The Out-of-Towners

Monday November 2nd - Friday November 6th

This week has seen us separated and moving around a bit more with vocational visits.  Monday was a chance to rest or shop.  Tuesday Tony left to visit a bottle manufacturer he deals with which is located in another region, while the rest of the team visited Tyco, which is Des’s workplace in Australia.  After seeing how crowded Shanghai is, we were surprised by the amount of space at the factory.  After lunch we went to the Shanghai Financial World Center, the tallest building in Shanghai at 492m high.  We went into one of the offices then decided that rather than pay to go to the observation deck we would go into the Park Hyatt and have a drink while looking out over Shanghai.  we were on the 87^th floor, looking over the top of everything in the city, watching the sun set, and the lights come on over the Huangpu River, sipping cocktails and port (yes it is a hard life).

On Wednesday Des took off to a foundry out of town.  Matt got the chance to see an American practising traditional Chinese medicine, while Cisca took Elke and Lora to look at restaurants on the Bund.  Many places here have been opened by Australian chefs and restaurateurs.  After visiting the silk markets and meeting up with Matt we went to learn about dentistry in China.  It was interesting learning about some of the difficulties faced in providing a good service to people all around China, and found the needs and challenges somewhat similar to work done by the Fred Hollows Foundation.  It is easy to forget while sipping cocktails in the Park Hyatt that China is still a place of absolute poverty, little hygiene standards or facilities, and no understanding, or superstition of hygienic practices. There is so much construction happening in Shanghai, it really is not a place of history, but a city looking to the future.  The difference in standards of living between the haves and have nots is dramatic, the number of people in Shanghai (20 million) exaggerates the problems even further.  This is a worthwhile conversation to have once we are back home.

Thursday took us out of the city to a place called SuZhou.  We travelled by train, meeting Des while there.  SuZhou is less built up than Shanghai.  We travelled out to the mountains to see ancient temples and walk through Bamboo forests.  It was with great joy that we stood amongst trees and enjoyed the smell of nature.  The area is known for silk, gardens, and its canals.  We walked through the Humble Administrators Gardens, sailed down the canal, and walked through traditional streets.  It was a stark contrast to Shanghai, and there was so much more we could have seen.

Now it is Friday.  Lora had the opportunity to visit the Shanghai International School in Pudong, very interesting to contrast this school with the little we have seen beyond the Government school gates, and school in Australia.  Tonight is the Rotary Club of Shanghai 90^th Anniversary Dinner, it is a prestigious occasion and great that we can be here for it.