Shanghai is insane!

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Well I made it! After a couple of nights in Auckland a painless flight lands me in Shanghai, China. A very futuristic Airport indeed, straight customs and immigrations in 20 mins. Then navigated my way to the No 6 busline. Luckily for me I was going to the last stop because otherwise I would have had no idea of where to get off. The bus ride was over an hour through a wild mix of futuristic sky scrappers and shanty towns. I figured you can tell how flash an area is by a quick look at the scooters, if theyre pimped out in the colours of an american basketball team you know youre hanging with the rich kids. Apparently its cool to tint your car windows in Shanghai as well as Hamilton, except that you can do the front windows too and it has to be industrial strength black, this includes cop cars and taxis - the cop cars kinda lookly suspiciously like 10 year old datsun sunnys, and they all have the flashing lights stuck onto faulty flicker.

I then managed to get off the bus and find the subway by total fluke and even managed to go the right direction after a hard case conversation with a train platform guy - who incidentally had never heard of new zealand. The train cost 40 cents kiwi and arrived at my station in about 1 minute. Outside the station were a dozen guys arrayed in a flying v atop of their scooters. Each slapped the back of his clapped out stead and told me to 'jump on'. But considering I had a 2 minute walk and the traffic is insane and NOBODY wheres a helmet i decided to foot it and live another day. There really are millions of scooter and bikes, of all kinds of fun shapes. Apparently driving on the wrong side of the road is not too much of a biggie.

Its very smoggy and there was a thunder storm - It is also bloody hot and sticky.

Everyone stares at the tall white boy, with a kind of "what the hell!!" expression. Feel like an alien. Almost caused a lady to crash her bike, hmm.

Better leave some funny observations for next post, altho i think there will be no shortage. Hmm, 1 more $2 600ml beer before bed.

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