Shanghai

I was really confused on our taxi ride in to Shanghai, because our hotel was near the river, but we never saw any water. As it turns out, we just couldn't SEE the river under the heavy smog cover. At least in Hong Kong, the smog appeared to lift in the evenings (hard to get a clear day shot). I didn't expect the air quality to be great, but was still unprepared for the amount of air pollution. I really just can't convey how bad it was. The river is not very wide, maybe a few hundred meters, and you still can't see any of the buildings on the other side. And the boardwalk is still packed withlocals just out for an evening stroll. Is this a clear day for this city? Is anyone else concerned?

The really funny/sad thing is that people are still taking pictures against the city backdrop. We end up paying a camera man 10rmb to take our picture too, just to see if he's going to digitally enhance it to include the city skyline. We take seven pictures, each from a different angle. He even takes a few twice. Of course, they all look the same – me and Derek in a big wall of smog. The only pictures I have from Shanghai. And only a small percentage of people are wearing facemasks. I don't think I would bother either if I lived here. I heard somewhere that living in Beijing is the equivalent of smoking 70 cigarettes per day, and wonder if that's better or worse than Shanghai.

But, other than the pollution, I really like this city. It's jam-packed with people spitting, rusted bicycles, taxis doing u-turns in intersections, shops blaring club music and nothing is orderly or works properly. Shanghai is too disorganized to put on any sort of tourist front, so it just comes across as “real life.” Plus, I'm enjoying my new-found celebrity as the biggest white girl in town. People slow down and stare at me -- not just passing glances, but long stares that often include dropping everything to watch me. Of course, it may also be because I'm bigger than just about everyone, usually at least 4-5 inches taller than most of the men.

It also turns out our hotel lounge is THE place to be at 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon, as we were invited to sing "anything in English” by a group of 30 Chinese karaoke buffs. Of course, there were no English words or music, but here's our attempt at an acapella “Livin' on a Prayer” duet.