January 17, 2006
Shanghai, China
Last night, my colleagues here in Shanghai took me to dinner. They said it was the most famous restaurant in Shanghai. The dinner was composed of so many courses and I was able to practice my ‘chopsticks prowess”. The restaurant was located at the Super Brand Mall opposite the famous “TOWER” in Shanghai.
It was freezing when we went out from the restaurant. I have not experienced this kind of weather in the Philippines not even when we had the strongest typhoon. It was like being inside the refrigerator. I enjoyed wearing winter clothing and pretended that I am really used to having winter in my life.
The Tower is enveloped with so many lights. It was fun looking at it remembering that only more than six months ago, I was also here with Leah and Chern.
Joy and I said our goodbyes to Jacky and Kevin. Joy will help me to get a taxi first then she will take a bus to her apartment.
It was so hard to take a cab because there were so many people around considering that offices have just closed for the day and there are many people shopping because of the forthcoming Chinese New year..
Finally, Joy got a taxi for me. Joy spoke to the driver then she told me that everything is okay. The taxi driver will take me to my hotel. I thanked her then immediately board the cab.
I was enjoying all the sceneries before me. It was getting late and I was mesmerized by so many beautiful lights in the city. Then I saw the Renaissance Hotel. I noticed its big, revolving door and I remember how I disliked it this morning because it somehow made me dizzy. I also noticed that Renaissance is fronting a fly over I didn’t see it before.
I paid the taxi driver then proceeded inside the hotel lobby. It was a weird feeling because it looked like the hotel layout is different. Even the furnitures are not the same. How come the dining room is very near the hotel entrance when I remember that it was located in the inner portion. How come I don’t see the big staircase? How come the reception table is not the same? How come they are now giving free candies instead of lollipops that I liked? The place is very similar yet different. It seems that I am in another world. I thought they tried to remodel the lobby because of the Chinese New Year. But how could the layout changed so much in a span of few hours?
I even had a hard time locating the elevator. I knew it was just near the reception but how come I had to walk a bit more???
I took the elevator up to the 10th floor. I looked for my room number, it is room 1014. How come my room is not in the dead end this time? How come my door bell is on the left side when I am very sure that it was on the right? How come my key is not working? Hmnn… maybe I got my room number wrong. Maybe I should try 1004. My key did not work also??? Wonder of all wonders… What is happening to me??? I feel like I am “enchanted” How could these strange things happen all at the same time??? I really tried hard to open the door…tried several times until the door knob flashed red…Ooops..I have to stop…I know that the security will be alarmed if I continue trying…. Finally..I decided that I would ask the receptionists for a new key. Maybe my access is not working.. I took again the elevator to the lobby…I noticed that their faces are not familiar….Could be another shift….that’s why I am seeing different people….. for some reasons, I did not feel like requesting for a new key yet….I went out and tried to inhale several times. Enjoying the ‘smoke like’ thing when I open my mouth….I tried to relax and think why these things are happening….I tried to rationalize….then I noticed the flower pots in the hotel…I looked at the guard who was assisting the guests if they need to take a taxi…. I asked him..Is this Renaissance Pudong? He answered “Yes, I know the place..I could ask the driver to take you there? What??? I felt cold inside….I tried to gatecrash someone else’s hotel room? What could have happened if somebody, say a man opened the door when I was trying to open it? What could have happened if the security people got me then? Ha, ha, ha….this was an experience that I will forever remember…..Seems that I always get into trouble one way or another when I am in China. (Last year, it was the overpricing taxi man who charged me triple more than the usual)
I took another taxi and I made sure that the lobby guard would explain to the taxi driver that I have to be at Renaissance Pudong …I was feeling differently when the taxi started to move away from Renaissance Puxi…..At least, I can now compare the two hotels….. I arrived in my correct hotel before 10 pm ..
I told Joy my experience the following day when we were having lunch at the cafeteria ….. . .….We were laughing so hard…Tomorrow, I am flying to Chengdu…Not sure what this city has in store for me…..
January 18, 2006
Chengdu, China
It was more than 3 hour trip from Shanghai to Chengdu. Really shows how big China is. The temperature was 7 degrees when I arrived. Chengdu’s skies are gray just like Shanghai’s. I guess it is the overall condition in the whole of China right now. I paid RMB70 from the airport to my hotel. Kempinski hotel has an impressive facade. My room number is 1407 on the 14th floor. The walls leading to the rooms are somewhat drab because of brown colors. My room is very grand. The two beds made me wish that my husband and daughter are with me. I really hate being alone in a hotel room. Anyways, the bathroom has a glass shower room. The shower is somewhat complex. Not the usual showers in other hotels that I have been to. There are four button showers plus the one that is detachable and the big one overhead. The bathtub is really great. The lavatory is made of glass as well. The lights in the bedroom do not really strain the eyes because they are placed strategically.
From my window, I could see a park adorned with so many lights. There are many trees and almost all the people promenading are in black winter suits. I could easily spot some benches, some monkey bars as well as some old men enjoying the cold weather while walking in the park. They reminded me so much of my father…Same body built and height…And I remember that father had also a brown jacket suited for winter. How I wish I could still tell him how my trip to China had been. He’d be laughing hard on my experience in Shanghai the other day and of course he would tell me to be extra careful next time. I am sure that he’d ask me questions to confirm all the things he knew about this country on top of the ones that I would be sharing him. My father seemed to have stored knowledge about everything and he was such a joy to talk to because he had a sense of humor as well.
In the past, whenever he learned that I would be going out of the country, he would always tell the people in our neighborhood that his daughter was sent by the company that she is working for to this country and he would be beaming with pride. This is the reason why even I do not have enough money, I would always make it a point to buy him a little something from every country I’d been to.
Ooops, sad thoughts…so depressing…..please leave me…..don’t want to think of such thoughts especially now that I am alone in this beautiful but empty hotel room.
