similes.

i will be uploading pictures from my first couple of days the next chance i get. a quick disclaimer, though: none of the pictures truly capture the essence of china because modern photographs have yet to integrate technology that conveys the ungracious stab of face-melting swelter. china is like if disneyland were in the middle of a volcano. because it's super fun (like disneyland, obviously), but hotter than anywhere else you've ever been (probably like a volcano).

i have spent a couple of days in shanghai and am now spending a couple of days in hangzhou. hangzhou is a lake town about 2 hours outside of shanghai. on this trip alone, i have heard it referred to as 'a paradise' 'heaven' and 'a pearl'. time will tell if it will live up to these high (albeit uncreative, i mean--'a pearl'? really?) standards. but it is very nice. many lotus blossoms. many exotic bugs. many chinese people.

some quick observations:
i think the reason people in america think all asian people are bad drivers is because everybody in china is a bad driver. and since there are so many people in china, america's stereotype of asians makes sense, statistically.

also, the food here is excellent. i just ate 'drunken shrimp' which was live shrimp in this sauce thing. that maybe wasn't a good example of 'excellent' food. but i've eaten many a steamed bun/dumpling: all of them delicious.