Shanghai meeting

The plane touched down in the spanking new Pudong airport at 3.30pm but we were not allowed to disembark until the health officials have done their job. The authorities are serious about containing the H1N1 flu, so we had to remain seated while the masked officials went about taking temperature in a swift and efficient manner. Thank goodness we had no sick passengers onboard the plane or I could end up in quarantine.

On the way to the city, I noticed the huge amount of cars and very little bicycles on the busy streets. I was amused when the cab driver said nobody wears white in Shanghai because it turns to grey within a day. I agree something must be done about the pollution.

I arrived at the hotel weary after battling peak hour traffic. The nice lady at the conceirge must have noticed because she upgraded my room to a suite with a lounge, 2 bathrooms and 2 TV sets. It's as big as the size of my own apartment! Sweet!

I met the rest of the guys (yes, all guys) for a glass of beer before dinner. The weather was pleasantly cool in the evening when we walked to the restaurant nearby. I was told the rainy season had only ended the day before which means the temperature will keep soaring in the days to come.

It's great to have foodies amongst us who know exactly what to order at the restaurant. Food in Shanghai is relatively cheap. Of course I can say that because I wasn't the one footing the bill. Here's what we had for dinner:

Chopped spinach topped with pine nuts.

Cucumber wrapped in pork slices.

Pomelo salad.

Chicken braised in soy sauce.

A vegetable and roasted walnut stir-fry.

Braised tofu.

Peking duck.

Stir fried sweet pea.

Winter melon soup served in a huge urn.

Here's the soup.

Diced pork.

Fried fish.

Kai lan.

Of course, we didn't come all the way to Shanghai for the food (though it is a huge incentive). Our agency meeting started at 10am the next day and didn't finish until 4.30pm. Lunch was chicken burgers delivered by the good guys at KFC. The spicy chicken burger was tender and finger licking good.

If you think last night's dinner was good, wait till you see the spread on the second night. This time, we booked a VIP room at a different restaurant to accommodate more people at the dinner table.

Cheers!

Braised beancurd and mushroom.

Fish fillet.

Diced vegetables and beancurd, topped with pine nuts. This must be a Shanghai specialty.

Fresh prawns cooked in egg gravy.

Annie trying to make Keith look more attractive than he already is.

Shredded bean dish.

Sweet and sour fish.

Diced meat and vegetables.

Luncheon meat with pork skin and mushrooms.

An eel dish which Spencer refused to touch.

Stir fried beef.

Broccoli.

Spicy beancurd.

Blood cubes cooked in a spicy sauce. This dish didn't go down very well with most of us.

Pork and cabbage.

Crabs.

Eight-treasure duck.

Annie trying to stuff food down Keith's throat. Will you guys stop playing with food!

"Say cheese!"

After a very satisfying meal, we adjourned to our 'second office'. For the clueless, I'm refering to the watering hole around the corner where the guys usually hang out for beer.

Note to self - must not ask Keith to take my photos in future.

I wonder what they were doing.

You're not shoving the cherry up your nose, are you?

A happy KFC!

In an hour, we drank enough Tiger beer to flood the streets of Shanghai.

Nigel pretending to be drunk (to avoid paying the bill).

It wasn't all play and no work. The meeting ended at noon the next day. One by one, we started flying out of Shanghai City. The office is quiet once again and I heard Annie and Jasmine are missing us already. A yearly meeting is just about right. We'll meet again!