What a long, strange trip it has been

Yesterday...sucked, who am I kidding. I was sick and totally thought about staying at the hotel rather than going out, but because it was our last group excursion and it was only a half day I thought it would be totally lame to to not go. So we get in this bus that isn't air conditioned...in Shanghai...in the summer...(Shanghai is ridiculously hot and humid in the summer) to head out to Suzho. Said city is famous for its gardens and should only be about an hour and a half drive (does that sound like any particular TV show?) from our hotel. 2 hours later, we stop somewhere to ask directions when the bus driver won't listen to Ying, presumably because she's a woman. Half an hour after that, we finally make it to the first garden. We were supposed to be there from 10 until noon and it's now 11. Rather than extend the visit to 1, we're only given an hour to examine the Humble Executive's Garden. It was, of course, beautiful, but I was feeling really sick thanks to the bus ride over with no A/C (excessive heat can make me nauseous, plus the bumpiness didn't help) and the killer headache from my sinuses being plugged.

After the first garden, we pile back into the bus and drive to what was supposed to be a waterfront promenade. Our intrepid bus driver again has no idea where he's going, but we make it to the street eventually. Said street is entirely under construction, though. And the body of water reminded me quite a bit of the Millrace. There is a good point in this story, though! After walking along the street for a while, in search of a place to have lunch, we end up at a little restaurant. For 12 Yuan I get a bottle of water, a bottle of coke, a plate full of fried (rather than steamed) dumplings and a seat in front of an air conditioner. This was brilliant. Feeling refreshed, my group heads out to find another garden. Where we thought it was turns out to be the entrance to a zoo. The garden we're looking for is down a back alley. We walk to it, but it's under construction, too! So we decide to go to the back entrance to the zoo, which is near by, and meet up with the other group to see the animals. In particular, we've heard there's a Panda. Everybody loves a Panda! I'm cranky from the walking and the heat and the head cold and any number of other reasons and end up sitting on a bench with my head pretty much between my legs for the zoo trip. Ying and Edwin discuss what do do for the rest of the day--they decide that Edwin will stay with any students who want to see more gardens and catch a later train home. Ying, who unfortunately is also not enjoying herself, will take anyone ready to go back to Shanghai on the bus. Guess which group I pick?

We do visit one more garden on the way out, but when we all end up sitting on a rock sketching, I think she realizes we all want to go home just as much as she does and we roll out. I end up in bed by 10. 11 hours of sleep is a huge luxury around here. Today, I slept until 9 and only chose to get up to take advantage of my complimentary breakfast!

After breakfast, I caught the subway to the Super Brand Mall. It was super. Holy crap. It was soooo American, I loved it! Unfortunately, the American experience came as a package deal with American prices. I balked at 150 Yuan price tags in H&M and took off for stores with sales racks. As I slowly acclimated to my new price point surroundings, I was able to get all of my shopping done for everyone else on my list without picking up a single thing for myself! It was like Christmas shopping, only more frustrating because of the language barrier.

Once my shopping was done, I caught a taxi back to the hotel, puttered around, painted and took a shower! Now here I am!