Free Trade Zone

Today was full of all kinds of new experiences. I was picked up this morning by Jennifer. We were going to Rockwell's warehouse here in Shanghai. There were two different ones that we were going to see. I won't bore you with the details of the business, but one was in a free trade zone and the other in "Rural Shanghai" as it was told to me. Both of these warehouses were located on the Pudong side of Shanghai. Our driver took us to the one in the free trade zone first. It took about 1/2 an hour to get there. (I now consider the Rockwell driver a calm, easy, mellow ride.)

The free trade zone (As it was explained to me) allows us to import goods and not pay tariffs on them until we decide to take them out of the zone. So you can increase your capabilities in country without having to pay tariffs until you decide to use them....if I understood correctly. There is a giant arch that reminded me of the two swords that formed an arch in Iraq. This arch wasn't menacing at all, but that's what it reminded me of. You enter through a customs gate and your in a giant area that has lots and lots of warehousing and the giant cargo holders that you see in major ports (Like Shanghai). We went into our office area and had a couple meetings to explain the processes and documentation that goes on with the handling of the parts. The office and warehouse are brand new.

Eventually we went to lunch. This was my first lunch outside of the office (Monday we had Pizza Hut- pretty good actually). Jennifer and I walked to the door. Then all of the sudden there were like 6 or 7 more people behind us. So I assumed they were coming to lunch with us. I thought this was a little odd, because I hadn't met one of them all morning long. We stayed in the FTZ, but drove about 5 minutes from the office. When we got there 5 of the other people got out and just went ahead inside (We were riding in a van, that looks like the one that the Pakastani's drove, chasing Doc Brown in Back To The Future.) I thought it was strange, but we went inside and it was a big cafeteria. The other people were just hitching a ride with us.

So you go to the line where you get food. You take a tray that has compartments already shaped into it. Some big, some small, some round, some square...kind of prison looking. We went through the line and they just give you some of everything. Today was Duck, Chicken Drumstick, Rice, Potato slices, and something that looked like stringed cabbage...if that's possible? Oh yeah! Some kind of soup.

We sat down and started eating. There were two other girls that sat with us. The food was interesting today. I have to believe that being a butcher here is a pretty cake job. That duck was not boned. The way it was chopped appeared to be just meat....a mistake I will not make again. Every piece had significant bone in it. The girls just would chew it in their mouth, then spit the bone onto the plate. This really didn't faze me that much because I had been warned about it in advance. The other funny part is they all attacked the drumstick head on. Instead of biting in from the side, they all went from the top! All in all I thought the food was so, so. It was kind of bland but nothing I wouldn't eat or try at least.

After lunch we went back to the warehouse office. Jennifer had to leave, she is having some kind of surgery tomorrow that required her to check into the hospital today. It is a major surgery, she is going to be off 3 weeks. It made me think about getting hurt over here....gotta be careful!

So she had the driver take us over to the other warehouse. It's in "Rural Shanghai". That drive was interesting. The area we went through was unbelievable. When they say "Rural Shanghai" they mean undeveloped. I expected to see Sally Struthers filming a commercial, or Slum Dog Millionaire part II. This is the extreme outskirts of Shanghai. It's nothing like the rest of the city, but just as busy! They have all kinds of shops not any bigger than an 8x10 room. Selling pieces of rusted pipe, food, badly used furniture, etc.....

We got to our warehouse and I met Peter and LJ. These guys were great! They gave me a tour of the warehouse and then we went over our procedures and paperwork. We talked for about and hour and a half. Then Peter asked if I wanted to have a smoke. So I went with him and had a cigarette. I gave him my lighter to keep. It was a designer lighter. When I gave it to him he looked it over for a good minute, then was just ecstatic about getting it. That thing cost a 1.50, but you would have thought I gave him the keys to a new BMW.

Once I was done there I got a ride back to the FTZ. There I finished up my day and Evian arranged for a TAXI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I got my game face on, prepped myself, filled out a will, put on my medical alert bracelet, wished I had a flask, and got in the back. The guy pulls out on the main drag by blatantly running a red light. (It was red 20 yards before we got there.) I thought, "Well, it can't get any worse than that.".....I shouldn't have thought that....

We pull out behind a GAS TRUCK! Not as big as in the States, but still full of gas. I couldn't believe such a thing would be allowed on the roads! That's not tempting fate! That's giving fate loaded dice and asking him to roll a 7! It's gonna happen! Fortunately the truck turned off the road within a mile of us being behind it! Phew! One down!

The rest of the cab ride was a lot more tame than yesterday. A couple near misses, but that's all. The radio channel was brutal! I don't know what was going on, but man! (That Cab ride was extensive but cost only 105RMB...or about 15 bucks)

Tomorrow I'll post my schedule for China (Where I'm going). And I'm going to try to find my first dinner outside on my own, we'll see how that goes! Plus shoot for describing more of the scenery. Thanks for following! Hope your enjoying!