I want to ride my bicycle

  Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Thursday, August 28, 2008

Gavin's new apartment is a stones throw from Xintiandi, which is a popular bar and restaurant area.  I once heard it called the Lan Kwai Fong of Shanghai and though it falls a bit short of that lofty comparison it is pretty handy to have on your doorstep, especially the starbucks that I have popped into the write this piece.  I know, I know, major cliché.

The week has flown by and has been excellent so far.  I feel a tiny bit guilty that Gavin has to go to work each day, but only a tiny bit.  We have been going to the gym most days and last I checked I had lost a pound a day since getting here...long may that continue!

The first couple of days I was here I explored the surrounding areas on foot.  The Bund is a key draw, and the skyline along the river has changed much since I was first here six years ago.   Nanjing Donglu is a long pedestrianised shopping area.  It has all the global brands, plus a few popular local ones, so avid shoppers can get their day-long fix here.  The one frustrating thing was the number of twenty-something men sidling up to me asking if I wanted a cheap watch or other such knocked off items.  This is fine now and then, as I am very obviously not from round here (and if there was any residual doubt I was carrying quite a large camera!) but I must have been approached 15 times along the length of the street.   

Not far from Nanjing Donglu or the Bund is the "old town" area.  This is clearly changing as there were large parts of it bordered off with apartment development going on behind the boards, but there are still many small streets that can be found which are simply stunning.  I found myself wandering around with a big grin on my face as I checked out the small shops that lined the streets, all of which were a far cry from the neon light clad monoliths in the main areas.

Shanghai street

I was keeping half an eye out for a locksmith as I needed to cut a key for Gavin's place.  I still don't think I found one but I did find a guy stood outside and empty garage who seemed to have nothing for sale, and he seemed very happy with that as nobody was bothering him.  He did have what looked like, and turned out to be, a 50 year old key duplicating machine and with a combination of grunting and body signals I managed to get 2 keys cut for a quid!

Having hired my moped in Pattaya I decided I needed similar adventure, but the equivalent here are bicycles and I didn't fancy my chances of finding one for hire.  Gavin mentioned that you could buy them from Carrefour but after failing to get the online store locator working I had pretty much given up.  However, there I was the next day back in old town and I stumbled across another small garage type shop which was full of bikes!  10 minutes and $50 later I was road bound on my one-gear, 1950's style, contraption. 

Tricky street signs

Unbeknownst to me Shanghai has a spectacularly complicated one way system for pushbikes.  Within 15 minutes of buying the bike I almost had two tickets.  I was stopped at a cross roads by one policeman, who signaled me to wait while he ticketed a moped driver who was riding on the pavement.  What can I tell you, the minute he turned his back I, erm, didn't wait!  30 meters down the road a security guard waved to me and pointed down the road; there was another policeman and a great big sign saying no-entry to bikes.  I hopped off and wheeled my bike innocently down the pavement past the copper.  Since then I have kept a very close eye on the signs but this has added at least 20 minutes to each journey as I cannot take a direct route back to Gavin's apartment.  Good job I am flexible with my time these days!

Workmen's sign

I like to take photos and I have this thing for shots of signs, whether it be street signs or any other variety.  You might see these photos crop up from time to time on this blog.  I make no apology for it and have no explanation as to why they interest me, you'll just have to cope with this quirk of mine.

For the fourth time in my life I went to karaoke.  I was dragged there with Gavin and we had dinner with some colleagues on Friday night.  I think he wanted to bring me as cover for his poor singing, and it probably worked as I am tone deaf.  This was the first time that I have been to karaoke sober, and that didn't help at all.  However with some smart song selections we struggled through, and my tips for those none singers out there:

Gavin singing!

1)    Tubthumping by Chumbawumba (it is shouting, not singing)
2)    Ghostbusters (everyone knows the chorus and the verses are mercifully short)

Gavin: golf superstar

With the weekend came golf.  Gavin plays off 4.  I play off about 32 though I am somehow not allowed to take that handicap on the offchance that I have a lucky round and beat him.  This means that on a good day Gavin beats me by a couple shots, and on a bad day he beats me by many.  I'll call him a big cheater here and then never mention it again.  He is a member of Tianma golf club, and they have a decent 27 holes though it is about 45 mins out of town so make sure you allow for that if you are heading there.

On Saturday Gavin had an 8am tee off time, and I was playing at 2pm.  I went along with him and occupied myself with the gym and with my first ever golf lesson.  Ian Watkins is the golf pro at the club and he gave me just a couple of small tips which worked wonders for my game.  Don't get me wrong I was still rubbish, but I haven't played for over a year and I scored 105.  This is quite respectable for me as I have only beaten 100 about ten times before.

Olympic medal table

Of course the Beijing Olympics have been progressing while I have been here and a very successful campaign for the GB team came to an end on Sunday with a good closing ceremony.  All countries were eclipsed by the Chinese and fair play to them, although I can't help wondering about how they trained their weightlifters, who all seemed to start their lifts only once their competition had finished!

Some highlights for me:
-    The Chinese reaction to Li Xiang pulling out of the 110 metre hurdles...crying in offices!!!
-    Surprise gold from Rebecca Adlington in the swimming, how close was that finish!
-    Usain Bolt not even trying in the 100 metres final
-    The GB cycling team, though I need them to release a DVD as I didn't see all the medal performances
-    The massive cheer that David Beckham got when he appeared in the closing ceremony.  We were in a bar, and the local girls went crazy!


Recommended bar: Big Bamboo
Recommended restaurant:  Di Shui Dong
Recommended for shopping: Nanjing Donglu
Recommended for nightlife: Xintiandi