06.18.02

Happy Birthday to Dai-Lo!
Wishing you a super birthday!

China Trip-Day 9

Today was another quiet day. I didn't sleep well because Ashlyn kept coughing, tossing, and turning all night. I missed breakfast, and housekeeping kept ringing our doorbell. Which is a lot better than housekeeping back in the States...where they knock once, then enter your room.
I got up and Ashlyn and I went out to the same "Welcome to Shanghai" sign. There are a few different routes you can take to get there, and each day I take a different route. We sat there for a while, just watching people. I saw a cab pull over abruptly, a mom jump out with her toddler....she stood him up against a tree, he pee-ed, then they hopped back into the cab, and speed off. Hmmm...that was interesting. Another thing I noticed while being here is that people don't put diapers on their babies. Their babies sport pants with a slit up the middle, so that when they squat, the pants open up. I was so curious that I had to ask about it. I asked one mother if her 10 month old son was potty-trained already. She said "no", but when she thinks it's time, she'll make him go to the bathroom. That's dandy and all, but what happens if he thinks it's time?! =/

Other observations I made are: panty lines run rampant here, girls hold hands with their girlfriends/classmates a lot, hosiery are very popular...but not in a way that's attractive. They sell open-toed panty hose. Let me say that again...open-toed panty hose. WHAT'S THE POINT?! The women love to wear calf-length stockings. Not knee highs or thigh highs, but calf highs....and they usually pair it up with sandals and mini skirt or shorts. Double faux pas. Everyone is stick-skinny. Everyone litter's like a mad...but Shanghai manages to keep their streets very clean. Also I noticed that everything is landscaped. Beautiful lawns, trees, and flowers everywhere. In the middle of a busy street, along the freeways, etc. Very impressed.

Ashlyn and I got back to the hotel a little afternoon. I picked up a cup of instant noodles at a market. We have a nifty water heater/sterilizer in our room. *voila!*...lunch is served! =D Oh, can I just tell you how bad Shanghai tap water is? It's notoriously bad. They even give you bottle water to gargle with after you brush your teeth. But with the water heater, you're able to drink the water. Unfortunately, the water heater doesn't change the smell of the water. The water doesn't stink, but it does have a certain smell to it. Hard to describe, but water shouldn't even have a smell!
I ate my instant noodles, played with Ashlyn before she took a nap, and I watched HBO and Channel [V] again.

After Aric got back from work, we decided to hit up the street market again for some last minute items. The street markets on stay open until 8pm or so....so that allowed us a little over an hour to shop. Aric and I discovered that closing time is the best time to shop. It's not crowded at all, and vendors are more willing to sell you items at the price you quote. Kickass!

Aric and I picked up Pizza Hut on the way back. Yeah yeah...why are we eating stuff we can get at home? It's because we can order the stuff. Going to a restaurant by ourselves and ordering would be hard. Besides, we don't know where to go.

The days seem to be passing more quickly now.

Pictures from today:

Ashlyn playing

Aric and Ashlyn at the street markets

Ashlyn's pics of the day