May 22, 2008 - Written by Amy Thran - "Everyting is gonna be all right"
The morning buzz during breakfast consisted of the many adventures different groups took the night before. Details included an elaborate Shanghainese club using a secret code for entry, a less exclusive more familiar evening in the trendy French Concession area and yet another group shared hilarious stories of a morning workout session in the park with the locals. With the conclusion of breakfast we pile, yet again, into our trusty Mercedes coach (not sure why it is a coach and not a bus, but Lily seemed to make a clear distinction) for a trip across town to visit the port.
Peering out of the coach window has become one of my favorite past times. Just when I think I've seen it all, a bike passes with a gentleman smoking a cigarette, talking on his cell phone, all while hauling a load of caged birds on the bed of his bike. Meanwhile in the lane on the other side of the coach there is anything from a Yugo knock off (who would want to knock off a Yugo???) to a pimped out 7 series flying by, at what seems to be unregulated speeds. As I continue to be mesmerized we arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Container Terminals Limited for our final business visit.
The port really culminated the business visits for me. The magnitude of production occurring in China didn't hit home until I saw the acres and acres of containers. Five vessels and 8,000 containers sent out to sea each day, not to mention the 1,000's being imported. A quote from the May issue of the National Geographic "A fifth of the nation's exports- up 500% in real value since 1992 pass through the portals of Shanghai," really puts it all into perspective. The entire trip I had been mulling over and questioning the idea of China surpassing the US as the world's largest economy but now I can see it is a reality.
An afternoon of "free time" led to many different adventures. Wrapping up some last minute shopping and soaking up our final few hours in Shanghai. Meghan, Jeff and myself headed out to find the Yuyuan Garden, a refreshingly ornate area displaying typical ancient Chinese architecture. Of course we had to do a bit of shopping ourselves and once again I was reminded of China's goals, at the bottom of my pink shopping bag the words "changing, changing, changing." I can't imagine what this place will look like in 5, 10, 20 years. Will anything of our trip be familiar upon our return? Our boat ride and farewell dinner were a superb ending to such an eye opening experience. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to travel with each of you. As I close my last day in Shanghai, writing with my "best quality" Montblanc pen, to quote the infamous final words of Sweet and Charity, "Tank you, Tank you for coming." Little did I know the next day would start with a cheerful greeting of "Welcome to Moes!!!!"
Disclaimer: There may be inside jokes that not everyone finds humor. If something isn't funny to you, I apologize. As the old saying goes, "You had to be there."
Clint Hill Working Out with Locals by Kim May
Shanghai Port by Amy Thran
Farewell Boat Ride by Ashley Ellis
Phoenix, Lily and Jennifer on the Farewell Boat Ride by Ron Stinson
