Josh & Craig's New Home

Last Sunday we went to Josh and Craig's housewarming party. They bought an apartment after thrown out by their previous landlord. The new home is located at Xindian and has a great view. Congrates to Josh and Craig. To see more about the party and their new home, visit Craig's Album.

(c) Craig Dodge

(c) Craig Dodge

(c) Craig Dodge

(c) Craig Dodge

Unlucky Day

Today I got hit by a woman from behind. I stopped for red light at a crossroad near Tamshui, and suddenly my car jumped forward with a loud noise. It took me a few seconds to realilze that I was hit. I stepped out of my car and walked towards the car behind me. It was a black Nissan X-TRAIL. To my surprise, the driver seemed to have no intention of openning the door. I knocked on the window and finally the door opened. It was a woman 40 or 50 years old, wearing low-cut dress showing off her tits. She claimed that she didn't know that she hit anything. I argues with her for several minutes, but I was in a hurry to go to Hsinchu so I let her go. How can someone say such a lie without any shame?

At moments like this you need good food. The pictures were my dinner last night. I think cooking prevented me from killing people like that female driver today.

Eels in Xin Tai Le

Found some pictures of the restaurant my colleagues took me to in Guangzhou. The name of the restaurant is Xin Tai Le, and is famous for its eels. Its pork and goose are also very delicous. I didn't bring my camera then, so this is the best I can find to share.

Home Sweet Home

On the 16th day, I'm finally home. Finally on my own sofa writing my blog, and most importantly, I can read my own blog now. Two interesting things on my way home. One is to see the new painting of a Cathay Boeing 747 in HKG, and observed a canine officer on duty in TPE.

Zhu Jia Jiao

Last day for this trip. A taxi driver recommend us to go to Zhu Jia Jiao yesterday. It is an ancient town similar and close to Zhouzhuang, but not as famous and polular to foreign travelers. We searched the web to find out where it is and how to get there, and decided to make it our last stop in this trip.

The easiest way to get there is by bus. There are several travel hub in Shanghai where you can buy tour packages, bus tickets, or join a group tour to nearby locations. The one-way bus ticket to Zhu Jia Jiao is about $12, but the package ticket which includes several admissions at Zhu Jia Jiao costs $80. I saw an article on the web from a guy who rode his bike to Suzhou, that's over 180 km a day. I know for sure it's not for us.

The most rewarding part of Zhu Jia Jiao is the sense of time of the streets and buildings. It remained mostly the same since the Song Dynasty, that's about 1000 years old. It is also an archaeological site where the culture found dated back to 5000 years ago. One thing I also noticed is that there are very few travelers from HK, Macao or Taiwan. Mostly are local Chinese visitors, Japanese and western visitors.

Although it's a rainy day and it's still somewhat commercialized too much, the Venice-like life in Jiang Nan is a great experience. Maybe next time I'll try Suzhou and Zhouzhuang.

Xiao Shao Xing and TMSK

An extra weekend in China. Wayne, James and I went to Yun Nan South Road for lunch. It is a place near the People's Square where many local people eat but very few tourists do. We ate at a restaurant called Xiao Shao Xing, which is especially famous for its chicken. Eating with local people is quite different than eating at places for travelers. Good food, good price, but the fun is the most rewarding if you can handle the trouble and sanitary concerns.

Afterlunch we went to Qi Pu Road. The area is a heaven if you want to buy clothes, suitcases or shoes. James got both his hands full of bags of his treasure when we left the area. Our dinner was in a totally different world. I forced them to go with me to Xin Tian Di. They were unwilling to go there even I said I'll pay, because it is VERY VERY EXPENSIVE! Anyway, we had our most expensive dinner today at TMSK.

Counting Down!

Jason just left to catch his flight. He has to leave today because his little daughter has been sick for several days. However, he is unable to book any open seat from Hong Kong to Taipei and will have to take his chance at Chap Lap Kok Airport.

Today is our last working day in China. This morning I sort of handed out my homework, so the stress is relived a little. Perhaps the effect of the adrenalin, I'm feeling not hungry at all. But, in respect for my last lunch box here, I ate it. Two more days and I'll be coming home.

Yummy!

Wujiang is very hot at this season. Just sitting indoor having breakfast made me sweat. Usually the temperature is 37 degrees in daytime, so many of the workers uses an umbrella while walking between the restaurant and factory at noon. Thank God I don't have to go to Nanjing at this season where the temperature is often over 40.

We returned to Shanghai in the evening for the last working day and weekend in Shanghai. Because of typhoon BILLIS, we changed our flight from 7/14 to 7/16. All flights are fully booked this weekend; probably many people changed their flight to avoid flying in bad weather.

I suggested to walk to a nearby market to buy something for dinner. After 20 minutes walk, we arrived at the market. It is small but the food there looks really delicious. And it indeed tasted good. Look how much you get for 17 RMB!

First Visit to Wujiang

The VP in Shanghai, Louis, took Jason and I to lunch today. The restaurant is famous for its fish from Qian Dao Hu (Thousand Islands Lake). The fishes are alive and big; the head alone weights 4 kg! The head is used to make soup, the body as fish balls, and the tail is fried in chilly sauce. I thought about bringing my camera, but eventually I didn't. Anyway, it was good.

In the afternoon we set off to our factory in Wu Jiang, Jiang Su. It is a small town near Su Zhou, and takes about 1.5 hours drive from Shanghai. The factory occupies 400 acres of space, big enough in Taiwan but small in China. Two of the staff from Taiwan took us to dinner to welcome our visit. Their life in this area is relatively simple (or boring), so they are glad to see visitors from Taiwan which provides a chance to dine out and enjoy some conversation. This time I brought my camera, so check out the album on Flickr!

7-11 Day

I was supposed to observe the testing of ICBC today, but the system could not get ready. It was one of my main task to observe the tests of major banks in China, so I did hope that it could happen on time. At four o'clock in the afternoon, we realized that there's not going to be any test today, not even tomorrow. So we went straight to the airport to catch our plane back to Shanghai.

There's one good thing, though. My colleagues took Jason and I to a nice restaurant for lunch. The restaurant is especially famous for its Huang Shan (yellow eel) dishes. Too bad I didn't brought my camera. By the way, I saw 7-eleven for the first time in China today.

First Flight with Domestic Airlines in China

Today Jason and I flied to Guangzhou by Shanghai Airways (FM). It is the first time I take a plane of domestic airlines in China. To my surprise, the techniques of the pilots were very good -much better than China Airlines (CI) in Taiwan actually. The flight attendants were beautiful, but their service takes some time getting used to.

Guangzhou is something different than Shanghai or Hong Kong. Like Hong Kong, it is crowded and not so organized in many ways. People in Guangzhou were not as affected by the western civilization as Hong Kong did, so they tend to do things anyway they like. The city is not as safe as Shanghai. According to my colleagues in Ghuangzhou subsidiary, a young woman got her arm cut off by robbers who robbed her purse. I think I'll stay in my room for good.

Xin Tian Di, the New World

The first and hopefully the last Sunday in Shanghai. My roommates watched the World Cup this morning and we had our breakfast late. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, we head out to Xin Tian Di, an interesting place where fashion and history coexist seamlessly.

Xin Tian Di is a small area which is about two blocks by two blocks. The buildings are ancient Shi Ku Men (Stone Gate Door) style which were the dominant architecture style in old Shanghai, but the interior of the old buildings are now the most fashionable restaurants or shops. On the southern edge of this area, just across the street, many old buildings are being demolished to make room for new buildings.

Today we got up very early to catch the train. Hangzhou is about one and half hour away on the non-stop express train from Shanghai Station. As soon as we arrive at the Hangzhou East Station (a small station outside the city), we were overwhelmed by the travel agencies out side the train station. Hearing all those terrifying stories how people got cheated by locals, we were uncertain whether to hire them or go by taxi. Finally we decided to rent a van for the day for 200 RMB (originally they asked 400) to take us around.

Hangzhou has been a beautiful tourism city for over a thousand years. It has turned into a modern city in the last decade, but tourism remains its most important industry. Millions of visitors go to this small city every year and expend over 40 billion RMB. Xihu, the main attraction since ancient China, is really worth seeing. My feeling for today's visit is that Hangzhou exceeded my expectations in many ways, although you can still find many things not so satisfactory.

TGI Friday!

Today is the first Friday since we got here. We will be going to Hangzhou tomorrow, and prepare for the business trip to Guangzhou. However, at the very last minute (which is NOW!) we were told the shedule is changed. We will not be going to Guangzhou this Sunday, possibly postponed to next Monday. And we were also told that there might be another test to be held in Beijing next weekm so we may be flying to Beijing from Ghuangzhou directly. Anyway, the only thing for sure in China is the uncertainty.

Tonight I had dinner with one of my ex-colleague. She left one year ago, and now she's working in one of the best hiflat -tech park in Shanghai and her salary has doubled and doubled! I was the project manager when she works in my company, but I've never met her back then. She and her husband rent a small flat with nothing but walls, and it costs 1200 RMB. The average expense of such small family is around 3000~5000, so it's not easy to make a living if you don't earn a lot of money.

Preparing for the Weekend

Tomorrow is Friday, the beginning of the first (and hopefully the last) weekend for me in Shanghai. I may have to fly to Guangzhou on Sunday and will stay there at least for one or two days, so we plan to visit Xihu (the West Lake) in Hangzhou this Saturday.

After dinner, three of us went to the Shanghai Station to buy tickets for our small trip. Beside the station, what really caught my eyes were the people waiting for their trains. Lots of people sitting or lying everywhere on the ground with their luggage. They even have diffferent waiting areas for different tickets. There were no time table or information desk in the station, and the police or staff were not very friendly, either. On the subway home, I finally experienced what it's like to be inside a REALLY crowded train.

An Observation in Shanghai

I have an interesting observation today. Look at the picture of the lavatory of my company. I met three persons inside today, and all three of them chose the left one. The only one who got out while I was in the lavatory went out without washing his hands. I can't imagine if I use the same telephone or keyboard with him...

Another observation is how the people here loves SMS. You can see many people reading stories or jokes sent by SMS, and many are busy writing SMS on the train. A girl in front of me was hit by an elbow of a man by accident, and the next second I saw her writing a message saying "I'm really pissed, I got hit by a man..."

Rain Rain Rain

This morning began with a thunder shower. People who rides to work wear a special kind of rain coat that covers the waist up and an extension part that goes to the handle of their bicycle. A motorcycle version even equipped with a transparent window in the front to allow the headlight to go through.

Third day at work with different work time and habits, plus the long walk last night, we were all tired. After work we just head home and eat the dinner already ready on the table. By the way, here's one thing that shows China is not as free and democratic as it appears is this blog you're reading. I can post my articles, but I can't read it because the site is blocked. Also blocked are most if not all the news sites of Taiwan.

Long Ban Long Lao Shanghaitan (Running Tides at Shanghai Shore)

Post a few photos of my company. The office is located in one of the early hi-tech industrial area, which was near the edge of the city but after recent expansion it's now south-west of the city center. More photos including my company and apartment can be found at my Flickr album.

After work, we went home to have dinner first and then took the subway to the famous shore of Shanghai. Shanghai is just like any major metropolitan in the world. Subway system is convinient, and tour attractions are well organized. The one thing unique in China is that it's so crowded. The scenery is as what I expected, and thanks to the thunder shower, it was not TOO crowded.

One more thing about Shanghai. The weather is extremely humid and hot. Two minutes outside an air conditioned room, my clothes are all wet and almost never gets dry. I wonder how local people handle this weather.

First Day Working in Shanghai

Got up at 7:00 AM this morning. A helping maid cooked breakfast for us, and does all the laundry while we all go to work. My company sent a car to drive us to the office, which is about 15 minutes drive or 3 km away from where we stayed.

The first day at work was of course very tense. I almost spent the entire day under special attention of the general manager, in order to find a solution for one of his big business. I think I was doing okay though. The first day passed quickly, and people leaves the office quite on time. The GM and several local staff had a welcome party for us at a decent restaurant this evening. When we got home, on the table the maid had prepared dinner for us. There were even peaches that are juicy and sweet!

Finally Arrived at Shanghai

Left my sweet home at 5:00 AM, flew to Hong Kong to get VISA for one of my colleagus, and now finally arrives at Shanghai at 21:30. I'll be going to our office tomorrow morning and will get to see the famous bicycle army.

Dinner at Home

I'll be leaving for China in several hours, so tonight we have a family dinner at home with my sister. I hope I'll be able to post my trip every day when in China.

Bt the way, following up the post on May 25 about my diet plan. Today my weight is 81.4 kg, which means I lost 6.5 kg since my diet began. Not bad, huh?