July 2 - Exploring Shanghai

Ni Hao!

Adventures in Shanghai yesterday are a vivid palette of color, sound , and movement. It is hard for me not to just share the most immediate experience with all of you, but I will do my best to keep things chronological. For those of you who know me well, speaking in a linear fashion, or even thinking in a linear fashion, is often a challenge for me. I tend to lean toward the tangential, and my thinking and writing are sometimes sprinkled with non sequiturs. Hang in there with me, and I will try to take you on this journey, with words, as best I can.

Here are some observations and adventures from yesterday - a very full day exploring Shanghai...

1. Streets are shared by cars, buses, trucks, vans, people on bicycles and motor scooters, and motorized wheel chairs. Cars and people in vehicles drive within inches of one another, providing a constant flow of what appears to be dangerous movement. However, there is absolutely no "road rage" visible, and people seem to lobby for their motion space in a relatively cooperative way. Janice, our tour guide, tells us anyone who rides in the front seat "must have a strong heart."

At one point, someone cuts off our driver and the back of his car collided slightly with the front of our van. Actually, as passengers, we didn't even notice this bumping had occurred, but our driver got out into the heavy traffic, as did the man driving the car. They assessed the damage, which seemed to be little to none, and the man handed our driver 100 yuan (about fifteen US dollars). We had been told that this was done so our driver would not make any trouble. In China, we're told that if a problem can be settled with money exchange, that it works well for everyone.

2. At the Silk Museum, we discover that the silk worms need the tender mulberry leaves produced by the hot, humid climate in Shanghai. We shared the "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush... so early in the morning" song with Janice. Her response was, "Why do you get up so early in the morning to pick mulberry leaves in America?" In translation, literal meanings take on greater weight when people are trying to communicate. We loved her question and her concern for our sleep.

3. At the Silk Museum, we learned that silk worm feces are placed inside sleeping pillows to give the person a more restful night of sleep. Expect several sachets of silk worm waste as presents from Shanghai when I return... just think of them as lavender sachets that you can place inside your sleep pillow.

4. The first Starbucks in China was the one here in Shanghai. They carry green tea frappacinos here. Lesson: always count one's change when making a transaction. I paid with a 100 yuan bill for a 31 yuan drink. I was given 29 Yuan in return. On the third try inquiring about the change, which should have been 61, the cashier said "my bad" and gave me the correct change. We think perhaps they count on foreigners to be a bit confused by the currency... and they are very right!

5. Met an absolutely delightful, animated man selling bamboo saxophones on the street in Old Town Shanghai. He made this recorder-looking instrument sound just like a soprano saxophone, ala Kenny G. He drew us into his musical space, luring us with American melodies on his reeded instrument. He had tenor and soprano saxes, one in the key of F and one in G. Yes, of course I purchased one... He used me as a model, talking about how I have good chin and mouth for playing this saxophone. He was alive with tunes and personality and even gave me a box of reeds for free.

6. Men are not allowed to handle the delicate silk worms. Their voices are simply too loud (I imagine Americans would be instantly disqualified from working with the silk worms, too!), as the men are often loud and filled with alcohol out on the farms.

7. Umbrellas are used to protect from the very loud sun here. Chi, the woman I met on the plane, told me she was embarrassed to be returning home with something of an American tan. Women in China, she says, value their smooth light skin and keep out of the sun to preserve their delicate and beautiful skin.

I will write more later... By the way, we are walking a great deal, and my recently operated on knees are handling all of this with grace and perseverance.