A weeks worth of fun to catch up on! It takes a long time to download the photos, and often the connection is lost and you have to start all over - as just happened to me. There is a group of photos that just won't load for me today. I will try another day.

This is a dull shot of waiting at the bank to withdraw money - larger than the 2000rmb that you can take out at the ATM. When you walk in the lobby, you take a ticket (must know which button to push for the foreign window - all in Chinese characters of course) and then you walk through the lobby, around a corner and down a hall to this waiting area. There are tellers behind glass windows (I was not allowed to photograph them) at desks, and when your number comes up, you sit and transact your business. It is all so civilized and orderly. There are queues for everything.


We took the girls to the bus yesterday morning at our usual 7:10, and as we were waiting we heard endless firecrackers explode. It went on for a good 5 minutes and was coming from our corner. After the girls got on the bus, we headed down to check out the excitement. It was the opening of a new store. Flowers adorn the exterior, and as we arrived they were sweeping the sidewalk of the 4" deep debris from the firecrackers. We checked out the new store - a bakery! We are good patrons already. They have fancy pigs in a blanket, all kinds of unknown pastries filled with honey, cream, sesame seed paste, cheese, cakes, cookies, sliced wheat and white bread and more. I went back before the girls got home to get them a snack, and they were sweeping up again from another round of firecrackers. They were also handing out pieces of sponge cake, heavy on the icing. I went back again this morning, and the cake is still flowing, and a whole new set of pastries were set out, so of course I couldn't find what I was looking for from the day before! Anyway, a shot of the new shop with the flowers out front. Paige's favorite bao spot next door.
Another shot in which I really can't capture the craze of the street. We walked out of our lane on Saturday morning and everything was normal. Returning home less than an hour later, the sidewalks and gutters and fencing along the road had been completely torn down. They are redoing the gutters and sidewalks, and the process is fascinating. They just dig in and let everyone else figure out how to deal with it. Bikes, motorcycles, people walking are all on the street, and at times, now all on the sidewalk! There is never a moment of inattentive walking around here. When cars back up out of the lanes, they just back up. Whoever is behind, or cruising down the street, is in charge of watching out for themselves. Cars also do U-turns in the middle of these narrow streets with cars zooming by and 2-wheeled vehicles zooming by. There don't appear to be too many rules to the road beyond watching out for yourself. I guess that's always a good rule in life! We think they are starting the preparations for Expo 2010 now that the Olympics are over. The Expo is in Shanghai, and there are already massive posters and advertising for it. The mascot is a blue gumby-like looking character. I will have to get a shot of him somewhere.
This is Max, our dear friend we met at Lulu's Seafood in St. Louis. He was always so kind to us when we were there, bringing us extra treats and introducing us to the "real" Chinese food. He lives here in Shanghai, and is back working for BMW. He has been so gracious, doing so much for us. We have gone out to dinner a couple of times with him and his best friend Spike, and his fiance Shelly. (Next picture) They are getting married next week and have invited us to the reception (I think only family attends the actual ceremony). We are thrilled to be able to be a part of a Chinese occasion like this. Max took us (yes, wouldn't let us pay a quai!) to dinner at South Beauty. They ordered up a feast, and everything was extraordinary. The girls loved every bit of it, too.
Shelly and Spike. Most professional Chinese all have English names. Shelly does all the food ordering.
We went back to South Beauty with some friends who visited. This is Maya, and she and her mom and dad are going to live in Chengdu for a year, as we are doing in Shanghai. We hope to visit them at some point. They are from the Seattle area.
Bob, Maya's dad. Six years of learning Chinese, speaking almost everyday, and he thinks he MAY be at about a 3rd grade level. My tutor just told me that at the end of lessons this year, I may be at Kindergarten level!
Jen Levine, Ridley's publicist from Disney was here and took us all to dinner. Fun to see her.
Water on both sides of the walkway as you enter the restaurant. Mirrored doors at the end that slide open at the last moment.
We are off to buy some softer mattresses than what we have been given! See what we find.

Marcelle