Back in Shanghai

I flew from Beijing to Shanghai Sunday night. It was a rough flight. There was a ton of turbulence on the trip. (Wade, you would have thought we were going to crash!) I don't mind a little turbulence, but a lot makes it impossible to sleep....I was really counting on getting a nap on that trip...oh well!

Also, I was sitting across from two old couples. I've started to learn to identify the country people from the city people. So the old people next to me are definitely from the country...meaning poor, first time on a plane, maybe the first time in Beijing, and the first time going to Shanghai. They can't even work the seat belt! That cracked me up. I showed them how it worked. The one old guy couldn't stand having it on, he kept taking it off. Finally the stewardess started screaming at him! That made him keep it on for a good half hour...then another lecture. This went on the whole trip.

Another tell tale sign was what the couples did when they served an in flight dinner. First of all, the food, gross! Airline food isn't known to be good in the U.S., imagine it in China. It was a little tin container with rice and a pile of slop. They set that down in front of me and I laughed! I've tried a lot of things over here, but this was not going to be one of them.

I look over at the old couple. The old lady and man are sharing one container of the slop. She puts the second one in her bag!!!! UGHHH! I decided to give them mine. I nudged her and handed mine to her. She threw that in the bag too! I had now made a friend for life! They tried to talk to me, I couldn't make out anything but thank you. They were very appreciative though.

When the plane lands we get unloaded on the runway. No gate for us! It's raining outside as we get off the plane. I looked out the window and saw that it was drizzling. Everyone is standing in the aisle waiting to get off the plane, but there is no one moving forward. Finally, the line starts to move, once I get up front I see what the hold up is. Everyone is acting like there is a hurricane going on outside. The flight attendants (All hot by the way, China has the U.S. killed with flight attendants!) are passing out ponchos to get off the plane. Every Chinese person is rolling up pant legs, tucking in shirts, putting on ponchos, taking extra ponchos to wrap their carry on bags with...insane! I just walk past the commotion and head for the door. Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy for attempting to get out of the plane without a poncho. The stewardess tries to give me one again. I shake her off, she looks at me as if to say, "It's your funeral".

I step out the door, walk down the stairs and take 10 steps to the bus.

Everyone else is running for their lives to the bus...it's so funny! You have to see it to believe it!

I got checked into my hotel around 10:00 at night. This time I stayed at a Marriott Courtyard. This was actually going to be another Marriott Renaissance, but due to the economic crunch, they decided to open it as a Courtyard. It's beautiful! The showers have the ceiling mounted rain shower heads! The place is brand new, it's in a more downtown part of Shanghai, it's cheaper than the other Marriott, and better quality overall. Couldn't be happier with the hotel, probably the best one I've stayed at in China.

Monday morning Tina Mu picked me up and we went to our China HQ. Tina is a nice lady she is responsible for the Shanghai area and some surrounding cities. I worked with her all morning and afternoon. Around 4 she asked if I'd like to see some of Shanghai. So we left to go see the Yu Garden. It was great! It was in the same area I have been before, but had no idea it was there. It's near the Bund, so was back in the markets and everything else. Then we went to have a beer in an area I can't remember the name of. It's where the British and French lived when they controlled Shanghai back in the 1930's. There was a nice little area with outdoor bars and cafes. We stopped at a German place and had a drink.

After that, I went back to the hotel and changed to go have dinner with some Rockwell people. We went to an Italian place, it was the best food I've had since I've been here! It was soooo great to eat a piece of bread! Regular tasting bread is a hard thing to come by here! Very good meal and great wine!

When I first arrived in Shanghai, I wasn't that impressed. The second time around has been much better. It doesn't have the culture of Beijing, but it is fun! It helps that it's Spring now. The trees have leaves and the grass is green. When I was here before, everything looked like dirt. So much better this time around.

Although, Taxi rides here are the craziest in all of China! I can say that with certainty now!