Shanghai

Finally found internet!

Currently sitting in a hostel in Shanghai preparing for our trip to Anhui. Orientation, to be honest, has turned out to be much more relaxed than I had first imagined. We spent about one hour talking about the program, and most of the day we're just wandering the city visiting places. Some highlights have been the Shanghai Aquarium, the underwater tourist tunnel, the "Bund" (which is a fantastic walk down the shoreline of the Huang Pu river), and the Orientatial Pearl.

First, prices vary massively from place to place, ostensibly because the rich are ridiculously rich and the poor remain relatively poor. From beragged beggars to yuppies in designer clothing, the streets of Shanghai remain a place of disparity.

People here are all but shy, crossing the road with no consideration to the traffic signals or pedestrian signals, shouting at restaurants, and hawking goods (everything from kites to roller blades) mercilessly. At the same time, there is a heart-warming quality to some of the storekeepers and restaurants.

Two more days of orientation and we're headed off!