After breakfast, it’s down to the ground floor to meet Jimmy, our guide for the day. He’s taking us around Shanghai. Our first stop is People’s Square, the center of the Shanghai government. Shanghai has a population of around 23 million, the largest city in China, although a few other cities are close (Beijing, Chongching). Next stop is the Oriental Pearl television tower. It’s an odd shaped tower with two large bulb looking structures. It’s over 1000 feet at it’s highest point, and one of the buildings in Shanghai that provides the signature look from the Bund, across the river. We had some great views of the city today.

View from our room before we head out.

Looking back up at our hotel from Shanghai People’s Square.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower

This guy is outside, about 850 feet up

Next, we went to a Buddhist temple. We’ve seen plenty of temples in China, but it is interesting to hear each guide’s individual take on religion in China. We had a lunch in a very “touristy” restaurant with Chinese dancers and singers in costumes. We’ve lived in China too long for an appreciation for this type of food and entertainment. After lunch we visited a very famous home/garden built 350 years ago, with many of the features that make these type of homes so unique. Surrounding the garden was an interesting area known as “Old Downtown”. There were lots of restored buildings filled with restaurants and shops, and the crowds were very large today.

Wandering around “Old Downtown”

Our next stop was the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Shopping Street. It stretched for many blocks and had lots of exclusive stores and name brand shops. We finished up our tour with a stop at the Bund. It’s an area developed by the British in the 1800’s that been turned into a pedestrian area. The view across the river ranks up there with view of Hong Kong Harbor. Lots of great buildings and construction is still booming. It seems every large city in China is competing for the tallest structure. I think Shanghai’s new financial building will be the leader when it opens in 2015. It’s over 1500 feet tall.

British Architecture on The Bund

Looking across the river

Night view from our room, back toward the Bund.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I realized our trip to Shanghai would coincide with the HSBC World Golf Championships, held at the Sheshan International Golf Club. I had the concierge at the hotel help get my ticket yesterday when we arrived. I worked out the subway route with the Shanghai Metro App, and headed to the train station at 6:40 am. I wanted to be sure and watch the first group tee off at 8:45. It was Keegan Bradley, Ryan Moore, and a player unknown to me from South Africa.

“Red” is the dominant (really dominant) color for this tourney

This is the “English” side of the sign

and the “Chinese” side

When I arrived at the Sheshan train station, it took some time to figure out there was a free shuttle to the course. The signage is very unclear, but it’s not a surprise. The website for the tournament didn’t get current until Monday. Before that, all the website information was about last year’s tournament? At the gate, I exchanged the ticket for a badge and walked in. Again, the signs weren’t clear, and it took time to figure out how to get to the course. I arrived just in time to watch the group announced and tee off. The announcer is the same one used for the British Open. He has a very recognizable manner of introduction and it was a treat for me to see and hear him in person.

The 8th Hole teebox. Golfers had to hit it over the bunker on the left to have any chance to make it to green in two.

Adam Scott walking off the 8th green.

Lee Westwood, leaving the 8th green.

I had wondered what kind of crowd to expect, but was surprised at how small the crowd was. There was a light drizzle falling intermittently, but no wind, and it wasn’t that cold. I followed my group, along with 3 other “gallery” for eight holes. One seemed to be the wife/girlfriend of the South African, and the other two were friends of Ryan Moore. I decided Hole #8 would offer some great opportunities for disaster for the golfers and fun to watch, so it became my camp-out hole. It was a long par-5, dogleg left, water in front of the uphill green. It would take two massive shots to reach the green in two. I only saw 5 players try it in two. Bubba Watson almost holed his for a double eagle (albatross), and then missed the 4 ft. downhill eagle putt coming back. He was 3^rd when it happened and made up two strokes on the leader, Graeme McDowell who three putted for bogey (missed a 3 footer for par).

Sergio Garcia teeing off on #4.

The 18th green! Bubba Watson won the tournament the next day with chip-in out of this bunker.

I purposely found a seat next to the player exit for the hole so I could get some good looks at the players. 41 of the top 50 golfers were here. I saw Lee Westwood, Ricky Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, and many other top names. The largest crowd, about 300 people, was following the lead group of Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, and Ian Poulter. At Colonial, there would have been several thousand scrambling to walk the course with a group like that.

The clubhouse leaderboard

Sergio Garcia, just finishing his Saturday round.

After the lead group came through my area, I began to work my way off the course and eventually back to the city. The subway took about an hour, and I was beat when I got back. Judy had been enjoying the views from our hotel room and the food in the Executive Lounge. I took advantage of the whirlpool tub in our room for a long time. It was a great way to end Day 1 in Shanghai.

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 have early classes today, and they go well. Afterward, I finished up some work and prepared for next week’s lessons, killing time till lunch. After lunch, I took the bus over to Tiananmen Square to check out the decorations for APEC. The Chinese really know how to put on a big display! The skies are so clear, due to the city government planning to shut everything down and get everyone out of town to reduce pollution. It’s working. They are calling the skies “APEC blue”.

This building always intrigues me, and the skies were so blue!

Judy has her Grade 1 class performing at the assembly today. They did a great job. She was really impressed at how organized the assembly was. “One of the best”! The Grade 1 teachers had it figured out! There were many costume and stage changes and transitions, and the pace flowed seamlessly. That’s not easy with 1^st graders.

Judy’s group of Grade 1 students performing their bell piece.

Grade 1’s performing one of their Chinese dances, taught by the Chinese dept. at BISS

Another of the Grade 1 dances.

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.