Bob and Ann in Elder Hostel China Odyssey 2004

Sam and Ann at Shanghai Buddha Temple


Lily and Ann at Bi's Apartment


David Preparing Dinner


Sam, Lily, David, Ann and Bob at Bi's Apartment

We said good-bye to Linda and Jon after breakfast as we had planned a full day in Shanghai. We walked along Nanjing Blvd. past fancy shopping and the Exhibition Hall, formerly the Russian Church and compound. A Chinese man strolling beside us asked if we were on holiday and we ended up walking all the way to the Museum area with him chattering about the growth in Shanghai. He is an artist from Beijing here for an exhibit of his work. His expression of his appreciation for the differences between Beijing history and Shanghai commerce, industry and glitz was edifying.

When we walked in the door of the Hotel at 11:35, there was Sam Darling looking great and so well adjusted to his China experience. It was such a treat to talk to him. After we walked to Tony Roma’s for lunch, hamburgers for the guys and Thai chicken salad for Ann, thanks to Sam’s Chinese, we found our way into the Jing An Buddhist Temple. We had been anticipating exploring this landmark so near our hotel, but found it a large, unfinished concrete structure with not a shred of charm or mystery after the magnificent, ancient buildings we had visited throughout China.

When we got back to the Equatorial, whose Chinese characters Sam translated as: big expensive state hotel, Bob called David Bi who arranged to pick up the 3 of us in his new car to drive us back to his apartment in Shanghai for a home-cooked Chinese meal. We had a speedy ride to Bi’s apartment.

Lily is very sweet and looks about 15, but is probably closer to 30, David’s age. It was fascinating to see inside a Chinese couple’s apartment after we had seen so many new buildings rising throughout China and learned about the gradual relocation of the Chinese people from their old, traditional housing to new, personalized and more spacious units. New building units are shells which the new owner must have plumbed, wired, painted and fixtures installed as well as furniture. In Bi’s case David said he spent at least 100,000 yuan just on the basics before they began furnishing. They have two bedrooms, a small bath, kitchen, and living-dining area with a small balcony overlooking the local high school campus.

We were treated to demonstrations of some of David’s toys: ipod, games, stereo and computer equipment. While they prepared dinner we looked through their photo albums including a stunning wedding album. They had been married a little over a year but have been together for much longer. A charming couple, also good cooks, though Sam and Ann had some kind of reaction to our big Western lunch and could not eat much. Bis prepared a meat and egg dish, a chicken and veggie dish, broad beans, egg and squash, a whole fish and soup.

David drove us home after dropping Sam off at the train station for his trip back to Changzhou followed by a weeks trip to Beijing during the May day holiday. We packed and prepared for tomorrows trip home.

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