Well, after all these years working in the telecomm industry I’m finally hanging it up. One of the positives about leaving the company, I will not have to travel all over the planet which was a factor in me making the decision. So from this point on, my “while commuting” entries will be between Stockton and Folsom. That itself will take time getting used too.
It was sad leaving co-workers and friends I met during the past 25 years but I’m excited about the new challenges to come. The photograph taken below is my last day at work. Nice going away BBQ potluck, a motorcycle shop seat and many well wishes. A couple of fellas took the fork lift and sealed me in my office. I literally had to climb over office cubicles.
It seems like it doesn’t matter what hotel window I look out of, I always have the same feeling… it’s not home. I catch myself staring outside a lot wishing I was home.
The traffic in Shanghai is famous. I’ve talked to guys who traveled all over the world and we all agree, nothing tops this place! It’s amazing what you’ll see on the roads. I’ve seen half a pic sliced down the center with the hind quarters straddled over a motorcycle, live chickens mounted on a bicycle (shown below).
During my two months total stay I think I’ve seen a total of 6 wrecks. I think that is amazing considering how dangerous EVERYONE drives. I can’t even count the near misses I witnessed.
Our daily drivers which we named Gucci and Louie Vatton are expert van drivers. They got us through the rush hour traffic like it was an amusement park ride. The constant honking, headlight flashing, brake screeching sounds all become normal. By the time I left Shanghai I didn’t even flinch when it came to near misses, though I do admit heading straight onto the larger busses and trucks got me thinking “what if” scenerios.
This work tour seemed to last forever. I have so much at home to appreciate and not enough time there to enjoy. As I looked through the airplane window I realized I literally flew around the world this time. I flew to Chicago, Stockholm, Vienna, China, Japan then finally to San Francisco. Unbelievable.
Well after being here a couple of weeks I finally found the Chinese version of Redbull and replacement Twinkie. One thing I noticed immediately it didn’t have the throat burning carbonation as the US version. It does appear to be made by same company in Austria.
I had found the Chinese equivalent of Redbull and Donuts. The can looked nothing like what we have in the states. It actually had a totally different taste but since I needed my fixin’ it has to do… One note, the chocolate roll is killer!
I’m fairly burnt out on Chinese food. This happened to me in Thailand too, after awhile you start looking for food that reminds you of home. In this case anything but Chinese food sounds good. I found this Brazilian BBQ place not too far from the hotel. The food was good, mostly meat. Once I find a meal I like I tend to go there a lot. I’m sure by the time I leave Shanghai, I will have made many visits.
Well this is the highlight of my trip to China. Standing in front of a huge video display of the “Great Wall of China”. This about as close I as I’m ever going to get since Bejiing is approximately 12 hours away by train. It would have been nice but no way.
After lunch today myself and a few co-workers traveled to Central Shanghai to pickup a few electronic parts. I found every car in the city heads toward the center. The traffic was horrible, took about an hour to travel 7 miles each way.
No matter where you are in Shanghai something is either being built or destroyed. I notice these bamboo scafolds being used all over the city. Who would have thought it would be robust enough. Apparently it is because it’s the preffered method around here. When you stop and think about it, who says it’s not a better method than what were using in the states? They have 20 million plus people, they must have figured out by now the most efficient ways of doing things. Ya think?
