September 19 - Shanghai

All still in a haze because of a lack of sleep and a jetlag we arrived in the exit hall of Shanghai Pudong Airport. A friendly English-speaking young man was waiting for us with a mini-van. Just enough space for seven musicians and gear. Our first impression? Hot and sweaty! The air seems to weigh on our skin. A different heat than what we are used to.

We drove about an hour to get into the center of Shanghai. What a sight! Never seen such an impressive skyline... And you can't even see half of it because of the smog. It's true what they say about China. It's hot, but you won't see the sun. It's always hidden behind a veil of fog.

We were dropped off at Bailemen Hotel. Just about time to get lunch. In a fancy Balinese restaurant located in the park where we would be playing the day after, we were introduced to a number of dishes, most of them unknown to us.

In the park we met Mark, our contact from the festival. He gave us a warm welcome and a great tip for a superb local restaurant close to the JZ Club, called Charmant. Jellyfish, starfish, packshoy with red peppers, salted shrimps and Peter's gigantic milk ice dessert with peanuts...

Before going to sleep we checked out the atmosphere of the festival. We had a short meeting with Gilles Peterson and gave him our CD's. Due to Steven's looks he asked if we were a rockabilly band... Hopefully he listens to it and figures out himself that we're not.