Hey Lady… cheap prices for you

So we had our only free day of the trip today, unleashed on the city of Shanghai. Twenty-four million people and counting. What a world class city. If classiness is important to you, you probably need to skip the next paragraph which Coco would call TMI (too much information).

This photograph of Kate shows a very important dance done in China. It is one associated with using the Chinese toilet… lovingly referred to as the Squatty Potty. This appliance is basically a troth in the floor that one squats over to do your business. Even in this modern city there are very few Western toilets. Imagine being hampered by a winter coat, purse and packages. The dance is done when you complete the task without peeing on your pants or shoes. The small victories of living!

Okay, back to the topic at hand… Shanghai. We decided to accomplish a number of tasks today to the tune of nine and a half miles of walking and Coco exclaiming that her “dogs were barking”. What kind of twelve-year old uses an expression like that? We needed to shop, eat some famous soup dumplings and Erich needed to see the Bund and the Pudong as it was completely under construction the last time that we were here. So much so that there was a shortage of construction cranes globally. For a couple of construction geeks, a very interesting place.

On first impressions Shanghai is a very fashionable place. It is even more evident with the men in this city. We have seen men on the street that looked like models. They have great haircuts, cool glasses, impeccably tailored suits with deliberately pegged, short suit pants and very expensive leather, pointed shoes. Top this off with a handsome man purse and a citified attitude and you can’t help but be impressed.

We hoofed it a number of miles across town passing by many familiar American shopping destinations from the Gap to Tiffany and everything in between. Starbucks on every corner but an alley in between with laundry strung from balconies and scooters and bikes lining the narrow streets. I am not sure how I would feel about my bloomers being hung up for all my neighbors to see! But there are a lot of people in a small space in a city this size and China seems to have a certain efficiency for tight living.

The last time we were here we wanted to try some famous soup dumplings in a mall in the Yuyuan Gardens. The line was so impossibly long that we gave up. Today (thank you John and Kathy for the encouragement) we were determined to wait it out and it was well worth it. This place has lines that stretch outside and a long wait inside which we have not seen anywhere. They only have a few things on the menu. Baskets of steamed dumplings get wheeled out on carts, pork and crab roe, pork and vegetables tucked in a handmade dough casing. Each filled with a rich broth which you drain in to a small cup and drink or just pop the whole thing in your mouth. Delicious. They also have a special crab soup that is served inside a big dumpling and sipped through a straw.

The shopping along this area is a great adventure. In Shanghai you are less likely to get a bargain (although just about every vendor did say, “Hey Lady, cheap prices for you” in perfect English) and these city folks are less likely to stare at foreigners. But part of these markets were set up specifically to sell decorations for the Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Chicken in January and the stalls were just packed with the brightest vermilion offerings imaginable. We have these pop up Halloween stores in the US but they are nothing compared to this pageantry.

We made it back to the hotel in time for dinner. Coco’s beloved Vivian was back from her Province and the girls would have dinner together for the first time in a few days. Danling the owner of this Heritage Tour company out of the Twin Cities sat behind them and just listened to their conversations. Probably less about China and more about their teen/tween lives. But they laugh together and are drawn to each other. They came back to our hotel room last night and played some noisy Charades. I truly hope they will keep in touch. Fortunately, Cape Cod and the Twin Cities are places we go anyway.

We have two more days in China. A full one today, we leave the hotel at 9:00 this morning and do not return until 9:30 tonight. Our thoughts are starting to drift towards home. Living out of suitcases, doing your wash in a bathtub and eating three meals a day in a restaurant is getting a bit tiring. And Carolyn misses that dog of hers and we miss our cats too.

I hope you are all well and appreciating your unfettered internet access and western toilets!