Interesting Moments in Shanghai
Posted on November 6th, 2008 in Our New Office | No Comments »
We’ve had very few challenges or dilemmas arise since being in China. Knock, knock, knock (That’s the sound of me knocking on wood). Although there have been a few interesting moments.
1. While visiting the history museum in Shanghai we had to run our bags through a security scan. After picking them up on the other side of the metal detector, the security guard said: “Drink some. Drink some.”
Standing there looking curious it finally became clear that he wanted us to drink the water from the bottles in our bag. I guess if we drank some then he would know it wasn’t an explosive. Sort of like how the old emperors would make the concubines taste the food first to see if its been poisoned. Okay, I guess its not really anything like that, but that is what came to my mind.
This is us outside the Shanghai History Museum. Two really nice teenage boys stopped to talk to us and take our picture. Unfortunately, we thought they were going to try and sell us something so we didn’t stick around to talk to them longer.
2. We’ve been shopping a bit while here in China, or at least walking through the markets to look at the same crap over and over and over again. I’ve been too timid to haggle with anyone because it was just too much pressure, until suddenly one day the courage just came from no where. I helped Jason buy a gift for 25 yuan less than he negotiated and then I managed to get 330 yuan off of something for myself. The sad part is that we still probably got ripped off. Oh well, it was fun playing.
3. We had a woman in her 50s follow us for a half block begging for money. I’m used to being asked for money, but I’ve not been followed for any significant distance before.
She was holding a baby in her arms and managed to keep close enough to us so that the baby was resting her hand on Jason’s chest. The woman kept saying: “Hello. Money. Please. Thank You. Nie Hao. Xie Xie. Money.”
The thought occurred to me that we should run and see if we could shake her, but then I thought that would be cruel. It didn’t matter anyway because she did eventually give up to set the baby down. I guess her arms got tired.
4. We watched part of a Chinese opera singing contest at a mall. The singing is always in the mall and there are malls everywhere.
5. Don’t worry, we’ve managed to find the coffee shops here. There are a huge number in Shanghai including a few hundred Starbucks (I made that number up. I don’t actually know how many Starbucks there are, but I’m sure its a lot.).
One Sunday afternoon we took our laptops to a nearby Starbucks and cozied up with about 80 other coffee drinkers. The only seats available were two seats in the corner wedged up against a glass wall. On the other side of the glass wall was the entrance to a four-story grocery store. Hundreds of people were milling in and out of the building and it only took a few minutes to realize that most of those people had to stop and stare at us as they did.
I felt like I was on TV and everyone was so amazed that they had to stop and watch. Babies pounded on the glass, old men stopped and watched, couples stopped and walked around so they could look at our screens, women pointed us out to their friends.
6. It’s possible that those folks were staring at Jason’s newly bald head. Yeah, we shaved it in the bathroom of our hotel.
