“Do you remember how to ride a bike?”, my silly husband asked me as we walked to rent bikes on the Seattle waterfront. Actually, I seem to remember flipping him off for that comment, but in a friendly, loving way of course. I affirmed that I did indeed remember and that I could handle it, thank you very much.
Me, riding way too low and pumping too hard… raising that seat made all the difference.
After riding for awhile and wondering why it was so flipping hard to move forward at a decent clip, Thom pointed out that my seat was way too low so I wasn’t utilizing my very ample thigh muscles to pump that baby. Damn, I hate when he is right, which he almost never is so it’s usually not an issue. Truly. He may have another opinion. Just saying…
Renting bikes around Seattle is a fairly new thing that I have always wanted to try. So, on a sunny Saturday we finally did it! You just grab a plastic wrapped and hopefully somewhat clean helmet, pop it on, pay your $6 for the day and off you go. What a bargain! We took off from near Sculpture Park and headed north to have a biking adventure. Now, all those Lycra-wearing cycle-racing-wannabes were lapping us and even, really, small children were too but we had a great time. Pedaling at our own pace, we stopped to gaze at the water and meandered through the rail yards at the far end of our journey. It was all just lovely and a wonderful way to experience the lovely Seattle waterfront. Now, even small elevations were challenging so I am not about to pedal around hilly Seattle but, at least for the flat waterfront path, I’m all in to do this again on a beautiful day.
As my days are numbered here in Shanghai, I thought it would be brilliant to do a “What I will miss and not miss list” to remember our adventures here. On my final day before going to the U.S. for a business trip, I ran by my hairdresser Michael first for a touch up to look as good as I can for the new job. First impressions and all. He was sad to lose his steady client and I was sad that I wasn’t going to be around to see his new salon open up eventually, a project he has been working on for as long as I have known him. It’s China, of course, so it is taking forever. Afterward I walked a few miles to a final dinner with our friends, Patti and Larry, who are staying for a week after I have to leave. It has been a joy to share China with them.
My town-I will miss it especially on a clear day.
Of course I couldn’t find a taxi at rush hour but enjoyed the long walk to Lost Heaven on The Bund through the former French Concession all by my lonesome. It was dark yet I felt safe and the locals were enjoying their walks home too and starting to source dinner from the many street vendors. The tiny shops were all still open trying to lure commuters in to buy their goods.
I soaked it all in knowing this would be my last long walk alone in China. Then it dawned on me. I WILL MISS IT ALL–the good, the bad and the crazy that is China. Just as there is no place like NYC, there is no place like China and I have been lucky enough to live in both wonderful places.
I’ll miss the smile from the taxi driver as I try to practice my Mandarin and agree that the scooter he almost hit deserved it by getting in his way. We laughed so hard in the taxi coming home from dinner when, we heard the taxi driver’s friend which he was talking with on his mobile as he drove the busy streets hawk a loogie with a force so huge that it came through the speaker loud and clear. ARRRRRGH but that’s China and if you breathed in all that pollution every day, you would hawk up a lung too.
I’ll miss playing the “What’s the AQI?” game daily with Thom as we wake up and check out the “fog” in the early morning light. If you can see the bridge in the distance, it’s a good day. Can’t see across the river? It’s a 250+ AQI day so wear that air mask! Pollution bad? Good day to buy more $2 DVD’s and have movie day/night/week and order in food delivered by Sherpa’s.
The TV’s not working again in the bedroom for the fifth straight day? Yep-time to read a book. Instagram blocked now? Astril VPN being targeted and slowed down by the you know who? Yep-time to read a book. Be courageous and drink a cold beverage with ice made from local tap water and end up being crazy sick. Yep-time to spend some quality bathroom time reading a good book. Needless to say, my Amazon Kindle bill has gone up in China and many books have been read.
Now, just as we had to move on from our NYC adventure, now it is our time to leave China. As we repatriate to Seattle, I will challenge myself to keep on writing and observing life with the new lens I have acquired from my China cultural immersion. Yes, I will appreciate the blue skies more but I will also seek out the new and different cultural experiences that are everywhere not just China to keep the adventure alive. We are only on this planet a limited number of days. Why waste one moment being boring when you can make every day special and new?
Everyone likes a good list–especially me, so here’s mine so I won’t forget the fun times in Shanghai:
WHAT I WILL MISS
*a sense of security that I feel in China–no one is going to hurt me, steal from me, rape me, etc. It could happen but rarely ever does here vs. on the streets of Seattle downtown, you never feel safe. There are drugs deals going down (never in China) and people beating each other in broad daylight. I will carry a whistle, mace and running shoes to get away fast when I move to Seattle.
*rat motif items–I am born in the Year of the Rat and have started my own little rodent collection of tasteful and colorful rats to celebrate the year of my birth. Who knew the vermin could be so cute?
*Vietnam–a country full of super nice, smiling people and interesting places. I must go back.
Crooked, sloping, uneven, and totally awesome-steps at the Great Wall
*foot massage, foot massage, foot massage–how could I have gone my whole life prior to China without this necessity to keep my body whole and healthy and, yes, 90 minutes is not enough…not nearly…
*going to the local shoe repair guy who works on the street by my house 7 days a week – $2 to stitch up my bag that ripped and no waiting. Smile he gives me because he appreciates me supporting a local craftsman=priceless.
*beautiful flowers and colored lights to prettify the highways that are choked with traffic.
*the Great Wall-got to go 4x and loved every trip especially the toboggan to go down
*warm egg tarts from KFC–yum,yum,yum!
*various colors light up Pearl Tower depending on the holiday aka Empire State Building but with more gov’t. control
*$2 DVD’s-you get used to seeing movies in the comfort of your own home while they are in the theaters and the subtitles go unnoticed after awhile
*unexpected bursts of loud bangs as businesses attract the gods of good fortune with firecrackers
*Our ayi, Pink, smiling and wearing my NYC taxi apron while taking care of us and our gorgeous apartment
*large rooms and square footage–Seattle teeny tiny spaces with no closet space not so much
*Strictly Cookies, English muffins, Taiwan crackers-carbs galore
*surprises around every corner at every moment
*bargaining like a mule at the fake markets and getting bargains
*collecting pillow covers of every type and color–it has become an obsession
*my plants-they made our apartment beautiful and they lived despite me and my plant guy who would deliver even the heaviest banana tree right to the exact spot I wanted it..glad that Fiona’s friend took them all
*sense of delight when I found food I could eat that wouldn’t make me sick-thanks Fresh Elements
*our support team-Fiona who tried hard to teach us Chinese and bought stuff for us on Taobao, watched Thor, and did everything we needed to make life possible here; Robert and Billy who ensured we had car service fast and reliable; smiling fruit lady on the corner adding extra fruit in our bag because we always overpaid
*neon lights, flashing lights on every thing for any reason
*watching the ferries dodge the coal boats-reflexes extraordinaire
I will miss the Pearl Tower on a rare blue sky Shanghai day.
WHAT I WON’T MISS…all that much but maybe a little
*killer elevator in our building with doors that would either maim or kill you–I got some serious bruises from being stupid and not realizing that the doors would close on my flesh vs. the U.S. version that had safety features
*spotty at best internet, TV that doesn’t work most of the time though it’s good to live without it
*those damn bumps on the sidewalks making it difficult to walk–for the blind? Really?
*avoiding sitting directly behind the taxi driver so I won’t get hit with backwash from him hocking his lungs out the window and bracing for impact because there are never seat belts that work
*worrying that I’ll get sick or crack a tooth and have to submit myself to the China medical system, which is scary even at the best ex-pat places. Got great insurance but don’t want to use it.
*gov’t. Control of all media including blocking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. to keep the peace. It’s just scary not really knowing what the hell is going on in your city.
*public pissing. nuf said
*toxic water, no food safety, chunky air that makes me cough, cough, cough…lungs can heal, right?
*cars, buses, bikes, scooters all trying to kill me daily…thus, the mottos below
SHANGHAI MOTTOS
*I’d really like to not die today–repeat daily
*you can die fast or you can die slow–a Fionaism
*it’s China (as answers to almost everything, i.e. why is this happening??)
THE BIG DUCK HAS ARRIVED! Back in Shanghai after furiously working for two weeks at the new job in the U.S., Thom and I didn’t waste time getting out and about on a beautiful sunny blue sky day on Saturday. Destination–the big Duck. Yes, the famous Duck had arrived to sit on the pond in Century Park and be admired by millions of selfie happy locals. Twenty deep in some spots close to the big dude, we weaved our way up close to take our photos as well. If there were more ducks on display, the world would be a happier place.
My, what a big duck you are
The duck has special meaning to me as one of the courses I taught had a “Be The Duck” theme and I decorated with plastic yellow duckies everywhere for ambience. I will probably be forever known as the duck lady to my classes but, as long as they remember to be calm like the duck on the outside when presenting material while paddling furiously unbeknownst to the seeing eye, I’m okay with that. I still carry my own little duck in my briefcase to remind me daily–kind of like a “never let them see you sweat” mantra. It works. It also makes me smile every time my bag hits my leg and quacks a little.
Be The Duck
After the duck encounter, and really, who doesn’t love a duck, we headed over to the AP market to make someone’s day. You see, we’ve decided to do a little import/export business selling accessories back home. We’ve made some great connections here and when someone compliments you on the $4 necklace you bought and asked if you got it at Anthropologie and did it cost $88, well, you know you’ve got a business just begging to be created. My friend Patti and I will work with Fiona, our language teacher here, to buy, ship and sell lovely scarves and necklaces. We’ll use our profits to fund more travel adventures and possibly have James assist so he can earn money to pay for law school. More to come as we transition to Seattle and get it up and running!
Walking miles back to the apartment, ’cause that’s what we do, we soaked up every detail and smell on the streets. Oh how I have loved living here and, yes, it feels like home.
We went to Hanoi earlier in the year over Chinese New Year and did the city scene and a cruise on Halong Bay. Now, we are checking out Saigon on a long Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival weekend. Not only is it extremely inexpensive by most standards for hotel, food, etc. but very easy for English speakers. We love it!
Vietnam kitchens are on sidewalks, eating on tiny plastic stools and tablesSleeping away the morning in a hammock on the streets of Saigon
We enjoy getting lost and exploring the culture in Saigon. Around every corner, you never know what to expect so we try to just wander a new street every time we go out.
This morning we saw people squatting on their little plastic stools that are everywhere here on the sidewalks around teeny tiny tables, enjoying their Pho for breakfast. Everything is done on the sidewalks here-eating, shopping, sleeping, gambling–you name it. The apartments are probably very small and without full kitchens so most meals are eaten with friends and family at these sidewalk kitchens. Fruit is sold everywhere with the favored form of transportation big baskets balanced with a pole over the shoulders of sturdy women working hard to sell peaches, oranges, coconuts, etc. I saw one woman today cooking waffles on a small burner on one side of her basket with the finished product in the basket on the other side of the pole. Crazy!
Balancing act-green oranges in large baskets on a pole that she will wear across her shoulders as she walks and sells her fruit
While Thom takes much better pictures than me with his super cool camera, I have enjoyed capturing the uniquely Vietnam street scenes with my Nokia phone camera which shoots great pics and videos. As the rain once again pours down in the afternoon, a daily occurrence, Thom and I are listening to top 40 hits at the Coffee Bean and enjoying our coffees while we wait out the rain.
Waiting out the storm at the Coffee Bean in Saigon
Coffee shops are EVERYWHERE. While Starbucks doesn’t dominate on every street corner, there are Costa, Coffee Bean, etc. as well as the local Vietnam chains. For a tropical climate, the coffee culture is strong here. I’m guessing the balance of sales is heavy on iced coffee products but it also looks like espresso is huge. Sitting here enjoying our Americano, we could be in NYC or Seattle but the minutes we step outside and are assaulted with the scooter traffic and people living their lives on the sidewalks, we know we are in Asia.
Scooters rule-they even have their own traffic signal and lanes
Scooters rule here in Vietnam. Everywhere and always–they serve as the family mini-van and commuter car. I have seen families of five on one small scooter. Helmets required here which is cool to see after the helmet-optional China scene. I see more air masks on most riders too than in China, though the air pollution is far less. Ladies ride side saddle, dressed to the nines with their sparkly high heels and crossed legs perfectly comfortable and toddlers hold on for dear life between their parents legs, standing up on the floorboard by the handles. This is life in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s version of the mini van–scooter for 4!
At least scooters have their own traffic signals and designated lanes on most streets. You don’t see the luxury cars here that you would in China. It’s mostly taxi’s and scooters. Not even really bikes-just a few “seasoned” folks riding old school. When it poured in a torrential thunderstorm yesterday with high winds, the scooters went into hiding until the weather calmed and then they flooded the streets to resume their commute. They sell special scooter rider poncho’s everywhere–hood, extended arms and headlight coverage as well. Still, those poor riders had to be soaked to the bone yesterday with the waves of water coming down so heavy.
Today the weather dawned clear so as Thom and I checked out the boardwalk by the Saigon River, I shot this video–at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday when we thought the streets would be deserted, making the crossing across the wide boulevard by the river much easier. We went by there yesterday and didn’t even attempt it. NOPE! The scooters were out in full force early so we had to be super nimble and scoot our asses across the street dodging the masses. That’ll wake you up! I don’t advise most people to try this–last night we saw our doormen escorting some tourists across a small street by the hotel to keep them alive. Not for the fainthearted!
Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is just as beautiful as all the pictures you will see. That being said, it was a terrifying trip there from Hanoi. Probably 50% of the time, our van was on the wrong side of the road careening straight into the oncoming traffic of other crazed drivers. That we survived is a miracle. I would never do it again..ever.
Our cruise on the Princess Luxury Cruise Ship was so special and memorable, especially after our life or death experience getting there.
Ha Long Bay bathed in sunshine
These stone formations jutting out of the green water have been around for 500 million+ years and we got to see them in the sunshine and also shrouded in the morning mist-both were spectacular.
We stopped on the way here at a tourist rest stop. There, they had many ladies doing hammered egg shells in and coat with lacquer many layers and then paint beautiful pictures on top. There was also jewelry, clothing, scarfs and embroidered pictures. So many to choose from that I couldn’t make a decision. Most cost less than $50. The lady selling said all the people doing the artistic work were disabled but you tend to be skeptical when told that here. Either way, the craftsmanship was amazing and I hope the artisans were paid decently for their lovely art.
Gorgeous new hotel restaurant by the bay
In the “van from Hell”, we shared our adventure with a couple from England and a couple from San Fran. We exchanged stories of China for their travel adventures around Vietnam. In general, the houses we saw in the villages are much nicer than in rural China. Made of concrete and bricks, they are usually three stories high, narrow in design with patios and beautiful wood doors. The interiors I could peer into looked quite nice with tile floors, circular metal staircases and almost all with large screen tv’s. However, their infrastructure is seriously lacking in Vietnam. Roads are broken concrete messes with many bumps and sections of unpaved roads. By contrast, when we got to Ha Long Bay, it felt like Miami Beach with new condos by the water and modern sleek hotels and restaurants, fueled by the almighty tourist dollars.
Princess Luxury Cruise-very nice!
Our boat had just 18 cabins, filled with mainly Europeans and some Chinese folks. The meals were lavish with pork, chicken, seafood, lots of vegetables and impeccable service. During the safety announcement, Jimmy, our steward, showed us a hammer and told us that it was to be used in case of emergency only, i.e. to break out the windows to get out of the boat. In other words, you are ON YOUR OWN! He encouraged smokers to smoke outside (this is on a totally wooden boat mind you) and not to smoke inside as it would set off the smoke alarms. No shit…However, doubtful that those hard core smokers paid attention but, just to scare them, Jimmy warned the passengers that everyone would break out their hammers and it would be complete chaos if they smoked inside. To recap, if there is an emergency, grab that life vest, use the hammer and out you go into Ha Long Bay where the jellyfish are as big as a Labradors and good luck climbing those steep cliffs once you reach shore. Luckily, we didn’t need the hammer as we couldn’t even find one in our cabin.
Boat Merchants selling snacks and booze
As our Head Steward urged us to keep the bartender busy, who am I not to comply??? Seeing our pale white skin glistening with tanning lotion was a welcome if creepy sight after a winter of grey polluted China skies. Need an Oreo or wine? Small junk boats, merchants selling pearls and snacks and booze come alongside the bigger cruise ships selling their wares. You put your money in a net and in return you get your goods. A tough life for these merchants rowing their boats all day with babies in tow. Thom’s brother told us that he swept this bay near here in 1971 on a mine sweeper. Hard to imagine this commercial tourist attraction was once a war zone but the people who live here still lead a meager existence in contrast to the beautiful cruise ships.
Thom aka The King of the Squid
Thom spent the late evening hours fishing for squid off the back of the boat. The crew was impressed with his results-two squid, scared out of their “ink” which they proceeded to jetson into the green waters of Ha Long Bay as he reeled them in. Thom didn’t eat the squid for breakfast, as the crew suggested, but he will be boasting for many years to come of his prowess with the hook. Whatever! I stood at a distance and took the pictures to document his expertise–I don’t do the “squid” thing. Anything that ugly can stay in the water and certainly shouldn’t be eaten. Holy. Hell. No. Way.
Travels with Melinda 