Air Canada as a correctional facility

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I’m pretty sure that we should abolish the prison system and just make all of our criminals take a 12 hour flight with Air Canada. They would repent instantly. Maybe that was just my own personal purgetory for all the sins I’ve committed. Whichever it is, 12 hours of cramped legs, computer geek conversation, screaming babies, knees in the back, and a full Pepsi flung all over me, I have finally arrived in Shanghai.
So far it’s been total culture shock, with lots of claps and whistles at the 6 foot foreign barbarian. Shanghai has also earned it’s nickname the ‘Whore of the Orient’ as there seems to be someone trying to hock some stupid tourist shit, or fake rolex on every corner. This is no different than any other major city I’ve been in, just suprising as some crazy lady following you for two blocks screeming about watchs and DVD’s isn’t exactly the ideal of China I pictured when I planned this trip.
The other funny thing is that nearly every price is negotiable. I went to get a phone card today and the guy passed me one that said 100 RMB on it. I told him I wanted one for 50, so he just gave me the 100 RMB one for 50. Makes you contemplate what the cost of those things actully are, but I’m not complaining. So mom and dad, I’ll give you a call with that phone card as soon as I figure out how it works. God knows how long that will be.
It is, however, so incredibly hot here. Shanghai is 34 degrees right now, but more humid and muggy than the worst summer day I spent in Montreal. I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I wish it would rain just to cool things down.
I can’t really explain all of the crazy smells and sounds and images that are bombarding me here in Shanghai at the moment. I hope to be able to load some pictures on to the site sometime soon, but for now you will all have to just imagine.
I’m hoping to get out of the city tommorrow. I’ll most likely head east to a couple of mountains in the neighbouring province and mess around there until I meet Emma back in Shanghai on the 28th. There’re called the Yellow mountain (everything here seems to be the yellow something or other) and the 9 peaks. I’ve postponed my trip up the Yangtze as aparently the dam and the senicly beautiful parts are further up near the river’s origin, and the coastal part near Shanghai is wide, flat and boring.

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