Eastern Thrills: Shanghai

We arrived in Shanghai in the pouring rain. Come to find out, there was a typhoon warning.  This actually was a bit of relief from the dry heat in the North. We were officially in Central Eastern China.

This was a bewildering city, fused of the West. China's highest population density of 23 million spread over an area 2500 square miles (about 9500 people per square mile). Honestly though, it didn't feel that dense. Home to the world's designer shopping and luxury living, this place was not the China we had been experiencing. We instantly hated it. Of course, by now we thought we were of Chinese nationality so a little defensive feeling the Western influences. Don't worry though, that fizzled quickly as we came to find the ubiquitousness of chinese massage parlors. Every day we paid a visit to a new parlor, with my favorite being a milk foot bath. 

The pictures below will take you on our journey. 

Finally the English alphabet.

Remember the typhoon warning, well it hit ground shortly after the warning. This was minutes before this umbrella was ripped to shreds by the wind and rain. 

Old town.

Mao.

Samara flew in from Katmandu and met up with us at our hotel.

Daily grind.

These balconies just get going up, this modest residential and commercial building was probably 24 stories high.

View of the Pudong District. This is the "new Shanghai." It was built in ten years and is as big as Manhattan. The tall building is the Oriental Pearl Tower. I was standing on "the Bund," which is the historic city center. The Shanghai Stock Exchange and World Financial Center is over there. 

Puxi Historic District.

Old Town. Reminded me of San Francisco's China Town. 

Protector's of the gate.

This folk art was everywhere in old town. 

Our hotel; it was so lovely.

My drugs. I came down with a bad head cold. These lil' babies were the only thing keeping me going. Still not sure what they really were.

Shanghai Art Museum.

Shanghai Art Museum.

Skyline at night; yes, they shoot off fireworks EVERY night as the sun goes down.

Stay tuned for the next stop, Guilin, China.