Mandarinwhitegirl's Blog

Monday, August 24th When I first arrived in Shanghai I came with a very opened mind. I knew it was going to be dirty and that I would not be staying in a 5 star hotel. The more I explore this vast city, I become more eager to get an apartment far away from the area I am currently staying in. This weekend I was able to spend a lot of time exploring the city. Saturday night I met Raj, Kara’s friend from India, downtown at the metro station. At firs,t I was concerned about being able to find him at the metro station since we planned to meet at exit 5 and it was the only exit out of all 50 exits that was closed due to construction. But with help from my new phone, we easily found each other. Raj took me to The Bund, which is an area along the river. From there I could see all the sky scrapers lit up throughout the city. Each sky scraper is unique. For example, there is one with a huge crystal point and lights up along all the sides. Then there is another that has a giant dome in the center of the building. On Sunday I went out with 2 of my new friends, Justin and Lev. We went to an area known as old town. Somewhere hidden amongst the shops and bazaars was a temple and the Yuyuan Gardens. The gardens were absolutely beautiful and enchanting. It is amazing how you can be walking the dirty streets, being pushed and harassed by vendors and then just walk into these gardens. Everything just goes silent. The ponds were full of Koi and goldfish. Rocks line the paths and lead right down to the water. I am really enjoying myself and meeting some really neat people (not as cool as you all of course). I sometimes think about where I am and feel like I am in a dream.