Dispatch: Shanghai

With a population of more than 18-million people Shanghai is one of the most densely populated locations on earth as well as being one of the two most important cities in China. Its futuristic skyline is as breathtaking as its culture is rich in history and complexity. With nowhere to go but up, high-rise apartment and condominiums would be located within spitting distance of each other if spitting had not been outlawed until the Olympics are finished. You could walk the streets forever and never repeat yourself. Feel social and want to meet everyone? There are two options: visit the official Olympic kiosk on Nanjing road; or forget about it. Which makes it all the more remarkable that Stephanie literally bumped into a friend of hers from Chinese school at CCSF.

Our guide Johnson threw in an extra half day tour to maximize our Shanghai experience, so we had opportunities to spend money in more places than we had expected. We began with a foot massage and pulse diagnosis at the Shanghai People’s Health Ministry. All was cool, our feet were luxuriating and our tensions relieved until Dr. Lee, the snake-oil salesman, predicted early deaths and decrepit lives for the adults. Instead of bowing to fear and unloading several thousands of dollars on herbal medicines Kelby settled for a jar of snake oil (seriously) and we headed out for the next economic opportunity.

The Yuyuan Shopping City packs more people into a defined space than anyplace I have ever been.  That old Shanghai hand Justine bee-lined to the NanXiang Street Steamed Dumpling shop and went to the end of long line waiting to purchase Shanghai Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao). While the girls waited, and we knew that we wouldn’t lose Stephanie if she was in a slow moving line, Kelby and I maneuvered the circuit. We saw every trinket and artifact that we had already seen on the trip: hand painted fans; jade jewelry; Chinese paintings and calligraphy; crystal paintings and much more. However, it was of lesser quality and it was being sold in a frenzied environment devoid of charm or circumstance. We held onto our wallets, did our best to avoid the hustlers and after an hour threaded our way back to the dumpling line. Justine had made friends with the girl in line in front of her and fast enemies with an old lady who inserted her grandson into the front of the line.  It was tense for a few minutes because the little brat wouldn’t concede his stolen space, but Justine persevered. We shared the delicious and delicate dumplings and I contemplated on what a rotten human being that little boy would become as an adult. 

The old fat lady at the Feng Shui museum was scary. We didn’t buy any of her overpriced products, but I do believe that she chastised our guide for her own shortcomings. I feel sorry for the girls that work for her. The wide eyed stare that I took for admiration was no doubt abject fear of their employer. After dinner at the Dragon Boat Restaurant we returned to the hotel to await phase two of our great adventure.