One lesson I learned on this trip is that during times of turmoil it’s best to book flexible plane tickets if your travel plans might have to be changed. When I decided upon a date to go back to Singapore… It was before I learned the government there won’t allow anyone who’s been to mainland China within the past 14 days to enter their country. Well, the date I booked would be day #13…. Ugggh. Fortunately the ticket I bought on Thai Airways was flexible (though not refundable) so I was able to change the flight for free. Phew!

As of this writing there are almost 15,000 confirmed cases of this virus and almost 20,000 suspected cases…things are looking pretty bleak. If you read any information on the internet or are listening to news sources (TV, radio, etc) please double-check what you think you heard from an alternative site. There’s lots of misinformation being spread around.

Still no word if our office will open for business in a week as now planned. There are rumors it might stay closed (as per the government) for another week. It’s a good thing I’m good at and enjoy working remotely!

Things in Suzhou aren’t as bad as other places in China… Perhaps the 750km / 8 hour drive has provided enough of a buffer. I do have friends who are hunkered down in Suzhou. For the most part they’re doing fine, just getting a bit stir crazy, as one could imagine.

The Suzhou government has ordered factories and offices to be closed until Feb 10. With more cases of the virus being reported, the germs are still being passed person to person. My guess is that the government will encourage people to work remotely if possible for a few more weeks.

Food supplies seem to be ok in Suzhou. Restaurants are empty, but open. Face masks and hand sanitizer cannot be found. When I’m done with the pool today or tomorrow I may go hunting for both of those here in Bangkok!

That’s all for now. Except for this: Believe only 10% of what you hear from the various news outlets, especially those that might be named after a furry woodland animal.

Xinghai Square is a great neighborhood, especially if you want to live in the closest resemblance Suzhou Industrial Park has to a downtown area. Though Suzhou isn’t nearly as big, crowded, or expensive as Shanghai, Shenzhen, or Beijing, living downtown does continue to provide a subtle stress upon a person as there’s less chance to unwind and detach from daily life. While that’s a downside, the fact you’re in the middle of all the happenings and actions is fantastic!

Fast forward in time: About a month ago I gave in and rented a new apartment, one that is on the opposite side of Jinji Hu and Dushu Hu lakes, one that is much closer to work (a measly 15 minutes walk each way), and in a location that feels like living in the suburbs (or even exurbs if you consider Suzhou to be a suburb of Shanghai… Which it kind of is). The apartment is just as nice as the old one with a bit of a nicer view (I look over some apartment buildings, a shopping center, and can see a portion of Dushu Hu and what I think is part of the Grand Canal in the disyance! At least there are shipping barges going up and down it quite often…). While I no longer have a large kitchen and extra bedroom for visitors, there is still plenty of room for two guests to crash with me if needed. (And if that doesn’t work out, three hotels are across the street!)

After living in the new location for a month I’ve noticed a few changes. I’m no longer stressed or annoyed when I get to the office in the morning (bonus!), I don’t feel bad when I leave the office at 5pm (since I took maybe an hour combined for lunch and my walk to the building and started work at 7am), and I have time again to exercise regularly (double bonus!).

Speaking of exercising, on a recent jog through the park near the new apartment I realized that people in the area seem less… Angry? Normally when I’d encounter people in Xinghai Square or Dongfangzhimen more often than not their conversations would sound angry or upset and be in quite a loud manner. Down in the Yueliangwan area where I now live, people are much more calm, relaxed, and just seem to enjoy life more. Maybe it’s because they’re not being bumped into every few steps by others? Maybe it’s because you’re breathing air not as filled with cigarette smoke (the air pollution has been great the past month thanks to the high temperatures making the factories too hot to run)? Or maybe just being out of the hussle and bustle of downtown city life replete with car horns and traffic takes stress away?

Whatever the reasons are, I’m enjoying life in the new place. Friends thought they’d no longer see me as I’m “on the wrong side of the lake” and “it’s so far away!”. In reality they see me just as much as they did before if not more so! Turns out that taking the bus from where I live now to where we’d meet up for lunch, dinner, drinks, or even swimming at the pool is less than 40 minutes on the weekends due to less traffic! The bus costs 1-2元 (~7-14¢) and takes about 10 minutes longer than grabbing a Didi (China’s version of Uber and Lyft). I will say, though, having to grab a Didi or taxi after hours does have issues at times and is much less convenient than walking home the 1-3km, so there is that bit of an annoyance.

But if having to wait a while to grab a Didi then sit in the car for 20-25 minutes is my biggest problem or concern these days, I might have to say that life is good in southeast Dushu Hu!

Let’s start off with what I’ve gotten used to, or maybe rather, things that don’t quite bother me as much as they did when I first got here:

1. Cars horns and those on e-bikes. I’m still not quite sure why people use their car horns or the ones on their e-bikes so much as a lot of the time it just seems random when they do. Almost like a “Hello, I’m here, do you see me?” type action. My brain must’ve been wired for the western style of road habits as every horn I hear made me worry something bad is about to happen. Now I barely hear or notice them. Crazy.
2. Morning tea instead of coffee. At least for my first cup, anyway, I find myself having tea in the morning instead of coffee. Not because tea is just that much better, but rather it’s way cheaper (coffee beans here cost twice as much by the pound as they do in the USA) and much easier to make, even if using loose leaf teas instead of pre-bagged teas. A grande Americano at Starbucks here is almost $4.50!
3. Ordering food and not getting upset if it’s different than what I expected. A great example of this is from one of my favorite Italian restaurants half a block away from my current apartment, Da Marios 在马里奥 Zài mǎlǐ ào. This restaurant is a bit on expensive 太贵了 Tài guìle side of things but is always delicious and has great service (compared to most restaurants in China). One night I went there with a desire for chicken parmesan. Here I was expecting it to come out and be the delicious dish mama used to make, all breaded and lightly pan-fried, smothered in a delicious marinara sauce, and topped with a good helping of gooey cheese. Nope! Instead it was a delicious amount of chicken smothered in an almost alfredo-type sauce. While tasty in its own right, it wasn’t what I was wanting that night and left a bit disappointed. So I’ve learned never to expect how anything will turn out and instead just be surprised when it does! This applies not only to restaurants but also bars and things you order from TaoBao (EBay-like e-commerce stores).
4. Waking up [and not showering] before you go-go. It seems the Chinese prefer to shower at night right before going to bed. Ok, that makes sense. Especially during the summer months when the temperatures are often above 30C or 35C (86F-95F) and full of humidity that you sweat as soon as you walk outside your apartment. There’s also so much crap in the air that it makes sense to wash up before you get into your nice and clean, comfy sheets. Seeing people walking outside with bedhead and showing up to work looking the same just doesn’t seem to bother me these days or even grab my attention. And no, I still shower in the morning though usually that’s coupled with a nightly pre-bedtime shower from June through September. Water here is seriously cheap, so why not stay as fresh as one can?!

Oooh, this next list might get a bit long Things that make me shake my head in disbelief and/or things that still very much annoy me:

1. Smoking. Even in areas designated as “No Smoking” people still smoke. Everywhere. It’s such a disgusting, nasty addiction that ruins not just the smokers health but the health of people around them. It truly is a very selfish act and one that reinforces the “I cannot see outside the 1/2 meter bubble that surrounds me” attitude. (I’ll get to that item next in this list.) I’ve had to yell at someone who was waiting for the elevator in my apartment lobby (it’s a no smoking building) to extinguish his death stick — and if I had not he would’ve just gotten into the elevator when it arrived and continued puffing! I’ve seen people take a “No Smoking” sign from one table at a restaurant/bar and just move it to another table so they could sit there and offend all the non-smokers! Even worse is the people who use public bathrooms in train stations, shopping malls, hotel lobby areas, … you name it! … as their personal smoking oasis. The smell of second hand smoke is bad enough, but you couple it with the stale smell of urine from less than ideally cleaned bathrooms and it’s just nauseating.
2. Seeing outside the personal bubble. Perhaps I should relabel this one as “NOT seeing outside the personal bubble” as it might be more accurate. This personal bubble extends about as far as one’s arms can hold one’s cell phone. Everything that is important in the world exists in this space and nothing could even compete for your attention. And no, this is not just a Chinese Millennial generation thing as it extends just as much to the adults with just one exception: The Chinese Tiger Moms and Tiger Grandmoms, whose focus is squarely and solely on the one kid that’s with them. But now back to the personal bubble: If the bus is crowded and you need to get by a few people standing as there are no seats, don’t expect them to even notice you or slightly move to help you get on your way; you’re going to have to push your way through. If you’re walking towards people on a narrow sidewalk you should probably get ready for a shoulder check as no one is going to notice until after the collision. I know these descriptions are not giving this subject any justice as this is something you need to witness first hand to believe.
3. Leaving tables dirty as casual restaurants and cafes. It’s always better to have someone clean up after you than to bother yourself for 5 seconds to take your tray of uneaten food and waste items to the trash can so someone else could use the table once you’re gone, right?
4. Talking loudly Yelling into one’s cell phone.  While I’ll continue reminding my mom that she’s guilty of this contemporaneously — and she does sometimes listens <grin> — I just cannot get over how LOUDLY the locals speak yell into their cell phones. I’m really glad they want to have everyone on the bus know they have a phone call and ensure everyone who is 3-5 meters (10-15 feet) away can grasp one side of that conversation! 喂,你好? 好好好…对对对…不是! 好的,再见. Wéi, nǐ hǎo? Hǎohǎo hǎo… Duì duì duì… Bùshì! Hǎo de, zàijiàn. But wait, it gets better! Imagine being on a crowded high-speed train and someone decides they need to make a phone call ON SPEAKER PHONE and then others around them decide the exact same thing. Or better yet, someone WeChatt’ed them a video link on Youku 优酷 Yōukù that has to be watched at that very moment and yet they have no headphone. Gah. In public here there is very little chance for peace and quiet.
5. Pissing in public. It seems that the guys have this one downpat while the women are the lesser offenders. Anytime you see a guy standing with his back towards where the crowd is, especially if he’s off to the side and near a bush or tree, and if he’s not moving, he’s likely pissing. No shame, no care, no worries. Just doing it right there and then. Often you’ll see this along the side of a road just after a tollbooth or in parks (even if there are bathrooms nearby). One time I was looking out the window at work while contemplating how to solve a problem and saw a dude pissing no more than 20 meters from our building’s main entrance! Gah! Besides the lack of shame and not understanding how dirty of an act that is, there is just no way to wash ones hands after that! Which leads me to the next item …
6. Hand washing. Fortunately westerners still practice this custom quite often but it seems the locals do not. Well, at least to the point where actual “washing” is involved. Often times just quickly splashing water on the tips of your fingers for 1-2 seconds seems to do the trick here. Why bother with soap? It’s not needed. I can’t see any germs, therefore there can’t be any. I’m still so disgusted by this habit I’ve become accustomed to NOT shaking hands when meeting someone for the first time.
7. Hot water. It’s the Chinese cure-all and is had at every meal. If it’s not served boiling hot, it’s not worth drinking! Did you just sneeze? Here, have some hot water! Do you have a fever? Here, have some hot water! Are you feeling dizzy because it’s 45C (113F) outside? Here, have some hot water! Did you just break your leg because a car hit into you on your e-bike as neither of you decided to follow the red light traffic signal and decided to go through the intersection at top speed and you didn’t put your helmet on that day? Here, have some hot water! Think I’m joking? Here, watch this video — and then have some hot water!

What I miss from the USA:

1. Coffee. ‘Nuff said.
2. Being understood the first time. I’m trying my best to get better at speaking Chinese, but still have a long way to go both in my speaking ability and quickly comprehending what was just said. In the USA, no matter whom I’m speaking to or where they’re coming from — with the sole exception being some places in the southeast of the USA, but that’s a whole other story — I can pretty much hold a conversation and be understood by the other person. In China, whether the conversation is in broken Chinese or Chinglish it’s just tiring.
3. Cheese. Like coffee, cheese here in China, as is the case for most dairy or cow-based products, is just so darn expensive. You can find it and buy it, but don’t get used to it as you’ll quickly go broke trying to fill your belly with that gooey goodness. What’s worse, is not being able to have good Mexican food here because there is no cheese! Yes, yes … I know, authentic traditional Mexican food doesn’t rely on cheese as much as Americans think it does and Chicken Mole is manna from heaven when prepared right.  But sometimes you just want a chicken taco made the ‘Murican way! Or a cheese burger that has actual cheese on it and not some chemical-based substance crap.

What I don’t miss from the USA:

1. Tipping. OMG. Tipping is so annoying. Everyone expects a tip for doing their job in the USA instead of hoping for a tip for providing a service above and beyond what is required. Not tipping at restaurants, bars, hotels, cabs, Didi (the equivalent of Uber here) … it’s just so nice.
2. Sales tax. Having to explain to my coworkers why they should always add 10% to any price tag they see in the USA gets tiring. It’s quite nice when you can go into a store, see the price of something, and then go to the register and not be surprised by the final total.
3. Rent. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I still have to pay rent here but dang is it cheap in comparison! I live in a pretty posh apartment right now and it’s about 1/3 the cost of what a not-so-nice place would cost in San Francisco and about 1/2 the cost of what it would be in Seattle. Currently I’m looking for a different apartment, however, so I can cut down on my commute time to work (I love the idea of being able to walk to the office again and get there in 15 minutes … my commute each way now is about 55-60 minutes … and getting worse with the subway construction ripping up the roads … uggh). The places I’m looking at near the office are pretty nice, have fantastic lake views, are on high-floors, come furnished, and are less than $1000 / mo for a one-bedroom. If I wanted to live in a more modest type apartment or share a place with a roommate, that price could drop down to about $250 – $500 / mo.  Yeah, when was the last time you even thought about paying $500 / mo for an apartment?

So that about wraps up a decent sized list of observations from two years living in China. If you’ve lived here or have visited in the past, I’m curious to hear what would be on your list so leave some comments and let’s continue the conversation!

My company gives employees seven consecutive days off for this festival. While generous, it is not as easy as it sounds as we often have to work from a Monday through the following Sunday (seven days in a row) in order to have the following Monday through Sunday off!

Many people in China head back to their 家乡 (jiāxiāng), or home towns, to celebrate the week with their families. As such this causes the greatest human migration on the planet. If you’re an expat living in China, this is usually a great excuse to head to one of the larger cities or even leave the country for a little break.

Last year during Chinese New Year I went to San Francisco to see friends I hadn’t seen since I moved from that great city. This year I’ll be traveling to the amazing city of Bangkok in Thailand where I’ll be meeting some friends from Suzhou. This will be my third time in Thailand (the first two were during the same long trip in 2013). While nothing is really planned for Bangkok at this point besides laying by the pool at the hotel, I’m sure some fun will be had as that city never fails to deliver!

From a travelers perspective, this trip will contain a lot of “firsts” for me:

1. First time flying out of WUX (Wuxi Sunan Shoufang International Airport)
2. First time flying on Shenzhen Airlines (a Star Alliance partner of United Airlines)
3. First time connecting in China on an itinerary
4. First time flying into/out of JJN (Quanzhou Jinjiang Airport)
5. First time staying at a “The Luxury Collection” hotel (The Atheene Hotel, part of the Marriott group)

No doubt lots of adventures will be had!

Upcoming flight path, as mapped by www.gcmap.com

Today, however, I have to share an experience. Actually, it’s more akin to unlocking an achievement!

During travels between Suzhou and Shanghai I arrive at the train station a bit early to pick up my train ticket from the window. After obtaining the ticket, there usually is enough time for me to stop by the Starbucks in the train station (past the security check, south side of Suzhou Station, business platform level) and grab a coffee.

In the past my typical order was an Americano, black, hot, venti sized (我要一杯美式咖啡，热的，venti 的). Then I graduated to asking for a little milk (你可以加一点牛奶吗?) as unlike in the USA and other locations around the world, there is no cream available on the fixings bar at coffee shops, just sweeteners. It’s a bit annoying as everyone’s concept of “a little” ranges from a splash to half the height of the Americano!

Well today I tried something different as I’m feeling more confident with my speaking abilities; I ordered a vanilla latte, in Chinese, for the first time! The assistant working the register didn’t bat an eye when I ordered, so I must’ve said everything correctly. Even better, when the barista finished my drink and was about to announce it, she saw only me waiting for a beverage and started to say it in English but forgot the words … So stepping in to help, I said the drink in Chinese, accepted it from her, and noticed a smile on her face. (Most shop assistants in China, including baristas, don’t seem to smile very often, so this was definitely something to note!)

As it turns out, the word in Mandarin for vanilla is 香草/xiāngcǎo. Fairly easy to remember and fairly easy to pronounce. (Ok, maybe just for those who are studying the language or are fluent speakers is it easy…) If you look up the individual characters for vanilla to learn what they mean you’ll discover that 香 (xiāng) means sweet-smelling and 草 (cǎo) mean grass, making the word vanilla even less difficult to forget!

Next up on the Starbucks list of learning: the names of the other flavors one can add to lattes and capuccinos!

大／热香草拿铁 (hot grande vanilla latte)

For the first time ever, while waiting in line for picking up a train ticket, a guy who was trying to cut the line and push his way forward was yelled at by not one, but two different people who were patiently waiting their turns! One person was in front of me the other was behind, one was male and the other female.

Now I couldn’t grasp their entire conversation as my command of the Mandarin language is still rather pedantic, but a few well placed “你不可以! “s and” 票” s combined with prolific yelling was all I really needed to hear. After a minute or so of being rebuked, the line cutter left ostensibly to wait in line or try his luck cutting another line.

Oh, I forgot to mention, there were only five of us in line at the time and it took all of six minutes for me to get my ticket. The nerve of some people!

After the line cutter left I got the attention of the man in front of me and offered my most heartfelt 谢谢. He responded with a look of scorn aimed at the line cutter and a “I cannot believe that shit” head shake.

Score one for civility!

For me this ritual began many years ago when I would travel from Seattle to Blacksburg and beyond to follow my beloved Hokies. Back then my team won many more games than they lost, so it was always fun to “show my colors”. Any time that I had a connecting flight at Washington – Dulles it would feel like I was back home with the masses awash in Chicago Maroon and Burton Orange.

At any restaurant or airport bar you can spot these dedicated folk glued to the TV. Striking up a conversation with them is as simple as commentating on a play. No matter where they are in their travels, if their game is on or not, they can always find good company to gloat or commiserate the days results.

Today was no different as I made my way through the Orlando Airport. While not traveling to Blacksburg today for a game – – my Hokies are traveling the dirt roads leading to Durham, NC – – I was wearing a VT polo and feeling good. Making my way to the TSA security line I spotted a few fans of the typical variety (Penn State, Florida, Ohio State, Alabama…blah blah blah, but no Clemson) and a rather mean looking TSA employee who grabbed my ID and boarding pass. He paused for a few seconds after looking at the results of my boarding pass being scanned, looked back at my ID, and gave me a good stare. As he handed my ID back to me he said in a rather authoratative voice “You know Miami is going to beat you guys this year.”. To which I replied (and could be considered an insult) “I’m more worried about playing Duke tonight.” Yep, I still lack respect for any fan of “The U”, no matter who that person may be!

It’s those fun, good natured jabs that fans can share that help make college football something special. The wins and losses are important, but so are the intangibles that only fans can understand. Since I don’t get to experience it very often these days, I will most certainly relish those moments whenever they arise!

There’s likely a number of similar locations around Shanghai to this one I went to, but I’m not sure if any would be more convenient. This market is located at the Shanghai Science and Technology museum which happens to be a subway stop for Line 2. If you remember from a previous post, Line 2 is the one that you can take between the two airports, Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA). This stop is much closer to the Pudong airport, though you’ll have to cross the “platform of death” and transfer to the other line 2 or take the maglev and transfer to line 2. In any event, once you exit this subway station you’ll be right in the middle of the market!

I didn’t buy too much on this visit but did get a number of ideas for future purchases and gifts, so I’m most likely going to be visiting again soon when I have more time to spend there, especially since the idea of a custom fit, tailored suit with my choice of cloth sounds just like something I need! Just need to arm myself to battle all the shopkeepers who will do their best to lure you into their stores! Trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

This maze of a market is tough to navigate as all these shops look the same and sell many of the same items. Difficult to find your way around and remember which stores you liked or need to return to and pick up some customized goods does add some air of mystery and makes this place that much more fun! Fortunately there is a little relief in sight: each store is labeled with an area marker and a stall number. All the shops are more than willing to give you their 名片 – – business/name card – – to help you find your way back. Personally I don’t like holding onto businesses cards and would rather just snap photos of them and/or the store front, that way I always have them with me as they will be on my cell phone. And in fact, a few of the places I visited on this trip can be found at the bottom of this post!

A lot of the staff members in these shops spoke really good English. In fact, some of the best English I’ve heard since moving to China has been here. All the places I went to accept USD instead of just RMB for currency and the going exchange rate was spot on and didn’t include any additional markup. Just be sure that you know the exchange rate just in case you do find someone less than scrupulous. (The shops also take AliPay or WeChat if you can pay using your phone.)

Whether the goods sold here are authentic and same quality you’d find at normal retail stores is something I’m not sure of, so if that is important to you (it’s not that important to me…) be sure to know your stuff and examine everything carefully. The Jimmy Choo leather wallet I was eying looked like the real thing until I opened it up and saw it had a “Made In Italy” label affixed to its inside. Why a designer leather wallet supposedly made in Europe was being sold at a steep discount in a Chinese market… Doesn’t add up! It was a nice looking wallet, however!

WEI Optical had great prices on eyeglasses and sunglasses for men and women. If you’re in the market and have your prescription ready, they can make your single vision glasses in 20 minutes – – or so their sign says. Lots of choices for frames of all styles, both men’s and women’s. The staff was really friendly and willing to help. If you’re in the need for prescription glasses, bring that prescription with you to China and get your new pair for less than $30! Heck, get seven pairs and wear a different one each day of the week!

Jim Store has an interesting selection of electronics, cell phone covers/cases, and Yetti cups – – or at least I think that’s what they are called. I bought something here that’s similar to an Apple TV or Roku that’ll supposedly let me watch TV from all around the world without a subscription. If it works as advertised I’ll be sure to write up a blog post about that! Something else rather interesting this place sold was mini wifi-enabled projectors. Think of this as a way to watch movies or other content streamed from your TV to any wall, indoors or out!

Above and below are examples of 名片 (business/name card) that shops often give out.

That’s about all I have to say on this topic for now. Do look for a follow-up post at sometime in the future with hopefully a lot more pictures and store write-ups!