Blogs from Yangpu, Shanghai, China, Asia

In Defense of Silence It's been a long and winding path to get back in front of this keyboard today. When last I wrote, it was from the white sandy beaches and tropical winds of Koh Samui, Thailand. There, I found myself able to practice Yoga, journaling and general peace-of-mind nearly every hour, let alone every day. Shortly thereafter, I returned to China... or rather, China returned to me. I knew that Thailand would bring about change. I knew that that phase would bring me a fresh set of eyes on China, for better or for worse. And I also knew that I'd be returning to a completely unrecognizable China experience. Almost immediately upon my arrival, I was told to not get too comfortable as change was coming. Within weeks, my bags and apartment were packed ... read more

Dernière journée complète du voyage, bien que plusieurs s'ennuient de leurs parents (qui aurait cru...), nous avons tous un petit "moton" dans la gorge. Nous sommes allez visiter le musée de Shanghai, petit retour sur l'histoire ancienne de la Chine ( monnaie, bronze, jade, etc). Très intéressant, on voit que notre histoire est un peu plus récente et moins riche que la leur. Pour le dîner, événement culinaire incroyable au restaurant la Marmite Mongole. Resto de style buffet où on rempli un bol de viande et un autre de légumes. Ensuite, des chefs mongoles font cuire le tout sur une plaque ultra chaude. En 45 secondes, le tout est cuit. Vraiment mais vraiment bon. Ensuite magasinage dans le vieux quartier de Shanghai. Un labyrinthe de magasins de toutes sortes. Le royaume de la négociation. Devinez quoi? ... read more

As a kid I used to dig holes in the back yard. I think it was just for fun but I remember when people asked what I was doing; I unequivocally responded that I was digging a hole to China. After recruiting the effort our miniature schnauzer I was able to dig a hole deep enough to hide my 4 foot self but Binky and I could never break through to the other side of the globe. I now find myself 20+ years later on an alternate path to the Far East. Traveling above the Arctic Circle I have landed in Shanghai and now resting in my seemingly European styled hotel. After scanning the TV channels I found it odd that the first English speaking program was a music video marathon celebrating the artist currently known ... read more

Today is tuesday. I'm staying inside all day or trying to at least. Zoey the lady who runs the internships in Shanghai may drag me out for lunch or dinner. I had dim sum for lunch when i woke up. They are weird rice bread balls with custard in the middle. I would never eat them in the US but here they seem like one of the better options because i didn't know what kind of microwave food was good to buy last night. So the second, third, and fifth day i was here i went out with Dennis or something like that. The other day, my whole experience in China changed. I bought a towel and lots of chocolate. I haven't been eating as much chocolate as normal and was really missing it. The towel, ... read more

Captain's Log Stardate 11:53:00::06:10:2010 Location Shanghai China So when i left off last time, the battery was dying on my laptop in Seoul, South Korea and i was searching for an outlet. i only went about 40 feet before i found an outlet and realized that South Korean outlets are two circular prongs and i couldn't use them. i progressed to fill my water bottles when i ran into a guy from my flight. we walked the whole terminal. it took a while, it was a curve with two lines coming off. nothing was opened at five in the morning. ha ha ha. eventually we walked down one of the lines and found a free internet cafe payed for my naver (the google of china). it was closed but in an open area so we sat ... read more