one final hurrah for china . . . before we leave

OMG we're *so* excited for Saturday. Sharon has a friend who happens to be living in China, "lai ban gong shi de" [pronounced: lie pahn gong shur duh], meaning "on business" or "doing business". She tried to contact this friend to see if we could catch up with her and try to get a personalized tour of the best parts of the city while we're there. Though she'll be on business in another city while we're in Shanghai (so sad), we got the most interesting e-mail response . . . worth a post.

Hi - well, you will never believe this, but I won't be in town those two days. I have a meeting in Shenzhen, which is Southern China, and I will be there on Sunday through Thursday of that week. I am so disappointed that I will not be able to see you and Bryan. I was really looking forward to showing you around the city.

Send me your tour schedule, and I will look to see if there are any "must see's" that are omitted. Also, you will be eating a ton of Chinese food during your week, so you may want to take a break in Shanghai while you can. "The Kitchen" is a fabulous Italian Restaurant on the Bund (near your hotel) where you can get authentic Italian food (pizza, pasta, etc), and it has a fantastic view. Reservations are difficult to get due to location, so if you are interested, let me know day/time, and I will make a reservation for you.

The Kitchen dress code is mixed....it's nicer, but I have worn jeans in plenty of times. I just wouldn't wear shorts or capris, for example. You can get a pizza or pasta for <$20 or possibly $15. Wine by the bottle is expensive, but it is everywhere here--for imported. Chinese wine is nasty, but if you get the opportunity to try Changyu, it' s not bad. If you tell me your date and time for dinner at the Kitchen, I can have reservations made for you this week (it books up very fast).

I am sure that you know that English-speaking capability is limited here, so just be sure to always have your hotel business card in China (so that you can get home via taxi), and have the hotel concierge write down the name of where you are going in Chinese. Taxi drivers are pretty honest here, and being that a normal ride ranges from 11RMB to 20 RMB (no more than $3 USD), you can't really get into too much trouble.

. . . . your itinerary in Shanghai sounds great.

The Bund is an area along the HuangPu River (the Kitchen is located on the river at the far end of the Bund). There is a boardwalk, and it is a great place to take pictures. Here are my comments on the rest of your itinerary:

• Old Shanghai - must be a tour of the French Concession or other areas; should be cool
• Yuyuan Garderns - these are markets. You can and should bargain--it's like a sport. Start bargaining at 20% of what they offer to you. They will act offended, but it is only a game. If you walk away and they don't chase you, it's their final price. Remember that the yuan is 7 to the US dollar, so at some point you are bargaining for a few dollars :-) You can get fake purses here. Many people will approach you and take you into the back alleys--this is OK and safe (and interesting as people live there)--just stay within the general market areas. Remember that the C's touch each other on real coach purses :-) And always check all of the zippers and pockets for quality. As a general rule, you can get a small purse for $10-$12 and a larger one for $20-$22. "Prices" have gone up in the last 12 months.
• Visit a silk carpet workshop - Not sure where this is.
• Shanghai Museum - if this is near People's Park (Tomorrow Square), look for the JW Marriott building (tall like a pencil). That's where I live!!
• Acrobatic show - this is a MUST see.

The Pearl Tower is cool to get a good view of Shanghai - on a clear day. The new Shanghai Financial Center is open now (tallest building in Asia, or second tallest); if you have to pick, I would go up to the top of the new Financial Center.

There is a cool bar at the top of the Shangri La if you want to have a drink and look over the city (36th floor, I think).

The Shanghai South Bund Spinning Market is the famous fabric market--about 15 minutes from your hotel by taxi. You can likely have a dress made in a few days, but also I can pick it up for you and bring it home at Thanksgiving. Just make sure to emphasize that you want it bigger, as it is easier to have altered in than out!! If you get a Chinese dress made, there is a good store on the 1st floor right before you go up the escalator.

Have a FABULOUS TIME!!!! Let me know if you need any more information, or call me when you are here at (011) XX XXX XXXX XXXX (my cell works OK most of the time, but voicemail is limited). Let me know if you want "Kitchen" reservations.

I am SO disappointed!!!! I was really looking forward to catching up.