7

I had to go yesterday because I got an email from my sister Kim that i needed to call her on her cell phone. She and my mom and Kasey and Kelly and Miyo and Ben were waiting up for me to call them back. It turns out that my brother was in a terrible car accident and on a breathing tube and sedated in the hospital. He is doing better today thankfully but I was so sick to get that news. I cried for about two hours last night when I found out, and couldn't fall asleep. It seems a little strange to follow that up with how FUN a day I had today, but that's the kinda girl I am. (Reminds me of the time I went to the Dauchau concentration camp and then straight to Octoberfest in the same day.) Today I woke up at around 6am, met the group (Cherie and Eric, Vicki and Aaron...two couples from L.A. in their 50's who I and Kellie and Rich have been hanging out with) for breakfast. They continued on to Suzhou for an optional tour today. I had planned on going to the Bund to watch the morning Tai Chi exercises but ended up talking to Sheryl and Doug, a couple from Texas who are retired and travel SO much. Two years ago, they took 12 trips, last year 10 trips and this year 5, including China, Eastern Europe and Australia. Two trips to Alaska for the Iditerod and fishing also. They were fun. So I missed the Tai Chi, but had coffee with them and that was fun. After that Kellie and Rich came down for breakfast and then we went back up to our rooms to get ready for the day (I left the door hanging open to the shower and flooded the bathroom) and then out on the town. The first thing we did was walk along the Bund (a river, we're staying right on it.) I got to fly a kite! There was this guy flying his kite and he let me fly it for a little while. It was so fun, and heavy I thought it would take me away with it. I didn't have to pay, which was a shocker because you gotta pay everybody for everything around this town. Then we took a "sight-seeing trip" under the Bund to get to the JingMao tower, the fourth tallest building in the world. I put "sight seeing" in quotes because it was so cheesy! The first part was futuristic and flashy lights through a tunnel with computer noises from the 80s. Then you go to an "aquarium" where they have formedlahide jars with gross fish in them, and then a sex exhibition with naughty sculptures. I couldn't believe it, but I have the pictures to prove it. So weird, and so open to the public. The JingMao tower has 88 floors, in China 8 means money, wealth, so it's a wealth wealth building. Lucky Number. You have to say that in the accent of our tour guide. Anyways, we went to the 88th floor and looked out. It was so cool. But the absolute coolest part - the WINDOW WASHERS STARTED WASHING THE WINDOWS WHILE WE WERE UP THERE. I took pictures of these guys, washing the windows. I couldn't believe it. It made me sick to my stomach to watch these guys wash the windows so high up. They started out in one of those cart things, and then jumped out onto the ledge, and tied themselves to a rope to do the lower windows on the 88th floor. So then they had to tie ropes to tie themselves to, and briefly they were not tied off at all. The ledge was wet from washing the window, even now as I type it I feel like I'm going to fall off my chair, that vertigo feeling in your stomach. In this photo you can see the tower on the left, and then in the next photo you can see how much higher the JingMao tower is, because the tower on the left is LOWER than JingMao: And here are the crazy window washers:


After that we went to the subway and got out a few stops down and were walking along when we met these four college students from QingDon and they were practicing their English on us and we ended up going to a tea ceremony with them! It was really cool. We got to try different teas and it was just such a fun time. Along the street there are tons of people trying to sell you something, and it does not come naturally for me to be rude to these people. But today, there were people that squirted shoe shine cream right onto Rich's shoe and wanted to shine his shoes. I thought that was just so rude. So because he didn't want his shoes shined, now he had this cream on them, and nothing to wipe it off with. After a while you just look at the poor person and yell no right in their face. I hate having to be like that, but they touch you, they follow you and they don't take no for an answer. Yesterday I saw a little girl with a burned-off face and she was so rude. So you feel sorry, but you also feel mad at them. Hard to explain. I just want to be left alone. Even if you go in a store, somebody stands in your personal space and names all the things in the store for you. "T-shirt, Purse, Shoe" It's very claustrophobic for me to have people in my space. I saw a little girl put a little tripod in her mouth and bend her legs backward around and so she was hanging by her mouth with her feet by her ears and she spinned around on the tripod. I have to show you the video or you wont get what I mean. Her entire weight was on her mouth. Also I have video of the window washers. I think that's enough for now. I will write again. I have one more day in Shanghai and then It's a day of travelling. I think when I get home I'll go up to Duluth to see my brother so I will be Merle Haggard by the time I have to be back to work on Monday. Take it easy on me girls. LOVE - Kady Shanghai Surprise