... and we're back.

The first thing that made it clear to us that we were back in Shanghai was the taxi ride from the airport to our apartment.

I mentioned before that the highway from the airport to the city runs by the maglev track, well this taxi driver seemed to be attempting to make the train redundant. Lanes for him did not exist. Neither did other vehicles, stopping distance, nor speed limits. Need I mention he was talking on his mobile most of the way? This was in contrast to Hong Kong, where people drive on the left hand side of the road, in a lane, at the speed limit, and quite civilly to boot. As we were weaving across the three lanes of the road, zig-zagging between other traffic so fast there was never any need for the driver to check his mirrors, I glanced at the speedometer. 150km/h. I was impressed, as that is nearly the fastest I have ever gone in an automobile.

Needless to say we got to our destination. The taxi did nearly run us down as we crossed the road to our apartment block, however all in all we did make good time.

As to what I have been doing over the last week and a bit, there has been so much that it is a bit daunting to start from the beginning, so I will give a brief summary and perhaps get back to elements later.

Flew in to Shenzhen, bus to Hong Kong. Arrived first night of Chinese New Year, partied appropriately. Stayed in the centre of HK for a few days, then stayed on Lamma Island for a few nights. Stayed on Lantau Island for a night, then caught a ferry to Macau. Checked out Macau for a day and stayed in the most creepily run down hotel before getting a ferry back to Shenzhen. Plane to Shanghai and then skip to the story that starts this post.

I am currently working through the photos and such, and will let you know when I put them up on Flickr. Oh, and I will try to flesh out the HK trip a little.

At the moment i am looking forward to the weekend, as Pendulum are playing at Bon Bon!
120RMB ($20 AUS) for DnB + 0pen bar...

China Southern Airlines flight CZ6756

Kelly and I are flying to Hong Kong this evening for a bit over a week.
If I get a chance I will update from there. If not, catch you on the flip.

Update - We have arrived in Hong Kong. We didn't actually fly directly there, we flew to Shenzhen, a city on the border of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and took a coach over the border. By doing it this way we cut the cost of our tickets by half.

We haven't been here long, however I have come to the conclusion that Hong Kong is fantastic.

More later...

bon bon

Our sleeping hours have turned rather shift worker-esque lately, going to sleep before dawn and waking in the afternoon. This has its downside for getting things done during the day, however has meant that we have been seeing some of what Shanghai has to offer by night.

We have been to club bon bon twice so far, last Saturday night for Roger Sanchez and Tuesday to see DJ Noir. Bon bon is the local Godskitchen licensed club, and the facilities are up to the standard expected. There are two rooms both with dance floors and great sound systems, however the majority of the club is taken up with private rooms, booths and seating areas. Oh, and bars. There are about 5 separate bars in the place, and that is a good thing as bon bon has an 'every night is open bar night' policy. What this means is that your entry fee gets you all you can drink, all night, every night. Entry fee for Roger Sanchez was 150RMB ($25 AUS) and Dj Noir was 88RMB ($15 AUS) for men, 50RMB ($9 AUS) for women.

Now as you might have guessed, there is absolutely no responsible service of alcohol laws in China. In fact, the flyer for the club invited club goers to "Drink till you drop!"
The insanity continues however, booze is free but water and soft drink are not. At one point we stood at the bar arguing with the staff over a glass of coke, they wouldn't give us the coke unless we payed 30RMB ($5 Aus) but put a shot of rum in it, and its free!
We scratched our heads over the economics of that one for a while until it was suggested that they were probably drumming up business for a local liver transplant doctor. (But where would they get the livers? Hmm...)

Roger Sanchez was good, however we left soon after he started as they brought on dancing girls. That night also had heaps of RnB in the main room, oh and heaps of underage expat kids throwing up everywhere. Free-flow alcohol, average age 15, passed out kids and strippers on stage? As you can guess it was a tad sleazy. The other room that night had some decent music however, with one DJ playing a nice DnB set.

Somehow we ended back up back at bon bon with some friends 3 days later for Dj Noir and it was much less packed and much less sleazy. The night did have differential pricing for men and women however, catering to both the Shanghainese women looking for a rich western sugar daddy, and to the (often sleazy) western men who are happy that their money means they don't need to be attractive to receive attention from the women.

The DJing was so-so, with DJ Noir often just letting one track end before starting the next, occasionally botching the beat matching and spinning 'Put your hands up for Detroit' by Fedde le Grande about 6 times during the set. Still, it was a good night and a good time was had.
Oh, and I have now worn out another paid of dancing shoes...

Water, vistas and flickr

The tap water in Shanghai is widely held to be undrinkable even by the locals, and when the locals hesitate in sanitation matters it is wise to follow suit. It seems that most people have a water dispenser in their home and have water delivered in 5 gallon drums.

We had been buying water in smaller containers from convenience stores, but as we have a water dispenser in our apartment we thought we would try to get the delivery service happening.

Kelly had found out from the husband of our landlady that Fudan University runs a discounted water delivery service for students, he had said it was located at the two towers building inside the university. (for the Two Towers building, See insert right) Kelly had a look round the two towers one day with no luck, so the next day while she was out getting various pieces of paper stamped by the PSB (Public Security Bureau) I thought I would make myself useful and try to obtain the water. Now the point of this is not really to explain what happened with my attempt to find the water, but rather to lead into the fact that I found myself at the top of the two towers building (for those who are interested, I found the office that managed the water delivery OUTSIDE of the building. I also found myself sitting in the middle of the office surrounded by perplexed Chinese people and trying to communicate in crude sign language that I wanted water delivered. Needless to say I had to mime that I would leave and return with someone who could speak to them. I went and found Kelly and she arranged it all.)

Anyway, the Two Towers building is 35ish stories high (can't remember exactly) and it offered a decent view of the landscape around the university.

I love the circular layout of the apartment buildings, I don't really know where it is or why its built like this, but it looks good from above and probably on the drawing board.

In one of the photos below you can see the wasteland area that I mentioned finding to some of you in an email.

Anyway, I have started a Flickr photo gallery where I will be putting up other photos I have taken.

Check it out:- http://www.flickr.com/photos/23568308@N00/

Caged

I was walking in Zhongshan park the other day, and there was one nice section of the park with many tracks winding through a wooded area. The air was full of birdsong, so I sat a while and ate some roasted chestnuts that I purchased from a vendor near the park entrance. When I decided to move on I came across the birds that were singing. They were all in cages, hung up in trees. There was a group of men near by, and from what I could gather they owned the birds and had all brought them to the park so they could socialise and sing together. They were in tiny cages, but at least they got a change of scenery.

Talking of animals, we were so close to buying turtles yesterday. We came across them at a market, there were some baby turtles that had shells an inch in diameter. They were so tiny and cute, however we thought we better read a bit about them before purchasing and it turns out they require a high level of care and can grow to be 70kg.

Confucius Family Liquor

A hard days philosophising gives a sage a big deep thirst, and the best way to slake that thirst is Confucius Family Liquor.


I was hoping that there was something salient in Confucius's Analects about drinking so I could include it here, but the only things I could find says, "Though there might be a large quantity of meat, he would not allow what he took to exceed the due proportion for the rice. It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it."



Hmm, wise advise I imagine. How about the gem "He did not partake of wine and dried meat bought in the market."

Now having been to a Chinese market, I can understand this second one. I have felt that my health was in danger just walking through some of the meat sections in the market. See example below with the meat hanging in the street in Old Town. There were many other carcasses just hanging anywhere, some shared line space with washing and most were covered in flies.

Anyway, this bottle was 500ml, 39% and 16RMB (say, $3 ish Australian). It tasted much like the plum spirit, however without the plum taste. Still, better than some of the wine spirits I have tasted here. All in all not amazing, however the bottle looks cool so much is forgiven. Oh, and drinking a sage's home brand liquor helps you convince yourself that you taste the wisdom in every shot.

Shanghai Maglev Train

We were out near the airport on Monday, so I took the opportunity to do what I couldn't when first arriving in Shanghai, that is, get the Maglev train from the airport.

Shanghai's airport, Pudong International, is about 40km outside of the city. In 2004 the worlds first commercial high speed magnetic levitation train opened for business, taking commuters from the airport to the city. Well, about three quarters of the way into the city. For some reason the Maglev train terminates at Longyang Road station and you have to change for another train. The train system is really very efficient in Shanghai, trains arrive every 3 minutes or so on the dot. The downside is that to get anywhere there is always a lot of changing lines.

What the Maglev lacks in final destination however, it makes up for in speed.

The train takes 7 mins and 20 sec to do the 30.5KM track, reaching a top speed of 431km/h (unfortunately the photo I took of the speed indicator when it was at 431 turned out blurred.)

The train is on a raised track, running for most of its course along side a highway. We had previously caught a taxi along this stretch of highway and I had seen a Maglev train go past. I have never seen anything move that fast in my life. (Sure, planes move faster but they are usually quite a distance from you when you observe them.) The first one that passed me that day was the first Maglev I had seen on that track (naturally) and as I was not expecting it when it entered my field of vision my brain was stuck processing the image while the train totally disappeared from view.

The ride was quite smooth, and the train very comfortable. The train banked steeply into one major curve along the track and it was hard to reconcile ones vision and inner ear. The whole train was tilted quite substantially, if the train had not been moving so fast anyone standing would have fallen. The centrifugal force however made 'down' feel roughly perpendicular to the floor of the train carriage.

This short stretch of track is only a technology demonstrator. They are talking of extending this track to Hangzhou in the neighbouring Zhejaing province 180km away in time for the 2010 expo. All in all, a load of fun. I could have stayed on it going back and forth all day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Maglev

Tor

Ha ha!

Thanks to Tor http://tor.eff.org/ I now have unrestricted access to the Internet!

Old town

Slightly south of the Shanghai CBD is the Chinese Old Town. In a city intertwined with the outside world, the Old Town is the most traditionally Chinese area. Once surrounded by a 16th century city wall to keep out Japanese pirates, it is now a living historical enclave, amidst apartment blocks and big business buildings.

Old Town is a mecca for back alley aficionados. Cut by a few main streets is a labyrinth style network of alleys and lanes, I had started out heading for a temple however quickly lost my way and spent the next few hours wandering.

As with most of what I have seen of China, there are people everywhere. The alleys and lanes are not only used for transit, but for business, pleasure, hanging laundry, sleeping and keeping animals. There seems to be little distinction between public and private spaces. I found myself wandering down alleys that twisted, turned and became smaller and more personalised until I couldn't be sure that I hadn't wandered into someones home. There were many good photo opportunities I let slip as I was unsure of how the people would react. I turned one corner and there was a family having dinner at a small table in an alley, they all turned and looked at me with chopsticks in hand as if an alien had walked into their dining room.

Moving out and moving in.

Kelly and I are now pretty much set up in our apartment. It took about two weeks to find a place and get through all the paperwork and bureaucracy (I should note that Kelly did all the work here... my mandarin skills at this stage amount to little more than saying "I can't speak mandarin, do you speak English?") We now have a spacious two bedroom apartment on the 5th floor of an apartment block a little south of Fudan University. It is a nice place located in a good location for Kelly to get to Uni. We are the only Anglo foreigners for blocks it would seem, as it appears we are quiet a novelty to the neighbours. They are all quite friendly, a guy called Jia came out of his apartment and helped me fix a fuse this morning after we blew it the night before by having a total of 4 heaters (and television, computer and kettle) running at once (did I mention it got to -10 degrees earlier this week?)

We have spent the last few days buying housewares, I have been finding it kind of fun as it kind of seems like a real life version of The Sims. We also have broadband Internet access which is good, although I am mightily frustrated that I cannot access Wikipedia. Damn you great firewall of china!
The broadband setup was amazingly swift and efficient. We called China Telecom in the afternoon and they said someone would come round between 9-10AM the next day. The man arrived at 8:55AM and we were on the net by 9AM. Can you imagine Telstra coming close to that? Before you jump to any positive conclusions about the efficiency of the Communist bureaucracy, Kelly has spent the better part of a week going from office to office getting various pieces of paper stamped and authorised so she can obtain a residents permit. Every time she thinks she has achieved one dot point on her list of things to do, it seems to branch into another 10 or so forms and stamps and appointments.

To the right is the statue greeting those who enter the main gate to Fudan University. I haven't seen too many Mao statues or memorabilia around here, I think the modernisation drive of the last 20 years has tried to put him and the cultural revolution in the past. I am told the official party line is that yes, Mao did have his faults, however he was still 70% good and only 30% bad. Far be it for me to judge the guy (especially as Internet communications are monitored, and there is a Public Security Bureau building pretty much next to our apartment block.)

Spiritus

Amongst the things I like, two seem to be shouting out for attention here in Shanghai, they are of course beverages, and random unknown foreign products.

Alcoholic drinks don't seem to be regulated in any way in China, you can buy them from supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, the side of the road, you name it.
When I go to a store, I can't help but look at all of the bottles, cans and boxes with their mandarin characters and wish to know what lies within.
Most importantly, like many things compared with the west, they are cheap. If your an oriental tippler on a budget, it is possible to get 500mls of spirits, or a six pack of beer for around 10 RMB (less than $2 Australian). Of course quality can range with price (as I have found out) and hence it seems highly feasible for me then, to taste a random selection of these beverages and report on my findings. (Note, the word random is used in the sense of whatever-takes-my-fancy)
In the name of science of course... or... for the public good... or the fact that I would probably be trying them anyway.

First on the review is a cheeky little number I picked up in the first few days in Shanghai.
I will call this plum spirit as I have no idea what it says on the label, however it did have a distinct plum taste to it.

I purchased this from a convenience store across the road from the foreign students dormitory at Fudan University (where we stayed after arriving in the country.) It cost me the princely sum of 3 RMB, or 50c AUS. (note: I should be using the Yuan symbol, however at this stage I don't know how to insert it) It weighed in at 52% and 120mls, contained in an attractive ceramic bottle.


I tasted it on the way home, and was impressed. It tasted like a rice wine spirit, with a pleasant plum flavour to it. I finished the rest that evening and enjoyed it thoroughly. I particularly liked the packaging, the ceramic bottle and red cloth tie were much more exciting than a glass bottle would have been. The only downside was the hangover the next day, now this may have been from other beverages consumed that evening, however I suspect that the plum spirit may have played its part. Even if the hangover was solely its due, the plum spirit still comes two thumbs up for flavour and presentation.

phan·tas·ma·go·ri·a

noun
1.
a shifting series of phantasms, illusions, or deceptive appearances, as in a dream or as created by the imagination.
2.
a changing scene made up of many elements.
3.
an optical illusion produced by a magic lantern or the like in which figures increase or diminish in size, pass into each other, dissolve, etc.


Welcome to this, the first and tentative posting on this, my first and tentative blog.

It remains to be seen how, and if, this space will be used, however I intend to use it as a place to put my thoughts and photos while wandering.