Independence

* posted by Alan
(click on the link at the bottom to see a full picture gallery with full size photos)

Happy 4th of July my fellow Americans. American freedom is much appreciated after living over here....I'll leave it at that before I get into trouble. Obviously China does not celebrate the 4th, but there are more than enough Americans in Shanghai for some celebrating. We had BBQ, we had American music at an American bar and we even had a 4th of July pancake breakfast (new tradition?)



Last night we went to a bathhouse. Im not really sure I'd call it a Chinese bathhouse, because nothing really makes it Chinese other than the fact that it was in China and all the employees were Chinese. All you can eat Dim Sum, open 24 hours with no time limit, very clean and they provide you with hideous tropical-themed pajamas to lounge around in. That would explain the picture below. I had female request to not put up their picture, but if you come visit, I'll show you. =)


Multiple hot tub/jacuzzis, sauna, steam room and cold tub. We also went for combination number B. Body scrub, back massage and milk treatment. The girls added in a cucumber mask.(guys and girls are separate except for the eating and lounging areas). All for about $29 USD. Reminded me a bit of Spa Castle in Queens. I can't speak for the girls, but men, as long as you're secure enough to handle same-sex nudity and other men touching you (and occassionally your man-parts) in a very professional manner, then it's an awesome time. My whole body is smooth as a baby's butt right now. I'm not sure if this is actually enticing anyone to come visit, so I'll stop here.

So I've caved and joined Twitter. Let's see what this tweeting stuff is all about. My twittername is agong029..um, find me i guess? Oh, and my facebook account has been disabled for the past week. It has nothing to do with China, but I got hacked and security issues and blah blah. Facebook hasn't gotten back to me to help me fix it despite my repeated attempts to reach them, so I must openly trash their customer service on my blog. Facebook, if you're reading this, help me fix it and I will take it back. (EDIT: I'm back on facebook. Took 6 days, but I take it back. Facebook customer service is not trash. Just a little slow.)

Being halfway around the world does nothing to ease the angst of being a Mets fan. sigh.

Next post: Job update....maybe?

Click here for pictures: PICTURES OF JULY 4th IN SHANGHAI

Response to comments:
Gloria - umm...no response needed i guess.
Megan - Don't you know us by now? Fun wasn't the question, the question was 'how much?'
Sung - That trip is usually geared towards Chinese. We were the first foreign group they had. And yeah, $75 USD is a bit expensive for China, even for a weekend trip. But there are ALOT of rich people in Shanghai. You'd be amazed at the lifestyle some people live here. Tremendous abundance and tremendous need, both right here in the city. Now how do we bring the two together....