Shanghai

Ni men Hau,
Just got back from Shanghai, and quickly watched BC dominate Montana on CBS Sportsline. This whole watching live college basketball games online from anywhere in the world is pretty amazing to me. But I digress...
Shanghai was a really cool city. I didn't really know what to expect, and did not have a lot of time to do research before heading up there. But, as soon as I entered the airport, I knew that the city was the product of rapid modernization.
We arrived in Shanghai the night of Saint Patrick's Day, so we were eager to get to the hotel and out to the bars as soon as possible. Luckily, we had the fastest train in teh world on our side. The Magnetic Levetation Train (Mag-Lev) hovers on magnetic plates and is ridiculously fast. The poles of the track change to propel the train forward. Within sixty seconds of departing the gate, we were traveling 431 km/hr. For all of you that can't do the conversion, that's about 270 MPH. Pretty ridiculous. That ride made the trip.
Before you knew it, we were out looking for a pub that had Guiness on tap. We satisfied our Guiness fix at a Chinese restaurant, and then went to a bar that one of my Professors had recommended, Beni Coffee. The place allowed the patrons to buy and store bottles of liquer, and my Professor had a bottle of Bailey's with his name on it. Literally. He told us that we could drink out of the bottle for free, but that we would have to replace it if we finished it. We each had a glass, and quickly moved on to 3 Liter Kegs of Carlsburg and an improv drinking game that borrowed dice from the Chinese Yatzee game that I had come to know and love. Saint Patties Day in Shanghai- God bless globalization.
In case you were unaware, Chris and my negotiating skills have exponentially improved as the semester has worn on. To be honest, we often do better than the locals. Kaleigh and Andrea took us to a fashion market that had a bunch of amazing stuff. Any brand name designer had his pseudo-gear on display. the negotiation process was a blast, and I don't want to reveal my secrets, but here's a summary about how we made out:

Chris and I bought a total of 60 DVD's:
Individual Movies: Syriana, Ocean's Twelve, Good Night and Good Luck
Boxed Sets: James Bond (all 20 of them), Sopranos (first five seasons-37 discs)
Initial Price: 1250 Yuan- very cheap (just over $150)
Our Final Price: 450 Yuan (under $65)

5 completely legit Ralph Lauren Polo's- knockoff's but barely:
Initial Price: 180 Yuan ($22.5)
Our Price: 25 Yuan ($3)
*we later found out that the manufacturing cost was 21 Yuan- they were not happy with us

1 "100% Cashmere Polo Sweater":
Initial Price: 680 Yuan ($85)
Our Price: 80 Yuan ($10)

and the most amazing bargaining job...

1 8 oz. stainless steel Jim Beam Flask:
Initial Price: 280 Yuan ($35)
Our Price: 20 Yuan ($2.50)

You get the idea... we were pretty much rockstars at this market, and many of the locals that were selling to us were openly impressed. Unfortunately for them, we were not contributing to their bottom line.

After a long day in the markets, we were exhausted and headed back to the hotel for an hour or so before dinner. By the time we finally got ourselves moving, it was getting pretty late. We headed down to the Bund, which is an area on the river that is beautiful at night. The night's sky is lit by the futuristic sky-scrapers, and it feels like the year 2015. We were so taken by the sights that all of the affordable restaurants around the Bund closed before we had a chance to eat anything. We cabbed it over to another district that we were told was "low on class, high on fun." Struggling to find places that would serve us food, we ducked into a local joint, where completely changed the locals opinions of Westerners. The guys that ran the place did not think we would be able to eat there, judging by the confused look on his face as we wondered in. While the girls tried to order a couple of more conventional dishes, Chris ordered the local hot pot, and I had the Boiled Ox Tripe (stomach) in chili sauce. When ordering, the owner tried to tell me that I wouldn't be able to handle the spice. After two enormaous Tsing Tao's, we both took our meals down like champions. The owners grew more and more receptive as we continued to eat and drink.
Our last day in Shanghai involved a lot more wondering. It was a beautiful day, so we enjoyed walking around the city. We stopped by the Shanghai Art Museum, which was a monumental dissapointment. The only interesting exhibit was a photo mural that portrayed the development of Shanghai. The gist of the exhibit was that Shanghai was surrendering all of it's culture to become modernized. The Chinese government can basically do whatever they want. Since they have put such a high priority on developing Shanghai, the local people have often been kicked out of their homes, and relocated out of the city center. The traditional houses have then been destroyed in order to erect things such as the Pearl Tower. The artist is trying to warn the world of what might happen if this trend continues, and the tragedy that is sapping the city of it's roots.
Walking around, there is a stark contrast between the developed and the undeveloped, the modern and the traditional...
We had lunch in a great French Park, that was home to a statue of Marx and Engels. How appropriate. I had my first western meal in weeks when we sat down at an Italian Restaurant at Park 97. Park 97 is acutally a building within the park that is owned and operated by the same genious that built Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong. This guy must be raking in a ton of capital, and we have made it our goal to learn more. I'll let you know.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with some good memories around the city, having tea and whatnot. Then, it was back to Hong Kong for another hectic week of class and catch-up. I should really stop traveling every weekend, but there is just too much to see and too little time. Sleep is no longer a priority.