homesick

Ahoy,

To say Shanghai was the lowlight of this trip is probably not giving the city enough credit. To be fair, we were just stopping through on an overnight layover and getting to see anything beyond the airport customs/immigration check was really a bonus. A visa for China costs upwards of $100 and we were not about to spring on that for such a short trip. We were able to enter through some 72 hour rule. If you are only coming in for less than 72 hours and you show proof of your flight out, you are permitted to enter the country. I think this is only for certain cities in which there are a lot of overnight layovers, and only for flights.

Having just come from the impeccable service of Japan, we knew we had to get used to lesser accommodations again. What a drag. The pollution in Shanghai that day/time was probably at its worse. It smelled like fireworks and visibility was poor. We made the choice to hop in a taxi to get to our hotel near the Bund because we figured it'd be quicker. Turns out, it was no quicker than what GoogleMaps estimated had we taken public transit. There was a ton of traffic for more than half the way there. But it was incredibly cheap, and we taxied back to the airport the following day.

Our hotel was down probably the sketchiest alley. I'm not sure I could have convinced the RRS to walk down it had it not been about 10 steps to the door of the hotel. We scurried in and ran up the stairs. I noticed a toy machine gun on the counter whether it belonged to the child at the desk or for security I'm not sure. We made note of the holes in the flooring no doubt due to the pinpoint precision of Chinese construction and left for the waterfront.

I wanted to see the Bund because that was one of the things that stuck in my mind from one of my planning classes as an undergraduate. As one of many rapidly developing cities in Asia, Shanghai competes on a global market and its development reflects as such. The past, present, and future of Shanghai can be read along the waterfront that guided the growth of this worldly city. The grandeur and scale of the skyline was spectacular despite the haze and wind chill. To see something that I had so long ago heard of and studied is also somewhat of a full circle in my mind, and yet leaves me wanting more.

From here, we walked inland on a pedestrian pass lined by giant malls. I think we walked up to the bottom of People's Square and turned around. The food we ate was not remarkable because we got caught in a tourist trap. There was something about this city that felt so foreign, perhaps a little unwelcoming, a little dirty that made the first twinges of uneasiness, not quite homesickness, rise up in my throat. I was glad to be leaving, but I still wanted to see more.

delectably chilled,
jt