Trip to Shanghai

There was a wee jaunt to Shanghai today; the day started with a "Latte" in Starbucks and then some breakfast in Simons before jumping into a taxi to the train station. The "D" train is a joy once you actually get on it but I don't like waiting in Chinese train waiting rooms. They are often overcrowded, the people start to jostle long before the train has arrived and to put it plainly they are just uncomfortable places to be. The one in Suzhou in particular is a real pain in the arse. Still that hassle is compensated by a comfortable fast train and there was me thirty five minutes after getting on it in "Shangers". The day itself was nothing exciting but the weather was good and I did get to breathe the air in the "Big Smoke", meet a colleague for lunch and see once more that life for those on the sunny side in China is as good as it gets. One thing I do like about Shanghai is that you do get your hands on a hard copy of a daily newspaper and even if you don't want to go out of your way to buy a foreign paper there is always the "Shanghai Times" or the "China Daily" veritable "Pravdas" the pair of them but at least something to peruse over when supping your coffee; the horoscope and sports section provide the interest and one is almost seduced into believing that all is well in the Kingdom of Denmark. If I was willing to suspend my critical thinking yesterday and go down stairs and buy the four beers, I am even more willing to suspend it this evening and sup at least two of them. Tomorrow, I will try to put on my thinking cap.