The Whore of the Orient

While I'd love to tell you about the spaceships on top of skyscrapers, weird people on the Bund and the most futuristic skyline I've ever seen, Shanghai was really just about grippin' it and rippin' it. After 2 days on the train from Tibet and the week long detox there, the thick, choking smog, the hoards of people and nuclear reactor heat and humidity ripped me back into the realities of China.

Finally! After planning for months and slowly working my way here, I was able to meet up with Steve-o and Coley, who (aside from Nick in Chiang Mai) have been the only familiar faces I've seen in 3 months. I'm glad to say that the boys have this side of the world on lockdown and are representin' well. While contributing to the deliquency of minors and setting the women's rights movement in China back a generation, Steve-o reminded me why I travelled around the world to hang out with him. If you didn't get a chance to come see him in this bastion of decadence, you're too late - he's moving to Prague at the end of summer. Throw in my new friend Chris, from USC, who at times was like hanging out with Chinese 'Borat' and Shanghai will be remembered (or forgotten?) as a place to straight up grip it and rip it like only the Whore of the Orient can do. The main fact to remember is that as a Westerner in China, you are above the law.

By this point in my trip, I've come to the conclusion that I could never do a trip like this with anyone else. Those who travel alone swear by it and I now know why. But I will say that there is no feeling being 10,000 miles from home and hanging out with a buddy you've seen twice in 4 years and it feels like you've never been apart. Long story short - go seek out your friends that have left it all behind to pursue crazy existences around the world that would never cross our minds and go see their world, cause I guarantee it will be worth it.

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