Shanghai-ed

Hello again, from another new locale.

The place: Shanghai. The date: March 18, 2007.
The Time: 8:22 p.m. Shanghai, 5:22 a.m. Portland/Santa Cruz/San Francisco, 7:22 a.m. Davenport.
The Scoop: After a bit of a disorganized journey--but not very bad at all--through the Beijing Airport's Air China ticket counter and gates (with a early lead/close finish cribbage game thrown in there), we had a short flight into Shanghai. One interesting flight tidbit: the plane had some sort of camera on the bottom of the plane and the image from it was sent to the video screens in the cabin, so you could watch the ground go away when taking off and zoom up when arriving, which I think was somewhat disconcerting to some, but I thought was cool.

The hotel we're in isn't necessarily anything to speak of; it's no Comfort Inn, but it's no Mariott either. It has a very neat view (pictures to come) and is pretty close to both a very nice river walk area called the Bund, and Nanjing Road, a neon-lit pedestrian mall area. Shanghai in general is a departure from both Tokyo and Beijing, and certainly with elements of both. The air is clear and sprinkled with the smell of the sea, which is a welcome change from the Beijing smog, though the whole smoking culture is still hanging around. It's easy to see the many skyscrapers and high rises that rise above the horizon, and there's so much exciting modern architecture it's a real feast for the eyes, but among the broad swaths of development lie many a tenement and run-down part of the town. The streets are much more narrow than the open artieries of Beijing, so pedestrians have a bit more say in the transit process (but not much) as cars and buses have less room for errors, but scooters are far more prevelant here, and plenty of bicycles are still around.

This week's going to be pretty jam-packed with tours and lectures and such, so my plan is to keep everything else pretty low-key, and possibly get some of the trip-related school work started in the evening times. That part of me that's ready to return to the familiar is a little bigger than it was a week ago, though the distance away from Beijing and the intrigue of Shanghai (not to mention a little gelato) is helping it to abate just a little. This has been a big trip for me, that's of no doubt.

Time for a little R n' R (crossword puzzling) before bed. Enjoy your Sundays. And, perhaps, your sundaes.

--certificate--