shanghai

I just came back from a visit in "no blogspot accessible" land. As always, it was absolutely great to end up with friends I've known for up to ten years and reminisce about teachers and class mates at university. Or to drop by in my old office and say Hi. Or to indulge in all the great Chinese food Shanghai has to offer. Or to eat Italian ice cream at that place off Huaihai Road around the corner from where a friend used to live. Or to buy DVDs in better quality than most of what you get here, and with English subtitles for all the foreign-language movies. Or to ride across town on the 911 bus, get off at Changshu Road and criss-cross the French quarter with all the old houses Alex and I imagined buying during our nightly walks four years ago. Or to have a drink in the beautiful park of the Ruijin Guest House. Or to just relax, not worry about internet (loads of sites aren't accessible anyway), and only check my emails once (next time I go there, I want to turn off my cell phone, too). Best of all, of course, was spending time with Alex, my former classmate and later roommate and colleague with whom I spent 16 hours a day for 8 months without a single argument. As always, being with her in Vanke was the perfect holiday (and it was way too hot to go outside, anyway, so we DID spend a lot of time in Vanke).

But for living, I think I prefer my tiny little village Taipei where you don't have to drive for an hour to go to dinner. Where, though the Chinese food is generally much worse, you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for tasty south-east Asian food or simple and good Western food. Where you can take the MRT to go hiking in the mountains or see the sea. Where you don't get drowned in concrete high-rises and motor ways. Where you don't sit praying in the taxi because they drive even worse than here. And where country bumpkins don't stare at you open-mouthed when you're just minding your own business.

Of course, if anyone ever offered me a (reasonable) job in Shanghai, I'd say Yes without thinking twice.