the "rescue"...

Hello again from Shanghai! Well, I made it to the Yellow Sea (technically, the East China Sea) and dipped a toe in - but not the way I expected. Along my journey I had one of those cultural experiences that I enjoy so much. I guess it’s the reason I walk.
During the week one of my students had shown me an online map, and I knew my previous attempt had gotten me very close to the sea. So since I still didn’t have a map to carry, I retraced my steps. I was walking along a canal towards the end of my ‘known’ route when a fisherman hollered at me. Of course it was in Chinese and I didn’t understand, so I smiled and continued on my way. He and his wife and brother had finished fishing and moved alongside me in their motorized tricycle. Turned out his wife spoke some English (“as a hobby”, she said) and they asked me where I was going. I told them San Jia Gang, which is the name that the hotel concierge staff had given me. I figured it was just a little spot at the sea but it’s actually a small resort area with a golf course, amusement park, horseback riding, etc. He assumed I wanted to play golf but I communicated that I just wanted to get to the water. After walking beside him for several minutes and politely refusing his offer to give me a ride, he finally made his wife move to the back and insisted I get on. So off we went, to the amusement of just about everyone we passed – I think he was having a great time explaining to everyone why he’d picked up this Westerner who didn’t speak any Chinese. Along the way he tried to teach me some Chinese in his halting English: yes, no, apple, watermelon, and I can’t recall what else. I promptly forgot them all as I’m not very good with languages and am having trouble with just ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’. Anyway, we went quite a ways, probably 3 or 4 miles, to a spot where there was a breakwater with concrete blocks. (Had I been walking I’d have stopped at the first water I saw, but he said he came out that place all the time and it turned out they lived nearby.) He was very interested in photos so we took several photos of he and his brother and I shaking hands, until the batteries on my camera died. He knew someone with email but couldn’t remember the address, so I typed my email address into his wife’s cellphone so I could send him the photos when he emailed me. Then he took me all the way out to the main road so I could flag down a taxi back to the hotel. (We were just a mile or so from the airport.) I tried to pay him but he refused. I’m sure he will enjoy telling the story, many times, of how he went out of his way to “rescue” an American who was out for a long walk with no map and no knowledge of the local language.
The walk leading up to this was pretty uneventful. I got a few more smiles out of people than I had been – still, mostly stone-face at my smile-and-nod. Different culture than India, I guess. One thing I discovered early on in my stay here is that, like most of Asia, the majority of the public toilets don’t have western-style seating. Just a virtual hole in the ground, and those that do seat you usually don’t have any place for toilet paper. I’ve gotten used to bringing my own, just in case. Years ago I realized that, when in a foreign country, the bigger hotels are a good place for a pit stop – they’re more likely to be comfortable in the various ways we spoiled westerners are used to.
The rest of the week seemed to pass pretty slowly. I think I’m ready to come home, although it’s been nice to be able to make some decent money while doing something I enjoy. I took a chance when I retired that I’d be able to provide an adequate amount of income for the household – no illusions that I’d bring in as much as I did before I retired. The timing was right from a benefits standpoint; the last opportunity I’d have to lock in retirement medical insurance, and more importantly I was burnt out and frustrated with the corporate culture. So I went for it. I may have to stay in the corporate world to leverage my value, but I’ll definitely pick my spots. To loosely quote Carolyn Hax, although I have an obligation to provide for my family, they can’t just bang their forks on the table while I grind my soul into food, shelter, and gas money…
Was thinking today - it’s been exactly 6 months since I went into the operating room not sure what my future would be, and it’s been a pretty amazing six months. I’d love to think my next half-year will be as adventurous (without the miserable first month!) as this period’s been. But that’s probably not reality. I’m not looking too far ahead; as long as the blood tests keep coming back clean I’ll play it by ear. I should make it a policy, though, to ensure I get at least some camping and hiking into every 6-month period. Gotta do that stuff while I’m still relatively young, and I’ve gotta figure out how to bring my wife, a non-camper-hiker, along.
I finally went for one of the massages that are so prevalent here – about $10 an hour for a full-body massage and about the same rate for an hour foot massage. (I’m going to try that one next.) I was hoping for some magical resolution to the neck problems that have been a constant for the last 4 months but no luck. Still, it was enjoyable and painful at the same time – she found tissues I’m sure had never been touched by human hands. I think I’ll ask one of my students whether they know of an ancient mystical acupuncturist for this sore neck. I already tried the herbal remedy they suggested, but no luck.
Heading into the weekend – I’ll post now and hope for some interesting things to write about this weekend. Take care, all!