Bruce Kilday
CHINA DIARY
July 12, 2007 – Thursday – California
0615 – We entered the limo for the trip to SFO, joining Sam, Margaret and Tricia Oki. After an unusually relaxing trip down Interstate 80, we arrived at SFO, maneuvered through the ticket lines and boarded United 889 around 1045. Although we were fortunate to find ourselves in an exit row, we noticed that there were a lot more people in our class than business class. Perhaps this was a harbinger of things to come in China, where we would often feel that we were squeezed in with immense crowds of people.
While our exit row had more leg room than other rows, we were adjacent to the bathrooms, so people were constantly standing near us. (Another harbinger, since bathrooms were to become a major topic of conversation as our trip progressed.) The flight was full, and in apparent preparation for our visit to China, we were served chicken and rice, with miso soup. We listened to audiobooks on our PDAs and largely ignored the four movies that played throughout the flight, (which turned out to be preparation for our return flight two weeks later). We talked with a nice flight attendant who had been born in Hong Kong, but had lived in South San Francisco for 9 years.
July 13 – Friday – Beijing
Through the mysteries of the International Date Line, we somehow managed to arrive in China on Friday the 13th.
We breezed through customs in Beijing and were met by Jason, our national guide for the trip. He would become a trusted companion over the next two weeks. An air-conditioned van took us into the heart of the city to the Peninsula Hotel. We had been told we would have first-class accommodations and this certainly fit that description. There was a beautiful entry with two lower floors devoted to shops like Armani, Versace, Harry Winston jewelry and many others that made my VISA card vibrate in terror.
Our room was plush, with a huge bed and a large plasma TV, writing desk and small couch. The bathroom has a shower and a tub, all with faux marble. Unfortunately, we’ve been advised not to drink the water anywhere in China, even in a hotel like this. The hotel was willing to provide bottled water, at a hefty price, but we quickly learned that Jason was quite concerned, almost devoted, to our collective hydration and would have plenty of bottled water for us every day.
July 14 – Saturday – Beijing
We had a great buffet breakfast at the hotel. There were traditional western foods (omelets, waffles and pancakes) along with Chinese foods (veal sausages, grilled vegetables and fruits I’d never seen before, such as “tiger fruit”).
A small van then took us out of Beijing to the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu. We walked up a steep path, past row upon row of stalls of vendors who all seemed to be selling the same items – t-shirts that said “I Climbed the Great Wall”. A woman approached me, gave me a small piece of cardboard with her name and “137” representing the number of her stall written on it, and said she would sell me a shirt on my way back down the hill. She asked my name and I left my new friend to continue up the path to a cable car that took us to the top of a steep hill and the Great Wall of China.
We took our first official vacation photos at a plaza just below the Wall and then climbed up steep stairs to one of the best preserved portions of the Great Wall. At this location, it is about 15’ wide and paved with flat stones. Some are chipped, so footing is uneven. There are many elevation changes on the wall as it twists and turns along the crest of the hills, so we climbed up to one of the many watchtowers to get a more panoramic view. It was easy to imagine the use of the Wall over the centuries to defend against attackers who struggled up the hills only to find well-protected defenders on the Wall. It was misting and overcast, so our view was limited to a few hundred feet in either direction. We retraced our steps and hiked the other direction, taking lots of photos. There were lots and lots of people on the Wall, the majority appearing to be Chinese, probably because most Westerners were smart enough to avoid Beijing in the midst of the summer months. Sadly, there were disturbing signs of “civilization” with discarded debris and graffiti, including the name “Sam” written in chalk above the entry to a watchtower. What a coincidence.
After leaving the gondola, we had to run a gauntlet of aggressive vendors. I chose not to buy shirts, hats, stoneware, jewelry, clothing, trinkets, photos, or other junk. Sue bought a group of stuffed zodiac symbols, getting two sets for 50 yuan after negotiating down from an initial asking price of 280 yuan for one set. My new friend from stall #137 approached me as we left the area but, in practice for the trip to come, I declined her invitation to part with my yuan.
We drove to a fine restaurant and had lunch with two kinds of trout – sweet and sour exploded and the other with a nice sauce. We invited our guide, Jason, to join us, something we gather is rather uncommon in the tourist-guide relationship. Jason is about 35, married and the proud father of a young boy. He gives us an introduction to the sights we see, along with a discussion of the history and significance of the sights. He does a good job answering the myriad questions we ask about history, politics, religion, and more. The meal was great and we then returned to Beijing and a tour of the Forbidden City. We saw lots of jewelry, most of which was displayed in unimaginative ways. Jason explained the history of the Emperor’s Palace, helping us appreciate the significance of the area.
It was hot and humid, and we couldn’t see the sun due to the heavy layer of smog. Seeing the huge picture of Mao on the exterior of the wall of the Forbidden City helped me accept the fact that I was really in China. We then went across the street to Tiananmen Square, where Jason discussed the events of the famous 1989 student uprising that sparked military reprisals. Dinner was at Dadong which is famous for Peking Duck. Our meal had about 8 courses before the duck was ceremoniously carved. It was great, and Geoff said it was the best skin he’d ever tasted. The meal was capped with a surprise cake, featuring an expanding candle that played “Happy Birthday”!! (I should have realized the candle was something special when the waitress hurried out of the room as soon as she touched a match to the candle.) Rick’s birthday was on July 12, and Jason presented us with a custom “chop” with our names in Chinese characters and a tiger carved on the handle.
July 15 – Sunday – Beijing
Another great buffet breakfast to start the day, and then we visited a park adjacent to the Temple of Heaven. We watched people exercise with Tai Chi, play some kind of feathered hackey sack, and move rhythmically with a paddle and ball. People were also giving ballroom dancing lessons and playing badminton without the restriction of a net. We then walked to the Temple of Heaven as the day was getting warmer and the crowds larger.
We then took bicycle-rickshaws through the Hutong – a small neighborhood with tiny, twisting streets too small for most cars. More street vendors descended on us, but we ultimately went to the home of Mr. Wong, a retired archeologist who has opened his home to tourists for 10 years and candidly explained life in the Houhai Hutong area. He answered questions about the impact of political and economic changes on his family in the 54 years he had lived in this area.
Lunch involved about 8 courses in a Szechuan restaurant. I was glad to have several Cokes (a truly international pause that refreshes) to cool off my mouth. We went to the Summer Palace, created by the Emperor so his mother would not have to travel to relax. There was a huge man-made lake with a marble boat, financed through money that had apparently been intended for the Chinese navy and proving that legislative pork and earmarks are not simply an American creation. We walked along a long (really long) corridor that was painted with colorful decorations and scenes, then took a short boat ride across the lake.
After a too-short rest, we went to an Imperial Cuisine dinner at Jiajingdu, featuring young women modeling costumes from several dynasties. We had tastes of many exotic foods, including chicken necks, dried duck, spicy bean curd, and (thankfully) a nice fruit plate to conclude the meal. Early to bed because of an early flight to Xian.
July 16 – Monday – Xian
After a very early breakfast, we left the luxury of the Beijing Peninsula Hotel and took an 80 minute flight to Xian, the ancient capital of China. China Eastern Airlines gave us an in-flight meal of yogurt, bread and rice & beans, a significant step down from United Airlines.
Our local guide took us to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum outside Xian. Just incredible! These soldiers were accidentally discovered by farmers digging a well in 1974 and there are now three large open pits in a currently suspended archeological dig. Still hounded by vendors, we bought an ox-bone elephant for Elisabeth for 80 yuan (after an initial price of 180) and another Olympic t-shirt for Patrick. I learned that the practice of bargaining applies throughout China, whether you are outdoors or inside. Margaret was a big help to our meager bargaining skills.
We had lunch in the cafeteria near the Museum and saw two methods of making noodles. One involved stretching dough until it developed strands and the other used a blade while the lump of dough was tucked near the throat of the noodle-maker. This would turn out to be inspiration for one of the most memorable events in Sino-American culinary relations.
We then drove to the city of Xian to view the ancient wall that surrounded the old city. We realized that we were able to see the sun for the first time in our visit to China. The smog of Beijing had concealed the sun, but the cleaner air of Xian let the sun through in all of its hot and humid glory. This was particularly noticeable as we climbed the long stairs to the top of the ancient wall.
We returned to the airport for another multi-course meal. We then boarded our second China Eastern flight of the day, two hours to the oasis city of Dunhuang. We were taken to the Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel, arriving late at night. We noticed it was much cooler and I was relieved not to be sweating constantly as I was in Xian. I am already very tired of the heat, and I suspect it’s only going to get worse.
July 17, 2007 – Tuesday – Dunhuang
I think it’s Tuesday. We had the good fortune to sleep in this morning. We had a late breakfast, which featured entertainment: Rick attempted to expand his already considerable repertoire by adding noodle-maker to his resume. We all learned that the art of the noodle-maker is much more complicated than it looks.
We noticed that the air was – dare I say it – almost fresh, a new experience in China. We also saw that our hotel was bordered by immense sand dunes. We went to lunch in Dunhuang and had curried lamb and a chicken head. We then went to the West Qianfo Caves to see the Thousand Buddha Cave drawings from the 5th Century. We walked along a dry river bed and learned the difference between the Gobi and a desert. The desert is generally barren sand dunes, but the Gobi is really bleak, barren, dry, and thoroughly inhospitable.
Dinner in Dunhuang was memorable. We had whole carp, lamb, quail eggs, green beans, and camel!! To be precise, we had camel hump (which was julienned and tasted like light, fatty French fries) and camel foot (which was more like lamb). I prepared by taking a couple of swallows of Chinese beer, but it wasn’t bad.
We then went to the Crescent Spring Lake and rode camels to the lake, which was surrounded by huge sand dunes that, according to legend, do not deposit sand in the clear water of the lake. Sue and Rick slid down the dune on mats as rare rain clouds gathered. The rain began as we walked to the Pagoda at the Lake, leading me to observe “It may rain in the desert, but it’s a dry rain.” With the sky illuminated by not-so-distant lightning, we purchased photos of our camel excursion and then returned to the hotel.
July 18, 2007 – Wednesday – Dunhuang
We drove to the Mogao Caves outside Dunhuang, a series of extraordinary caves dating back to the 4th Century when Buddhist monks discovered the caves and gave thanks by decorating them with images of the Buddha. Our local guide gave us an excellent overview and showed us cave paintings and statues that were preserved despite weather and political strife over the centuries.
We went back to town and had lunch that featured a camel dish, causing Rick to hope that it was Camel A-19 from the previous night’s adventure. We then had an impromptu tour of a shop that makes the dark stone cups for which the town is famous, watching the entire process. We bought a set of six translucent green tea cups to go with the embroidered bags Sue bought at the caves. After visiting the local History Museum, we sat in a shop and had fruit drinks while watching a downpour. This was remarkable since the guide told us that Dunhuang has less that 1” annual rainfall. We were soaked as we walked to a market to look at local spices and products, along with American items like Crest and Colgate toothpaste and Head & Shoulders. We bought noodle cups for dinner on the train to Turpan.
The downpour not only surprised us, but it also disrupted rail traffic, causing a 3 hour delay in the train we were planning on taking to Turpan. The train station was small, crowded, hot and humid. Jason and our local guide volunteered to stay with the luggage in the train station while we returned to the cool van to await the arrival of the train. We made occasional forays out of the van to dare a crowded, smelly, damp, and smelly bathroom that didn’t rate any stars. Did I mention the smell?
We finally boarded the train and found our berths in the sleeper car. We were fortunate that berths were allotted on the basis of families, so Sue and I shared a room, while Sam and Margaret shared the same size berth with Tricia and Geoff. We took one of their bags to give them some extra room. Sue and I shared a single noodle cup, and it was nice to have a small meal for a change.
While the sleeping arrangements were adequate, I noticed that the communal toilet about 15’ down the hallway seemed to attract passengers who displayed a remarkable variety of loud discharges, both nasal and oral. This was not only our first time on a Chinese train, but it may have been the only night in the entire trip that Geoff was unable, or unwilling, to sample local nightlife.
July 19, 2007 – Thursday – Turpan
We arrived in Turpan station just before noon, realizing that the delays to rail traffic had continued through the night. We went to the best hotel in town, the 3-star Turpan oasis Hotel. Our guide, Dolkun, is Uyghur, the primary ethnic minority in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He greeted us with fresh warm naan bread, seasoned with sesame seeds and green onions, which he shared while he explained the demographics of this area. Turpan is known as the “Land of Fire” because temperatures in July (i.e. now) reach 42° C. (i.e. >110° F.). Timing is everything.
We had another large meal, about 12 courses, including lamb, beef, two greens, noodles, rice, soup, … After a short siesta, we went to the Jiaohe Ruins, built on a mesa about 2100 years ago. Genghis Khan ruled here and the city was overrun around the 14th Century after a 40-year war. Around that time, Muslims under Tamerlane took over and forced a conversion to Islam. We then went to the Mosque in Turpan, which was built in 1777. People were selling silk, fruit, stones, pictures, and more inside the wall surrounding the Mosque! I thought it was tacky, but Sue later said that she wished she had purchased something there since she didn’t see it later on our trip.
It was unseasonably cool, probably only 100° F. Another huge meal, with lamb, chicken beef, spinach, and eggplant, some with hot spices. We adjourned to a table in the hotel for a fascinating discussion about religion and politics, asking many questions of Dolkun, our Muslim Ugyur guide. I thought his comments were generally quite candid, and enjoyed the perspective of Jason, now representing the Han minority here in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
July 20, 2007 – Friday – Turpan
We started with a visit to the Gaochang Ruins, another nearby ancient city in ruins since about 1500. We rode in donkey carts to reach the ruins. We walked through the streets of Turpan, seeing a mobile butcher shop on the back of a 3-wheeled motorcycle/truck. We then visited a local family who let us into the home they’ve owned for 3 generations. They had bare light bulbs suspended from wires that were stapled to the mud walls of their home. We saw the carpets on which they have traditional meals, and their bedrooms, and took photos.
We went to the Astana Tombs and saw two preserved corpses (not mummies) that dated back 1100 years. We then drove along the Flaming Mountains to the Beziklik Caves, built from the 4th to the 14th Centuries by traveling monks to honor Buddha. These marvelous caves had paintings and statues built over the ages, only some of which survived damage by Muslims (who objected to idolatry) and western archeologists who took items for sale or display in museums.
We had another huge meal at the hotel, then a talk about Chinese politics with our two guides. After a short siesta, I had a visit from the abdominal demon, my first of the trip. Refreshed, we went to an exhibit that described the 2500 year old Karez irrigation system, one of the 3 wonders of the ancient technological world. It’s a system of wells and underground channels that bring water from the mountains up to 40 km away. It was a nice exhibit, but the thirst for knowledge was overwhelmed by the fact that it was well over 100°. (The group did not appreciate my asking questions.) We were all sweating, even Dolkun, making it hard to listen to his explanation. Sue & I used Patrick’s gift of a soakable neckerchief to try to stay cool.
We had a very special dinner in the home of an upper-middle class family that raises grapes. We washed our hands in the traditional Uyghur manner and had a sample of their special raisins. We bought ½ kilo of sweet golden raisins. Dinner was simple and great. Bread was followed by a soup with lamb, noodles, tomatoes, peas, and beans. There were dumplings with chives and lamb, followed by lamb kebobs. Finally, there was an excellent noodle, lamb and green bean dish. Dessert featured the famous local sweet Turpan melons, a cross between cantaloupe, honeydew, and Crenshaw melons. The food was great and in reasonable quantities – a very nice change.
We tasted several Turpan wines, and disliked all but a sweet red dessert wine. We tried to purchase a case, but found that it cost far too much to ship it home. That may have helped us avoid alienating friends who would have received a gift of this wine.
July 21, 2007 – Saturday – Urumqui & Kashgar
We left Turpan and drove in our van to Urumqui, a 3-hour trip to and through the mountains. The metropolitan area of Urumqui has well over 2 million people, so this is a big, industrial city. We first went to a store that sells high quality rugs, jewelry, art, etc. Sue bought five boxed figurines of pandas, and an elephant for Elisabeth, all for about half the original asking price.
We then went to a local museum to see 3800-year old corpses and various ethnic minority exhibits. Our flight to Kashgar was delayed, so we went to the Red Hill Park for a scenic overlook of the city. A local Uyghur man asked Rick to pose for a photo, and asked me to join them, near the summit. On the walk down, a young woman approached, smiled, and said “Pleased to meet you” in English. This was one of many examples of Chinese people looking for opportunities to talk to us to hear legitimate English accents.
We flew to Kashgar, in the far western end of China, arriving about 11:00 p.m. This is another example of China’s desire to control its surroundings – time is expressed in “Beijing time” so all official times are based on the time in Beijing, no matter how far away from Beijing one might be. So, our arrival at 2300 hours occurred before sunset. Still, it was too late for a large meal, so we insisted on a light meal. That still translated into about 6 courses, but I ate nothing.
July 22, 2007 – Sunday – Kashgar
After washing my clothes in the sink, I didn’t feel well, so I decided to stay in the hotel and pass on a trip to the famous Kashgar Sunday Bazaar. Sue was able to find things to purchase.
The group first went to thee Livestock Market and saw lambs and goats being sheared and sold. People had spent the night at the market and were cooking, including bagels. A barber was shaving people. No purchases, thanks be to Allah.
The group then went to the Sunday Market where different aisles were devoted to like products, e.g. foods, rugs, hats, jewelry, silk, knives, and much more. Sue bought two vases, scarves, beaded purses, and blue “Mao” hats for Patrick and me. Jason, our national tour guide bought everyone traditional Ugyur hats.
I rejoined the group for lunch at a fancy Ugyur restaurant with live local music. A young woman struck up a conversation to help with her effort to learn proper English pronunciation. Her speech was very good, but her eyes may have been faulty since she thought Geoff was Uyghur. Margaret suggested that she take Geoff around town, but she declined.
We then went to the tomb of Abakh Khoja, who our local guide, Imam, disliked and pronounced as a phony Muslim. We took a walk through the traditional Uyghur neighborhood, seeing 200-year old mud brick homes along narrow streets paved with cast stones. Children approached us and said “hello” and were thrilled to see their photos on our digital cameras. We saw metal workers hammering hot iron into farm tools. Many homes were occupied by several generations of a family and some were being re-modeled with walls of new fire bricks.
Dinner was at a Uyghur restaurant at the old British consulate. A very nice meal, but the restrooms had gross squat toilets, something that has been too common. We went to see a traditional Uyghur dance and music show, featuring fine dancers and a singer whose high-pitched whiny voice rattled my fillings. Sue & I were pulled onto the stage, with Tricia and Geoff, to join in the finale with the local dancers. Sadly, this was recorded on film by our less theatrical partners in the trip. The highlight of the show was a little girl who wandered out from the stage to chat with us and to share her basketball with us.
How could I have forgotten the handicraft shop? We went there before dinner and found rugs, jewelry, and silk, and helpful clerks who pounced on us whenever we paused to look at an item for > a millisecond. Somehow, Sue found three nice silk scarves and a jade necklace and an amber necklace. I do not care for the aggressive sales clerks who drop the price and push for sales so forcefully.
July 23, 2007 – Monday – Kashgar
We went to the open market in the village of Opal, about 45 km west of Kashgar along the route of the original Silk Road. We went to the Monday market where we initially saw livestock sales. We saw sheep and cattle being herded down a hill to a large area where groups of men would congregate, talk, yell, and finally reach a deal. We watched one group with a single seller and a single buyer haggle, with the encouragement of several onlookers. After a man bought four sheep for 1100 yuan, we decided to buy a lamb for Imam, our local guide. Not being able to speak Uyghur, Imam did the negotiating. He told them the Americans were involved and this garnered more attention. He bought a black lamb for 275 yuan and we all took photos; first of Sam, Rick and me with the lamb and then all of us together. This drew even more attention, followed by the now traditional display of our digital images.
W walked through the Monday market, frequently hearin cries of “posh!” which signified a rapidly approaching donkey cart, laden with fruit or vegetables. Rick saw a stand with sheep heads, and further inspection showed they sold bowls of lung broth, a tasty concoction, or so I was told. I declined, but Sue and Rick sampled it, although I noted that Sue did not ask for the recipe.
We saw stands for melons, lamb, naan bread, bagels, noodles, dumplings, and every other food imaginable (or not). There were stalls with clothing and sandals and leather hats with emblems of bulls. There was one man selling aerosol bug spray (as if bugs could stand the smell of the market). We left the market with our new lamb and went back to Kashgar, certainly the first air-conditioned trip for the lamb. Imam arranged for a friend to pick it up and take it home, after which Imam was going to give it to his mother.
We had lunch in a beautiful home in Kashgar with a lovely courtyard hidden in a Uyghur neighborhood of mud bricks. After a short wait at the Kashgar airport (which does make Sacramento look truly “intergalactic” by comparison) we flew to Urumqui. We met old friends of Sam for dinner at a nice restaurant where the tour company presented us with three miniature Uygur musical instruments as an Anniversary gift.
The Sheraton Urumqui was very plush, with a glass shower and lavish towels – several stars better than Turpan.
July 24, 2007 – Tuesday – Urumqui
After breakfast, we drove 120 km to Heavenly Lake, a picturesque alpine-style lake at almost 2000 meters elevation. There were dozens of busses and thousands of tourists, but we had a nice ride on a boat and another huge meal in a little building above the lake. Sue bought more scarves – and apricots – and we drove back to Urumqui. On the way, we called out “Yurt alert” and then visited a small group of yurts, the semi-mobile home for the Kazakh nomads indigenous to the area. They were set up near a river, and one we inspected had a TV inside, suggesting it was more modern than we might have expected.
We returned to Urumqui and Sue and I went back to a store that Jason had taken us to several days earlier. This shocked the clerks, who recovered quickly and tried to sell me a very nice silk on silk rug for much less than the initial asking price of $3400. Sue bought 6 silk scarves for 700 yuan. I looked at jade for Mom and Jeff, but didn’t see anything I thought they would like.
Dinner was quite a spectacle. Naturally there was a lavish Uyghur meal, but we also had live music and dancing which featured a 78-year old bearded, gap-toothed man who clearly enjoyed being the center of attention. Very memorable.
July 25, 2007 – Wednesday – Shanghai
Awakened at 5:30, we left the hotel at 7:00 for a 4 hour flight to Shanghai. We sat at the gate and then were squeezed into a shuttle and taken to a plane on the tarmac, only to squeeze onto the stairs with dozens of inconsiderate passengers lugging bags and boxes of fruit that they jammed into overhead compartments, causing Jason to jump up and try to protect two delicate Uyghur guitar-type instruments that Geoff had purchased. They then turned on Chinese music in an apparent attempt to soothe us, but the high-pitched nasal tones suggested a fight between cats trying to avoid becoming a meal in the Urumqui night market.
Shanghai is HOT and HUMID. We were hit by a blast of steamy air in the brief moments between the airport and the bus and hotel. The city is huge and full of dramatic skyscrapers, which one has plenty of time to view as we sit in the ever-present traffic jam. They try to limit cars by charging almost 50,000 yuan simply to register a new car in Shanghai. It’s not working.
The Ritz-Carlton hotel is beyond lavish, with a sheet of water pouring down the façade and dozens of uniformed people waiting to serve us. Way too much for me. The rooms are like the Sheraton Urumqui, with huge beds and big TVs and lots of pillows. Perhaps the best feature is the American toilet, which actually flushes! Both the Ritz and the Sheraton had Kohler or American Standard toilets, which should have been featured in their brochures. Rick said he was entertained just watching his toilet work.
We went to a restaurant – somewhere near a Hagen Dazs – and met Margaret’s sister-in-law, Wendy. She treated us to dumplings in steamer trays overlooking a lake near the old city. Leaving the dumpling palace, we went shopping for bargains. This meant entering a shop full of tourists and piranha-like salespeople. We found a counter that sold “chops” for 150 yuan and ultimately bought 3 for 200 yuan after much haggling. Margaret helped confirm the accuracy of spelling and the proper year, and the price, and Rick wisely bought boxes and ink for us, something we’d forgotten in the bargaining frenzy. While simply walking to the cashier to pay for the chops, we also saw – haggled – left – returned – left again – and finally bought fancy note pad covers with jade ornaments, a chess set for Patrick, and painted glass bottles. A woman in red kept asking me “what’d you buy?” Finally, with Margaret’s help, I realized she was asking if I “want a Gucci bag?” She followed me around the network of shops and finally accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to buy a phony knock-off Gucci bag. We did buy a cheap (220 yuan) suitcase to hold our new acquisitions, although I must admit I was concerned the wheels would fall off as I rolled it back to the hotel.
We found a taxi to take us back to the Ritz, which meant more time in traffic. A brief visit to the expensive business center to send e-mail and then off to Wendy’s condo overlooking the river downtown. Even at 8:00 p.m. it was hot and humid. They served us fruit and an assortment of foods while we enjoyed the magnificent view of the Huangpu River, Pudong, and the Bunde.
July 26, 2007 – Thursday – Shanghai
We slept in until 9:00 and Sue went to the local exercise center. We had another buffet breakfast as they were closing, then a nice long chat with Sam, Rick and Holly in which we analyzed the Chinese economy and culture.
We decided to explore the city and took the subway, following Jason like baby geese in pursuit of their mother. We found that some travelers on the subway were not aware of the nearly universal rule that people leaving the train are permitted to do so before others board. I came up with a not-so-diplomatic method of enforcing that universal rule, and we were able to leave the train. We all went to the Shanghai City Planning museum and saw an immense scale model of an even more immense Shanghai. We went to another museum, only to find that it had closed. However, the museum shop was open (who’d have guessed?), allowing us to avoid having too much Chinese currency when we left the next day. Sue and I found some nice small prints. Our group split up, with Rick and Holly in pursuit of Chinese horses. Sue and I were fortunate to have Jason lead us in search of the largest bookstore in Shanghai, a 7-story edifice, in which I hoped to find a Chinese comic book. Sadly, the Chinese seemed to have no interest in Batman and his teammates. I did find a Chinese translation of Tintin, a Belgian comic from the 1950s. I bought three and gave one to Geoff, the other aficionado of graphic literature on our trip.
We returned to the Ritz (that simply sounds elegant) and went to a performance of the Shanghai Acrobats. We had great seats, although we seemed to be in front of several Germans who didn’t know that it’s rude to talk through the entire performance, or that the announcements that patrons were not to use flash photography actually meant they weren’t suppose to use their flash. Sam continued his remarkable practice of taking phenomenal photographs under any conditions. The prohibition against using a flash didn’t impair his ability to capture extraordinary images. Of course, any mention of Sam’s skill as a photographer must also recognize the contribution of his faithful Sherpa, Rick, who schlepped Sam’s tripod from the east to the west, and back again with no recorded sighting of Sam actually using it.
July 27, 2007 – Shanghai to SFO
We checked out of our luxurious room at the Ritz, knowing that United Airlines would probably not be able to upgrade our seats with the several hundred thousand miles we had earned bargaining our way across China. We said good-bye to Jason, who took care of us to the end. Either because he wanted to enhance our sense of security or simply because he was afraid we’d miss our flight and ask to stay with him, Jason had arranged for someone to escort us to the airport. This young woman worked for a travel agency and had just graduated from a local university with a degree in English. She confided that, although Chinese people can read and write well, they don’t speak English well. She attributed this to the fact that her professors were Chinese people who have not traveled abroad, but simply become teachers upon graduation. She was probably correct, because we had trouble understanding her. Nevertheless, we reached the airport, checked our burgeoning baggage and boarded United 858 for our flight home. It was a long flight, made more so by the failure of the sound system in my seat. A nice flight attendant offered us new seats, but they were in the interior of the middle row, so we declined and instead took her offer of $200 in vouchers for future flights. This made the investment in downloading audiobooks onto our PDAs even more valuable as we “read” across the Pacific.
We were thrilled to see Patrick upon our arrival at SFO, and very pleased to return to the familiar sights of northern California. China and the Silk Road were certainly an exotic adventure of a lifetime that we will not forget.