Mr and Mrs Bund

We finally both had a good night's sleep last night.  That's the first time I could say that for the both of us since we've been here.

We went out to eat last night to 'Mr and Mrs Bund'.  Love the name.  I wanted to tell people "my name is Bund...James Bund".   It is considered the best French restaurant in Shanghai according to Frommer's Guide book.  It was really very chic and very good.  We didn't have reservations comin into the place and they were packed.   But they managed to give us what seemed like the best table for two in the place.  Maybe they knew we earned it! after a year of dealing with the French  :)  Later in the week we decided to go to the other Paul Pairet restaurant in Shanghai called 'Jade on 36'.  We went there for the world renowned view of The Bund on the 36th floor but we certainly paid for it...not sure it was worth it. We found 'Mr and Mrs Bund' much more reasonable and liked the atmosphere better as well.

After dinner we went next door to the Peace Hotel and had a drink in the old Jazz club there.  It was lightly raining all night with a heavy fog/smog but it was a comfortable temp and the mist gave the place kind of a spooky nostalgic look I thought.

On the way home we got into a cab with extremely tinted windows and no driver number/info on the inside.  I felt strange about the guy when we were getting in because I expected to have to hail a cab but he was waiting on the sidewalk and asked us if he could drive us.  As soon as I got in I said to Ran I don't like this...I wish I would listen to my gut more.  And sure enough I could see his meter going at about twice the speed it should have been.  I knew this ride/fare pretty well because the Oracle office I went to a couple days was right next to The Bund area. So I knew it should be between 25 and 30 RMB.  But when we pulled up to the hotel his meter said 47 RMB.  I told the guy he was ripping us off but I was using the wrong language of course.  The guy wouldn't give me a receipt and he wouldn't pull right up to the hotel.  We b*tched back and forth at each in different languages until I gave him only 30 RMB and told Ran to get out of the cab.   After we got in the hotel I realized the 17 RMB difference is like $2.50...hardly worth an international incident but I felt as righteous as a blind Chinese activist at the time. It was about the principal of it!!