as you can probably tell from the new posts below, i found an internet cafe!

it’s a 10-minute walk from my lodging and it’s spacious, cheap (1.5 RMB/hr), and run by middle-aged ladies who mean business. i feel like i should address the matriarch as “madame” or something (you should see her fierce pomp).

there’s a guy doing rounds up and down every aisle yelling “chao fan yao ma? wen dun (wonton) yao ma? chao mian ma?!” (basically, “who wants to chow?!”)
pretty smart, because i have a feeling some of the cafe clientele here may have skipped a meal or two (counter strike and half-life, look what you’ve done).

it’s my fourth day in shanghai. tomorrow is my last!
i’ve seen and done a lot, but probably not as much as i should since i’ve been sleeping in a bit too.

shanghai is another fascinating and paradoxical rush that doesn’t cease to amaze me. it’s an incessant mind%*#$. like beijing and guilin, it has its own distinct “intoxicating” flavor. the people are different, the pace is different, even the style of dress is different. how, i can’t explain.

to start, here is the view from my “business hotel.” it’s on a street lined with stores selling everything from screws, hardware, switches, handles, wheels, and power tools to toilets, pipes, and wires. my dad would love this street.

i got the fat hook-up and scored a room for only 198 RMB/night ($27). you can’t get any cheaper than this, unless you want to room with scary strangers. my room is small, and sometimes the bathroom exudes a stinky odor, but it’s a wonderful place. i’m a block or two away from east nanjing road, THE shopping epicenter. think colorful lighted building signs, vegas style, and megamalls on every corner. this means i feel pretty safe walking by myself at night, and food options (mall, street, eatery, what have you) are aplenty.

on my first day, i enjoyed green onion pancake, fresh off the back of a bicycle in a nearby alley

of course, i can’t not post a pic of the bund. it’s pretty romantical. lots of people are stationed along the strand, trying to make a business out of taking your photo with the pretty backdrop

i made a friend, FINALLY (and no i didn’t not accost him, he came to me, natch)

on massively crowded east nanjing road, a mammoth bouquet of blue and white ballons were released into the sky, and then, this

(snoopy trailed behind)

another favorite of mine – snack streets!

yangcheng lake hairy crabs (i love that name) are like, a local point of pride or something. they’re regarded the way dungeness are, but on a grander, more popular scale. now in season, they’re supposedly very delicious, so i must take advantage of this opportunity and try some. and yes, they have tufts of hair on their claws. they’re sold everywhere, esp on the street.

on the same street, i witnessed a funny little thing, one of those “wow, i can’t believe i’m here” moments that concluded in everyone sharing a chuckle. on dajing jie (street), whatever it is you need, you’ll find: fruit (including mangosteen), produce, herbs, seeds, nuts, tea, powders, spices, pickled veggies, seafood (i saw an actual HUGE horseshoe crab, people!), poultry (caged ducks and chickens), even brains. maybe there were a handful of legit markets and storefronts, but most of these vendors seemed to be operating out of their homes, off their bicycles, or on the sidewalk.

at one point, somebody must’ve yelled “FUZZ!,” because in one hot second EVERYONE flew into mach speed to pack up their goods and flee down the nearest alleyway. it was crazy! considering the streamlined tearing down, it seems that most of these people were prepped for instant getaways. as a civilian car drove down the street honking the horn, it became apparent that it was simply a false alarm.

everyone then exhaled and had a good laugh. what a commotion, but so cute!!!

some more of the neighborhood

WHEW. okay. i’ve been here for far longer than i care to admit.
more later on shanghai’s “art scene,” the shanghai museum, a growing fond adoration for the parks here, and my first real xiao long bao.

thanks for reading!

one last pic – a reminder to stay healthy!

This entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 10:58 am and is filed under asia, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.