Taming the Electric Tram

Catching the tram was less challenging than I thought it would be.  We waited a mere 3 minutes before it silently approached the platform.

I paid 2 kuai with my transportation card, "BEEEEP".

Once inside its belly, we sat on a comfortable seat, 

and gazed upon the modern, sci-fi interior.

We snacked on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich

I said I would make (see earlier post) and

enjoyed the pleasant, zero-gravity ride, 

and arrived at the end of the line 15 minutes later.

When we got off, there was a flurry of activity, with lots of people buying food, changing buses, and running to catch the tram.  This restaurant, perhaps specializing in tasty, cartoon duck, had a continuous recording touting their special of the day, but we were not enticed:

Down the road a bit, we noticed a slew of delivery bikes for a popular fast-food chicken chain, most noted for their crispy batter with 11 herbs and spices, otherwise known as, "ken-tuh-chee"

Returning home after a quick bite, we said goodbye

to our shiny friend as it slowly drifted away out of sight.

Better X, Better Y

Better City, Better Life.  

That is the theme of this year's Expo and Shanghai is doing its best to make those words ring true in many areas, including transportation.  Take a look at this 4 second video I shot from my balcony recently:

Did you see it?  Was it a monorail?

A re-designed Oscar Meyer Weinermobile?  

No. It was a quiet, sleek, and brand new electric tram that was just launched in August 2010 and runs in a 10 km circuit throughout the Zingjiang HiTech Park area, our neighboring sector.

Better Transportation,

Better Sandwich. 

Until now it has been elusive, and finding information on it has been difficult, even though there is a stop just behind our apartment complex.  It is like a wild horse, and I am like a horse whisperer who will tame it...and ride it...on Friday.  I'm going to make two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I will ride it's full circuit just for fun.  The cost? 2 kuai (about 30 cents).

Better Passenger Seat Video Screen,

Better Taxi Ride.

Here's another way to improve on uninformative, 

and perhaps boring, taxi rides when one is waiting 

at a stop light in the rain (that's the top of my head

above the headrest):

I'd Better stop.  Better yet, just go to another website.

Living the Expat Life: 6 Topics

First topic: Mexican Food.

In Morocco, we took a 3 hour train ride, walked for 1 hour, and took a taxi to get some TexMex food.  Here in China, we took a 10 minute bus ride and walked 10 minutes in the rain for 1 dozen corn tortillas, which are apparently only available in restaurants, like La Pistolera.

How far would you walk/drive/train/taxi for a tortilla?

Second topic: Big American Breakfasts at Element Fresh

For 64 RMB (about $9.45), you can enjoy a breakfast designed just for Big Americans, like me.  In case you can't read it, it says, "4 eggs any style, 3 strips of bacon, 2 sausage links, 2 pieces of french toast, potatoes, fresh fruit, and a bottomless cup of coffee or tea."

That's why we're BIG AMERICANS...

but we split it between the two of us.

Third topic: Shopping for a Refrigerator and 

Ending Up With Window Coverings

Let's just say I sealed the deal with a handshake...

...and used the packing foam to cover my bare windows.

Fourth topic: The Bund at Night

We had dinner with a colleague overlooking the Bund and it was spectacular!  We had only seen it during the day when we visited 2 years ago.  We live about 20 minutes away from this spot.

I hope my next photos will be from one of the cruise ships.

Fifth topic: Shopping at Carrefour and Meeting a Giant Marsupial(?)

Carrefour is a WalMart + Target + Meat Market + Food Court + Costco + Mall + Sears + Disneyland.

Here I am, fresh and ready to have my senses overloaded with signage, waves of people, and thousands of products -- but which ones to buy?

Perhaps this giant koala can guide me!  "Look, mommy!  The Big American is taking a picture with that Big 有袋目动物(?)

Sixth topic: Traffic Reports from the Kitchen

We live on the 7th floor of an apartment building in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai and this is a view looking northeast from our kitchen.

Our commute to work consists of walking 8 minutes to school past the playground (near the lower right corner of the photo).  Before we leave, we look down to see if any strollers or toddlers are jamming up the walkway.  If so, we leave about 10 seconds earlier than usual to avoid the rubberneckers!