Just got back from a week in Shanghai -- ask me anything!

Wow! What a vacation! What an amazing city. Take New York City; frame it in briliant multi-colored neon like Vegas; fill it with dazzling futuristic fantasy skyscraper architecture, great clubs, bars, discos, restaurants and tea houses, populate it with hip, good looking, fun loving, free-spirited Chinese people; spend all your money on EVERYTHING that catches your eye and haggle, haggle, haggle!

Come home with a smile on yer face.

:party:

:toast:

:hippie:

PRC is the up and coming world power folks. Get ready for a 5000 year old civilization to teach Amurka how to get the freak on right! They are so poised to dominate this century, dudes...

I am just now getting back into Chinese food.

And no doubt, I shall never be the same again!

The food everywhere was great -- even if they sometimes substituted our order.

Had Peiking Duck for my birthday!

Think I gained 10 pounds, but it was worth it!

Never been to Shanghai, just southern PRC. What I find fascinating is the energy....it really is a country on the go. The people are very friendly and pretty much a-political. It's all about hustling for a buck. They are world-class capitalists, no doubt.

I was in Shenzhen in August. I was totally blown away. It was the 1st time in 7 years....talk about a transformation from a rat hole to a 21st centiry city...totally amazed.

Sadly, can't find a good place to serve pork fried rice. I've never seen such small shrimp as they serve in the rice dishes. I imagine the food's pretty good in Shanghai...but stay away from the "home-style" cooking served in restaurants in the countryside...

So was it a pleasure trip or business? Business, I assume...

and might I add that no persons, animals or cleaning products were abused or exploited in the process.

A good indulgent happy time was had by all!

And as far as the people in China go...you're dead on! The Shanghaiese (at least) just seem to live for making deals. Shanghai is what I imagine the Farengi homeworld to be like!

They're gonna kick our running-dog capitalistic asses all the way to Moon!

(I'm just being exhuberant here. But I felt very welcome there, and had a great time. Did I mention I had a great time????)

:nuke:

OK!

If your ever in Zhongshan, let me know....we have a western bar with a great house band playing good 'ole R&R. We have a young Chinese dude playing there that is Jimi Hendrix's reincarnation....

I'll buy you a beer and we'll play Lying Dice.....

I lived in "rural" Asia for several years. Bathrooms? Ha! It took me months to figure out which way to face in those little benjo holes, and I always carried paper with me.


But Shanghai? Shanghai is a 21st century city. Pretty chaotic and high-tech. The water has a brown color to it, but things are pretty clean, and there are recognizably fulshable toiletlike devices in all restrooms I visited.

The airfare had to be.

around $600 round trip. Hotel was about $35 a night with breakfast included and a fresh thermos of hot tea every morning. The dollar still goes a long way there (so far). I bought a 100% wool dress P coat at a department store for about $30 bucks. Probably buy it here for $130.

The open air market stalls are great, but bring a friend who knows that rugged Shanghai bartering kung fu...unprotected ugly Americans are devoured on sight!

(Fully loaded Peiking duck dinner for about $15.)

Now is the time to go.

Shanghai is definitely overtaking KH has the place to be.....hard as that is to imagine.....

People would really be amazed with how quick China is kicking into the 21st century. Here's a clue:

They are manufacturing bricks (used in 1-100 story buildings)at the rate of 750 BILLION per year...as the skyscrapers go up, the mountains go down....