Day Two

Hi all,

I am having some technical difficulties, so I haven't been able to post as often as I would like. I got back to the hotel last night and wrote a nice, long entry and then it somehow disappeared....

We've had a very full couple of days. Yesterday (Sunday), we started with some information sessions at the hotel about Chinese culture and history. We learned lots of details about social etiquette in China - such as where to sit in the car if you are riding with business colleagues and where to sit at a dinner table. I have not had an opportunity to use my new skills. I sit wherever I want on the bus and wherever the vegetarian food is at the table. Anyway, I'm sure the information will come in handy some day.

We ate lunch at a restaurant called South Beauty that I liked a lot. There were good vegetarian dishes like asparagus and tofu. One nice feature of meals here that I hope to continue in the US is that we drink beer with every lunch. In fact, I haven't had anything to drink in China other than beer and bottled water.

Then we were off to a bank building for a lecture on the future of China. We each got a sweet t-shirt that says "It Is Glorious To Be Rich," which pretty much sums up the future goals of Shanghai.

We went to an outdoor market called Temple Market that was quite an experience. I have not endured aggressive begging like I did at Temple Market since a gypsy woman handed me her baby and spit on me in Rome 15 years ago in an effort to steal my wallet. In addition to beggars, dozens of people try to sell fake stuff - mostly watches and purses. The big attractions at the market were pearls and silk. After claiming multiple times that I was not in shopping mode.... I did eventually buy a little silk for some pillows for the new house.

We had dinner at a place that would not make my list of favorites. I ate several lima beans, which brought back memories of my youth when they were the only vegetable that I ate.

Some of us then took the bus to an area called Xin Tian Di (or something like that) for a little night life. It was a really beautiful area; lots of very nice outdoor restaurants. However, sitting outside in heat and humidity with air that is tough to breathe was not attractive so we settled indoors at a little bar called Luna. There was a Chinese band playing mostly 1980s American love ballads. Kumar entertained us with his sweet dance moves.

That's it for Sunday.... back soon with an update on Monday's activities.