Shanghai Nights

I met up with a bunch of English teachers who are my age and from various English speaking countries. I may have said that already. I can’t actually read my blog so I don’t remember. Anyway, we party at their places and then usually go out. 2 weekends ago, we went to a club called Muse. Really classy. There were cabaret dancers on the bar and good times all around. Another difference between bars in America and bars in China is that it’s ok for guys to get up on the stage (bima) and dance. So when me and Howie figured this out, we got up and showed all the bad dancers on the floor how it’s done. Girls joined us on stage of course. Unfortunately Howie is a much better dancer than I. But we still blew everyone else on the floor away.

The next night me and Howie met up with these Thai friends named Boy(m) and Alpha(f) and went to another club called Richie. A stupid name for a club in an English speaking country, but no one here knows what it means. This club had too many white people so I didn’t feel special. We got on stage again, and showed ‘em how it’s done...again.

This country has some of the richest and poorest people I have ever seen. On one hand, you can get a meal for the price of ramen noodles in the states. On the other hand people in clubs get VIP tables and drink Jack and Tea while having fruit plates delivered to them and a personal servant to light your cigarettes and pick up your trash. Service like that can cost $1000 American dollars depending on where in Shanghai you go. One crazy thing that did happen that night was 100 shaolin warriors came in with their swords and stormed the place. After I stomped all their faces, without a sword and WITHOUT SPILLING MY DRINK, we sat down and the leader taught me how to embellish a story.

Last weekend I hung out with the Brits Americans again and we went to a club called Shelter. So there’s this dingy door with a bouncer and inside a downward staircase. It looks like you’re going to a basement club, but at the bottom of the stairs is a long underground tunnel that leads you into a club with a sewer-like atmosphere. The music was pretty lame and there were NO ASIAN PEOPLE THERE. I guess I found the secret Gui-lo hangout (“You never teach the Gui Lo Kung Fu!”). Pretty lame so I left.

One drink I have become quite partial to is called “Baijiu.” It’s a kind of rice wine that cost 3 yuan a bottle (less than 50 cents). It’s on the same plane as 12 sheckel Keglavich or Alexandria vodka, but it tastes a little better, it’s more alcoholic, and it’s MUCH cheaper. None of the locals will touch it. I think they mix it with motor oil and use it to fuel cars and start fires and stuff.