Disco ayis

Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to write today because of other commitments, so I have post another short, whimsical blog entry.  As I walked to work today in Shanghai, I passed by a gaggle of upscale fine goods stores, including Gucci, Burberry, and Cartier, on my right.  On my left, across the street near a small park, I saw a gaggle of ayis (an Anglicized version of "ayi," which means "aunt," an endearing reference to an older lady) dancing disco.  Yes, disco.  On previous days I saw elderly Chinese–men and women–doing taijiquan, an ancient Chinese exercise akin to martial arts.  Disco has apparently become a hipper and more popular alternative to the ancient art of taijiquan, better known as taichi.  Whereas taijiquan is slow, methodical, and fluid, disco is fast, upbeat, and heart pumping, even grinding.  Indeed, the elderly are changing in Chinese society, just as the youths are changing.

O Sunscreen, Where Art Thou?

Dear Reader, we returned to Shanghai early this morning.  When I told colleagues we had spent the weekend in Xi’an, they were aghast.  A visit to Xi’an usually lasts three-to-four days, not a short weekend.  We had a fabulous time there.  Our trip within a trip ended without any major incidents, although our schedule was somewhat compact.  I will write more about our Xi’an trip soon, because unfortunately I have very little time to blog today.

This trip reminded me of something that happens without fail during travel–packing the right items is a very challenging endeavor.  Have you ever traveled and left behind something important?  Have you ever lugged around something that you thought you needed and didn’t need after all?  We thought the weather in Xi’an would be cool, so I packed a sweatshirt.  It’s April, and central China can be cold in the springtime.  My sweatshirt ended up sitting in the suitcase during the entire trip, unused, taking up valuable space.  I should have left it behind!  On the other hand, I forgot my sunglasses and sunscreen.  I didn’t bring either item with me from Seoul, and both would have come in handy.  The weather was spectacular, and on Sunday when we visited the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his army of terra cotta, my skin turned from suntanned to sunburned.  Fortunately, the burn isn’t bad, and in a day or so it will fade into a nice suntan.  In the meantime, I will wear my sunburn as a trophy from Xi’an until it disappears.  If I had left my sweatshirt behind and replaced it with sunscreen and sunglasses, I would have had more room in my luggage.  You just never know what you’ll need when you travel.

Off to Xi’an

I only have a few minutes today to tell you that I’ll be offline until next week.  We will be traveling to Xi’an, China, home to the famous terra cotta warriors, for a short two-day weekend trip.  While weekend trips in Korea feel like brief outings, our trip to Xi’an–about two hours away by plane from Shanghai–feels like a major undertaking.  I hope to have stories to share when I return.  I should be back online on Monday.

Last night my wife’s sister, her husband, my wife, son, and I went for Thai food at Banana Leaf, a trendy Shanghai restaurant.  The restaurant is very popular.  The food tasted undeniably like Chinese-style Thai food–save the peanut sauce.  I was appalled to discover that the restaurant could not serve Pad Thai because they ran out of key ingredients.  What?  You’ve got to be kidding.  A Thai restaurant isn’t Thai without Pad Thai, the national dish of Thailand.  We settled for Pad Siew instead.  I think my Chinese family members enjoyed the meal more than I did.  Afterwards, my brother-in-law and I went for a massage.  Not surprisingly, I am really sore today.  It’s been said that the best massages are the painful ones.  However, I think this one was a bit too painful.  My back is feeling the dull pain today.  It was more expensive than I thought it would be.  Oh well, I guess reality never lives up to your expectations.

Have a great weekend.  I’ll be back on Monday.