Shanghai

Our ability to obtain internet access in a given city seems inversely proportional to the reported ease of obtaining this access according to guidebooks and local residents.

Sunny and warm in Shanghai. Much more pleasant than the cold and rain that greeted us a couple days ago. Plans are to have a farewell drink in the colonial portion of the Bund this evening atop the Peace Hotel watching the ships go down the Huangpu river with the lights of New Shanghai and the Pearl Tower in the background.

Had a bit of a rough start with our current guide, Bill, but he has more than made up for it yesterday. He sated my need for trivia as we raced around Shanghai to the various sites on our itinerary. Highlight was the carefully sculpted Yuyuan gardens. Many small pavilions, pools and streams, with dragons resting along the spine of the walls. Could have spent hours there.

Went to the acrobatic show last night. Considering I can’t touch my toes, I was very impressed with their feats, especially the way they made it look so effortless. I left wondering what it must be like to be married to one of those performers. Do you wake up in the middle of the night and hear your wife in the kitchen spinning saucers on the end of a stick? Do you come home from work early one afternoon to find your husband in the middle of your living room balancing a ceramic vase on his head while standing atop a hastily built pyramid of furniture?

Have obtained our ferry tickets to Japan. Only a few major challenges remain.

Yesterday we heard that the American military people are being permitted to leave China. We had the opportunity to ask our guide what his perspective and understanding of the situation was, reminding us that there is more than one way to view the same situation.

• Around the World
• Asia
• China
• Shanghai