greeting from Shanghai

[nostatic]

evidence I'm not in Kansas anymore. Well, I never *was* in Kansas, but this REALLY isn't Kansas...

[Rot 911]

So what are you doing there?

[Don Plumley]

Dumplings with soup inside. The Bund. Amazing Architecture - enjoy!

[vash]

you get the phone call in the hotel room yet? "you want girl?"

if you say yes, i double dog dare you to send us a photo of her. just wondering if they are hot, or snaggletooth.

[Rick Lee]

Nostatic, try typing in some banned terms in Google. Try "democracy" or "falun gong" or "dalai lama" or "tiananmen square protest".

Be sure to eat hot pot and order it very hot. Don't miss the foot massage places either. If you have time, get out of Shanghai and see some countryside. It's like going back in time 500 yrs.

[singpilot]

Todd,

Welcome to the PRC. Now go home.

Notice how all the lights inside the high rise buildings in the new part of town (The Special Economic Zone) stay on all night? From the hotels (above street level) you can see that the buildings are all empty. From the street it looks like they are all bustling busy. The locals all think think things are OK.

Like vash says, be careful with invites. Can be a sting. Have had other crew get stung. They are trying these 'sweeps' to cleanse the city of 'corrupt western influences'. Assume all phone calls are monitored. If you doubt that, on a call back to the states, mention how f-ed up everything there is. The call will be disconnected, mysteriously. I always wait until my conversation is over, cuz your phone will be dead for 30 minutes after.

Welcome to the PRC.

[Rick Lee]

Sing, how can they sting westerners like this, when the women get the westerners' room numbers from the hotels? Most 4 or 5 star hotels have their very own "massage centers" on the 2nd or 3rd floor which are full blown brothels run by the hotel. I remember even reading on the hotel's welcome card about how prostitution and "whoring" are strictly illegal, but turn the card over and it invites you to visit their massage center, where they see a westerner and the first thing out of the front desk folks' mouths is "you want xiaojie?"

[jriera]

Not much different than Las Vegas or any other big city in the US (or elsewhere)

[legion]

Pelican has been banned in the PRC because of this thread.

[JeremyD]

We need some of those "intelligent card dispensers" here

[legion]

Do the cards dispense intelligence?

[Howard Agency]

Could you get me a genuine Rolex Oyster for $20?

[Rick Lee]

Legion, the English translations in China are so terrible, you can't tell at all what they're supposed to mean. There's a website out there somewhere with a collection of photos of ridiculous, yet official, translations for Chinese signs. You'd think they'd be able to find a native English speaker to proof them. Even their Washington embassy's English website is rife with errors and poor translations.

[livi]

Wow, you are even further East than I am. And I live in Stalintown..

[legion]

Seriously, what does "Intelligent Card Dispenser" mean?

[red-beard]

No Smorking!

[nostatic]

I'm here with the g/f so no need for the phone call...unless. Oh never mind. She actually said that she's gotten the call here before but they hang up.

This city is huge. And more stuff is being built all the time. Sing is right about the empty buildings according to the g/f. But just part of the whole Chinese experience. We're staying at a 5 star hotel last night and tonight...damn swank. That's what travel guide writers get if they're good I guess

Well, off to breakfast in the executive lounge, then venturing into the city. I'll try to not be arrested or mention the "D" word. Mul would love it here. Just his kinda place

[Jims5543]

More pictures!! I love when someone shares their travels with those f us that never venture over seas.

[Rick Lee]

Todd, you can't be eating hotel food in China. Get out there off the beaten path and go where there are no white people. Go check out the farmers market with the dogs and rats being slaughtered before your eyes. Go see some non-swanky bars.

I'll be in China in a few weeks and I am gonna be waaaayyy out there. I'll post here with stories when I make it to Internet bars.

[Tyson Schmidt]

Sure, you're livin' it up in China while I'm slavin' away on your racecar.

I can still smell the burning rubber from your old springplate bushings.

I hope you feel honored that yours is the last racecar that I will track-prep while at TRE.


You think you could smuggle a hottie back home for me in your suitcase?




P.S. try not to smork too much while you're there.