Thursday – Shanghai The first full day in Shanghai. I can't sleep past 6:00 and start the day with Pete's coffee. It seems like a good idea to make a foray into the city on the Metro to get comfortable with the concept of being here. The French Concession is an older neighborhood that looks like a good target and has the additional enticement of Julian's favorite massage place. A possible two hour jet-lag cure is our target. Experiencing the Metro, I an struck with a couple of thoughts, but they are not the ones that I was expecting. My preconception was that Shanghai is an international cosmopolitan center and I expected to see more western faces once we were out and about. However, the Metro experience and the walk to the area of the old French Concession was a 100 percent Asian one. The city is getting ready to welcome the world to the Expo 2010 fair on May 1st, but the world is not here yet.
The other surprise was to only encounter one person who
spoke decent English – a gentleman who helped us decipher the Metro
ticket machine. That sounds like the American's typical exception that
everyone should speak my language and I guess it was, but it was still a
surprise. Everyone was helpful, but communication was entertaining. My
point of reference was a visit to Beijing
two years ago, where I remember more shopkeepers or people on the
street who had English skills. Dinners at Anja and Julian's place have
been wonderful. First night prepared by their housekeeper, and last
night was Hunan take-out. Much wine and interesting conversation.
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