Impressions of China

I'm in China and it is awesome. Shanghai is the biggest, tallest, most colorful and crowded city I've been in, full of new wonders and challenges but totally navigable and friendly. There are masses of people here and so many of them are so extroverted and helpful. Other people are a bit scared, and will not take your picture if you ask them to. But mostly I'm surrounded by smiles, and endless things to do. So far we've enjoyed:

• the dumplings at Yuyuan Gardens- worth the wait!
• foot massages
• wine and dessert overlooking the Bund and Pudong
• the "Humble Administrators' Garde"n in Suzhou
• picking out styles and silk prints for handmade Chinese dresses
• bargaining for an antique (maybe) mahjong set
• did I mention the dumplings?
• a hole-in-the-wall Uyghur restaurant (with picture menu)

Our hostel is great, the cabs are cheap, the steamed buns are tasty... I'm loving China and can't wait to come back in six weeks for my Silk Road adventure! Stay tuned for pictures and more tales of adventures in Shanghai...