I arrived to Shanghai last weekend, the first rainy days in Shanghai this fall they told me. First night I joined my friend Chef Petteri Luoto, one of the top ones in Scandinavia actually, for dinner at pretty high-end blocks of Shanghai and yes, I took my St. Regis umbrella with me. The one I borrowed from the lobby.

Enjoyed beautiful dinner with my friend, watched the city with lights and rain. And when we left, my umbrella was gone. Naturally. But there was another black umbrella like mine but actually not the same one. The guy at the reception didn’t understand my message so I did what locals do and took that alternative. Not really mine – or St.Rehis’s – but what the heck!

Got back to the hotel with an unbranded one, someone is out there with St.Regis one. So beautiful.

New evening, new tricks. We left Fairmont Peace Hotel and it was really rainy outside. We got umbrellas with a soft lie, saying we are coming back soon. So Chinese, and also using our European advantage. We actually got back but never returned the umbrellas. So we were not laying actually, right?

Next day with rain that never came so the story ended. If it would have been raining, I had one more. And same story happened everywhere in Shanghai. That’s why there are lockers for umbrella outside some restaurants. That’s why people are carrying umbrellas with them. And that’s why China is so giant producer of umbrellas. Shanghai is the City of Lost Umbrellas. Maybe China is a Country of Lost Umbrellas?

Thank God it’s not raining now. Otherwise I would have problems with my luggage packing. Where to put all those umbrellas I have been facing. Or collecting.