Out and About

It's a brand new day...praise God. Our bodies are now speaking the language. There are aches in places we didn't know existed. It's alright.

Valent arrives to take us shopping. We need pots, pans, dishes...things for the house. We are meeting Brannen, Sarah and Miles. Another taxi ride...oh Lord! We made our way to Century Mart. Whoa! Do we buy from outside or inside? Every kind of vendor in the world was posted outside and wanted our attention. What shall we do? We head inside and there's more! Rows of booths, as opposed to individual set-ups outside, lined the walls. Shopping carts awaited us so we knew there was much more to behold. Yep! A three-story shopping center. House goods, groceries, and more. Is this the Shanghai Wal-Mart? LOL...

We shop til we drop. I HAD to have my coffee pot. Four different women tried their damnest to convince me of the better brand and buy. Oh...I HAD to have my iron as well. Same show. Different item. Oh boy! Where ARE we? All of our shopping carts were full and we were overwhelmed. Miles didn't hesitate to inform us of his plight. This was a bit much...and we agreed. Let's get outta here for God's sake!!

We return home to find that our place had been freshened up, per se. I noticed our clothes hanging OUTSIDE our living room window and knew we were REALLY in China. EVERYBODY had clothes hanging...panties included. WOW! So this is how they do it. No dryers. Just hang your stuff out to be dried by the natural air, why don't cha! AND...we have a maid to do it! Dwayne pleaded with me to allow this person to come in and do her job. Ya'll know how I am...I have to have things a certain way, right? Oh well...I'd try. I promised him.

We made plans for dinner. Of course, we needed a nap before making another move. We take our first walk...about 20 minutes...to Xintiandi (shin-tan-dee) Plaza. That's the place where the club is located. It's an upscale tourist attraction with a mall and restaurants. From Hugo Boss to Starbucks...this is ONE of the many places where foreigners gather. We find ourselves at a quaint little place where the menu offered variety...yay! The food wasn't grand...but it worked. The atmosphere was much more captivating and the passers-by were of all walks of life. Miles was still capturing the hearts of females. We took a stroll to the club, which was undergoing the finishing touches. From what we observed, Brown Sugar would be happening!! The evening proved to be successful.

We had gotten a DVD player while shopping and could not return home without movies. Of course, we find a little shop not five minutes from our place, as we walked back home, that has 'black market' DVDs. What could we say? We find several goodies...some old and some new...but none the less cheap...we were set.

Our next day took us back to Xintiandi. Dwayne had a meeting to attend and we chose to have a lunch date beforehand. This time we stopped by a German cafe. Nice. The fare was really good. Sitting outside, as we had done last night, was the prime choice. Checking out the scenery was an adventure in itself. The meeting was held at The Coffee Bean and Tea House which was right across from where we were. Here's a custom these folk take seriously...lattes and tea...morning, noon and night. There was hardly a place to sit...inside or out. It's compatible to Starbucks, but we were told that they do MUCH better business. No need for explanation...it was obvious. The 'meeting' turned out to be an interview with a local magazine. Here we met the other band members and more Brown Sugar staff. Dwayne spoke well. You'd be proud of him...as I was. After all was said and done, we were hungry again! We make plans for another dinner together later with our guides.

We all meet at a wonderful Chinese restaurant and are greeted with smiles. Our guides are giving instructions in the language that we are still trying to grasp and our table has at least four different people scurrying to meet our needs. Food galore. Things are brought to the table that look and smell delicious...but we haven't a clue what they are. Hell, we dig in anyway. Spicy, sizzling, crispy...you name it. Dwayne...Mr. Meat and Potatoes Man...tried tofu for the first time in his life! He was tickled and so were we. The eel was to live for! These folks also take dining seriously. Food magically appeared. We must have had a ten course meal. This was the best Chinese food we had ever tasted. Austin, Texas...take a seat. THIS is the real deal. We were treated like royalty and it felt great! After dessert and hot tea, we called it a day...and THAT...it was.

Our first Saturday was laid back. We needed to be still and take this all in. We stayed in our pajamas and enjoyed our movies. We found out that McDonald's was open 24-hours AND delivered. We took advantage of that...and to our surprise, it was really good. We decided that we would venture out alone on Sunday for groceries. The trip to Century Mart on Thursday was totally for the house. We needed to have a few staples...and Dwayne was craving my cooking...go figure. LOL...

Again, shopping was the adventure of the month. How do you shop for food in a place where everything is written in Chinese and not a soul speaks English? This was a true test. Dwayne and I managed to keep our composure and learned that sign language was a key component. If we could describe with our hands what we were looking for, it wasn't too bad. Of course, everyone was eager to help and being with a blind man was a plus. We got EXTRA help. LOL...

We finished our shopping without incident...hailed our own taxi...and made it back home safely. Whew! We figured...the best was yet to come.