Our APEC Holiday begins today. The train departs Beijing South Railway Station at 9:00 am. Since it’s our first train travel in China, we don’t want any “surprises”, so we leave early, at 6:30 am. We’ve heard the taxis have been cut back to every other day, and maybe a little worried about getting one. We walk out of the complex, to the street, and start toward the first taxi. There are seven cabs in line, waiting for passengers. Plenty, right? The first guy waves us off, so does the 2^nd, the 3^rd, etc, until finally, #6 nods approval. We must have looked like we had ebola. There isn’t any traffic, and the ride take ½ hour. At the train station, security is thorough, but the line moves quickly. It doesn’t take us long to figure out our departure gate, and we manage to find a seat. We’re early, but there are many people waiting.

The board shows lots of blanks, representing no more seats.

There are about 40 gates and as the departure time nears, everyone starts queuing up. At the “active” gates, it gets downright crazy. Places in the terminal become impassable as everyone lines up. As usual, I enjoy the chance to watch the crowd and how the system operates. Our time comes, and we work our way through the line, and down the escalator to the platform. These trains are so long! We find our car, and seats, store our luggage, and get ready for a comfortable ride. It’s really roomy!

This is the section where we sat, in the first class area.

This is the “Business Class” section. (not where we sat)

The trains look really sleek!

The train ride is smooth. Most of the time, we’re traveling around 305 kilometers per hour. This is just like the Japanese bullet trains. There are about six stops enroute to Shanghai, each lasting between 2 & 4 minutes. It’s about 780 miles, and we arrive at Hongquiao Station after a 5 hour, 48 minute trip.

In the distance is one of the “ghost cities”, brand new apartments with no occupants.

Here’s a link to some video I shot as we pulled out of Beijing and rode to Shanghai.  It’s about 3 minutes.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4i5z9e3qarro16g/14.11.7.Shanghai%20Train.mp4?dl=0

We find a taxi for the 45-minute trip to the hotel. We’re staying at the JW Marriot Tomorrow Square, near the Bund in Shanghai. We decided to splurge on the room, and WOW! It’s a two-room suite, with two bathrooms. The “Executive Lounge” has food throughout the day, including breakfast. We also have breakfast privileges in the main restaurant for the huge breakfast buffet. I don’t think we’re going to hurt for food on this trip. Also, all the room snacks and drinks are free of charge. No worries about a $5 bottle of water, or a $4 Snickers Bar. The hotel lobby and restaurant are on the 38^th floor, and our room is on 51. The “Executive Lounge” is on 58. There are tremendous views of Shanghai from everywhere.

Taken on the roof of the hotel (60th floor).

The director of Executive Services took us upstairs from the Executive Lounge to “The Library”, and asked us to find the hidden door to the roof

“Voila”

I’m feeling better today. The cold is just about non-existent. I’ve decided to go pick-up our train tickets in advance, trying to avoid a frantic rush on Friday morning. Since we’ve never traveled on the trains here in China, I want to scout out the station and get my bearings ahead of time.

I walk over to Taiyanggong Station to board the subway. My first stop is an area where I think there are many sporting goods stores. I’ve been looking for a cheap place to buy table tennis gear, and there has to be a spot somewhere in Beijing where there are a bunch of shops grouped together. I’ve scouted the internet for several months, and I think I’ve found the neighborhood. It’s not far from the Beijing Railway Station.

About half a block from the subway station, I stumble on my first table tennis shop. It’s carries all kinds of Butterfly gear, and exactly what I was looking for. After checking out the shop thoroughly, I continue down the street, and there must be 20 – 30 shops with sportswear, badminton gear, and table tennis gear within the next block. I knew this area had to exist. It just took me a while to find it.

The “Butterfly” table tennis shop

Some of the neighborhood sporting goods stores

Next stop is the Beijing Railway Station for our Friday tickets to Shanghai. I arrive after a short subway ride. I guess many of the Beijingers are already trying to get out of town because there are tons of people standing in line and sitting around on the ground, waiting for something? Heavily armed police are also abundant. With APEC in town, there’s great concern that there will be a terrorist attack in Beijing. I purchased our tickets ahead of time and have a reservation number. I just need to show someone our passports, and our numbers, and I should be able to get the tickets.

Beijing Railway Station

If only it were that easy! I found an area with machines for “internet ticket redemption”, but it won’t accept passports. I end up standing in a really long (and slow) line to physically show someone my passport. There is only one line for “English”, but it’s not “English only”, so there’s really no advantage, except maybe they’ll speak a little English when I finally get to the front.

The “English” line

As I stand in line, I begin to learn a few things. Many of these people are still trying to buy their tickets for the upcoming holiday, and there aren’t many seats left. A huge electronic board at the end of the hall shows the various trains/departures, and how many seats are remaining. The next four days are almost sold out, and there are many trains on the schedule. The people buying tickets are frantically searching for some kind of a ticket and it’s taking forever while they look. Many are walking away empty-handed. I’m also beginning to figure out I’m at the wrong station. Oops! I think I can still get our tickets here, so I wait out the line.

Finally I get to the front, and as expected, there’s confusion. First, I’m told “no trains”. Then I’m told, “only standing room”. I finally make the point, showing them my tour company print-out that I have a reservation #. The clerk leaves for a long time and eventually returns with a supervisor who eventually gets me the tickets. As I finish, I check to make sure, and yes, this won’t be our departure station. This is the Beijing Railway Station. Apparently most of the “bullet trains” go out of the Beijing South Railway Station. So much for trying to get my bearings and figure out the station layout ahead of time. There are 4 large railway stations in Beijing, and I guessed wrong.

MONDAY, 11/3/14

A new week begins and Judy heads out, ready for a slightly shorter week. The APEC Conference is in town for 6 days, beginning Thursday. Even President Obama is coming to Beijing. I haven’t heard anything directly from him or his people, so I guess he’s not dropping by our apartment for a visit. We’re going to go ahead with our trip to Shanghai on Friday.

Today is an errand day, and Judy left a to-do list. Now that I’m not going into BISS for beginning band instruction, she’s decided I have more time to chase down loose ends. I make my usual weekly grocery run to Metro. When I get back, I unpack, then head out again to the wet market for some fruit and vegetables.

On my way to the wet market, I stopped at a spot where I’ve noticed a little lady fixing shoes, coats, and just about everything that could be fixed with a heavy duty sewing machine. Judy bought a really nice bag for carrying her computer and assorted items when we’re traveling at the Container Store when we were home in July. One of the handles had torn. I showed the fix-it lady the bag. She glanced at it, grabbed some thread and went to work. Four minutes later, she handed it back, fixed. How much? It cost me 2 yuan (36 cents US). The more I’m here, the more of these type of people I notice. They’ve found their niche in the community and earn an income.

TUESDAY, 11/4/14

I began to feel a cold coming on yesterday, and it’s slightly worse today. I decided to stay in and rest. I spent some of the day looking at internet/TV plans for Ft. Worth for when we get home. We’ll be in the condo for three weeks, and it’ll get pretty boring without any digital devices. I also tried to set-up the electric bill for our condo in FW with their version of auto-pay. Something was wrong with the website, and it wouldn’t quite finish. I’ll try again in a few days.

Judy had a long, frustrating day. Everything she tried to do took twice as long as it should have. She is badly in need of a holiday. I think Shanghai will be the answer for both of us.

Judy and I decided to head back out to the 798 District today. But first, Judy had to make another trip out to IKEA. She decided there were a few things she saw yesterday that we needed in the apartment. She gets there as they open, and is in and out very quickly.

The most amusing part of her trip was the taxi ride home. Yesterday, she had a driver who spoke a little English and took great pride in China. He asked lots of questions about what she liked the most about Beijing. When he dropped her off, he even discounted 2 yuan off her fare. Today, she got the same taxi driver. At IKEA, there is a long line for people needing taxis, and a long line of taxis waiting for passengers. To get the same driver two days in a row is pretty amazing. He was so excited to see her again. He gave her the same discount on her fare. We’ve never gotten any fare discount in our time in Beijing.

After all our new IKEA items get placed in their new home, we head out to 798. Our first stop is a café for lunch. I had a burger that was pretty good. Judy had a chicken sandwich that wasn’t quite so good. We weren’t sure it was thoroughly cooked. After lunch, we walked to a gallery we visited last spring called Soul Collection. Judy liked several things in the shop, and we’ve been trying to decide what to bring home from China. We’ve got so much junk back in the US in storage, we don’t want to add to it, but a few small items to bring memories will be nice.

We found several items, made our purchase, and then walked around the district some more while they packed our items. We stopped at a coffee shop and killed some time just “people watching.” After more wandering, we went back by Soul Collection and picked up our stuff, and headed home. Now it’s time to get ready for a big week of work and travel.

We’ve got big plans today, or at least I do. Judy is so worn out after her week, she’s decides to relax and do a few chores around the apartment. She leaves early for IKEA for some home decorating items, to spruce up the place. The additions are really nice!

My day has two big activities. The first is a trip to “798”, a cultural/art zone not far from our apartment. Thomas, the art teacher at my school (from Dallas), was selected to display some of his work in a gallery as part of an International Artist exchange. He’s been working really hard this past month completing the pieces he’s going to display. Two of the teachers from my school, Josie and Lashawna, meet me at the nearby train station, and we taxi over to the Irish Volunteer Pub, for lunch. It’s on the way to 798. They’ve got really good burgers/fries.

After lunch, we head over to 798 and the exhibition. It’s really nice! Eight artists from all over the world are displaying, and the variety of ideas is intriguing. We had a good time visiting with Thomas and bragging on his work. He likes to collage sections of old maps and then paint around and over them.

The banner outside the gallery where Thomas is displaying. He’s bottom right, with red hair

One of Thomas’s pieces, with Thomas and LaShawna.

Josie and LaShawna checking out one the many unusual art pieces scattered throughout the large area.

I thought this was an alley, but after looking at it closely, there seemed to be several works on display?

I had to get a closer pix of this really crazy piece!

After we leave, we find a nice coffee shop with a good view of one of the main streets. There are huge crowds today (nice weather), and the mix of individuals is so interesting. We eventually head back to the train station and they go home. I walk to the apartment, change clothes, and get pumped up for my next activity, the annual International Schools Bowling Tournament.

Anyone who regularly checks in on this blog might remember our team won the tournament last year. 1^st prize is $50 for the team to spend at a local pizza/burger place. The team consists of two Americans, two Brits, two Canadians, and one Australian. They take the top six scores from our best game. WE WON AGAIN! Unbelievable! Just like last year, we all had our share of miserable scores (we bowled three games). Then, we all hit good scores at the same time, and the BISS Barbarians are the 2014 Champions! The story probably won’t make the China Daily, but we’re excited. There were 18 teams competing.

It’s Halloween! It’s interesting the different opinions on Halloween here. All anyone really knows is what they’ve seen on US television. We’re constantly being told “how we celebrate Halloween in the US.” They’re also quick to say they don’t celebrate the holiday, but a lot of people dress up in costumes and attend parties?

Judy’s school has and elementary party early in the day, and the students are all dressed up in costumes. The secondary school has a dance/party after school, also with lots of costumes.

Judy – getting into the spirit!

Over at my school, the parents have been decorating, and have a built a haunted house (in the music room). The activities begin at 6:00 pm. I would like to attend, but I’m not up to staying around all afternoon without any classes.

Some of the decorations over at BHSFIC.

Back at the apartment, little kids are wearing costumes everywhere. Their parents are taking lots of pictures, and people are handing out candy to those that walk by. Lilly has lots of questions about Halloween that I try to answer. I think she understood enough. The Chinese don’t have a lot of holidays, especially fun ones like Halloween (even if it’s little more than a date on a calendar).

I have a day off so I enjoy the morning, checking emails, drinking coffee, and doing my stretching exercises. The weather is cool, but still, so in the early afternoon, I rode the bike over to the table tennis club. As in my last several visits, my face is more common, and I don’t even get to sit down before I find myself playing a really older gentleman.

About an hour into our session we start conversing (he speaks a little English). I get the usual question, “How long have you been playing”. It’s tough for me to answer. I don’t want to say I’ve been playing 50 years, when my play has been so intermittent, and certainly not regularly against players at this level. Around here, these players play a lot each week. I don’t know how much they played when they weren’t retired, but they’re “daily” players right now.

I manage to tell him my age, and then he lets me know he’s 81. When we first started playing, he didn’t look like he played that well. As I warmed up, so did he, and it wasn’t long before he had me jumping from side to side. Occasionally, I noticed a grin from him after he had an especially good exchange. He seemed to be testing me. I just kept smiling, bragging on his shot, and working on my game. These guys have a lot to teach me. Every player has his own spin, speed, and angles, and it takes time to adjust.

The bike ride home was relaxing. I really enjoy observing the people on the street. There’s always someone riding a bike in heavy traffic, texting? Crazy!

Captain Zero (Sandis, PE, from Latvia) passing out awards from the Sports Day Activities at an assembly on Oct. 24

Shannon, ES Principal, having fun with the kids in the assembly.

Some of Judy’s students performing at the assembly.

TUESDAY, 10/28/14

I joined Judy early Tuesday at BISS for the beginning band class. The class went well and the students worked hard. They know it’s our last week, and they want to sound good for their video performances.

The big excitement at BISS today is the Sports Day for the Elementary School students. Stations are set-up everywhere and grade levels are lined up “getting their sports on.” The pollution had been so bad lately, there was some question as to whether or not it would actually be held, but the levels stayed down, and it went off with out a hitch.

Sandis, the PE teacher, checking his Sports Day notes. He’s dressed as “Captain Zero”

Shannon, the Elementary School Prinicpal dressed as…….I’m not sure what!

After school, Judy travels with Simon, the BISS “recruiter” for a trip to the Conrad Hotel. It’s the site of one of the BISS Choir holiday performances. Judy wants to check out the actual performance area and make sure she knows exactly how to position her students for their performances. Simon has been the point person for the hotel and Rotary Club contacts. The choir will be performing at the Rotary Club Holiday Festival. They performed for the same festival last year, but it was a different hotel.

WEDNESDAY, 10/29/14

Judy goes to school at her regular time. I travel over later for our final beginning band class day. We warmed up, reviewed the assignment, and then the students begin recording their video assignment. We’re recording right up to the end of class, trying to get good performances for everyone.

It’s been a fun trimester working on this project. The students got a decent taste of what it’s like to begin to learn to play a wind instrument. Several will probably find a way to continue on an individual basis. I’ll miss the chance to work with them, but it will be nice to have two more days a week of freedom.

There is a weird schedule at my school this week because of mid-term tests. The surprise APEC holiday coming up next week threw everyone a curve. Our mid-term tests are scheduled for Tues. thru Thur. for grades 10 & 11. Next week, 12^th grade mid-term tests will be held. They’re on a different schedule because of “Early Decision” deadlines on Nov. 1.

This affects me because they have declared today (Monday) will be Thursday classes. My first class is early so I get out of the apartment quickly and arrive at school around 7:25, planning to set-up my room, etc. As I arrive on the 4^th floor and my classroom, there is a large black curtain hanging over the entrance to the hallway, and also over my classroom door. There is a sign posted (in Chinese) which I’m told says “Stay Out.” I took a quick peek in the door, and parents have been in the classroom decorating for a Haunted House for the Friday night party.

I go looking for someone who can tell me where I need to meet my classes. No one is around who knows, so I just sit down and wait. Finally, five minutes before 8:00, an administrator comes in. She doesn’t know anything about it, but makes a call to the logistics manager. He tells us my stuff has been moved to another classroom. This is one of those times when a short email about the classroom change would have helped.

We move into the new room and students start setting up chairs while I set-up the sound system and projector. We get started about 15 minutes late, and I still can’t get the sound system to work. Everything seems to be turned on and plugged in, lights are flashing, but no sound from the speakers. Oh well!

After classes, I worked a little bit, but with all our instruments and stands in the middle of the Haunted House somewhere, we won’t have our shortened rehearsal this afternoon (we’d planned ahead for a short rehearsal because of tests tomorrow). I eat lunch at the school, and start to head home when Jehanne, French/Yoga/Theater teacher finds me and we decide to work on juggling. She juggles as a hobby, and since I’ve done a little bit, we’re exchanging ideas and practicing on “pairs” exchanges. Don’t I have anything better to do? Nope! Not today!

SATURDAY, 10/25/14

It’s a Saturday, and normally a day of rest and relaxation. Not for the BISS faculty. They have a full day of “Professional Development” at school, working on a “Strategic Plan”. How fun! Usually, developing a strategic plan involves spending lots of time discussing (arguing) how to word a phrase. This should be especially fun in an international school.

All of this, so that an administrator doesn’t have to take credit (or blame) for the end product. The blame can be spread out equally between administration, staff, parents, and students. As you can tell, I have a very open mind about this. Lots of man-hours spent, and I’m not sure it is justified.

My day, on the other hand, is exactly what I mentioned earlier, rest and relaxation. I had plans to do a little work, but I totally “vegged out”. Not a productive day, but considerably better than writing a strategic plan.

SUNDAY, 10/26/14

We experienced another sudden pollution change this morning. At 4:00 am the pollution was around 350. By 6:00 am it had dropped below 100. It’s hard to believe the sudden change in the clarity of the air.

It’s definitely a day of rest and relaxation for Judy. We decided to use some Marriott Club certificates we have for free food at the JW Marriott buffet. It’s either going to be free or half-price. It turns out to be half-price. We can’t use the “free for two” certificate for their “Brunch”. It has to be used on a regular breakfast, lunch, or supper.

It’s a really great meal, and we both eat beyond of point of enjoyment. As usual, there are so many options (Indian, Japanese, Western, Chinese). On the way home, we stopped at Dragonfly Spa for a “Top & Toe” massage. It’s one hour of a foot massage, and a head/shoulder massage, at the same time. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.