Each day when I first wake I hear a multi-layered din that seems futuristic and Orwellian. First there is a low foundational rumbling from traffic and general urban activity. This is overlaid by a constant reverberating tone from one or more loudspeakers out on the street – some hawker advertising products or some paternalistic government drone intoning advice on how The People need to learn how to clean up their act (no spitting out on the street or in stores and office buildings, no cutting in line in the subway and in store check out lines) before Shanghai plays host during the World Expo in 2010. I realize that I actually have no idea whether it’s one or the other - or both. Then there’s constant honking from cars and a medley of sirens - police cars or ambulances probably, but certainly a variety of home-grown ones designed to warn and ward off other cars in the bumper-car activity that is Shanghai traffic.
For several months before coming to Shanghai we had several concerns about our time here that we now realize are mostly unfounded or insignificant, including:
1. Hot Weather - We expected 100+ degree weather and very high humidity, but it’s been in the low 90’s with about 65% humidity. And though it is quite hot out when we’re out in the direct sun, it’s not too bad in the shade and there’s often a refreshing breeze. There have also been two brief rain storms that helped cool things off.
2. Grey Skies & Smog - We’ve been pleased to see blue sky with nice white clouds just about every day for most of the day. And although there’s more smoking here and odors we’re not used to out on the streets, there doesn’t seem to obvious excessive smog or unhealthy air. The only people I’ve seen wearing face masks are the street cleaners.
3. Crowds - There is certainly more activity out on the street than we’re used to, with lots of people out walking or riding bicycles, mopeds or motorcycles. Also there’s continuous honking from cars and the drivers here are shockingly aggressive and seemingly careless - you get the impressions they’d just as soon run over you then wait or maneuver around you. But after just a few days we’re up to speed on the ins and outs of taking taxis and the subway - so even the busiest subway stops during the end-of-workday rush hour doesn’t faze us much.
4. Our Boys Getting Separated From Us - We already have a system worked out with the boys that we’re all used to. When we’re out on the streets or in the subway I hold Lucas’ right hand in my left hand at all times and Thomas always stays on my right side within reach - so I can always see him quickly and easily, and hold his left hand or just help steer him around obstacles or through crowds when necessary. Each of the boys also has a special pouch inside the waistline of their shorts that has a card with my cell phone number and the address and phone number of our hotel, and they understand what they should do if they were to get separated from us.
For these reasons and others Shanghai doesn’t seem quite so “foreign” any more. I think we’ve begun acclimating to being in China!
Last night we went to the acrobatic show at the Grand Theatre. It was awesome. My favorite parts were the guys who jumped through 5 different sized hoops (One guy did a back-flip through the tallest hoop), and when the 5 motorcycles were riding top speed around inside a huge metal ball container (they called it the Ball Of Death). By the time it was over I was so tired I almost fell asleep on the bus ride back to the hotel. Well that’s all for now, Thomas.
Today we went to the aquarium and saw a whole bunch of cool stuff. They had a moving floor escalator that went through a glass tunnel surrounded by water with colorful fish - huge fish the size of my brother. They also had sharks that looked fit to kill (literally) and several huge sea turtles that were being fed by a diver. In another tank they had 3 super cute seals that swam back and forth over and over again. They had another escalator that went down through a huge fish tank above you with normal sized fish in it. There were also 3 penguins who had their own tank with a platform that had snow all around on rocks - and even a little cave for them to sleep in. Finally at the end we went to the gift shop where they were selling some stuffed animals. I wanted to get the big stuffed white seal, (he was so cute and cuddly).
