I am no longer updating shanghaidiaries.com. Please visit my new personal blog at danwashburn.com. Update your RSS readers!

Traveling in China makes me sick

And, How do you do Shanghai in just two days?

I have a cold. Again. Pretty sure it’s the same one that joins me on all my travels through China. I’ve started saving him seats on buses and trains.

But I’m back in Shanghai now … for the forseeable future … finally. Since last July, I have spent a total of 60 days in Shanghai, the city that I’m supposed to call home. First there was The Trip. Then Hawaii. Then, and most recently, there was a manic two-week, seven airplane sprint through China with friends Brian and Jill, visiting from Atlanta.

I guess I’m still recovering from that one. But it was worth it. It was a rather spectacular two weeks, beginning with a snow-covered hike over a remote five-mile stretch of the Great Wall and ending with a dusty stroll through tiny villages and pineapple fields in sub-tropical Xishuangbanna. Brian and Jill saw more of China in two weeks than many China residents see in a year. Granted, it was the Cliff’s Notes version — but hey, Cliff’s Notes got me through college.

Over the next several days, I’ll take you on the trip via the comfort of your computer. No China germs. Just photos. I plan to upload a new batch every day until they’re all gone. I took more than 700 photos on the trip. Don’t worry — I’ll edit them down.

First, before things get really exciting, we start in Shanghai. A couple dozen pics that take you to the airport, my favorite old neighborhood and the usual places tourists go when they visit Shanghai and only have a day and a half: People’s Square, The Bund, Jin Mao Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Yuan, Xiangyang Market … and a hell of a lot of shopping locales.

Continue reading

03.09.2005, 12:35 AM · Diary, Observations, Photos · Comments (3)