Bright lights, big city

Flew from Kathmandu, through Hong Kong to Shanghai and took the Maglev (for magnetic levitation) train from the airport into town. It travels 30km in eight minutes and top speed is 431km per hour. Cars on the highway beside it look as if they’re going backwards. As it nears the city it begins to slow down and it felt like we were doing 30km an hour when it was down to 200. An astounding piece of engineering.

Don't look for push-pedal rickshaws and kung fu outfits here. It's a big, modern city with people dressed in jeans, miniskirts, polo shirts, fashion footwear and designer clothes. Buildings from various eras, mostly 20th century. Some neoclassical architecture from the 1920s and 30s, some from the 50s and 60s and a lot of really recent stuff going up high overhead. Clean streets,, modern transporation system, new cars. You could be anywhere in Europe or North America.

Despite being big and modern, Shanghai is still fairly inexpensive. You can eat a good meal for about five or seven dollars. Hotels might run you USD 10 although if you go upscale you can ruin yourself fairly quickly.

Tea scam
I expected to see bigger crowds on the streets, but it's not as congested here as in India. The tourist areas are full of touts and there's a dangerous "tea" scam (plus variants) that'll cost you plenty if you're not careful.

Someone strikes up a conversation with you, sometimes claiming to be an “English teacher” so you assume they just want to practise a little. Or someone younger will say they’re studying English, or they’re from out of town on a short vacation. Whatever the story, its sounds innocuous. Shortly they suggest you go for a tea or coffee, or a drink together. They order, and with the beverage comes a plate of sliced fruit, maybe some other things. They’re engaging conversationalists and quite interested in you. But when the bill comes it’ll be for USD 80 or 100. I heard that a number of people get scammed this way and some go to the police who will help to get most of the money back.

I spent too much time getting my blog caught up and didn’t see as much of the city as I would have liked. Went one day to a contemporary art complex, full of galleries and workshops. Some of it was fascinating, some not so interesting and some just incomprehensible. The anarchy of modern art.

I also went to the French Concession, which doesn’t retain all that much of its Frenchness, and to an outdoor flea market full of cheap junk... brass buddhas, old hairpins and combs, fans, knicknacks and gewgaws. Nothing worth buying.

Looka looka
Strolled along the famous walkway along the river, The Bund. It gives nice views of the river and great opportunities for touts to try and sell you kites and Rolex watches. It began to remind me of India and I didn’t want to turn sour on the place, so I found a new way to deal with them. Whenever one approached with their standard phrase, “Just looka looka” (meaning have a look), I’d point my camera at them and start taking pictures. Most people confronted with a camera freeze and smile, and by the time they’d figured out what had happened, I was a few steps past them. It’s a playful way to fend them off and I found it effective and satisfyingly fun.

In India I got used to the curry, but found the food fairly repetitive after a while. Here, the variety is endless. Plus, eating with chopsticks means you slow down, don’t eat as much and feel happily full afterwards. I altered my grip on the chopsticks by watching others around me. In the past, my hand would grow tired because I was holding it stiffly, squeezing too tightly. The Chinese look so comfortable when holding them gently that I decided to copy them. It works, but I’m having a bit of trouble with some of the more slippery stuff on my plate.

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