Beijing -> Shanghai

Since I last updated (aside from the food post), we've done quite a lot. Last Friday we visited the Temple of Heaven, which is a temple complex in Beijing. The following day we went to 香山 (xiangshan), a big hill/mountain area just at the edge of the city. We spent about an hour and a half hiking to the top in some of the most humid weather we've had all summer, then it promptly began raining as we began to make our way back down. The paths aren't really up to any sort of safety standards, so it was a pretty treacherous hourlong descent. Pictures from both of those days are up on Flickr. If the smog/haze weren't so bad, there might've actually been a nice view from the top of the mountain.

On Monday we went back to 三里屯 in search of some clothing market. Some of us wanted to look into getting custom-tailored suits, since we'd heard they're pretty cheap here. What followed was a three-day purchasing extravaganza as we finally realized the extent of how much can be had for so little. I picked up a custom-made suit (￥800), three tailored dress shirts (￥80 each), a few ties (￥20 each), silk pajamas (￥50), and a few other clothing items. At the same time, my not-so-trusty RAZR phone started acting up, shutting off randomly and dropping out in the middle of calls. I found a nice phone that started at ￥1100 and dealt my way down to ￥800 before deciding to buy. In all I spent about $300 in a few days, but I have quite a bit to show for it.

Saturday was our wrap-up day at Tsinghua. We had a farewell meal and took a bus to the train station. Our train to Shanghai left at around 8pm, and arrived the following morning at 9am. The journey was actually quite comfortable. We spent an hour or so in the cafe car playing cards, after which I slept pretty solidly until 6am. Compared to the thirteen hour flight from the States to Beijing, it felt like nothing.

Our guides from Tongji University were waiting for us that morning, and in the 36 hours since then we've been treated like kings. Our rooms are essentially hotel rooms: new, with plenty of space, nice carpeting, a fully-functional shower with hot water at all times, free breakfast, laundry, and maid service. I had no complaints about our dorms at Tsinghua, but they barely compare to the accomodations here.

On Sunday, we went to the Yu Garden, which was a familiar sight from last year. We had lunch and dinner at nice restaurants (courtesy of Tongji), which is a standard that seems like it'll continue through the rest of the week. Today was a visit to the Shanghai Urban Planning Center followed by dinner and an acrobatics show. I have a ton of pictures to upload, but our internet here has been less than spectacular, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get them up.

On another note, our plans for next week and beyond have been finalized:
Jul 11-13: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jul 13-15: Angkor Wat (Siem Reap), Cambodia
Jul 15-22: Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand
Jul 22-25: Singapore
Jul 25-27: Hangzhou, China

For the above portions, I'll be traveling with three guys from the trip. They head back to Beijing on the 27th, after which I'll visit Qingdao and maybe Tianjin. After that, I head back to Beijing on the 2nd or 3rd. It's going to be a busy three weeks, but not terribly expensive, and it should be a lot of fun.

Pictures will be posted here when I get them up, but that's all for now.