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Today, September 1, is the national first day of school in China. It just so happens that today there was a typhoon warning for Shanghai and the first day of school was canceled for all Chinese students, with the idea that people would stay home and be safe. So, what did Grant and I do today? Well, go to the World Expo, of course!

We didn’t knock out as much as we did when we were there last time, but here’s a rundown of what happened:

• Despite the typhoon warning, up until the early evening it was actually the clearest day I’ve seen in Shanghai since we arrived. The sky was a bright, bright blue and there were beautiful white clouds. I actually got a little color from the sun today!
• We went to the Indonesia pavilion, where it was as hot and steamy inside the pavilion as it was outside. (It was also a partially outdoor pavilion.) I think this was meant to simulate the tropical weather in Indonesia, but it just made me grumpy because I am really not cut out to handle the humidity in Shanghai. Or Indonesia either, I guess.
• We were denied entry into the China and Taiwan pavilions, because apparently you have to reserve entry tickets for those particular pavilions days in advance. It would’ve been nice to know that before, but whatever. Instead, we went to Hong Kong and Macao. Both had nice pavilions, but I feel like there’s so much more about both cities that could have been addressed.
• Australia had a pretty awesome pavilion, but the video wasn’t working due to “technical difficulties.” Since they had no idea when it would be fixed, we left. That was a bummer, as I’m sure the video would have been really good to match with the rest of the pavilion.
• That earlier bullet about a clear, sunny day? Yeah, by the time early evening rolled around the heavens opened and it was true typhoon style weather. It kicked in while we were walking to wait in line for the France pavilion, and even though we had umbrellas, they only do so much when water is coming at you from all sides.
• Because one lady decided to tip her umbrella on my head so that I got totally soaked, I decided to stand on a block in the middle of the queue for the French pavilion until the rest of my party got to the covered area of the queue. I didn’t want to be part of anymore of the vicious “umbrella fights” (where people jostle each other with umbrellas in an attempt to get ahead in the queue) and I was afraid my camera would be ruined from the rain. I got very odd stares whilst standing on the block, but I did make a Chinese friend! (He knew English.) I also slipped and fell as I climbed over the queue fence to rejoin my party, which I’m sure surprises no one, but I managed to catch myself in time before I got hurt. I think I scared a bunch of strangers, though.
• When there is a typhoon, some pavilions will close due to leaking caused by the heavy rain. See: Spain.
• The fries and waffles outside the Belgian pavilion were wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Belgian waffle that tasted that good.

Assuming the typhoon doesn’t interfere with flights, I’m headed for Beijing tomorrow. As much as I’ve loved Shanghai, it’s really just been a vacation. Beijing is where things will really start to feel like I’m living in China, rather than sightseeing.

Grant and I had initially planned to go see the World Expo again today, but in an unexpected turn of events we ended up getting offered a ride to Hangzhou. So, in what I’ve learned is typical fashion for Grant and me when traveling (read: being spontaneous, which is a good thing), we decided to spend the day in Hangzhou rather than battle it out with other World Expo visitors.

We explored around West Lake a little before climbing a trail that went through this forested area a little aways from the Lake. The trail led us to the Baochu pagoda, which is this really awesome pagoda on top of this plateau-type thing. It’s definitely a hike to get up there, but the view of Hangzhou as well as the pagoda is totally worth it. (Thank God for that, because Grant and I were not a pretty sight by the time we got to the pagoda, due to the extreme humidity. Read: we were disgusting.) We climbed some more tall rocks that were near the pagoda for an even higher and better view of the city, which I loved.

It was on the rocks that we made our first set of Chinese friends. They were fascinated by Grant in particular, and right off the bat they guessed that I was at least part Chinese. This fascinated me; back home, most people don’t guess that unless I point it out to them. Even though their English was just about as good as our Mandarin, we managed to communicate and had a good time enjoying the view and taking photos.

After our hike, we explored around West Lake some more before deciding to go find a teahouse. Hangzhou is most famous for Longjing tea, as it has the best climate in the world to grow that particular kind of tea. So, going to a teahouse in Hangzhou was an obvious choice. We decided to go to Leifeng tea house, which was supposed to be near the Leifeng pagoda. Well, we went to the pagoda and did the requisite pagoda-y stuff, but we couldn’t find the teahouse ANYWHERE. We walked all over, consulted every map we could find, used our broken Mandarin to ask for directions (with varying degrees of success; even if they understood our question, more often than not we did not understand the answer), and did everything we possibly could to find that damn teahouse. In the end, we declared defeat. I’m convinced the teahouse doesn’t even exist, because Grant’s map skills haven’t failed us yet.

There’s also a story from our Hangzhou adventure that involves dumplings, onions, soy sauce, and being Caucasian in a Chinese establishment that not many Caucasians go to, but I don’t even know where to begin with that one. I think Grant might write about it in his blog, so I’ll link to the entry if he does.

Also, photos soon, I promise. I just need to get my butt in gear and upload them to my computer from my camera.

Just a quick rundown of my experience at the World Expo today, because I am tired and it’s hard to string a coherent sentence together. Also, as this post doesn’t have pictures yet, I feel like a quick bulleted list is the best way to go about describing today, rather than long chunks of text.

• Most of the pavilions look very cool from the outside. Some of the more unique pavilions (from the outside) include the United Kingdom and China.
• Almost all pavilions have some sort of theme that revolves around topics such as sustainability and being environmentally friendly. This isn’t surprising, considering the World Expo theme is “Better City, Better Life.”
• Since the school year is about to start in China, anytime from September onwards is a far better time to go to the Expo than in the peak of summer. I was told to expect hours upon hours of waiting time, but the longest I waited in line was for one hour. That was when I was waiting to go into the Italy pavilion, and it was completely worth the wait. The line for the USA pavilion was very long too, but Grant and I just showed our USA passports and we were allowed to cut the line.
• Some of the more impressive pavilions, out of the many I saw today: Italy, Ireland, Turkey, Canada, and Mexico.
• Some of the lesser impressive pavilions, out of the many I saw today: Ukraine, Cuba (but in fairness to Cuba, there wasn’t really an exhibit, just a bar-type thing), and USA. (I will elaborate on my feelings about the USA pavilion in another entry.)
• The restaurant at the Peru pavilion is absolutely delicious. It’s a good place to have lunch or dinner, and it’s not that pricey (relatively speaking).
• All of the queues to get into the pavilions have coverings to shield visitors from the sun. They also have these mist sprayer things, where periodically mist is sprayed in the air to help cool people off in the hot weather. Personally, I’d rather have a bunch of fans blowing rather than mist getting sprayed in my face. The added moisture of the mist does nothing to help the already very heavy humidity!

To say that I was surprised to discover that there is a propaganda poster art center/museum in Shanghai would be an understatement. Honestly, I had never expected such a thing. But such a thing exists, and that’s where Grant and I ended up spending the afternoon. There were a lot of posters of the propaganda that was so heavily used in the Mao era, which I found absolutely fascinating. It was great to be able to put all the stuff I’ve learned about China and its massive transformation in recent years in a proper context. I’ve never quite realized how creative propaganda can be, or how it can sum up the mentality of a generation with several images and carefully chosen words.

Also, I learned how to play pool tonight. I’d never played before, and while I am definitely not a natural at it, I don’t think I was half-bad for a first timer, either. Grant and I played as a team, and we actually won both of our games. (I don’t think it’s necessary to mention that we won both games by default.)

I haven’t had time to put up pictures yet, as it’s taking all the energy I have after a long day exploring Shanghai to write a blog entry, let alone go through photos and choose which ones to post. Once I get settled in Beijing, I’ll be going through these Shanghai blog entries and adding photos. I’ll make a note of when I do so in case anyone’s interested in going back through my entries and checking out the pictures!

This morning, Grant and I went to Zhujiajiao, a water town that is very close to Shanghai. The canals running through the area reminded me a little bit of Venice; the architecture of the buildings reminded me of the more remote areas of New Territories in Hong Kong. The first place we stopped by in Zhujiajiao was this Chinese puzzle shop. Between the two of us, we attempted to solve about five puzzles. We only solved one (I solved the first one I tried, which gave me a false sense of confidence for the rest) and by the time we left the shop, we were feeling supremely stupid because those puzzles were deceptively difficult.

As we walked along the streets of Zhujiajiao, we stopped by a temple. Inside the temple, you could ring a large bell three times if you paid 5RMB. You could also throw circular disks at a smaller bell, also for 5RMB. Let’s just say that we (well, more like Grant) had quite the time with these activities at the temple! It was also a really beautiful temple. They had very nice landscaping, and the trees were decorated in red ribbon that had characters written on them. I’m not sure what that means, but for some reason I think it’s like a wishing tree. (I saw something similar to it in a Hong Kong TV show when I was little.)

We had lunch at a nearby restaurant that served lots of seafood that was caught fresh from the nearby water. They served the tiniest shrimp and clams that I’ve ever seen! I tried everything that was served, which is a rarity for me. I’m usually a fairly picky eater, but Grant is the kind of person who wants to try everything. Therefore, I have to try everything, or I look bad. I’m really glad he’s that kind of person though; if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t have tried half the things I’ve eaten (and enjoyed eating) so far on this trip.

Later that afternoon/early evening, we went to Xintiandi, this swanky area of Shanghai that caters more to a foreigner/expat crowd than to locals. We walked around the entire area to see what was there, and then we walked around it again, taking note of what restaurant we wanted to eat at. There was a German restaurant called Paulaner. I really missed Germany when I looked at their menu and saw that they served spätzle! As it was, we ended up eating at a restaurant called Luna, which had very good, albeit expensive, food.

Grant and I walked around Xintiandi some more after dinner and discovered this stage that was decorated with signs for the World Expo. We soon discovered that it was American Cultural Week at Xintiandi, and there was going to be a small sample performance of the performances that go on daily at the USA pavilion at the World Expo. Well… I don’t want to undermine the dancers’ hard work, but if that’s what represents the USA at the World Expo, heaven help us. Is MTV a sponsor of the USA pavilion? If so, that explains EVERYTHING. The dancers either looked incredibly trashy or flamboyantly gay. Not that there is a problem with either in itself, but if that’s the only impression of the US people walk away from that performance with, that’s a bit of an issue.

Anyway. After that, uh, performance, we walked around Xintiandi some more. We decided to go to TMSK, a very trendy bar that apparently serves the best cocktails in Shanghai. I don’t know if they actually are the best in Shanghai, but they were very good. Again, they were pretty pricey, though. If one is on a budget, one night out in Xintiandi really cleans out your wallet.

Today, Grant and I ventured across the Huangpu River to go up the Oriental Pearl Tower, which took a surprisingly long amount of time. The Tower is the tallest radio tower in Asia and the observation deck has the city’s best view of Shanghai. I really enjoyed the view; the sky was clear and the sun was shining when we were on the observation deck so we had a fabulous view. I also really liked how there was a glass floor all around the lower observation area. It’s cool to be able to look straight down and see where you are standing above in a tower as tall as the Oriental Pearl.

Our experience waiting in line to go up the tower was our orientation into the way Chinese people view waiting in line. They basically don’t believe in waiting in line and shove and cut like no one’s business. There was one point where I got sandwiched between two old men, and another where an old lady practically had her entire body pressed against Grant’s back in an effort to try and get in front of us. We soon learned we had to hold our ground and be tough or else we would never, ever get to the top of the Tower. At one point, there was a mad dash for the elevator and even though we were at the front of the line, we almost didn’t make it because of the intensity of people surging from behind. I only made it to the elevator because Grant and I held hands; he literally pulled me into the elevator! Never in my life did I think I would experience such a thing.

Once we were done with the Oriental Pearl Tower, we had a quick gelato break in the lobby area as we were starving. Then, we went to the Yuyuan Gardens. It’s a very beautiful area, and the garden itself is a sight to behold and well worth the entry fee (I can’t remember the exact fee but it couldn’t have been more than 30RMB). We had an excellent lunch at the Nanxing Dumpling Restaurant. The steamed crab meat dumplings are TO DIE FOR. I’d happily eat them for the rest of my life.

In addition to possibly the best steamed dumpling restaurant in Shanghai, there were shops of all kinds outside the Yuyuan Gardens and in the surrounding district. It was in the Yuyuan Gardens that I had my first (of many) encounters of people selling fake brand name bags and watches. These sellers come up to you and say, “Bag? Watch?” and if you are interested, you follow them. The first time this happened to me, I thought the lady was telling me to watch my bag in case of pickpockets. I grabbed my bag and anxiously looked around, asking Grant, “Wait, what am I supposed to do? Did I get pickpocketed? Or is this lady telling me watch my bag just in case?” Little did I know she wanted to sell me bags and watches, not tell me to watch my bag!

At night, my family took us out for Korean barbecue. I’m not really experienced in the world of eating Korean food, but everyone else was so I kind of watched and learned. (Or attempted to watch and learn.) The food was very good, though. After dinner, we all went out to get massages. It was very relaxing (and only the second massage I’ve ever gotten in my life). I can’t believe the massages here are so cheap when they are of such good quality! In the States, they are so expensive and not always good. I can already tell the cheap massages are going to be something I’ll miss when I return home.

In the brief time I have been in Shanghai, I have managed to accomplish the following:

• Be reunited with Grant, a good friend from school, who (whom?) I will be exploring Shanghai with
• Be reunited with relatives that I have in Shanghai
• Try out the one and only phrase I know in Shanghainese, which unfortunately I don’t know the characters for with the Shanghainese pinyin so I’ll just type it in Mandarin: ”我不懂“ (“I don’t understand”)
• Eat absolutely delicious soup dumplings (汤饺) with pork filling
• Taste this apple juice（苹果汁) + milk（牛奶）drink thing Grant bought from a street vendor
• Have my photos stealthily (and sometimes not so stealthily) taken by Chinese passersby (I look pretty Western and have pale skin; Grant looks very Western and is over six feet tall – for the Chinese, we are quite the spectacle)
• Use broken Mandarin to buy a token for the Huangpu River ferry and a single-ride ticket for the subway
• Fall down a flight of stairs and cut up my knees (I had the sense to fall near the Shanghai Museum, which I was going to anyway, and I received the BEST first aid treatment I’ve ever gotten from the staff there. Props, Shanghai Museum, mad props)
• Go to the Shanghai Museum. My favorite exhibits were the jade and ceramics.

To think I’ve accomplished all this and I’ve only spent one full day in this city – I’m supposed to be here for a full week!

I have full four days to do the following in preparation for my year abroad in Beijing:

• Pack two suitcases
• See my doctor, dentist, etc to make sure I am leaving the country with a clean bill of health
• Get a haircut
• Make copies of my passport, visa, itinerary, etc for safekeeping
• Say my goodbyes
• Skype with my US friends
• Get addresses of friends and family for postcards
• GET INFORMATION FROM BEIJING ABOUT WHERE I AM LIVING!!

I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of stuff. But the point is, I have way too much to do and not enough time. Cue major freaking out and panicking on my part until I leave.

I have been in Germany/Europe (squeezing in some side trips to nearby countries and major cities) for the last two and a half weeks and I love it here. Everything is so pretty and everyone is so friendly. I am always hesitant to use the term “quaint” to describe Europe because it seems that all Americans use that word as a descriptor, but… it fits. In the best possible way.

Some things I have observed about Germany and Europe in general:

• The computer keyboards are different. Hence, typing this entry is proving to be rather difficult.
• In Germany, you have to specify you want still water at restaurants, or else you get the carbonated kind.
• Speaking of water, it’s more expensive than beer. Beer is probably one of the cheapest beverages.
• You have to pay for most bathrooms – usually somewhere between 30 and 50 cents.
• True to stereotype, Germans love sausages, potatoes, bread, and beer. And for good reason, as all those foods here are delicious!

Nothing like powering through multiple turnpikes and interstates to drive from Delaware to Chicago in one day. I’m pretty confident I’ll be perfectly happy if I don’t have to do that drive in one day ever again.

Still, I had a really good time out east. I met up with old friends and family as well as got surprised with a reunion with friends from school. I squeezed some shopping (King of Prussia! Tanger Outlets!) and sightseeing (NYC! Baltimore!) in and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the trip.

Now, to prepare for Europe…