China!!

I made it!

It was so sad leaving Nepal. I thought I was tired of Kathmandu, but when the time came to move on I felt my heart sink a little. At the airport, the computer system went down (not so conducive to e-tickets) so I had a chance to soak up some last minute Nepali culture: securtiy guards playing peek-a-boo, passengers walking behind the ticket counter to try and make friends with the ticket agents, kids weighing themselvs on the baggage scales... oh I'm going to miss this place.

After spending the night in transit, I finally made it to Shanghai. Walking out of the baggage claim, it wasn't too hard to spot Jills: this blonde puff bobbbing about one foot above a sea of black hair. Can't tell you how happy I was to see that puff.

My impression from the taxi ride: humid, grey/polluted skies, the drivers obey traffic rules.

I tried to stay awake that day, to help with the 3 hour time difference, but my sleepless night left me a little delirious and Jill smartly separated us from her group of friends after sad show of conversational skills at lunch. On our own we hit the Starbucks in People's Square and went home for a nap.

Today, I felt much much better. I took a hot shower. I have goosebumps now just thinking of the water pressure and endless supply of hot water. mmmmm. Then I flossed for the first time in 3.5 months and the warm fuzzy feelings turned into bloody frustration. Jill came back from class just as I finished yoga/meditation and we were off!

In Shanghai, the average person doesn't speak English. This means that taxi drivers need something written in Mandarin if you are going to get anywhere. It took 20 min to have reception at a hotel write down the name of the building we were aiming for. Then we were off!

We ended up at the wrong spot. But we saw a beautiful garden, a huge mall, the Ritz Carlton, California Pizza Kitchen... it feels like Chicago in some parts of the city. Compared to Nepal, we are basically in America. After a little shopping we headed home so Jill could study for her midterm.

Since the internet is lightening fast, I'll give you some pictures:)

Love you and miss you:) cam

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