Never try to book tickets during any holidays

I had an amazing experience recently, can even consider it frustrating, but the encounter can certainly worth another bookmark on my travel life.

Oct 1^st till Oct 10^th is the china National holiday an important holidays in China. This is also the last “long” holiday until Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year. During this extended holidays the affluent travel to distance land to spend their holidays. Although it will never reach the same level of mass migration like the New Year, but it is like open season for money grabbing, it certainly got me frustrated and angry.

I thought having a 10-day holiday, perhaps is a good week to get away from my work to go to Hong Kong to visit my family there. Great idea isn’t it? My families were all excited for my pending visit. That was until I started looking into booking tickets.

Far from being a procrastinator, I started looking for tickets in mid July for early Oct. departure. I thought the ticket price were high when I start my search. I thought perhaps I should look a little harder explore all the options. At least that is what I usually do my search. I started the fare watching, every time I got an alert. It is almost always the flights already sold out. The schedule I prefer either unavailable, or I got one flight and the return flight is either leaving in the middle of the night, or on the next day other than the date I prefer. It got worst, as day passes. The price kept going up rather than down. With those mid night departure and arrival, I may as well book the FedX cargo flights.

After two weeks of searching, with the same result, my patient was at the breaking point. Time to change strategy. I decided to try looking at alternative days on leaving a week later after the National Holidays. I was shock to found that not only the price drop two-third from the peak week, all flights were also available.

Flight availability is understandable at non-peak, but price is two-third less is unthinkable. I travel during Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays before, flights will always available if I book months in advance, plus I believe airlines added flight to accommodates travelers. In China I can’t believe that is the case, all airlines from domestic to foreign were solidly booked. What amazes me is the legal price fixing across the board. For the government that control everything, which they turn a blind eye on the situation. But then it is China. Not everything happened for a reason.

This experience is certainly an eye opener to me. I travel frequently during high season, but I had never experience anything like this in my entirely life. There were other interesting facts I found out during my search for economic flights. I can book a flight to Thailand with an extended stay in HK during the same period, for half the price fly direct to Hong Kong. That is insane, because Thailand is a lot further than going to HK alone. Does that make any sense for you? If I have the time I would took that option. Unfortunately time is not an option for some of us here.

There you have it, just when I thought I explored almost everything here in the mainland. I encountered another surprise.

Chang Encounter Shanghai.

Some thing about Shanghai

It sure does not feels like summer is ending soon, we had a month of sunshine in Shanghai, I will take it at any time in stead of gray and cloudy days. I was being prep by my friends before the summer arrive about how horrible that would be in the summer months, in the end it does not feels any different than the sizzling summer heat in New York, or the windless coast in Turkey. I actually enjoy the UV days a rare treat here indeed. : o

If you read my blog regularly, you may have noticed my transformation from a lonely worm to a social butterfly, blossoming in Shanghai in a little short of 8 months. I am finally settled into my work routine, and figure out a way on how to balance a work life and a social one a little better. At my advance age of 99, social life these days is nothing more than a little wine bar visits, social gathering with friends again in bars and restaurants, lots of dinner parties, a little concert and comedy club in between, and lots of road trips. The nightclub scenes although not totally diminished, but is not my prefer venue. As we age, our entertainment became a lot more creative, as you saw on my many photo journals. I still have lots of fun. A far cry from those foods hunting days when I first arrive in Shanghai. I am not longer a cave man. stuck in my own house.

Two weeks ago, I share with you some of my highlights in the lovely Former French Concession area, and of course the ever-famous People’s square, the beating heart of Shanghai as well.

Shanghai had many concessions, the English, and Italian even American, but they all eventually combined into one huge international concession close to where the Bund is located today. Because of this action, the international concession loose a lot of the distinct architectural style typical of their own country, but the French they held out, and refused to merge. ( WHAT ELSE IS NEW WITH THOE FRENCH RIGHT?) Therefore the French concession remain intact, today it is one of the most sort after address for the affluent.


The lovely former French Concession was where the Good Life once was to be found, along with the lovely old villas and modern apartment houses of those who lived it. I strove down Avenue Petain with my friends we visited the Love house (The Former Residence of Song Meiling & Chiang Kai-Shek). The High art, art deco residence (originally built as the club house of Du Yue-Sheng, China's most powerful syndicate boss). Now the Mansion Hotel. The Old French Concession Street is where the Okura Garden Hotel located. In the picture I send previously, you saw the beautiful formal garden, the house was built originally as the French Club in 1926. It certainly had the French style as soon as you enter the old part of the hotel. The grand stair case lead to the second floor ballroom, I was told that it was the only party place in town, because in the 19th century China, gentlemen and ladies were not allow to be party in the same room, except in the French club. Party with out ladies, what a gay time was that. Ha ha.

The Cathay Theater, Avenue was a movie palace, the main theatre I was told can seat up to a 1000 guest per show. It is still an operating theatre today. We visited some galleries. And tree line streets planted with old trees and full of charming French origin housing blocks and art deco buildings. It is charming area, and not to be missed if you ever visit Shanghai.
As we approaching people Square “again” The former British Royal Jockey Club house as stable was keep in perfect shape. It was located here is because the People Square before it got converted into a park, was once the British Race Track of Shanghai.


The visit to People’s Square is not complete without a trip to the wedding market (again). This is the place where desperate parents try to make a match for their reluctant children. Some of them are desperate as well, so you need to make sure the photo is not retouched, or you will end up with a girlfriend missing two front tooth.

We always have fun there doing the Bargain with them, although none of us are really seriously wanted to cut ties with our family and our own country, but it never hurt to do some bargaining. especially my friends do all the talking I am just sitting pretty. ha ha.

Since I am a tall Chinese with an American passport, you can see the trouble I can cause. Some parents willing to forget the three basic requirements that is the standard of any negotiation (or sell), in exchange for a son in law with a passport to America.

The 3 basic requirements are.
1.    Do you have a house?
2.    How much real money you have in the bank?
3.    Do you have a car?

In the case for the girls that could be different. But it is usually the girls’ parents take the upper hand approach, They are very aggressive. Make sure you still have your two arms intact when you leave the park. The other tips is that if a fight broke out between two parent. Sneak out as soon as you can, or you will end up dating the one daughter of the winning parent. I will take some of my unsuspected visiting “American Friends” there some time. I also had a lot of international helpers is more than happy to make it happen to you.

Age and looks are not deciding matter here, if you pass all three requirements and a passport of any foreign country. You are in the fast track for approval on getting a speedy wife that may leave you the day their Green Card arrived. Unless you are loaded with “Cash” then they may stay until your back account dry up.

The feeling for most Chinese girls is: (I have reference for these saying and I swear I did not make it up).
They rather weep in a Mercedes, than laughing on the back of a bicycle.
Don't you just love those Chinese they are too practical.

Here is another funny one for you, inside joke, my Chinese friends told me this:

Q. What do you call people that speak two languages?
A. Bilingual. (Correct).

Q. What do you call people that speak three languages?
A. Trilingual. (Correct).

Q. What do you call people that speak more than three languages?
A. Multilingual. (Correct).

Q. What do you call people that speak only one languages?
A.  It starts with an A _ _ _ _ _ _ Ns.

Sorry this time the joke is on Y_ _.

Just think if it you are in a comedy club. Every one gets its turns being make fun of. Ha ha.

Chance Encounter Shanghai