28 August 2012
I forgot my passport
I totally forgot that you need your passport to buy train tickets. You are actually supposed to carry it all the time and there was a recent crackdown in Beijing where people of a certain skin color were rounded up and thrown in jail for not carrying there's.
Despite being far too pretty for jail, I still choose to not carry mine, as losing it would be very annoying. What this does mean is I walked to Shanghai station to buy tickets and couldnt. At least I remembered before I waited in line for ages.
Not to worry, theres actually lots to see around the station, and the metro goes there, so I can try and lose my passport in the evening when hopefully the line to buy is shorter too.
Rather than add a huge amount of text no one including me reads, I took a heap of photos which I will now use for a caption contest with myself.
The hotel room comes with breakfast. The room is great by the way, its an apartment hotel and has a kitchen, big tv, huge bed, full bath, you get the idea.
If you dont have the breakfast the receptionists chase after you to remind you. I choose the healthy things as ever, beans, egg and fruit. The egg goes really well with apple.
OK, time to make this all a tax deduction. This is as far as I can tell a Chinese grease trap truck, the drums on the back seemed to have waste cooking fat in them, and it certainly was a familiar smell.
I also noted the driver was getting his next job via a smartphone, but im pretty sure it was just an SMS.
Next up, the wheely bin electric transport scooter. The workers sort the recyclables on the spot, no need for sorting at recycling centres etc.
OK, thats enough for today, there will be more waste management stories to come.
This is the Shanghai central station, which is smaller than the new Hongqiao station which I have been to before. I couldnt really find a way to take photos of the platforms without a ticket. I will probably be back later to go to Nanjing.
Despite warnings that pickpockets can remove your wedding ring with chopsticks without you even noticing, a large number of people have no issue sleeping outside with all their bags piled up nearby. This method also works for me, if you look poor and homeless, no one will rob you.
I presume this monument is dedicated to all the girls who talk on the telephone and forget that their skirt has blown up in the wind. And thats as good a reason as any for a monument.
In a nearby park, to save money for old people, they put the daily newspaper behind glass and you can walk along and read it before you head off to do your ribbon dancing. Perhaps they put the ribbon dancing championship results in the paper.
Nanna is contemplating doing the right thing by her children who have to support her.
All hail Chinese genetic engineering. For it is the hybrid elephant / rhino / shark. I shall call you SHARKEPHINO!
Theres a massive line to buy steam pork buns from this place at 10AM. I joined the back of the line but it didnt move for 10 minutes so I left. Most people use lining up as a social activity I think.
This alleyway and the museum off to the right is the site of the First communist youth league. In the early 1900's they went to Beijing and protested at Tiananmen square. This seems to have been somewhat more succesful than tank boy was in the 80's.
I was surprised to be thrown out of here by security, at first I was outraged, but he was saying something about 11 and hour to me in Chinese. The sign out the front confirms they are closed between 11 AM and 1 PM. Presumably to go over the road and line up for steamed pork buns.
Lanzhou style beef noodle has taken over for me from Taiwanese style as my favourite. Mainly because Adelaide has an awesome place called Noodle Kingdom on Gouger street. I was keen to find out if the Adelaide version is the same as the Shanghai version of the Lanzhou favourite. Lanzhou is a city in western China, one day I will go there just to have soup.
The good news, Adelaide does it the same as Shanghai. The flavour of the soup and style of hand made on the spot noodles were the same. There was less beef here in China, and at first I was annoyed at that. Then when I paid and it was $1.20 I was less annoyed.
As long as I dont grow a second eyebrow or need a stomach transplant as a result, then I will be back, who can turn down a meal for $1.20!
This last photo is for all the c++ people I work with. Your jobs have been outsourced and migrated to a new gelato beverage platform.