Saturday was a day of firsts for me. I got my first blister. I stole my father-in-law's new hiking sandals as I was leaving KC on Saturday and promptly wore them on my adventure today. 7766 steps (thanks to my sister-in-law Cinnamon's pedometer gift) later in any shoe w/o socks will do that to you.
I also had my first taxi 'drive around.' You know, were the taxi driver knows your foreign so decides to drive you around a bit to increase the fee. I was angry about it, but he got an extra 75 cents out of me, so it's not big deal, just a matter of principle.
I attempted to attend my first Shanghai expats meeting at the English-named Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf www.coffeebean.com.cn. I found out about this meeting of English speakers living in Shanghai through a networking website aptly named Shanghai Expats www.shanghaiexpat.com. The meeting was scheduled to run from 1030-1230 and it was near a couple of major tourist attractions and a major metro station so I felt good about waltzing in and finding it without much difficulty. FAIL. Not only did I NOT find the Coffee Bean, but I got - your guessed it - lost.
Taking a cab in Shanghai is very easy. And according to some NY natives easier than in Gotham. Cabs are readily accessible, the quickest form of transportation, arguably the safest (upcoming blog), and - unlike NYC cabs - readily willing to pick up a Brother at a moments notice. For a cost of 30RMB (@$4US) it is also very affordable. So it was no problem getting to the Zhongshan Park area from my apartment. Finding my way around the area was another issue.
My problem is that I get overconfident about my ability to navigate an unknown area. Right before I left, My wife and I attempted to go to Conway for church. A high school friend has a ministry there and I wanted to visit before I left. The directions were simple with three minor turns at three major intersections. We got lost. The major intersections were not major at all and... well, no excuses I just got cocky and therefore got lost!
I also had my first taxi 'drive around.' You know, were the taxi driver knows your foreign so decides to drive you around a bit to increase the fee. I was angry about it, but he got an extra 75 cents out of me, so it's not big deal, just a matter of principle.
I attempted to attend my first Shanghai expats meeting at the English-named Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf www.coffeebean.com.cn. I found out about this meeting of English speakers living in Shanghai through a networking website aptly named Shanghai Expats www.shanghaiexpat.com. The meeting was scheduled to run from 1030-1230 and it was near a couple of major tourist attractions and a major metro station so I felt good about waltzing in and finding it without much difficulty. FAIL. Not only did I NOT find the Coffee Bean, but I got - your guessed it - lost.
Taking a cab in Shanghai is very easy. And according to some NY natives easier than in Gotham. Cabs are readily accessible, the quickest form of transportation, arguably the safest (upcoming blog), and - unlike NYC cabs - readily willing to pick up a Brother at a moments notice. For a cost of 30RMB (@$4US) it is also very affordable. So it was no problem getting to the Zhongshan Park area from my apartment. Finding my way around the area was another issue.
My problem is that I get overconfident about my ability to navigate an unknown area. Right before I left, My wife and I attempted to go to Conway for church. A high school friend has a ministry there and I wanted to visit before I left. The directions were simple with three minor turns at three major intersections. We got lost. The major intersections were not major at all and... well, no excuses I just got cocky and therefore got lost!
I have this Theory of Mapping: to appreciably chart an unknown area, you get out multiple maps that show different routes. So I got out my Shanghai streets map, my Metro line map, and my Tourists sites map. I plotted the location of the Coffee Bean, identified tourists landmarks, and marked major intersections. I do all this to avoid getting lost. Ideally.
I got out of the cab, looked around and immediately ID'ed Zhongshan Park. Walked east along Changning Lu to my destination inside Cloud Nine Mall. Everything was everything and I was on track.
Alright, so have I shared that most every sign has a Mandarin and an English version? Everywhere you go there is Mandarin and English joined in a happy marriage of understanding and guidance. It makes you feel very welcome and that language is not a barrier here.
So entering the area just east of Zhongshan Park, I expected, EXPECTED an English sign for Cloud Nine Mall. And, of course, there wasn't! Moreover, I was surrounded by several "malls". there were outlets, malls, shopping centers, and an incredible metro station that connected it all. Every STORE had an English subtitle, but not all the buildings.
This is usually where my complimentary half works things out pragmatically and figures how to find the right spot. I'm the big picture guy, she's the details lady. With her NOT here, I am done.
So guess what I do? I WANDER AROUND! no surprise right? After about 2 hours of wandering and 1 hour after the end of the meeting, I find an English subtitled Cloud Nine mall and an empty Coffee Bean. Drats, foiled again.
So KFC is a big deal here. I watched a documentary on how KFC infiltrated the Chinese market and culture and has become a staple restaurant here. I wanted to avoid the fast food phenomena that happens outside of the US. Since I am familiar with the brand and products I have an expectation for what I should be eating, which leads being consistently disappointed. But I was encouraged by KFC. They had altered their product line to include traditional Chinese flavors and dishes. Also, they offer an unusual item which is the featured product in China - a hamburger.
I got out of the cab, looked around and immediately ID'ed Zhongshan Park. Walked east along Changning Lu to my destination inside Cloud Nine Mall. Everything was everything and I was on track.
Alright, so have I shared that most every sign has a Mandarin and an English version? Everywhere you go there is Mandarin and English joined in a happy marriage of understanding and guidance. It makes you feel very welcome and that language is not a barrier here.
So entering the area just east of Zhongshan Park, I expected, EXPECTED an English sign for Cloud Nine Mall. And, of course, there wasn't! Moreover, I was surrounded by several "malls". there were outlets, malls, shopping centers, and an incredible metro station that connected it all. Every STORE had an English subtitle, but not all the buildings.
This is usually where my complimentary half works things out pragmatically and figures how to find the right spot. I'm the big picture guy, she's the details lady. With her NOT here, I am done.
So guess what I do? I WANDER AROUND! no surprise right? After about 2 hours of wandering and 1 hour after the end of the meeting, I find an English subtitled Cloud Nine mall and an empty Coffee Bean. Drats, foiled again.
So KFC is a big deal here. I watched a documentary on how KFC infiltrated the Chinese market and culture and has become a staple restaurant here. I wanted to avoid the fast food phenomena that happens outside of the US. Since I am familiar with the brand and products I have an expectation for what I should be eating, which leads being consistently disappointed. But I was encouraged by KFC. They had altered their product line to include traditional Chinese flavors and dishes. Also, they offer an unusual item which is the featured product in China - a hamburger.
I didn't get the hamburger. That would have angered the Food god pantheon that govern my stomach- particularly the god of tastes goodness - not in a digestable manner but philosophically. But the god of tummy rumbles rules all, and I had to make a choice. I got a sandwich wrap combo. The wrap looked like a 'tortilla' wrapped around 'bbq' chicken and mushrooms ( I know, lots of quotation marks, but I can only give you what I can read on the menu. You're talking with a guy that's relegated to looking at pictures and pointing. I'm limited here.). The savvy check out girl immediately identifying me as an avid chicken eater and confidently offered me a side of wings - which replaces the traditional side item - at a small upsell cost. I can't recall any rap videos she would have watched where brothas are sitting around eating chicken, but she nailed it. Sometimes obvious truths transcends language and culture. So me, my side of two wings and the 'secret' sandwich wrap headed to the park. Needless to say, it was good. Couldn't argue with the flavors or speed of service. Actually ran better than a US KFC. With the sarcrifice hungrily accepted by the gods, I moved on. (note: I later found out by tooling around on the KFC website... I ate a burger and the gods were pleased.
http://www.kfc.com.cn/kfcc
My rambles also placed me in beautiful Zhongshan Park. I don't know how to describe this park. It had so many great things in it: wide open green spaces, intimate paved paths, dedicated kid play area, carnival style rides, electric powered boats, and traditional songs and music. This experience deserves its own blog entry so I will talk more about it later.
So 4 hours, 7700 steps, a blister, and an overpaid taxi driver got me a series of firsts today. Maybe I'll try to make the expats meeting on Sunday at Xitiandi. Where are my maps?...
http://www.kfc.com.cn/kfcc
My rambles also placed me in beautiful Zhongshan Park. I don't know how to describe this park. It had so many great things in it: wide open green spaces, intimate paved paths, dedicated kid play area, carnival style rides, electric powered boats, and traditional songs and music. This experience deserves its own blog entry so I will talk more about it later.
So 4 hours, 7700 steps, a blister, and an overpaid taxi driver got me a series of firsts today. Maybe I'll try to make the expats meeting on Sunday at Xitiandi. Where are my maps?...
