The Things We Take for Granted

So today marks the end of the 3rd week that I've been on the road and I'm officially comfortable without some of the things that I can't do anything about, and getting more desperate for some things that I didn't realize I would miss the way that I do.  I’ve written some thoughts on what they are.  If you take me too seriously, this may not be very fun for you.  (By the way, all the photos from this blog are taken by me, but if you want to see them all, click on the links found throughout the page to find the motherload.)

The card at my first hotel in Japan

Language.  There's not much I can do about being in a city that barely speaks any English at all.  Kyoto was a trial-by-fire week of English-free travel, and I'm happy to say that it was effectively the same as riding a bike.  I picked everything up as if I'd never taken any time off, except for the occasional scrape and bruise by the end of the week.  China has been a little different.  The English language is slightly more prevalent here (it's kind of like comparing the availability of potable water in different African nations, it might be a small difference, but it means a lot to the ones who can get it).  While I still struggle to find out what I'm going to eat before I eat it (and sometimes afterwards I would have rather not known…pig’s tail anyone?), there are many more places with English-language versions of the menus.  There are also many more expats in Shanghai, depending on where you spend your time.  In Japan, I saw about 12 people who weren't Asian (a lot of those were in the airport).  Admittedly, this has been a skewed experience as the nuclear power plant disaster that happened in Japan recently had a pretty negative effect on tourism (who doesn't want to try Glow-In-The-Dark Sushi?)

My first plate of Sushi in Kyoto

 and I was asked by a few people who spoke some English about why I wasn't too scared to make my trip when they learned that I was on holiday.  I tried making jokes about non-refundable tickets and the evil American God of Flight we call Delta, but it appeared to get lost in translation.  Anyways, the relatively high level of expats in Shanghai is a love/hate thing for me.  It means that locals have to cater to the English-speaking crowd at least a little bit if they want to get access to some of their buying power, but it also means that some areas (The French Concession for example) are effectively the same as Chicago mixed with Berlin mixed with Paris, which results in a vastly watered-down version of these three places all at once.  The nice part is that you can hide from the Euro/US influence if you want to, and you can escape it altogether if you take a 40-minute train ride out of the city, or go to places where you are always wondering at which point you are going to be stabbed.

My Car.  In Japan, I was able to wander the city of Kyoto, which is set up like a grid (basically) and find my way around, even if I just had to hoof it all the way (I now have the calves of a Greek God).  Shanghai has been a little different, because the city is dramatically larger, and walking to/from your destination is a pipe dream at best for most of your daily plans.  Taxis will work, but the prices add up over 6 weeks, and the cab drivers don't understand the destination you are asking for, even if you think you are pronouncing it the right way (“I would like to go to Ber-gher Key-ng”).  So you better have it written down by one of the locals, or you better have comfortable shoes.  

The subway/train system here is actually pretty fantastic.  It's easier to learn than the system they use in Thailand, and it's probably quite a bit more user-friendly to foreigners than if you are in Manhattan.  That said, by foreigners, I of course am just referring to people in China who speak English...all the rest of you have been determined to be of less value...sorry.  The subway cars are clean, air conditioned, inexpensive, and the announcers does a poor, but usable English translation which is helpful when you're first learning the destination routes.  The system also covers a significant amount of the city, and even connects you to nearby cities via the high-speed rail that some Americans are dead set against building in our own country (try it one time guys...it's a little bit on the awesome side).  The cabs here are just as available as they are in other countries (Japan, Thailand, Bahamas, most of the US, Puerto Rico) and far more so than a few other places (Costa Rica, PITTSBURGH!!) and they are in far better shape than in almost all of those places (except for Japan, where the taxis are an perfect in every way possible).  With all that said about the public transportation, I miss my car a lot on occasion, and don't even notice that it's gone on others.  The availability of public transportation right outside my apartment is great (except that the elevated train runs right below my window, which is exactly as great for my sleeping patterns as you think it's going to be), but it does you no good when you want to explore randomly, or when you need to buy a lot of groceries (ie: Coca-Cola and beer) and then have to lug it home in your backpack or with plastic bags.  It also sucks when your evening goes beyond 11pm, because the subways close, and the fares for the taxis goes up at the same time (who says China isn't a capitalist society?).  

Part of a great meal in Xintiandi, China

Food.  I miss food from home.  There's no way around it.  When you leave home for an extended period of time, the things you look to in order to feel connected will inevitably become: food, your native language, and conversation with loved ones (God bless Skype).  I miss my wife's meals on a tray in front of the television, and having wine, cheese, crackers, and prosciutto with her on the porch.  I miss the carry-out Thai and/or Chinese (ironic) that we have at home when we’re both too tired to make anything.  I miss the recipe I stole from Hartsy that I make for everyone so I can act like I really know how to cook.  I miss Skyline Chili since my coworker here was evil enough to remind me that I can't buy it for a while. I miss Taco Bell (there, I said it), and I miss the entirety of Mexican Food as it has been interpreted by the American  people of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan area (I’ve spent exactly $46 dollars on two bags of Spicy Nacho Doritos, two bags of Tostitos, and one jar of salsa since I’ve been here…totally worth it).

A Guilty Pleasure

A Tofu pyramid during
a fantastic meal.

With that said, I've had some fantastic meals here in China, and a couple in Japan, that help to improve the overall experience.  I know that years from now, I'll be able to look back at some of the food I've had (and have yet to eat still) and it will serve as a nice reminder of the time that I've spent in Asia, like the way that Dave Matthews songs remind me of undergrad, while the less-than-lovely food will have faded from my memories, kind of like The Backstreet Boys.

The Internet.  This one really sucks.  I never cared very much about Facebook, Youtube has always been a distraction for a moment or two, my blog needs to be dusted off far too often (sorry guys), and if I were the type of person to indulge in adult-oriented websites, I would be in a very bad mood in China.  As it stands, all the things I've just mentioned are considered to be no-no's in this vast land and are subsequently blocked by the Great (Fire)wall of China.  

My first night in Shanghai's
Financial District

You have no idea how frustrating it is to have a new camera, to try very hard to get some decent shots of a lot of things you do or see during your day, so that everyone can feel more of your experience for themselves, even if only a little, and then to be unable to upload them to the places where you had planned to share the fruits of your effort.  My Picasa Photo Album (a service I love) is blocked.  Uploading photos to Facebook is blocked (as well as Facebook itself).  Uploading videos to Youtube is blocked.  I feel that I am an expressive person, and that my ability to share my life with the world is very important...at least I feel that way when I suddenly find out that I am no longer able to do so...otherwise I'm fine.

  I have come to learn that there are services that you can use which will set up a proxy server connection for you that effectively make your computer act as if it were located in the US, which then precludes the Chinese overlords from affecting your online experience.  

If I were the type of person to use this kind of service, then you might find a recent uploading of my photos in the past two days which you can look at by clicking on the photos to the right of this page, or a few other places...I'm just saying.  The one thing that can't be fixed by the use of VPN's, proxy services, or any level of money that I'm now willing to throw at the problem, is the speed of the internet here in Shanghai.  

A view of The Bund on a beautiful weeknight

It's unbelievable how slow it is.  Last night I tried to watch my Slingbox so I could catch up on recent episodes of Breaking Bad (awesome) and Modern Family (other great superlative), and I was never able to achieve streaming speeds above 105kbps.  Most of the time I was unable to break the Herculean level of 85k, which meant that my ability to maximize my TV-viewing experience was all but non-existent.  They should really install a net around my building, if I get angry enough, I may jump out my open window, as has become the custom in some parts of the country when you are faced with such frustrations day after day (hmmmm…too much?).