Shanghai, part 5: Random Thoughts

Real branches, fake flowers, motel lobby.

Elder cousin and we walked to a nearby dumpling house for breakfast. The restaurant had two levels of seating, but the fastest business was at the sidewalk window.

We had baozi and wonton soup ... and Pepsi.

The crab dumplings were oily good -- just don't squirt the deliciousness all over your shirt. Like I did.

Chunlin was much more vocal in China, talking to strangers, telling them what to do, where to sit. She had said as much a couple years ago, when taking a office personality quiz: much more a follower in the US, a leader in China. Language, customs.





Between the cars, bikes, motorbikes, and pedestrians, driving in China is pretty crazy. But most everyone pays attention and there are few accidents. Stop lights are suggestions. Only drive on the right if you really want to.

Drive on the sidewalk if you'd prefer.


Plenty of horn honking. Turn signals used.

Around our local subway station, the small plaza was jam-packed with bicyles and motorcycles. It was an unofficial park and ride.


Shanghai has twenty-story apartment blocks as far as the eye can see. The city goes on forever.


A sunny day is laundry day. If the window opens, there were clothes drying out of it.

Sunny but smoggy -- even with rain the day before.



At our hotel, I got sucked into a Chinese soap opera -- in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles, of course. Must stare at the glowing box.

Donald Duck dubbed into Mandarin. They left his laugh the same from the original, but it was quieter than the dubbed dialogue. It seemed very slapdash that way.

We visited Chunlin's elder cousin's apartment. They have turtles.


Chunlin's niece was wearing a shirt that proclaimed in bright pink, "Framtiden: Forget the horizon today." She knows enough English to know it was nonsense, I'd think. An oddly defeatist, inward phrase to be displayed so boldly. Framtiden, by the way, means "future" in Scandanavian languages. ...Makes sense now, right?



More photos on flickr, of course.