The day began bright and early; "sunrise" (as we never actually saw the sun through the smog) was about 5:00 am. The humidity and the heat kicked in early, with students and chaperones attiring themselves appropriately in shorts and t-thirts. We broke fast as a group at the hotel's breakfast buffet where, apparently, spaghetti was considered a breakfast food and the dim sum tasted more like french toast than the french toast. At 8:30, we left the hotel to stock up on water, gatorade and other knockabout items before our long day in the heat (it's amazing when you can actually get a bottled water for like 40 American cents).
Our first destination was the traditional (and historical) Yu-Yuan Garden in Shanghai. During our traffic-distended busride there, we got a full guided tour of the famous Bund (Wai Tan) waterfront on the Huangpu River. The Bund was the most Western-developed area in Shanghai through a good portion of the 19th and 20th centuries (mostly a result of British imperialism as a result of the Opium Wars). The trip to the Yu-Yuan Garden consisted of walking past numerous and ravenous street vendors hawking wares varying from Olympic t-shirts to knock-off Mont-Blanc pens. In contrast to the commericial hustle of the immediately surrounding area (there was a Starbucks coffee no less than 20 meters from the entrance), the garden was tranquil and historical. Our tour guide, Angela, introduced us to a myriad of ancient Chinese superstitions, most of them involving evil ghosts (which apparently can only move in straight lines and horizontally). She showed us the many features of traditional Chinese architecture to ward off these spirits including raised threshholds, zig-zag bridges and mirrors facing the entrance. We also surveyed an amazing rock garden filled with koi, manicured trees and dragon rooves (look it up...).
After exiting the actual garden, we opened our first shopping experience of the trip in the tourist trap that surrounded the Yu-Yuan garden. Many of us were relatively trepidatious in our purchasing, but some, like Li Laoshi pushed the envelope with an 85% percent off bargain. Needless to say, the rest of us did not fare quite as well and turned to Starbucks and bubble (milk) tea for comfort as we left. Miguel made his "big" purchase on the way back to the bus: two faux Mont-Blanc pens from one of those ravenous vendors I mentioned. Coach Moore was an instant celebrity amongst the crowd which were entranced by his rippling ebony physique.
Our next visit was to a Buddhist temple. Upon arriving, we experienced the pungent odor of incense. Buddhists praying for dead family members were the source of the aroma as they burned ritual incense. Additionally, the temple was having a donation drive for those affected by the earthquake. We took a less odiferous excursion into the temple complex that was punctuated with two amazing jade Buddhas. We then concluded our trip to the temple with a meal at a completely vegetarian restaurant that both satisified and nourished (i.e. it was the first fiber we had had in like three days). Again Miguel, and this time Mrs. Harron were the center of attention on the way back to the bus as we almost left them stranded next to the Buddhist temple on the sidewalk.
Our next destination was the Genband corporation's "China Overseas Development Center." Happily, we were allowed to dress more liberally on this occasion as all but a small portion of the office was off on a company retreat in the mountains. At Genband, we learned probably more in ten minutes about media gateway networking than we probably would have without studying telecommunications engineering. Mr. Ping, our presenter at Genband, was a lively and engaging character, who, in the midst of his presentation, had a contest among the students for a 100 Yuan note (about 14 bucks American). We were introduced to both a birds eye view of one of Shanghai's industrial districts via Genband's roof and a micro-view of some the world's most state of the art hardware.
After a rushed supper, we then proceeded to our final event of the night: an acrobatic performance. The show was quite entertaining despite our cramped leg conditions and extreme exhuastion. The performance included FLEXIBLE and balanced contortionists, amazing high-flying shoulder stands and a particularly hilarious section involving knife throwing (the highlight of that act was when a baloon was placed between an audience members legs, he was blind-folded and, instead of having the knife thrown at him, simply had the baloon stabbed while he contorted in fear and the audience in laughter). For some, the sleep-deprivation of the trip thus far took its toll; in a mirror of the bus-rides throughout the day, some people surrendered to the sleepy mists of dreams (or it might have been smog) during the show.
All in all, our first full day in China was one marked by a hectic pace, loads of pollution and a mountain of fun and humor. Mom and Dad, I just want you to know I haven't totally forgotten about you, I just haven't had time to call at a reasonable hour (this is Izaak by the way).
