SHANGHAI--PAGE FOUR

Tues. I slept a bit late again, and went to a different McDonald's for breakfast. I ordered an egg and cheese sandwich, hashbrowns, and coffee, all for 9RMB (about $1.10!). I told the guy no catsup! So, the sandwich was better today. I then went back to the travel agency and told Cherry that yes, I wanted to go ahead and buy the plane ticket and the hotel room. She told me to come back in about an hour, after she received the hotel confirmation by fax. When I returned she had good news. The hotel room rate dropped effective Nov. 1, so although my first night will be 420RMB, the remaining nights will be 320RMB! This is a very good price, and I am gratified. They did not have to tell me this, and could have easily pocketed the difference and I never would have known. In the afternoon I met my internet friend N. She is an accountant for an old state-owned electronics factory. Unfortunately the factory has seen its business decline in the face of stiff competition from abroad and also from other places in China, such as Shenzhen. More than half of the workers have been laid-off, with most of them going back to the family home in the countryside. Luckily for N her work continues. We first go to the Jade Buddha Temple. The temple also includes several other Buddhas and other items, any one of which is worthy of its own temple. All together in one place, it is truly inspiring. As is usual in these placeS, photos are not allowed. It is said that photos take something away from the Buddha, and it is disrespectful to the Buddha. Thus, I was both glad and amused to find in the temple gift shop postcards with photos of the Jade Buddha and the other Buddhas of this temple. We had dinner in a restaurant near the hotel (meal was OK, but nothing to write home about, so that's all I am going to say here!). After walking around my neighborhood for a short while (I noticed that there were a couple blocks where almost every store was shoes or other leather goods; interesting how similar business like to cluster together here), we took a taxi to Hengshan Road, which is called a "bar street" because there are lots of them here. The street is tree lined, the sidewalk wide, and the bars numerous and varied.

As we walked past an open entrance with Arab music pouring out into the street, the lady attendant at the door invited us to come in a see the belly-dancing show. Huh? Belly-dancing in China? This I''ve got to see! So we are lead upstairs to the "Thousand and One Nights Restaurant", where a handful of customers are watching the performance of the Chinese belly-dancer dressed in a pretty blue costume. Her movements seemed pretty good, but her slim and lithe body was much different than the more ample and soft bodies of belly-dancers from Arabic countries. Later a second belly-dancer performed, this one in a green costume. She was also Chinese, but she had a better (softer) body for it! At any rate, it was an interesting way to spend some time. We took the taxi back towards my hotel, but got out a few blocks away so as to walk thru the Maoming Road bar district. This is a more seedy area, the bars rather basic and loud, with mostly younger people. N explains there are many "chickens" here (working women). They are from the "countryside", where life is very difficult. The bar patrons are mostly young men, both western and Chinese. As we are walking north towards the hotel my heart is broken when I see young women with babies sleeping on the sidewalk. I guess these women are not pretty enough to be "chickens", or choose not to do that, and are left with few choices. What do they do during the day? Life must be very bad back wherever home is for this to be better. I also note that these women apparently feel safe enough to sleep on a city sidewalk. This would never happen in the USA. N explains that Shanghai is a very safe city, and that she can walk on any street at any time without fear. When we get back to the hotel I help N into a taxi for her ride home, and I call it a night. It takes me quite awhile to fall asleep. I can't get the image of the women and babies out of my mind.

I will post some photos here.

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