Asian Saga stop V -The behemoth known as Shanghai. You can see the thread covering stop IV, Beijing,
here. My travel to Shanghai marked the end of my six weeks in the Northeast. I was ready for a change of scenery and the giant metropolis offered more than I could handle. The city has a wild amount of diversity compared to Beijing or Dalian: blade runner-esque Pudong, the Western influenced Bund and French Concession, historic Buddhist temples and water towns. I felt the city was much more Westernized and global than the more insular Beijing. The food was different, sweeter than what I found in the Northeast. I was only in the city for three days and felt I only really saw the tourist sites. I'd like to head back and experience some of the neighborhood.
For the SSP enthusiasts you'll see some shots of the new Shanghai tower under construction. It will do to the SWFC what the SWFC did to Jin Mao. Where else in the world will you be able to look down on the roof of a 101 story building?
The sweet -A new camera lens, 17mm TS, not having my wallet stolen, my first cheeseburger in 2 months (though after 2 months of being on a Chinese diet my stomach classified this as a sour), and generally experiencing a city with 23,000,000 people.
The sour - Running myself into the ground and catching a nasty cold; crowds like I've never seen. I waited in line to go to the top of the Pearl tower for over two hours. Once I got to the top it was basically a sardine tin of people; rain, rain and more rain; and generally experiencing a city with 23,000,000 people.
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Next stop I'll get out of the cities and head west to the rice terraces of Dazhai and the Li River near Xing Ping. That thread will wrap up China, then it's on to India!