My plane was late for like an hour, so we left around 2:20pm instead of 1:30pm. The plane was pretty small and packed, since supposedly, they packed 4 flights' worth of people into 1 plane to save on trips. Food wasn't too bad, and I must say, flight attendants are really stereotypically hot (well, the female ones, anyway).
Since I was flying towards where the sun was setting, I kept losing track of time and had naps at weird hours. The attendants asked us to close the windows most of the time, and every time someone would open it, light just bursted into the plane.
They had power outlets on seats in front of you, so I managed to watch 3 episodes of Code Geass, The Dark Knight, and Yip Man on my laptop. However, I didn't have headphones, so I just watched the action scenes.
By the time I landed, it was almost 9pm (rather than the planned 6:30pm). It was waaaaaaay easier to get through airport security and stuff than it was at LAX; they barely asked to check your passport for a bit and that was it. They didn't even check suitcases.
I was one of the last 2 (delayed) flights, so it was pretty empty at Pudong airport. After I met up with my parents, We rode a shuttle to somewhere. When we got off, we wanted to take a cab, but those guys were real bastards since they wouldn't ferry anyone to some where too closeby (they want to take customers that wanted to travel to farther places in order to earn more money). Instead, we took the subway to somewhere else, and then rode on those electric bicycles back home. I just ate a bit of dinner, showered, and slept.
This morning, I woke up around 10am since downstairs, they're remodeling the apartment, and it was noisy like hell. Afterwards, I ate breakfast and with Phi's help, got internet to work on my laptop. My parents' desktop is way too slow (and in Chinese), so it was quite the relief to get this one working.
We went out really quick to take care of some paper work, and now I'm home waiting for my parents to finish baking some bread before we head out to buy some stuff I'll need. I'll take more pictures then and put it up.
BTW, I'll be uploading pictures I take in Shanghai to here:
http://s662.photobucket.co
At the end of every entry, I'll put up some random facts/good-to-knows/etc. stuff for you guys to know about Shanghai.
1. When I got off the airport, I was surprised at how normal Shanghai looks. I thought I'd see red flags waving everywhere, but I haven't seen one yet. The only things I saw literally EVERYWHERE are advertisements for the World Expo 2010, which I really want to check out next year. If I can, I want to rent out a place near the Expo by then.
2. As I told my friend, the number of car accidents I ALMOST got into this past hour beats the number of potential car accidents I had last year in the US (maybe even more years).
3. There aren't as much smokers as I'd expect, but there are still quite a few here and there. The city's been trying to cut down smoking and other things to make the public more eco- and people-friendly by the time the World Expo comes around.
4. There are so many ways people try to scam you. My dad was telling me about how people try to "get change" with you with fake money. Then some others try to "borrow" your cell because something happened to theirs (no reception, out of batteries, etc.) and they walk away a bit then run off with it. Some try to steal your bicycles and motor bikes, and even your bike's battery has to be locked or they'd steal it. Supposedly, certain people even blatantly try to rob others in broad daylight. And Shanghai has one of the better crime rates... - __ -"
5. You don't need a license or anything to ride a motorized bicycle! Just don't get into any accidents. Let others go first in traffic if you're not in any hurry. They only cost like 1000 RMB (~USD $200) each. They scare the hell out of me though when I sit in the back with nothing to hold onto. I fear hitting a bump and flying off.
6. Things seem so cheap compared to the US prices. A night at a "common" hotel is 20-160 RMB, which is about USD $3-$14. That motorized bicycle ride was 5 RMB, which is about 5/7 of USD $1.
7. So far, I found out that Xanga and YouTube don't work.
Can anyone recommend me some good blog sites to use (like Xanga)? I rather write there than notes here on FB. If possible, I want something that works as easy as Xanga.
this is working.use this site from now on davidy
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