Slept in. It was nice. I slept till 9am. My mom called me on my cell phone. She was choppy in her voice and reminded me how I’ve gone over board about prolonging my trip and refusing to go home when I have run out of money long ago. Her voice and energy was like needles and tooth picks stabbing my ear drums. It’s amazing how one can do that even over the phone across the distance of a big Pacific ocean. I realized my mom has a habit of making promises and is unable to deliver them and then goes into great distress. She kept telling to not buy anything for her but if I was to that I should buy clothes one size smaller and this and that. Moms can be very funny at times.
I discovered that “Gong De Lin” vegetarian restaurant is only around the corner from the hostel. They have lunch specials and they have wontons, Shanghai style with big stuffed pockets. A big soup bowl full of 11 wontons was 11 yuan. I felt so happy like I was in heaven. I learned that they sell out by 11:30am and I must get in to order it between 10:30 and 11:30am. The lunch special noodles were Hong Kong style. It was yellow ramen in soup with two bowls of vegetables and tofu goodies. You are suppose to dump the two condiment bowls into your noodle soup and eat it like that. I think I will just eat the wontons everyday because I cannot access Shanghai style vegetarian wontons back home.
Two Shanghai ladies sat across from me when sharing a table together. I shared my dish with them. The mom was nice and said she was a Buddhist and showed me her recitation beads. Her daughter lives in Paris and has returned to give birth to her baby girl here due on the 16th. They both commented on how I looked like a student not 32 years old. How amazing it has been that I traveled all over China myself. They asked if I would publish a book and is curious to see the photos I have taken. They also offered to translate it into Chinese for me.
We had a long conversation about how in Shanghai I would not have survived this long being single. It would not be approved by all the friends and relatives and it would not be the single life that would kill me but the chatter from the public that would. That I would just die drowning in the sea of chatter about reasons why I am not married. That I must have problems, deficiencies etc.. That woman at age 40 is liken to rotten tofu and men at age 40 is like a flower. That people see men single at that age as someone who has aspiration and has concentrated on a career and is to be admired for such focused pursuits. It was fun talking to them. The mom to be said,”If only had I met you a few years ago, I wouldn’t be pregnant now and married. It would be good to be like you with a backpack on and going all over the place.” Both women were nice and we chatted till the place closed at 2:30pm.
I decided to tackle shopping today after another cup of freshly squeezed juice. I walked far and liked it. Having enjoyed hiking 8-10 hours at a time on mountains etc.. for a month and a half in China, my legs looked forward to continuing of such workout even in the city by walking everywhere instead of taking the metro, cab, and bus. I went to the wholesale distribution section of the town by the Garden Square. I walked and shopped until my legs were tired and my mind could no longer concentrate. Then I headed back for the hostel to call it a day. I stopped by the juice shop and had a cup of fresh melon juice at the Garden Square. Then by the time I made it back to “Bu Xing Jie” Pedestrian Street, I stopped by the juice shop and ordered another cup of fresh juice this time black plums with pear. I attempted to locate Jujubee Tree Restaurant but it was another half an hour away and I was not interested in walking another hour round trip so I stopped at “GongDeLin” again and stayed there till closing 9:30pm.
At the hostel I hung out at the internet area. I met a guy from Hangzhou studying French and art. He studies art in Hangzhou at the academy and is studying French in Shanghai. He dreams of going to Paris to further his study in oil painting. Met another man from Europe who teaches art history and is trying to get a job in Shanghai at a private school for 10 hours per week at 20,000 yuan a month plus housing and allowances etc… That’s good money I’d say.
I hung out till 3:24am and was still well caffeinated. But I decided to turn in to rest so I would be able to be up and running in a few hours instead of sleeping through a possible beautiful day for more walking and exploration. I turned on the heater in the room because I was the only one who knew how to use the remote control. I can’t believe everyone else slept in the room in the cold.
