Last Couple Days in Shanghai

After getting back very very late from Nanjing and checking into my hotel room on Friday night (I decided to stay there for the last three nights to make my life easier...and Gretty's boyfriend just came back to town so I didn't want to be in the way), I confirmed with Li Chao that I would be visiting him the next day.

He lives and works in Jiading town, north of Shanghai. He teaches Chinese to Han and Xinjiang people (at different levels, obviously). So on Saturday, after resting a bit, I made my way to Jiading. I waited a little while at the bus depot because Li Chao was running a bit late. It actually made for a few more interesting encounters.

I was standing there reading my book when a guy, maybe in his forties, came up to look at what I was reading. He was from Jiangsu province and most likely a migrant worker. We chatted a minute about it being an English book and the fact that he couldn't read it. I said I also can't really read Chinese. That was about it for our conversation.

About 5 minutes later a youngish guy came up to me and started speaking to me in somewhat broken English. He showed me a pen he wanted to sell me. He said the pen was also a USB and also a camera. I listened for a bit and then said in Chinese, "Well it looks nice, but I don't want it." I guess he hadn't considered that I might be able to speak a bit of Chinese so he was really shocked. I told him his English wasn't bad and said thanks, but I'm not interested. He seemed embarrassed and then said sorry and went on his way. 

I didn't realize it, but the older guy I had first spoken to was standing behind us and listening to the whole exchange. He said it was good I hadn't taken the pen from the guy because he was a con artist. 

Soon after that Li Chao came to meet me. We went to wait for a bus to his school campus. While waiting, a beggar came up and wanted us to give him money...I never really know what to do in that situation. Some people are so persistent and pushy and it makes me uncomfortable, but I also recognize that many of them are truly needy. So it's often very awkward. This man wouldn't leave us be, so eventually we had to get up and move away.

Jiading town looked very nice. There is an old town area which I would love to visit sometime in the future (if Scott and I can save up some money for plane tickets...or if maybe there's a conference in Shanghai at some point :)). We got off at the school where Li Chao teaches. Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries right as I arrived, so I don't have any pictures. Li Chao took some of the day, but I don't have copies yet. 

We hung out and chatted and snacked. I was very happy to finally see pictures of his lovely wife Grace, who is working in Australia right now. I also got a brief opportunity to speak with her on the phone, as she called right when we were looking at pictures of her. Hopefully they can both come visit Scott and me in Canada at some point.

After chatting for a while, it was already getting a bit late. We headed out to get some food, but first we stopped by one of Li Chao's classes of Xinjiang students. I had such a fantastic time listening to the students first sing a song and then, as they got over their shyness (and I got over some of mine), they made a circle around me and began asking me questions to practice their English. They're all around 15 or 16 years old, and they were all so young and beautiful and so enthusiastic. We chatted and laughed together for quite a while, but eventually we had to leave if I wanted to be able to catch the last bus home. It was such a great experience and I felt so fortunate to meet so many wonderful kids! Once I get pictures from Li Chao I will post them on here.

After that we went for dinner together (at a 烤鱼 place where they seemed rather crabby that we didn't order a huge amount) and then I hopped on the last bus home. It was a bit of a long trip as I got caught in a rainstorm (including thunder and lightening, making me feel like I was going to be electrocuted haha) and by the time I got back to Gary's dorm (where I had left some valuables like my laptop) it was like I had showered with my clothing on. I was like a drowned rat or a 落汤鸡. I ended up taking a taxi from Gary's dorm back to the hotel and I got ripped off by the boorish, obnoxious cab driver who first pretended he didn't know which way to go, running up the meter, and who then gave me the wrong change. In the end he only stole about 3 bucks Canadian, but he didn't even drop me off at the hotel, so I had to walk even further in the rain. I was seething by the end of the night and wishing him very bad things. It was a relief to get back to the hotel and to get into some dry clothing.

The next morning, Sunday (the day I am writing all of these new blog entries), was my last full day in Shanghai. I was totally exhausted and all my clothing was still wet. I only brought one pair of jeans and one jacket since I have to carry all my luggage myself and didn't want to be overburdened. So I pulled on my wet pants, jacket and running shoes (Brrrr!!!!) and I headed out to meet Gary for lunch. 

After eating, his mom joined us and we all went to check out the Bund. Here they are on the subway as we head to Nanjing Dong Lu.

A huge amount of the Bund is under construction in preparation for the 2010 Expo. The Peace Hotel is completely hidden under scaffolding and that green stuff they wrap buildings in here. At least two other buildings were also covered.
The air was rather hazy today, so you can barely see the buildings in Pudong behind Gary's Mom and me. I was cold and damp and it was cold outside.....brrr.
It was very crowded with tour groups and other tourists. One great thing that has changed since the last time I was here is that they have removed the overpasses that used to be at either end of the Bund. This restores its appearance to be more like what it used to be. It will eventually become a pedestrian-only zone, which will be fabulous thing. Here are the crowds on either side of us:

Gary and his mom throwing some fen coins at turtles below for good luck.
I walked a little more with the two of them and then they went to meet with their relatives and I went to head back home. As I walked back to the subway I came across this old church. I have no idea if it's still in use. I couldn't go in to look and it seemed that it was partially under construction.
I walked up Nanjing Road a little bit and found that there are a lot of new buildings. I think one of the buildings that Scott's dad wanted us to look for last time (was it Sincere building or something like that?) is now gone and has been replaced by a brand new building. The road was utterly packed and I was exhausted, so I just went straight home. I picked up some food on the way and have just been resting since then. I've had such a wonderful time here in Shanghai, but I am looking forward to my own room in Beijing and to being a bit more lazy again. My train doesn't leave until the evening tomorrow, so I'll probably head to the dorm and hopefully go for a walk with Gary and a meal before I head out.