Normally, I wouldn't go this long without posting to my blog. I have a good excuse. Last weekend (13 May - 16 May), I flew to Shanghai, China to attend the wedding of a friend I've known since the 6th grade. The only friend from before college with whom I am still in contact. And China is known for two things: The Great Wall, and the Great Firewall. I couldn't get to my blog or Facebook while I was in Shanghai.
I flew from Jakarta to Singapore to Shanghai. About eight hours of flying for thirteen hours of travel. The flight itself was uneventful. What I will always remember about the flight is the thick, brown blanket I could see covering the city as we landed. Los Angeles, Phoenix and Jakarta are all polluted cities. I've flown into smog at all of them. I've never seen a brown mist as thick, as large, and as disgusting as the one that covers Shanghai.
Shanghai immigration was fast and efficient. As I stood on line, I noticed about seven college students wearing University of Michigan shirts and sweatshirts. I struck up a conversation with the one closest to me and learned they were engineering students studying in China for the summer. I remarked: "That seems backwards. The Chinese usually come to the US." A young lady behind him interjected, with all the authority literacy can provide: "It's the best University in China." She was obviously proud (and defensive) of her exchange program, so I didn't bother telling her that someone is the best player on the Detroit Lions, too.
Not wanting to attempt to hail a cab and give the name of my hotel, prior to leaving Jakarta I arranged transportation with the hotel. They met me as I cleared customs and drove me the sixty minutes from the airport to the hotel. I checked in and called my friend. He said: "We're on our way to dinner. I'll turn around and come get you. Be there in ten minutes." I probably should have waited until the porter had delivered my bag before calling him. I was still wearing my travel clothes and not properly dressed for dinner. Thankfully, my luggage arrived a few minutes later and I was able to put on slacks and a nice shirt. I even had time to snap a few pictures of the view from my room on the 56th floor.
At dinner, I reconnected with my friend's family, who sat at one end of the table and conversed in English, and met his wife, who sat with her family at the other end of the table and conversed in Chinese. My friend has lived in Shanghai for six years now and his Chinese skills are quite impressive, so he tried to bridge the gap. It was great catching up with everyone. After dinner, I returned to my hotel and called it a night.
The next day, Saturday, we had a full day of planned activities. We were starting with a visit to the Shanghai zoo, followed by a BBQ (not of the zoo animals). After a quick breakfast at the hotel, I joined my friend and his family (mother, father, sister, sister's boyfriend) in the car they had rented for the day and we went to the zoo.
I've been to so many zoos in the last few years that they tend to all blur together unless they have something that stands out. The Shanghai Zoo had three unique features I'll remember. The first is the bus ride safari. Nothing really compares to the safari zoo in Jakarta, but this comes in a close second. We drove through an area with lions, tigers and bears running around, just like the Jakarta zoo. Unlike the Jakarta zoo, at Shanghai, they feed them. For about $5, you can buy a live chicken that they feed to the big cats. They make it even more interesting by driving away as they hold the chicken, resulting in the lions and tigers chasing the bus. The second highlight for me was feeding kangaroos. They charge $3 to enter their enclosure and $1 to buy feed for them. The final and best highlight was the ape. Despite the signs that advise visitors not to feed the ape, people still throw it food, bottles of water, anything they have handy and are willing to part with. Well, the ape doesn't appreciate all the litter. After it had gathered a few plastic bottles it couldn't figure out how to open, it worked itself into a frenzy, charged the visitors, and launched the bottles back at us! It was hilariously entertaining. We spent twenty minutes watching it.
After the zoo, we went to the house of my friend's friend for a BBQ. Most of the people who would participate in or attend the wedding also attended the BBQ. I met the Asian CIO for Avaya, an American living in China who owns his own iPhone game business (score!), and the owner of a wine distributorship in Shanghai (the host of the BBQ). After eating, we played Texas Hold 'Em with a $100 buy-in. On one hand, my full house lost to four of a kind and dropped my $100 to about $10. By the time we had to leave, I had clawed my way back to even (thankfully!).
I knew I wouldn't have time on Sunday (the day of the wedding) to buy souvenirs for my wife and kids so I asked where I should go Saturday night. We decided on pearls, and that we would go to the shop that my friend's company has arranged a fixed-price amount with the owners so their employees and visitors don't have to haggle. More on that in a minute. First, we had to stop at the store, the Chinese version of WalMart, and buy twenty-two bottles of champagne for the wedding. The purchase was easy. Leaving turned out to be problematic. There were long lines at every open check-out. We finally found one that was empty and walked through it. The only issue was there were four carts piled high with raw meat and no one around to help move them. We took matters into our own hands. Literally.
Once past the meat obstacle, we went to the jeweler. I bought my wife and daughter pearl necklaces, earrings and several other necklaces and bracelets. Turns out that the fixed, no-haggle price was 10% of retail! Can't beat that! Not wanting to leave my son empty-handed, I bought him a kung-fu outfit he looks pretty awesome in.
I had a late dinner at my hotel and called it a night.
I flew from Jakarta to Singapore to Shanghai. About eight hours of flying for thirteen hours of travel. The flight itself was uneventful. What I will always remember about the flight is the thick, brown blanket I could see covering the city as we landed. Los Angeles, Phoenix and Jakarta are all polluted cities. I've flown into smog at all of them. I've never seen a brown mist as thick, as large, and as disgusting as the one that covers Shanghai.
Shanghai immigration was fast and efficient. As I stood on line, I noticed about seven college students wearing University of Michigan shirts and sweatshirts. I struck up a conversation with the one closest to me and learned they were engineering students studying in China for the summer. I remarked: "That seems backwards. The Chinese usually come to the US." A young lady behind him interjected, with all the authority literacy can provide: "It's the best University in China." She was obviously proud (and defensive) of her exchange program, so I didn't bother telling her that someone is the best player on the Detroit Lions, too.
Not wanting to attempt to hail a cab and give the name of my hotel, prior to leaving Jakarta I arranged transportation with the hotel. They met me as I cleared customs and drove me the sixty minutes from the airport to the hotel. I checked in and called my friend. He said: "We're on our way to dinner. I'll turn around and come get you. Be there in ten minutes." I probably should have waited until the porter had delivered my bag before calling him. I was still wearing my travel clothes and not properly dressed for dinner. Thankfully, my luggage arrived a few minutes later and I was able to put on slacks and a nice shirt. I even had time to snap a few pictures of the view from my room on the 56th floor.
The next day, Saturday, we had a full day of planned activities. We were starting with a visit to the Shanghai zoo, followed by a BBQ (not of the zoo animals). After a quick breakfast at the hotel, I joined my friend and his family (mother, father, sister, sister's boyfriend) in the car they had rented for the day and we went to the zoo.
I've been to so many zoos in the last few years that they tend to all blur together unless they have something that stands out. The Shanghai Zoo had three unique features I'll remember. The first is the bus ride safari. Nothing really compares to the safari zoo in Jakarta, but this comes in a close second. We drove through an area with lions, tigers and bears running around, just like the Jakarta zoo. Unlike the Jakarta zoo, at Shanghai, they feed them. For about $5, you can buy a live chicken that they feed to the big cats. They make it even more interesting by driving away as they hold the chicken, resulting in the lions and tigers chasing the bus. The second highlight for me was feeding kangaroos. They charge $3 to enter their enclosure and $1 to buy feed for them. The final and best highlight was the ape. Despite the signs that advise visitors not to feed the ape, people still throw it food, bottles of water, anything they have handy and are willing to part with. Well, the ape doesn't appreciate all the litter. After it had gathered a few plastic bottles it couldn't figure out how to open, it worked itself into a frenzy, charged the visitors, and launched the bottles back at us! It was hilariously entertaining. We spent twenty minutes watching it.
After the zoo, we went to the house of my friend's friend for a BBQ. Most of the people who would participate in or attend the wedding also attended the BBQ. I met the Asian CIO for Avaya, an American living in China who owns his own iPhone game business (score!), and the owner of a wine distributorship in Shanghai (the host of the BBQ). After eating, we played Texas Hold 'Em with a $100 buy-in. On one hand, my full house lost to four of a kind and dropped my $100 to about $10. By the time we had to leave, I had clawed my way back to even (thankfully!).
I knew I wouldn't have time on Sunday (the day of the wedding) to buy souvenirs for my wife and kids so I asked where I should go Saturday night. We decided on pearls, and that we would go to the shop that my friend's company has arranged a fixed-price amount with the owners so their employees and visitors don't have to haggle. More on that in a minute. First, we had to stop at the store, the Chinese version of WalMart, and buy twenty-two bottles of champagne for the wedding. The purchase was easy. Leaving turned out to be problematic. There were long lines at every open check-out. We finally found one that was empty and walked through it. The only issue was there were four carts piled high with raw meat and no one around to help move them. We took matters into our own hands. Literally.
Once past the meat obstacle, we went to the jeweler. I bought my wife and daughter pearl necklaces, earrings and several other necklaces and bracelets. Turns out that the fixed, no-haggle price was 10% of retail! Can't beat that! Not wanting to leave my son empty-handed, I bought him a kung-fu outfit he looks pretty awesome in.
I had a late dinner at my hotel and called it a night.
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