monkeys on some of the other islands and, at times, the monkeys will swim to each other's islands and actually have territorial wars (yep, just like humans).

Sometime during the morning, it started to rain. The crowds were quite thick on the islands, and when the umbrellas started opening, it really made for a riotous madhouse. We were quite relieved when Sean announced that we'd now go for lunch before heading back to Shanghai. Lunch was in a very nice restaurant in Qian Dao where, it was explained to us, that Premier Hu eats when he visits the area, and a certain chef always prepares his food (and also where I utilized the only non-squat toilet I'd seen all weekend). And apparently that chef was preparing OUR food as well. We were certainly getting the star treatment. Well no surprise, the meal was, in my opinion, the most excellent of the weekend. Again, the fresh fish and seafood, along with numerous local vegetables (the eggplant dish was outstanding), topped off with fresh watermelon for dessert. I begged off on the offer of beer this time, but went for a glass of red bean juice instead which is literally the juice squeezed from red beans (like kidney beans) and served hot. Tasty, a little thick, but not an objectionable concoction. I'm sure it's a very healthy beverage.

We expressed our thanks, gave hugs and good-byes to Sean's family in a light rain before leaving Qian Dao. Sean's mother presented each of us with a gift of a tin full of the local tea ..... lovely!! Lifeng suggested that Sean drive the three us of back to Shanghai in his vehicle (a newer Toyota Camry) so we had a pretty nice ride back to the city, while he drove the remainder of his entourage (including James Bond) in the van in which we'd arrived to Qian Dao. Exhausted, but thoroughly entertained and full of wonderful culinary delights, we commenced our 4 hour ride back to Shanghai.

I'd like to go on the record to say that Randy and I will be eternally grateful to Sean's parents (wish I knew their names) for thinking to host such a marvelous and interesting adventure, and including us in it! We have some incredible photos, but more than that, we have made some great friends and memories which will last a lifetime. To Sean's mama and baba: "Xie xie ni hen duo, women de pengyou!!!"

APRIL 15, 2008

The apartment seems large and quiet these days. My folks and their friends, Vic and Jan, left us this weekend with plenty of memories and a touch of sadness at having to say good-bye to our family (although we prefer "until next time").

We filled our time together with many different adventures and experiences, and we tried to show them exactly how we live our life day to day in Shanghai. After a couple of weeks here, Vic and Dad became quite familiar with our neighborhood and helped a lot with grocery and beverage gathering. Very near our compound is a little family owned street vendor which sells canned beverages (mostly beer) and cigarettes. These vendors are not used to selling more than one or two cans of beer at a time, so they very rarely had an entire case available. Victor managed to convey that he'd like the entire case, and, eventually, it was procured. Of course, a case only lasted a few days during their visit, so it was back to the street vendor for more beer. The street vendors must have started getting the idea that these Americans might be consuming more than a can or two at one sitting and decided it would be a good idea to have an entire case available for purchase, but there never seemed to be more than a case or two at any given time. Randy and I laughed about the fact that on our first walking trip in the street after our guests returned to the states, that vendor had 7 or 8 cases stacked and ready for sale to what had become their favorite American consumers. They were finally ready with many cases of beer!!! Good thing beer keeps pretty well!

The weather cooperated with us for the most part during our guests' visit, and we took numerous walking tours of Century Park, Nanjing Road, Xitang (the water town previously visited by us with Judy and Neal). And of course, MANY trips were made to Hong Mei Lu and the Pearl Market for shopping, visiting our favorite restaurants on the pedestrian street, or getting massages at our beloved Dragonfly.

Xitang was a great day, and we were accompanied by Vicki again, with Kevin in tow this time. Vicki is an expert tour guide for Xitang as she has visited there many times .... to the point where they now recognize her there. I guess it was hat day in Xitang because Randy and I both purchased hats for ourselves, as well as a decorative Chinese hat to hang on our wall in our apartment.

We are blessed with good friends here in Shanghai, and to prove the point, a BBQ was arranged with Suely and her family. We put chicken on the grill and had an old fashioned BBQ picnic complete with bean salad, potato salad, and Suely brought along her famous chocolate cake. We were also treated to a marvelous roasted chicken dinner prepared by my friend, Margaret, who went on to surprise me by inviting our mutual friend, Ali, to join us. Ali had spent the previous 6 weeks touring Europe as part of her 60th birthday celebration, and I had sorely missed her and Ralph, the dog with whom I occasionally babysit.

A few days after our lunch at Margaret's, Ali and Mike also hosted a lovely luncheon at their new apartment. I was finally able to give Ali her birthday present which had traveled all the way from Michigan as I could not find the cups and saucers she'd admired at the Shanghai Ikea. With a little help from Judy and my mother, the gift was obtained from the Ikea in Canton, MI. Of course, treats were also brought along for Ralphy too, who seemed almost as thrilled as I was to see us again. Everyone seemed to enjoy each other's company, and again, a really lovely meal was enjoyed, this time with Australian champagne.

We visited the Aquarium, the Zoo, The Chinese Acrobats at the Portman, the Jin Mao Tower to take in the view from 88 floors aloft, and far too many restaurants to name even if I could remember them all. We did have a rather interesting experience I can report. Shortly after the folks' arrival, we visited Moon River for a traditional American breakfast. Alan, one of our engineers from Scotland, joined us as he is back in Shanghai for a month to work. While at Moon River, we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Lilian, a young Chinese girl waiting tables at Moon River. Lilian so impressed our guests with her cherubic smiling face and sparkling personality that we all were checking out Moon River whenever were in that area to see if we could see her again. But a subsequent visit to Moon River revealed to us that Lilian was no longer an employee, to our disappointment.

The evening of the Chinese Acrobats found us making our way down the street to Malone's, a Western bar and grill (a la Applebee's only with live music). We'd enjoyed Malone's a few days previous and since it was very close to the Portman, decided a late dinner after the acrobats was just the ticket. Malone's has three floors, and it seemed that the higher we climbed, the quieter the atmosphere, so we continued on up to the third floor where we were surprised and delighted to find Lilian, a new employee at Malone's. Small world .... in a town of 25 million plus!!! Needless to say, we were given impeccable attention that evening and some terrific hugs when we left. We have exchanged email addresses and phone numbers with Lilian, and will, no doubt, see her again in our Shanghai travels.

The entire group seemed to struggle with cold and/or allergies during their visit, but they didn't seem to let it stop them much. We were out sightseeing almost every day at some point, and even managed to see some neighborhoods with which Randy and I were not familiar. My dad and I discovered that a very lovely marina is being built right across the river from our compound (Suzhou Creek runs just behind our compound). I have to say that I have never seen a pleasure boat in China, but maybe that's because there has never been a marina in which to dock one. You know what they way .... if you build it, they will come!!!

The group seemed to get the hang of bargaining with the vendors during our numerous shopping excursions. Jan, especially, was a keen shopper and made some great deals. On one occasion, Jan and I each had our eyes on Dolce and Gabbana jackets and decided that if we could get them both for 300 rmb (about $40 US), we'd each get one. We bargained hard for 10 or 15 minutes. Even walked away a couple of times (often the vendors will chase you down to say OK, they will sell for your price). There happened to be a man and a woman in this particular stall, but we had been dealing primarily with the woman. No, she wouldn't come down to our price, so we kept walking away, then the man would come to get us. We went back and forth this way many times. Finally, we gave Victor (who was making some pretty good deals on his own) our money and said, "See if you can do it." Victor came back with the jackets, and reported that our woman was in the back room crying her eyes out because she sold to us for SO LITTLE!! In his usual sardonic style, Randy replied that he was sure that she was crying all the way to the bank!!

We spent numerous evenings playing Euchre, mostly 6 handed after Randy would come home from work. But sometimes during the day, we'd play 5 handed which I'd never played previously. One evening, we even took a crack at Chinese Checkers. That gave our brains a good workout, and my father, who is probably the most mechanical minded of the group, was the big winner. Euchre was always men against women, and the competition was fierce, tempered by cold cans of beer or hot whiskey slings which had been prepared for medicinal purposes for those suffering with respiratory ailments (and even for those who were faking it, Randy).

The last evening before our travelers left to return to the States was a special one. Randy and I surprised the folks with tickets to see Celine Dion in concert. All four of them had been wanting to see Celine while her show was performing in Las Vegas. As they had all been many times to Vegas, it was assumed that they'd simply take in that show on another trip. But alas, it was never arranged, and then Celine discontinued her Vegas show in order to commence a world wide tour. Randy and I were SO excited when we found out that the concert in Shanghai would be during my folk's visit, and purchased tickets for all 6 of us.

I will admit that the venue was not what I was expecting. We were used to anything as small as the Clio Amphitheatre (capacity about 4,000) to the Palace of Auburn Hills (capacity about 60,000, I think). Shanghai Stadium is more like the Pontiac Silverdome on steroids!!! It's HUGE!! After a grueling drive to arrive at the Stadium with a driver who seemed to not have a clue where to allow us to disembark, we had quite a lengthy trek up many steps to arrive at our assigned seats. I thought my mother would have a heart attack!! But we persevered, and enjoyed a really entertaining evening. Celine seemed to have brought most of her Vegas show along with her because there were not only back-up singers, but a dozen or so dancers, as well as a small orchestra. The acoustics could have been a little better. A huge stadium is a rather echo-y place for a strong singer, but she made the best of it, and I think we all had a wonderful evening.

It was interesting to go to a concert with a mostly Chinese audience. They are a very polite group, listening intently, and clapping respectfully after each selection. We could even hear some of them singing along with the more popular selections which was kind of funny. Celine tried her fledgling Mandarin out on the crowd to a smattering of applause and laughter. I think most Americans (at least our generation or younger) are used to screaming, obnoxious crowds who refuse to sit down, often sneaking in booze (I've seen somebody at Pine Knob bring vodka in a contac lens solution container ... pretty imaginative), acting crazy and out of control at most concerts. The Shanghai Stadium was not completely full, but I do believe the audience really liked the show. They are just a bit more restrained in their show of appreciation than we Westerners are.

So it was with mixed feelings that we said our good-byes and put our guests on the 747 back to the states at the Pudong Airport on Saturday. I SO much enjoyed this visit with my parents and Vic and Jan, but I will admit that it is nice to have our apartment back to ourselves again, and not have to plan tours and meals for 6 people. But it was definitely worth it!! My father, who had to be brought over here kicking and screaming, enjoyed himself so much that he has committed to another visit which really surprised me (but thrilled me all at the same time).

So to fill up the space of time I now find myself facing, I have resumed my daily walks with Suely (thank you, dear), Tai Chi lessons with Lao Shu (xie xie), and I am planning a ladies luncheon for later in the week. And my dear friends, Ali and Margaret, are already planning some adventures about which I can write. Seems that some of my compatriots have made it a personal responsibility to make sure I have fresh fodder for the blog. For that, as well as their enduring friendships, I am eternally grateful. Love you guys!!