Shanghai Expo Pavilions

Being in Shanghai, the World Expo 2010 (05/01/2010-10/31/2010) domninates the local news everyday. Just like when Beijing was hosting the Olympics, every place I go there is a count-down sign. Today’s news is that the Austrailan Expo team selected the name Peng Peng f or its kookaburra mascot, after a two-month naming competition in China.

Almost all local newspapers, Chinese or English, plus TV channels, are covering the naming result.

Kookaburra is a large Australian bird that makes a sound like a raucous laugh.

The reference of Peng goes to a large mythological Chinese bird, created by ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zi. The huge bird can fly thousands of miles by slightly waving its wings. Peng also sounds the same as a Chinese word for “friend”.

I think the bird is acutally cuter than the Aussi Pavilion. (Photo source of the Aussie mascot and Australian Pavilion for the Shanghai Expo: http://www.australianpavilion.com/en/default.aspx)

However, I came to realize that the Shangai World Expo 2010 has become the showdown and party of architects  all over the world. Below I post some pavilions that are under construction in Pudong, Shanghai. Most of them are artist’s renditions for now, but the constructions are said to be completed in March of 2010. (Photo source: http://en.expo2010.cn/)

The Italy Pavilion is my favoriate.

According to the official site of Shanghai Expo, the design was inspired by the children’s game “pick-up sticks,” which is known as “Shanghai” in Italy. The rectangular pavilion will be laced with intersecting lines – representing pick-up sticks. The 3,600-square-meter structure comprises 20 functional modules of different shapes, bounded by the “sticks.” They represent Italy’s 20 regions. The modules can be assembled into smaller structures. After the Expo, the building will be disassembled and reconfigured.

The Russia Pavilion:

The France Pavilion:

The Barcelona Pavilion:

The Chile Pavilion:

The Germany Pavilion:

The Poland Pavilion: Wow, it is loud.

The Nepal Pavilion:

The UAE Pavilion:

The Finland Pavilion: (Look like a giant sauna)

Of course, here are the pictures of China Pavilion:

Coffee matters

There is a buzzword in China: “Nothing can be the worst, only the worse”. It means if you think you have set your bar low enough, you will be surprised.

I always thought the worst coffee experience I ever had was in India back in 2006. I was attending a function at a fancy hotel in one of the largest and fastest-developing cities in India (there are not many of them, so go figure). The hotel was extremely luxurious and the staff was courteous and professional. During the tea break, I went for a coffee. The waiter who wore a freshly pressed outfit and a pair of white glove picked up a beautiful and expensive set of china, and then poured a spoon of dark brown power in the cup.

Wow, I was impressed at that point. They even add some hazelnut favor into coffee for you.

Misconception can make the experience more dramatic, I admit.

Because the next minute I watched in astonishment as he turned to the large catering dispenser next to him and added liquid in the cup: The liquid out of that beautiful, shiny and fancy silver dispenser was hot water, not coffee.

It took me an entire minute to realize that what he added in the cup was not hazelnut power, and that I was served with instant coffee. Of course, professionally.

It must be a very good type of instant coffee. I was telling myself before tasting it.

Well, here is what happened afterwards.

On my way back, I was originally scheduled to connect via Amsterdam and then Hartford before getting back home. When I arrived in Amsterdam, it was early morning. I walked directly to the KLM’s transfer desk.  “Is there any seat available on that 10:40AM or 1:30PM direct flight to Minneapolis?”

The lady behind the transfer desk checked: “There are seats available for the 3:30PM flight, but if you change your flight there is a fee of 200 euros.”

“Go ahead and change it.” I did not even blink my eyes.

When I stepped out of the Minneapolis airport, it was 3:30 PM in a sunny and breezy afternoon of this beautiful and obscenely clean city. The first thing I did? Stopped by the nearest Caribou coffee shop, and ordered a large cup of my favorite Soy Latte. I would have ordered an XL if they’d offer that size.

The incidence in India is probably a cultural thing, and I understand. However, in China, Starbucks coffee shops are everywhere. Now there are even European brands such as Costa. I have to add that I really do not like Costa coffee that much after they screwed up my skim milk latte. And honestly, since when is UK famous for its coffee? My point is, however, at least I do not have to taste instant coffee if I do not want to.

In China, a lot of hotel lounges also serve excellent coffee. For example, both Stinky Monkey and I love the gourmet coffee at Grand Hyatt Beijing and Shanghai (of course nothing hurts when it is offered free for Goldpassport members). Even in Hangzhou where I stayed with some Italian friends a couple of years ago at a 4-star local hotel, they were extremely pleased with the coffee bar in the hotel lobby.

So when I stepped in for breakfast at Shanghai Crowne Plaza and asked for coffee, I took everything for granted. In the end, this one is considered a “five-star” hotel. And it is a Crowne Plaza. The stuff we are all familar with and are expected in certain ways, just like any hotel chains in America.

Then the coffee was served and I tasted.

Remember the movie Ratatouille? There is a famous scene when Remy was running for his life from the restaurant; he passed by the soup which Linguini had screwed up. The smell of the soup was so bad that the talented rat with a super sense was seriously gagged.

Well, I did not gag. I had a sip and then spit it all out. It was so bad.

The things that I do not understand: How come an American hotel serves worse coffee than a local hotel? This is Shanghai and the hotel is Crowne Plaza!

I thought the instant coffee that I had in India was bad enough. This one at Crowne Plaza way topped that one!

Lychee season

Lychee (the official spelling from FDA) is Stinky Monkey’s favorite fruit of summer. Now lychee is in season in southern China. I cannot resist these lovely, juicy and tasty treats either. This afternoon when I was in Huaihai Road for insect bites medicine, I spotted from the supermarket of Parkson the lychees.

The price tag is RMB 14.98, for 20 lychees, wrapped carefully in a bag. In Hawaii, local shops in Chinatown charge $4.99 per pound, and mainland Whole Food charges $7.99 per pound (quality not guaranteed). So it seems really a bargain that I had not excuse but grabbing one pack and bringing back to my hotel.

Peeling off the shell, the crystal white flesh is so tasty! Yummm!

Cancelled flight versus business class upgrade

Air travel in China is like a roller coaster ride.

The travel agent at the Shangri-La Guangzhou called in the morning, informing me that my 1:30PM flight to Shanghai has been cancelled with no reason given, and that I was re-booked to a 4:30PM flight. I cannot believe my ears: How come that both inbound and outbound flights to Guangzhou by China Southern Airlines are cancelled, given the fact that Guangzhou is its hub.

Of course, the 4:30PM flight was so packed as passengers on the original 1:30PM flight had to be booked to this one. Luckily, China Southern Airlines is part of the Skyteam Alliance; I was able to check in via their Elite/First Class counter, and got a pretty front aisle seat, 8H.

I have to say, the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport is beautiful. It is modern, huge, but unbelievably clean, despite that there is construction going on. Plus, it is amazing just to observe that how crowded the airport is, even for its size, making me wondering whether there is indeed a global economic crisis going on right now.

Just as Northwest, the check-in process begins with Elite/First Class, so I was the first one on board their almost brand new A330 economy class. While waiting for other passengers boarding, I was busy playing games on my iPod Touch, when someone leaned over and said to me: “Excuse me, you are on my seat.”

I was confused. I am sure I was on the right seat.

The guy returned with a flight attendant who then verified my seat number: It turned out that two passengers were assigned with the same seat. The guy and the flight attendant left. I was back on my games.

Apparently, this is not an isolated incidence. A guy standing nearby told another fellow passenger that a seat in this flight was assigned to three different passengers. “They messed the seat assignment up, and they ended up upgrading the two poor guys to business class.” He added.

Five minutes later, another flight attendant showed up in front of me: “You have been upgraded. Here is your new seat number.”

The neighboring passengers all heard what he said, and I sensed the silent envy as I rose to collect my luggage. Some obviously were confused that why me, not the guy who was double-booked, was upgraded. I guess this is where the elite status pays off.

The business class is great. I do not mind flying the economy cabin with Chinese airlines—they are far more comfortable than those in the United States. But a business class seat in a new A330? Unbeatable!

Then we took off on time.  I guess at beginning, I was quite upset when my flight was cancelled, but I certainly do not mind a business class upgrade.

Happy Birthday, Stinky Monkey!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to my dear monkey, happy birthday to you!

Breakfast reading: The China Mosaic

It felt like a separate world: I mean, reading the Global Times, an English newspaper published locally, while having my breakfast at the Westin Beijing Financial District, made me realize that the world actually is so different and vivid than what I could have recalled from watching TV news in America.

The Global Times published on July 3, 2009, had some really funny stories about China under its World Mosaic, an edition that gathers short news stories from other media sources. Here are some the highlights that made me laugh so hard that I almost spilled my Cappuccino.

(1) Head and shoulders and everything else

An elderly nude woman brought diners to a halt last week in a KFC in Qingdao, Shandong Province when she entered the restaurant and strolled in to the restroom, locked the door and emerged 10 minutes later with shampoo foam on her head. She had apparently used the restroom to clean up.

“I was just leaving the KFC after having an ice cream, when I saw an old woman with short hair and no clothes come into the restaurant and go into the restroom.” A young customer, Wang, said. “Customers were shocked. Some were scared away. But she looked very posed as she left the restaurant.”

(News source: www.bandao.cn)

(2) Fruitless message

A watermelon farmer in Chiayi, Taiwan, frustrated at the theft of her fruits, wrote a warning on two watermelons in an effort to shame thieves away. Furious at the loss of all but two she wrote, “Anyone who seals my watermelon is shameless.”

However, the message proved futile. Neighbors spotted the thief and alerted police who caught the culprit, an 80-year-old thief man who told him he was illiterate.

(News source: TVBS)

(3) Bonded by coincidence

A recently married copule in Danjiangkou, Hubei Province has more in common than most newlyweds. Both share the same name (Wang Yang) and birth date as well as occupation.

Wang and Wang were born on April 29, 1982 and met after joining the PLA and working at the same military facility in Hebei Province. However, their name and birth date have also caused problems. When they travel together, their IDs are often viewed with suspicion and computers have also failed to process heir information if the travel on the same plane. Even their marriage caused concern when they were closely questioned due to fears that they might be related. They said, however, that their similarities have made their marriage stronger.

(News source: Chutian Metropolis Daily)

(4) Which way to Tripoli, officer?

A motorist, Huang, in Wuhan, Hubei Province who was pulled over by police for speeding 185km/hour in his Audi and had no Chinese driver’s license tried to weasel out of trouble by showing the officer a driver’s license he acquired in Libya.

The officer told him that a Libyan license isn’t recognized in China and fined him 2,000 yuan ($290) on the spot for speeding and driving without a license.

(News source: www.cnhan.com)

(5) Stand and fly

A budget airline, Spring Airlines, has applied for permission to sell low cost standing-room-only tickets.

Passengers would pay a reduced price to stand in the aisles during flights, reports IC Media.

Spring Airlines president Wang Zhenghua said tickets would go on sale as soon as the government agreed the proposals.

He said he was confident of government backing—because the idea had been suggested by Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang.

“He suggested that, for a lower price, passengers should be able to get on a plane like catching a bus, with no seat, no luggage consignment, no food, no water, but very convenient,” said Wang.

He added that the company had consulted with Airbus, the company which built most of its airplanes, and had been told the proposals were safe.

“So once the government approves it formally, we’ll try it,” said Wang.