Shanghai, Day 34

Today was our first and last free day of the trip. It was real nice to
have the chance to really catch up on some sleep. Shanghai is probably
my favorite city in the entire world. Moving here completely changed
my life, and even spending two years here I still have so much to
find. It feels so great to finally be back, I can’t believe I am only
going to spend a few days here. There is just so much to do and see,
it’s almost hard to decide what to do with our free time. Today Tommy
Greb and I went into Pudong, right around the area I used to live in.
We went to the fake market to buy some gifts and souvenirs to bring
back with us. It’s always fun to bargain with the shop owners to get
the lowest price. I think we did pretty well. We also ate at a really
good German restaurant that I used to eat at when I lived here, called
Hofbrauhaus. It’s incredible how much this city changes in such a
short amount of time. We went to the Lu Jia Zui area also and there is
so many new additions that have been put there in the 16 months since
I was here last, including a huge sky bridge over the intersection and
a lot of new shops. Pudong is really becoming a lot different than it
used to be.
The weather wasn’t too nice today, it was so cloudy that you couldn’t
even see the tops of tall buildings (which are everywhere). For me, I
think the city looks best at nighttime. All of the buildings look
really cool being lit up in so many different ways. The combination of
all the lights really makes the skyline look amazing. If it wasn’t so
hazy all the time it would look even better.
Now that we are here in Shanghai, I really feel this trip is winding
down. It’s kind of disappointing, this trip has gone by really fast
and I’m not ready to leave yet. We have put so many great experiences
into such a small amount of time. The time really flies by when you
are busy, and having so much fun at the same time. I have learned more
about China than ever before, and now see it in an even newer light. I
will surely enjoy these next few days in China, and I will also surely
miss this place very much when I leave. At least I know China will
welcome me with open arms a year from now when I am back.

- Michael M.