First entry in my China blog...






























Well, I made it to Shanghai. Starting to explore this amazing city. My brother lives in an great local neighborhood, central to everything which is lucky to find. Two blocks to the subway, which connects you with the whole city. Getting around the city is smooth as can be, with taxis everywhere. I mean, literally turn your head and put your hand out and one instantly appears. Also, I've been exploring by electric scooter which is a whole different experience. My brother's friend has one that he never uses, so I'm set for a while. This whole city is totally flat, so there are more bikes (regular bikes, electric bikes, motorcycles) than cars. You just need to merge into a pack for safety as traffic lights and crosswalks are just suggestions. Think of it as swimming in a school of fish. You get the idea. Anyway, it's a blast riding and makes all parts of the city accessible. On to the food, which is awesome! Stomach has handled everything so far so cross your fingers for me. Local street dumplings to traditional meals, all taste great. And, cheap! A great meal will run about $3 bucks. Want an amazing sushi dinner, try $5 bucks. Forgot to mention, the cabs are even cheap! Oh, how could I skip the weather. Hot, and when I mean hot, try 90s at night. Humidity is to blame, always baking. I've been told by locals that we'll get tons of rain and then have about 3 months of nice weather, winter is cold. Shorts and a tee shirt is all for now. For those who are not familiar with this area at all, think of Shanghai as 3/4 of the way up the East coast of mainland China. It's split by a river which is not too far from the ocean. However, there are no beaches here, but marshlands that run to the Pacific's edge. That's about it for now, just adjusting and exploring. Language is the biggest issue, where I feel classes would be a huge asset. We'll see. Hello and thank you will do for now. Starting to hatch plans of travels before searching for work. More on that in my next entry.

Take it easy for now,

Lorrin