Alive, Sticky, and Well Fed

It's been a few days now. The first 24 hours or so had my senses working overtime but now things feel more familiar. We can get around pretty well now. Having developed a general sense of the layout around the Yangtze river, I even feel a distant familial tie with the local population. I instantly see recognizable Chinese facial features and body types all around me. They might as well be third or fourth cousins of people I know. In fact, they probably are.

After our first night, we immediately joined relatives for a meal and have also seen Sabrina's family a lot. While we are here on pleasure, everone else is doing business. It's the wild wild east here and quite naturally, eyes are fixed on the many market opportunities. This is quite an education and I'm glad to see everyone doing so well. Spending so much time with people who know where to eat has also left us well fed and quite impressed with the cuisine. And despite the many warnings we've received, our party has been blessed to not have any stomach problems thus far. I may even roll the dice and get street vendor food (I'm thinking that if it is seriously fried enough, maybe it'll be ok).

As for activities, I enjoy getting a lay of the land early. So early highlights have been the Oriental Pearl (or space needle as I call it) for views and the elaborate Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall (six stories of storytelling and all). Both are impressive grand statements despite what they might lack in detailed execution. Most of what we've seen has been similarly touristy and enjoyable (e.g. Old Town, the Bund). Interestingly enough, the rest of the week seems to be lining up with some expat/local type festivities. Whatever we do, I'll be sure to post about it soon.