The Final Leg/Straw

Well all went great on my last day in China, but the trip home ran into a few snags. First my trip was to be just one layover in Tokyo and direct into Portland. I got to Shanghai's Pudong airport in plenty of time and it was no big deal. Its actually a fairly new and nice airport. After I boarded my flight we sat at the gate for about 30 or more minutes until the captain came on saying they were waiting for clearance from Air Traffic Control. After another 15 minutes we were still waiting. I don't know what the issue was but finally we started taxiing from the gate. Hooray! I might still have a 15-20 minute layover in Tokyo and maybe I could make my flight. No luck though, because once we got closer to the runway we sat again for what seemed like an eternity. I started thinking we'd never get out of there.

On arrival in Tokyo of course I got the lovely news that my flight had left without me and 5-6 other people on my original flight. I go to the re-booking area and thankfully NW had early notice we'd be late and had already re-booked many of us on alternate flights. Of course not one was direct like my original booking. So instead I rushed to make a Seattle flight just in time. Then that flight was delayed 30 minutes.

I get to Seattle and Customs clearance is required on your first stop/entry into the USA even if you have connections. I dutifully pre-fill my form out on the plane... Nothing to declare really. I get in the right line (US Citizens) and then I proceed to wait. And wait, and wait, and wait. The staffing for Customs in Seattle was ridiculous. They had one person for each line of at least 50 people or more waiting. I mean in China I was through Customs in about 10 minutes! It took at least 3x that in Seattle. Then you have to get your bag and take it through a security check. The bags didn't come for at least another 15 minutes. Then we watched numerous bags go around that weren't ours. I finally get my bag and get through security, but by then of course my connection in Seattle to Portland had already left (again).

I kept telling myself through each step, no point in getting upset. There's nothing I can do when this happens and eventually I'll get home. So I booked myself on the next available flight to Portland at 1pm. By they way I was originally scheduled to be home at 9 am in Portland. I get on the Portland leg and rejoice that I'm so close to being home. I get down to baggage claim and of course... No bag. Seriously, it was such a comedy of errors. Luckily I waited a bit longer and my bag arrived on the next flight in. Thank goodness Horizon flies into Portland so frequently. Even though it is literally a bus in the sky.

And that was my lovely end to the trip. I think I'm getting over jet lag. I think coming home is the worst in that regard. Ironically it helped to be forced to stay up most of the day switching planes so when I finally went to bed Saturday night I was exhausted. Problem is I still can't sleep fully at night. I'm getting more and more exhausted because I'm working so much right now and closing on my house. What insanity. I think I'll go to bed soon... Its 8:40.

XieXie!

That is thank you in Chinese. My trip here has been a great first visit! I know already I will be back for work probably a few times this year and already I have my favorites and lists of what to do when I return. Not to mention where I can eat (Element Fresh was an awesome tip from Callie!). Not too mention California Pizza Kitchen and the great little french cafe chain Paul that I found.

No surprise but I will definitely be shopping more now that I know where to focus! Usually by the end of a trip I realize I should have saved my money in the beginning of the trip for the treasures that inevitably surface the farther you get in to your trip. It is so hard to pass things up though because of the fear that you might not be back to the same store or area before you leave. I MUST resist next time... Still I bought some wonderful cheap souvenirs this week and most of it was Chinese silk or tea related. I practiced bartering and "negotiating" on prices and learned the key is to half the price they first offer you at least or more and then always walk away. If the vendor really want to sell it to you they will stop you and take your "final price". Most prices are negotiated on calculators, so keep one handy in case their English is not so good. Also it helped today to have my Chinese coworker with me to know if I was being ripped off or not.

Top on my list of places is the fabric market we visited yesterday. Three floors of stalls where you can have clothing tailor made for you at amazing prices. We looked at cashmere coats that would be cut to fit you (and this is a huge when you are my size jacket sleeves in stores are much too long) for only $50 USD and you could probably negotiate more! I can't wait to go back when I have a little more time to wait for the finished products. How awesome to have anything tailor made any more. I am starting a list... Coat, Dress, PJ's and more will come to me I'm sure. Also I look forward to buying beautiful wall hangings, chop sticks and decorations to fit my new house.

I also can't wait to venture farther out of the city to see some more traditional areas of China. Also Beijing or Peking is high on my list. Its the home of the forbidden city and close to the great wall. I look forward to exploring it some day in the future. It is not so nearly overwhelming to think of traveling farther in China again now that I have been here and had a great starter course.

The People of China

In my one week here in China I've made a few observations about the people of China...

1. There is no problem with staring, spitting (and I mean hocking a really big one right by you), or being pushy. Things we would consider quite rude in the US are just commonplace in China and not rude at all. I just keep repeating "bu yao" (I don't want it) to the pushy vendors and ignoring the blatant stares I receive. Yet at the same time I find the people to be extremely friendly and generous and smiles come easily. There is an air of generosity that we just do not have a concept of.


2. There is still very much a concept of the "People" of China as a hold over from the stronger days of the government. The people are still the "People". In fact today I was in the People's Square of the city and the patriotic flags and police every where really reminded me of the older pictures I've seen of this country in the media. Surrounding this though there is an amazing influx of the "new" in buildings, business and ideas. Things that would have never have been tolerated in the past are now creeping into this culture.


3. Consumerism is alive and well in China. On every corner it felt like there was a Starbucks and a huge shopping center. So much to spend your money on here and all the big brands are definitely making their presence known. Obviously this drives my company's business success but I can't help but be conflicted over this. I guess it is inevitable that all cultures will want the "new" and "trendy" but I was telling my new friend today that I hope they hold closely to their culture and don't take too many cue's from the West.


4. Business Cards are very important and there is a definite method for giving and receiving them. Reminder to self... Order more official business cards.


5. Look both ways when crossing the street and no the cars will not stop for you and neither will people move to avoid you. So either stand your ground or get out of the way. This must be a by product of so many people in small spaces.


6. No need to tip here (HOORAY!!!). Its so relieving to not always be digging in your purse for small change for tips.

Shanghai is the New York City of China

This is what I have determined as we wandered the city. First there are tall high rise and sky scrapers as far as the eye can see. I took a picture from my hotel window and it’s just a packed skyline. Well for as far as you can see… There is a constant haze and fog surrounding the city from all the pollution! It is very bad and in fact at the end of the first night of wandering a bit my throat was sore from it. There are also so many people in every direction and no personal space. They are packed in like crazy.
Today we went on a few account visits so we were out in the city a bit more and mostly in some of the main shopping areas of Shanghai. We went to the flagship Nike Shanghai store that was incredibly impressive inside. It was on a shopping drag that reminded me so much of Time Square in NYC because of the sheer number of people and the neon advertisement signs everywhere. I bought quite a few things already on this trip and as a side noted… I need to stop shopping! There are products and colors here that we don’t have in the US, so I had to get them. The worst part of shopping in foreign countries is that I never seem to keep track of the exchange rate and what is a good deal. So I’m probably paying way too much for some of these things but its not fully registering.
Shanghai is definitely where the Chinese come to shop. It’s the shopping mecca. I can’t afford half the brands I’ve seen here. Hermes, Dior, Cartier, Gautlier etc…I don’t even know who has the money to shop at these stores. Obviously the wealthy, but I’m not sure who those people are yet. It is definitely not the picture of China that I grew up seeing in pictures with typical communism Mao suits on all. In fact we were joking that they seem to be making up lost time here by wearing every color in the spectrum and they have no qualms about mixing and matching any print/color combo you can imagine. The city is very cosmopolitan and full of amazing restaurants, stores, amazing architecture in the buildings.
There are also so many contrasts of the old and the new. It was not uncommon today to see bicycles pulling carts down the street right next to the main shopping malls full of high end name brands. And that can even be defined deeper in how old is “old”. For example we wandered the area of the Bund (pronounced bunned). The Bund is a collection of old historic buildings (circa 1920’s or so) where many of the old embassies used to have offices. So many have wonderful art deco architecture! It’s a great walking street and we had dinner at a beautiful restaurant there where I sat with a gorgeous view of across the river of the newer financial district. Of course polite as always the best seats were reserved for us to enjoy the views. So far I think I can definitely handle visiting Shanghai often. Which is good because I know its in the plan for this year for me already. I'm so very happy to have a Starbucks and a slew of nice "western" resturants near the hotel. P.S. the Ritz Carlton is FANTASTIC. I love it. I'll post some pic's to Dropshots.

Yes people, I have my passport!

I'm off to Shanghai today for the first time. 13 hours on board with a stop in Tokyo. This is actually my shortest distance to travel yet. 13 hours is nothing compared to the 24 it took to fly to Bangalore. I've got a good book to read (thanks Andrew) , magazines and music so I should be set! I'm only in Shanghai for a week. I'll do my best to take photos and blog about the experience. I still can't always believe this is my job to travel the world. I LOVE IT!