I caught up with Libby and Karin on Sunday morning for brunch at 3 on the Bund. The view from the balcony was incredible, looking north up the Huangpu River (with a few massive ships rolling by) and across the river to the Oriental Pearl Tower, which looks like something from the Jetsons. Of course, I didn't take a photo. But I did take this one of the three of us at the restaurant. After lunch we went to look at some shops and then went to Xiang Yang Markets (pronounced Shee-oung Young), the fake markets here in Shanghai. I bought a fake Prada handbag for 100 Yuan (a bit less that AUS$20). Mind you, the first price they offered was 680 Yuan!!!!! My first offer was 80 Yuan. Apparently in Xiang Yang they know the bargaining approach the foreigners use, which is to halve the first price and stick to it. Lucky I had my experienced Shanghai friends with me to tell me that 100 Yuan is a good price for a handbag. However, when we were shopping along the street close by they had clothes shops where you couldn't bargain and the clothes were quite expensive, fairly comparable to Australian prices. Later in the day, I got through my laundry which had accumulated a fair bit. They have a laundry here in the hotel where you get charged per load (apart from the normal laundray service where they charge you per piece) but you don't do it yourself, there is a laundry lady and she does it all for you and irons it too if you want. It cost 20 Yuan per wash (about AUS$3) + 10 Yuan for the dryer.I'm getting to use my Chinese a bit already. You have to speak Chinese in the taxi as they generally don't speak much English. Even if you know the Chinese words you usually have to repeat it a few times before they understand you (I'm learning you really can't be lazy with the tones). I asked someone the time earlier in the day (since I have no watch and forgot my mobile at the apartment), and I understood the response, especially after they showed me a big clock nearby, and since I knew the approximate time anyway.
Its kind of hard buying food here because a lot of the time the restaurant menus are only in Chinese, which I have no hope of understanding. If I learn any written Chinese, I think it will be restaurant menus to start with. Also, I don't know how to say take away or eat in, and its kind of embarrassing to say you don't speak Chinese because everyone else does. And I don't know how to say I don't speak Chinese anyway. People who can speak English will generally speak it to you straight away because they can see you're a foreigner. But other people will speak to me in Chinese and I feel really rude because I have no idea what they're saying (unless its nihao ie hello). Anyway, I've been watching Chinese soap operas on TV and I'm picking up the odd word here and there so maybe that will help. I think soap operas are a good way to learn the language because its pretty obvious what's going on so you have the context already. Of course, I have no other interest in soap operas apart from an academic one and never watch them in Australia. My saviour as far as food goes is a service called Sherpas, where you have a book with menus in English from heaps of restaurants around downtown Shanghai, and you ring Sherpas, who speak English, and tell them what you want, and then they deliver it. Last night I had Turkish. Its not real cheap by Chinese standards (my meal was about $12AUS) but still not bad. You can get heaps of different cuisines around here. Thai, french, italian, greek, indian (lots of indian) and of course Chinese. Once I get a bit braver I will go into the Chinese menu restaurants but baby steps for the moment.
The view from my apartment at night.
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The view from my apartment during the day. There are an incredible number of skyscrapers in every direction. They are a little obsured in the distance of this photo because of the smog.
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