Yunan Chapter 2: Lijiang

We woke up in Lijiang at 7 in the morning.  The night bus was actually pleasant and I slept all the way through the trip with the occasional road bump that would jar me awake.  I realized that the further one gets away from westernized China the better the “Chinglish” becomes.  I took a few pictures of my favorite signs that I encountered throughout Lijiang, but by far my favorite is the “Grass is napping, please do not disturb.”

The city of Lijiang is just like any other.  It has its restaurants, bars, street vendors, etc.  All of the normal things every Chinese city has, however, in the town center there is a gated community known as the Old City.  The Old City is a preserved Qing Dynasty town that attracts tourists from all over China.  The city is lined with paved colorful slabs of stone that give a cobblestone effect throughout the streets.  The old irrigation system still remains intact and you can see the villagers washing their clothes in the streams from time to time.  The streets are lined with stone houses which also contain beautiful courtyards and water wheels.  The restaurants all have fresh meat and vegetables hanging from the walls and you can just go up and pick what you want and they will make it for you on the spot (see pictures).  The roads of the Old City weave around in a spider web pattern until you reach the city center.  As you enter the city center the shops become more abundant and the town replaces its ancient feel for a Epcot-like experience.  In fact, there is a KFC in the town center!  However, not even commercialization can destroy the view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is the permanent back drop of the city and gives Lijiang its picturesque identity (see picture).

After a self-tour of the Old City we hired a Naxi guide to take us to the villages surrounding Lijiang.  We drove about 20 minutes from the Old City and ended up at a 300 year old monastery where we sat and drank tea with an 82 year old monk who was in great health (see picture).  The monastery was not as impressive as some of the newer ones, but the fact that it remained intact through the revolution in China made it more impressive (see picture).  After the monastery we went to the Naxi School of Embroidery where Naxi women worked on their embroideries and sold them to support the school and their families.  I was so impressed with a piece of art that I actually bought it (see picture)!  It is an embroidery of a Naxi woman in the streets of Lijiang.  The most impressive thing about this piece of art is that it looks like it is painted but, in fact, it is thread!  It took a woman with 25 years experience one year to make so I know the quality is good.  The only problem was that I would not be able to ship it back home until I reached a post office with that capability, so I would have to wait until I go to a bigger city.  This meant I would have to hike with the embroidery, so when you see pictures of a giant purple box sticking out of my bag that is the embroidery.  I must say that I really took this thing on quite the adventure, but to alleviate any suspense it made it to the post office OK and is on its way to my house now.      

One of the coolest things we did in Lijiang was meet Dr. Hu (see picture).  Dr. Hu is a world renowned doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and has a documented case where he helped cure a British man’s Leukemia.  This document was confirmed and researched at Mayo Clinic and is seen to be a true case of TCM working.  Dr. Hu’s house was filled with articles and cases in which he saved people’s lives, but the most interesting case was his own.  When going to school in Dali (4 hour drive from Lijiang) Dr. Hu became very ill.  He was forced to return home, but had no way of getting back.  He had to hike the distance from Dali to Lijiang and return home on foot.  Along the way he collected herbs, roots, and herbal medicines to help treat his ailment.  He carefully documented everything and eventually cured himself. This event is what much of his practice is based on now and he continues to help treat people in his late 80’s.  Oh, and by the way, he speaks 5 languages!

The day ended with a swim at the local reservoir which gets its water from the melted snow and springs from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.  If you can imagine the coldest water you ever felt, just multiply that by ten.  It did not seem like it would be very cold because there was no ice on the surface, but it was absolutely arctic!  Our Naxi guide advised against swimming, but I went in anyway.  The water is able to remain so cold because it is constantly moving and being refreshed by Jade Dragon’s water sources.  The people sitting around the reservoir watched as I swam and splashed around for twenty minutes (see picture).  The water was so cold that I started to go numb in the toes and hands so I got out.  I could not imagine swimming more than 100 meters in this type of water, but as I thought that to myself I turned around and saw an old Chinese man slowly breast stroking behind me like the water was at 70 degrees F.  Old Chinese men never cease to impress me with their skills of drinking Bai Jiu and ability to swim in frigid waters.

After swimming, the Naxi guide took us to Qiaotou or “Bridge-head” where Tiger Leaping Gorge begins (see picture).  There we checked into Jane’s Guest House and prepared for the next day, the hike through Tiger Leaping Gorge, which, I must admit, gave me some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen.

Yunan Chapter 1: Kunming’s Dragon Gate

I arrived in Kunming at 2:15 in the morning on the 9^th of February and shuffled like a zombie to a taxi at the arrival gate.  I told the taxi driver to take me to the hostel, which my friend Rob was staying, called Cloudland Youth Hostel.  I met my new friend and travel buddy Rob in Beijing in our intensive language program at Beijing Educational Institute four weeks ago and we became fast friends.   He goes to Washington and Lee University, but is actually from Leeds, England.   We talked about hiking and seeing rural China during our time in Beijing, but did not know how to go about planning such a trip.  With the help of another friend who had been to southern China before, we started making plans for the trip a week before classes ended. 

My original plan was to visit Xi’an and Chengdu, but I quickly changed them when I saw how beautiful the Yunan province looked.  Neither of us had hiked before, but we did not think it would be too difficult.  Hiking was not my main concern.  I was worried about the travel and lodging arrangements along the way.   Plans can only go so far in China and at some point “winging it” is the best option.  Especially during the Spring Festival when traffic is unpredictable.  One day there will be no one on the road and the next you are in bumper to bumper traffic.  The same goes for buying bus and train tickets.  There is no way of knowing if a car will be empty or you will have to wake up at 3 am to go buy a ticket from the station.   We both had ideas of places we wanted to visit in the Yunan province, but decided “winging it” would be our best option.  We would just let the vacation take us along - “sui bian” Chinese for “Go with the flow.”

I arrived at the hostel at 3 am and went to my room.  Eight other people, including Rob, were already fast asleep and I crawled into my bunk bed.  In 4 hours I would be waking up for the first leg of our journey: climbing the famous Dragon Gate and getting on a night bus to Li Jiang.

The day started early at 7 am and we grabbed a quick breakfast of rice porridge before we took a bus to Dragon Gate.  Dragon Gate is outside the city of Kunming and overlooks the city from 2,000 meters up.  The mountain is a climber’s paradise because it has limestone rocks arranged in pillar formations that make scaling fun.  Being the twenty-two year olds that we are, Rob and I decided that we would make it to the top.  The journey started with a two hour hike.  We refused to take the normal paths and found goat paths getting us lost and stumbling on to an Air Force base.  Luckily the security was relaxed and I actually made friends with some of the guards who spotted us and told us to leave (see picture).   They were impressed that I knew all of their ranks in Chinese and could talk about the military.  When they asked how I knew that I told them, “Everyone in America studies the Chinese military!  We all know this.”  They looked shocked and terrified until I told them I was joking, and that I had an interest in foreign militaries so I had studied it before.   They looked relieved when they found out I was joking and we said good-bye as they pointed us in the right direction. 

We continued on to the Dragon Gate until the path ended and the climbing began.  Before we started the climb, we grabbed a delicious snack at a local stand.  The stand sold ice cold pineapple halves and sugar cane that was cooled by a stream running through the mountain.  We thought these treats would be refreshing at the top so we bought a few pineapples and sugar canes for the climb.   We did not have any gear, but for this type of climbing it was not needed.  In fact, the weather was so nice that we did it in shorts and tennis shoes.  After about two and a half hours of climbing we reached the top and took shots from the highest peaks (see picture).  From the summit we enjoyed our sugar canes and refueled for the hike back down (see picture).   The thing about sugar cane is that you have to eat it like corn on the cob, but spit out the wood.  You do not actually eat it but instead suck the sugar from the center after you peel back the bark.  It is delicious and good energy.  Climbing back down we went to the actual Dragon’s Gate, which is a part of the mountain that is eroded by the weather.   The erosion formed what appears to be a giant cave that allows you to gaze out at Kunming (see picture).  We also sat on the edge of the gate and leaned over the water (see picture).  The day ended with a slow hike down the mountain.

After the hike Rob and I grabbed a quick dinner and caught our bus at 8 pm.  The trip to Lijiang is 11 hours so we booked a sleeper bus.  The best thing about this type of travel is that you can pass out and wake up in a different city without wasting any time.  Night travel in China is definitely the way to go!   The arrangements are not too bad either (see picture), although the beds are a little short (even for me).  The next morning we would wake up in Lijiang heading further towards the Tibetan border and Tiger Leaping Gorge.  The plan for tomorrow would be to explore the ancient city of Lijiang and get to Jane’s Guesthouse at the entrance of the gorge.

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Jordan J. Foley

傅力波

Map of Travel

The Spring Festival Part 4/4

Summary of Shanghai:

I feel sometimes like my approach to learning Chinese resembles the Truman Show.  There have been countless times that I remember learning a phrase in class and then the next day I will encounter it in the street.  My time with Billy in Shanghai confirmed my suspicion that this entire country has a syllabus just for me!  Every day I was learning something new and my trip to Shanghai was the perfect capstone to my intensive program in Beijing, like it was all planned.  Billy took the time out of his busy Spring Festival schedule to take me around to all the beautiful museums, sights, and delicious restaurants Shanghai had to offer.  His ability to speak fluent English along with a vast knowledge of Chinese history and culture made him the ideal teacher.  I am so grateful for him and the experience I had in Shanghai.  After I left Billy, the second half of my Spring festival Holiday kicked off in Yunan…

Yunan Preface

Forgive my lack of detail in the following entries for I wrote them nearly a week after the fact.  I do not claim my writing to be as vivid as John Steinbeck’s or as superbly detailed as David Sedaris, but I like to think I explain myself in my blog a little better than, “I did this…and then I did this…and this was fun…”  Either way I apologize in advance for not being able to convey the beauty of Yunan to you through my words, but instead I have posted pictures of, what I consider, the most beautiful place on earth.  These upcoming entries are more of a Marco Polo-like account of what I saw and less reflective.

I originally thought that I could sum up Yunan in one entry, but I was wrong.  In one week I did and saw so many beautiful things that I have to split it up into multiple “Chapters.”

If you are not familiar with Yunan or the allure to travelers let me briefly describe this province.  Yunan is a southwest province of China and its largest city is Kunming.  Yunan also borders Tibet and contains some of the foothills of the Himalayas.  Among the famous mountains are the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Mountain.  Jade Dragon and Haba face each other and allow the Yangtze River to slither through creating what is known as Tiger Leaping Gorge.  The gorge starts in Lijiang and ends in the ancient town of Shangrila.  Shangrila is close to the Tibetan border and has much Tibetan influence in the buildings, monasteries, and cuisine.  In between Lijiang and Shangrila is the natural wonder called Bai Shui Tai.  Bai Shi Tai is a mountainside stream that runs through a limestone spring and deposits bits of white rock as if flows down the mountain like a water fall.  The deposits create terraces that collect beautiful clear blue water and look like giant white steps.  This area is so ancient and beautiful that it is said that Dong Ba Buddhism (a form of Buddhism practiced mostly in southwest China) was founded and preached there.  This area is actually considered to be a holy pilgrimage for practicing Dong Ba Buddhists.  Along with the beautiful sights the people are vastly different from the majority Han ethnicity.  In Yunan there are roughly 11 ethnic minorities and among them are my favorite, the Naxi people (pronounced Naw She, not Naxi like the WWII Germans, although every time I read Naxi I think WWII Germany).  The Naxi are rural and historically nomadic people with a darker complexion.  They are known for their hot pepper, solid diet of goat and yak, and beautiful art.  There were several Naxi villages along the way and we stopped at some of them buying local goods and interacting with the people.  These places are only a few of the locations that make Yunan the most beautiful province in China and the most traveled by Asia backpackers.  My trip consisted of the following places and sights with plenty of pictures to go along with them:

Chapter  1: Kunming’s Dragon Gate

Chapter 2: Lijiang

Chapter 3: Tiger Leaping Gorge Expedition

Chapter 4: Shangrila

Chapter 5: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

I hope you enjoy the upcoming posts!

The Spring Festival Part 3/4

Today was my last full day in Shanghai and I really wish I would have discovered this area earlier, but I guess I got as much out of it as I wanted.  Near the Shanghai Art Museum is the People’s Square Park.  During one of my aimless walks to find cool things I stumbled into an area where ten to twenty Chinese people were crowded around an older white man.   He sounded like he was from the Midwest, and, from what I heard him say, this guy did not seem like the sharpest tool in the tool shed (if you know what I mean), but he definitely was a tool.  I listened to him speak about Obama’s health care policy and the War in Afghanistan to a crowd of Chinese eagerly listening.  After a few minutes the Chinese people noticed me and began to crowd around.   They came up and, to my surprise, spoke English!  I responded in Chinese and they were all really excited. 

“You can speak Chinese!?...Awesome!”

I asked how everyone was able to speak English and an older man replied, “This is the English speaking corner of the park!”  It all made sense now.  These Chinese people wanted to practice their English on foreigners.  The crowd migrated from the old white guy, who was probably from Ohio or a Packers fan from Wisconsin, and moved to me because they saw that I could speak both English and Chinese.   I was able to explain grammar patterns and define words in Chinese for them and I believe I was able to teach them some new things.  I could see the old guy from the Midwest in the distance and he had a scowl on his face.  I suppose I stole his thunder, but it is not like I even meant to end up here.  I knew Tom Tuttle from Toledo only came to this section of the park to be heard and spout off ridiculousness about America, so I had no problem taking away his following.   He seemed like he needed his soap box taken from him anyway.  The conversation lasted nearly two hours and I had to end it by saying I had to meet my friend for dinner.  I left the park and headed for my final objective in Shanghai…the Bund.  The Bund is the most beautiful view of the city and lies across the Hangpu River from all of the sky scrapers.   The Bund has magnificent buildings all lit up like a street in Las Vegas and is filled with people no matter what time of day.  It took an hour to walk there and by time I arrived it was dark so I was able to get some nice pictures of the Bund at night.  I had a street dinner of chicken on a stick and walked around the Bund enjoying my last full day in Shanghai.  After a nice walk to the subway stop I started to prepare for the early morning wake up to watch the Super Bowl.

I am not saying much about the Super Bowl because I hate Monday morning quarterbacks…or, in my case, Tuesday morning quarterbacks because I watched the game at 6 am on Monday…but…I will say it once and say it again: “turnovers decide games.”  I refuse to say anything more about the game itself. 

…Damn…

I will, however, discuss the pregame montage with Michael Douglas as the narrator.  If you missed it I suggest you try looking on YouTube.  The short clip showed footage from various American memories such as 9/11, Vietnam, and WWII.  An image that struck me was the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima.   At that time Michael Douglas said, and I will paraphrase, nothing is more American than football.  Watching that clip, I truly felt proud to be an American and proud to be a service member.  It was the first time I really felt homesick all trip.  Not because I miss my friends and family, although I do very much, but because I am now realizing how fortunate I am to be an American.   My mentors and friends Colonel Madonna and General Draude would also tell you that seeing the scene of the Marines raising the American ensign at Iwo Jima sends a tingling sensation from their cores to their skin.  It is the same feeling you get when you feel excitement and anticipation, so much that you get goose bumps.  I believe this was a mutual feeling for Americans around the world and especially at the Camel Bar in Shanghai, because, when we all watched that flag gradually ascend and lean on the shoulders of young American Marines, you could hear a pin drop.   It was not Mendenhall’s 10 yard TD run or Harrison’s sack in the 3^rd, and it definitely was not Bucket Head appearing to play the guitar solo for “Sweet Child of Mine,” it was the pregame montage that was best part of the game for me.

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Jordan J. Foley

傅力波

The Spring Festival Part 2/4

Today was highlighted by a visit to the famous Yu Gardens (see picture) and then back to the French Concession to see the Museum of Communist Youth.  The Yu Garden is probably my favorite place in Shanghai right now not only because of the delicious street food, but also because of the bargaining that can go on at the bazaar.  For some reason my Chinese ability escalates when I bargain and I am able to haggle down to fractions of the original price.  For example, I saw this Soviet fighter pilot helmet that I really wanted for 480 yuan.  I said that I would not pay that but to offer me the lowest price.  The lady offered 280 because it was the “New Year.”  I told her that was too expensive, but now I saw what I could probably get the helmet for.  The typical math is to take what the price reduction is and divide it by 2, and then subtract that value from the price offered.  If you are paying anything over that you are being ripped off.  I offered 60 yuan (a general rule is to go less than half of what the calculated value would be: 480 – 280 = 200 / 2 = 100 so 280 – 100 = 180 / 2 = 90 so offer less than 90 to start.)  However, I really did not have a place to keep the helmet on my trip to Kunming so I stayed at 60 and she would not go that low…oh well.  The Yu Garden, however, is magnificent.  It is built into natural stone formations and constructs its buildings around the streams so that the buildings stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  Most of the construction took place during the Ming Dynasty but a reconstruction during the Qing Dynasty has allowed many of the structures to stay intact.  After the Yu Garden and a delicious lunch of clams fried up in egg with a spicy sauce I headed to the French Concession.  I really enjoy b=visiting the French Concession because of all the history that exists in its old streets.  It reminds me of an Annapolis with a much more recent and profound history of revolution.        

I also took a trip to the Lu Xun Park (next to the Hong Kou Football (Soccer not the real Football) Stadium (see picture).  The park contains Lu Xun’s former residence and another museum dedicated to his work.  I sat in the park for a few hours and read his book and watched numerous Chinese people perform Tai Chi, dancing, and singing.  Parks are much more important for social gatherings in China than they are in the United States.  No matter what time of day you can always find people. 

The next day I went into the center of the city at the People’s Square.  Billy and I went to lunch at a hot pot restaurant.  Hot pot is like Chinese fondue and you are given a bowl of boiling soup to cook your meat and vegetables in.  It is a famous Chinese style meal and I have heard Yunan is famous for it so I will have to try some when I go to Kunming in a few days.  Billy and I met his friend from work at the restaurant and after that we went to the City Planning Museum.  This building is dedicated to the history of Shanghai as a developing city from early Ming to right now and beyond.  The exhibits showed the earliest fishing houses along the coast to the future construction of the world’s largest building right next to the Jinmao and IFC and a deep water port that will open up trade to larger vessels.  By far the coolest thing at the museum was the 30 yard by 30 yard detailed model of Shanghai (see pictures).  Another interesting thing I noticed was the way the museum displays referred to the Foreign Concession areas.  As you know, I always visit the French Concession which was an area of Shanghai surrendered to the French after what the Chinese call a series of “unfair” treaties.  Other areas were conceded to the Americans and British in the 1800s and remained under foreign control until the end of WWII.  From what I know about American history and WWII history is that after defeating Japan we gave the land back to China, but what the museum claims is that China “won back the land after victory in the War against Japanese Aggression.”  It is an interesting look and just reminds us all that history is truly “HIS” – Story, as in the story is based on who is telling it.

The day was capped off at the Shanghai Art Museum where they had an exhibit on ethnic minority art (see picture).  It was just like any other art museum, but with different forms of art.  I noticed a lot of wood carvings and calligraphy and less traditional canvas and paint artwork.  I took a picture of my favorite work because I think it would be a cool symbol for a team or a unit.  It is a nomad sitting on his horse with his gun draped over his shoulder.  His face is dark and you cannot make out his features but he reminds me of a Rough Rider or a Marine Corps Raider, so I took the picture in case I get to suggest the logo for a unit or team one day.

After Billy and his friend went to go to family things for the New Year, I grabbed dinner at a duck restaurant and had another problem with ordering food.  I take most of the responsibility this time, but I was still mad nonetheless.  I asked the waiter where the roast duck was on the menu, he pointed to a page and I said “OK.”  The price was 168 yuan and I was not about to spend that on myself, so I proceeded to order fried pork, cabbage, and some soup.  In a few minutes my meal arrived.  I began to eat and was feeling quite comfortably full when a whole roast duck came out with the tortillas, duck sauce, and veggies.  I guess the waiter took my “OK,” as “I will have that,” instead of complaining I took it as a personal challenge.  I could tell people were looking at me because my table was literally covered with food, but I began to dive into the duck, set on finishing it.  Thirty minutes later it was all gone, I consumed a New Year’s meal by myself!  I just wish the restaurant had a contest like “Whole Duck Challenge – finish a whole duck and it is free!”  There was no contest here so I paid for the duck and my meal.  Needless to say, I was pretty full.

Tomorrow I do not have much of a plan besides taking an easy Sunday and hanging out with Billy.  I have done almost all the tourist-y things you could imagine in Shanghai, and tomorrow I am getting up at 5 am to go to a sports bar to watch the Steelers play at 7 am.  The bar has breakfast at 6 am so I am excited to hopefully get some waffles, pancakes, and bacon for the first time in a month.

The Spring Festival Part 1/4

Day 1

My trip to Shanghai started at 5:30 in the morning.  I knew hailing a cab would be hard that early on the Eve of the Spring Festival, so I called my buddy Wang Hongyang.  Hongyang is a 55 year-old cab driver I met a while ago and he gave me his card, so for any special trips I call him.  I got to the airport and it was surprisingly easy to navigate.  I know a lot of signs are in English but I try to just read the Chinese.  I found my gate, had a breakfast of beef lo mein in broth, and sat and read my book of Lu Xun’s short stories.  I boarded the plane and within two hours I was in Shanghai.  Not only was the flight with Hainan Airlines cheap, but I also had my own TV Screen, complimentary sandwich and nuts, and I got to pick from 13 new movie releases to watch (I chose Despicable Me over Inception).

I landed in Shanghai and was greeted by my Mum’s friend Billy.  Billy works for SAE which is an automotive firm and is the manager for SAE Asia-America relations.  He would be far too modest to ever say, but he is extremely intelligent and speaks fantastic English.  I am sure his intelligence is the reason he is at such a high position and yet so young (under 30).  Billy is helping me a lot with my Chinese, because I am able to ask him how to say something in Chinese and he will tell me, he is like a walking dictionary.  Billy took me to see some of Shanghai before checking into my hotel.  We went to what is called the Bund, which is located right on the Hangpu River.  From this area you can see many views of Shanghai: the French Concession, New Shanghai, and the Financial District.  This city is so much different than Beijing.  Not only is the weather much nicer, but so are the people.  Beijing is an interior, Northern city whereas Shanghai is costal and Southern.  One would not think this would breed too many differences, but, in fact, it does!  New Years customs such as eating dumplings are practiced in the north, but in Shanghai they eat a different dish for New Years which is more of a dumpling soup.  Also, Billy explained to me that the people speak Shanghai-ese, which is a butchered version of Mandarin.  I was wondering why I was having trouble understanding people!  The good thing is that they all can speak and understand Mandarin, so I am able to communicate after I explain to them I am from the North of China and speak “Beijing-Hua”.   Apparently the differences continue, because Beijing-ers use much different pronunciation than the rest of China and I guess from learning in Beijing I have a pretty thick Beijing-Hua accent.  Imagine a foreigner having a Jersey of NY accent…that is what I sound like apparently.  I guess it must be pretty funny, because everyone laughs at me, and I also use a lot of Beijing slang thanks to my Chinese roommate, Wang Boyang.  The first day wrapped up with dinner at a nearby restaurant with my Mum’s other friend from work, Gary.  Gary does not speak much Chinese, but is able to navigate Shanghai pretty well so that gave me some confidence to be on my own.  Gary also brought me some of the protein powder, batteries, and camera I requested from home.  So from now on, if anyone wants to ship anything to me just give it to Gary.

Day 2

My first full day in Shanghai started with a trip to the Shanghai Museum with Billy.  The exhibits were fantastic.  There were ceramic, art, calligraphy, jade, sculpture, and coin displays from all of the Dynasties dating all the way back to the Shang Dynasty of 1600 BC through the Qing Dynasty which fell in 1912.  Billy was able to give me a history lesson in English, and I realized that my goal is to be equally good at Chinese.  I think it says a lot about his language skills that he was able to explain Chinese history to me in a language other than his own.  I can imagine the day I am good enough at Chinese to explain to a Chinese person, in depth, American history…I guess that is why I am here, to be that fluent one day.  After the Museum, Billy returned home to set up dinner for New Years.  I was on my own and I had some sites I wanted to see so I took a map and went exploring.  The first stop on my Journey was the French Concession.   

I am a bit of a nerd for Chinese history so I made sure that I would hit three sites which would take about a total of three hours.  The first was the former residence of Sun Yat-Sen, then Zhou Enlai’s former estate, and finally where the first Communist Party ever convened (see pictures).

The amazing thing about the French Concession is that you do not even feel like you are in China anymore.  I took some pictures showing how distant I felt from Chinese culture, but I guess that goes along with the name of the area.  As you can see the French lingerie stores, Häagen-Dazs, and sports cars parked outside of homes does not give you the impression that we are in China.  And if you ever needed a picture to go along with “gaudy” in the dictionary, I have it (refer to picture of alligator skin shoes painted with leopard print).  Then again, I do not really expect the French Concession to be like the Chinese countryside.  I walked around a little more and then I took the subway to meet Billy at his house for New Year’s dinner.  There were about 10 family members there and the place was packed.  Right away we began eating and drinking. 

This dinner was nothing short of a feast.  There were at least 10 dishes on the table to start, and it seemed like wave after wave of courses continued to pour out of the kitchen like a restaurant on a busy night.  The only difference was that this was not a downtown New York restaurant; it was in Billy’s home kitchen and for one table of people.  I have had traditional Chinese food before and did not quite care for it, but this time I truly liked every dish that I tried.  I think I have more of a taste for Southern Chinese food than Northern.  Some of the stranger plates were these little shellfish that looked like the shells you pick up on the beach, cow tongue, and a strange octopus like shellfish that was squishy and squirmy yet delicious.  There was also duck tongue served cold…fool me once shame on you, but fool me twice…I was not trying that again.

The night ended with two of Billy’s uncles passing out on the couch (see picture) because they drank too much and me learning the word for “alcoholic” in Chinese - jiu gui - which translates to alcohol monster/ghost. Then from the kitchen came Billy's mum.  This was the first time I had seen her all night because she was busy making 30+ dishes.  It was so impressive to see that one woman was able to make so many different types of plates:  fried, sauteed, seared, etc.  She sat down at an empty spot in the table, and like when Mike Tomlin comes into a press conference after a game, everyone was quiet.  She grabbed chopsticks from the table and put a few bean sprouots on her rice and quietly ate.  Once she was finished everyone told her how fantastic the dinner was and how much they enjoyed it.  She sat with a quiet sense of satisfaction. 

By far, the best part of the day was seeing Billy's daughter, Claire, who is just an infant (see picture).  I brought them a few gifts of new clothes for her, and when they send pictures of Claire in the clothes, I will post them.

The night ended early and it was about 10 pm when Billy dropped me off at my hotel.  I knew everyone was tired, but I still wanted to experience a bit more of Shanghai on New Years, so I called a cab and went to downtown Pudong district.  I looked online and found the perfect bar to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit from…it is called Cloud 9, located on the 88^th floor of the Jin Mao Building (see picture from ground).  The view was amazing and I was able to watch Shanghai light up with fireworks like I was in a plane high above a city during a bombing raid.  To celebrate I had a martini and then I was broke so I switched back to beer.  Martinis taste a bit like drinking salt water with an olive, so I will stick to what I know best…beer (and the occasional White Russian).  This little adventure was well worth it, I do not think many people can say they rang in the New Year from a skyscraper bar (see pictures of city at night from the view of Cloud 9).  However, I did see that the Jin Mao was not the tallest building in Shanghai, it is the IFC Building.  I vowed that the next day I would take the trip back and see the world’s highest observatory.  I walked along the river for about an hour after the clock struck midnight and finally caught a cab back to my hotel.  The night was over and it had been a great day and I am glad that Claire and I could share our first Chinese New Year together.  As Billy said to me, “In China, you are like a new born baby too.”

Day 3

The day started early and too early because I really did not get to bed until 3 am.  I met Billy and we went to the Shanghai aquarium.  I had heard that this aquarium was one of the best in the world, but I experienced how magnificent it was first hand.  As you can see from the picture, one section of the aquarium has an escalator that goes down into a giant fish tank and gives you the illusion that you are diving under water.  Also, the aquarium three tanks filled with jelly fish (my favorite)!  Billy and I grabbed a quick lunch at the best burger chain in China…Yes, you guessed it, Blue Frog!  After that Billy had to return home to prepare for dinner at his grandparents and I explored the city on my own.  My adventure today stated in the Shanghai Super Mall.  Now think of this, malls are big, everything in Shanghai is huge, and this mall is referred to as big in Shanghai.  Now think of someone on steroids, that is a huge mall in America, now think if an elephant took steroids, that is the Super Mall in Shanghai.  Now that you have an idea of how big it was (see picture of spiraling levels if you still cannot get the picture), just know I could not even walk the entire thing.  I did, however, find a Toys R Us and went to look for PLA GI Joe figures, but was unsuccessful.  I did see a giant wall of Barbies that would make any little girl go nuts (see picture).

After the mall I walked to the objective for the day…the IFC Building.  I bought a ticket to take the super elevator 450 meters in the air and on the 100^th floor I was able to look down on the building I was in the night before (see picture of sky view of Jin Mao Tower).  I love heights so I stayed up on the 100^th floor for about an hour and I did not realize how time was flying by.  It was already 4 pm and I had to hustle to get to the Art Museum before it closed. 

I got to the Art Museum right at closing and they turned me away, but the Contemporary Art Museum was open until 7 pm so I went inside that instead.  This month their main display was Culture Chanel – a tribute to the designer…oh, goody! (Sarcasm).  I really hate over priced fashion, but I went in anyway because I am trying to be more cultured and it is a good thing that I did.  The exhibit turned out being really interesting and I learned a lot.  For instance, did you know that Gabrielle Chanel grew up in an orphanage and she gets much of her reserved yet contemporary style from the uniforms they used to wear for everyday and formal occasions?  Also, Chanel used to design her clothes with a predominant male theme of comfort and rigidity to represent changing the paradigm of the female role in society.  They also had a movie theater showing over 30 years of Chanel No. 5 Perfume commercials.  They were all pretty interesting to watch and the same reoccurring theme of a powerful, independent woman transgresses thirty years and over 40 directors.  It seems that Chanel’s influence and message is well understood and carried on.  I never really make this big of a fuss about clothes designers, but I feel like after this exhibit I have a new found respect for Chanel.  So now I will buy Katie anything as long as it is Chanel, because I support the designer…just kidding, they have tons of fake Chanel in China, that will do for now ;). 

I hopped on the subway and took it all the way back to my hotel, but realized that I had not eaten since lunch.  After I got off the subway, I went to the first restaurant I could see (always a big mistake, but I was starving!).  I went in and ordered two vegetable dishes to be safe.  I sat down and ate a pleasant meal until I noticed three sets of eyes staring at me.  I know that this part of Shanghai does not see foreigners very often, but seriously, let me eat in peace.  Apparently these three waitresses and waiters all studied English in college and were trying to see if they could practice speaking with me.  We ended up talking for two hours and I practiced my Chinese on them as well.  I do not normally admit when my language level is higher than someone else’s, but, in this case, my Chinese was a lot better than their English.  Either way, we managed and had a fun time talking and drinking Green Tea on the house.  That is just one of the cool things that can happen when you are in China, you get off a subway, find the first restaurant you see and just want to wolf down a plate of rice and cabbage and the next thing you know you are speaking Chinese for two hours with new friends. 

Thus concludes part one of this Spring Festival adventure.  I still have 4 more days in Shanghai and then a week in the deep south of China in Kunming.