Shanghai is cool! I made it to Shanghai. The sleeper ticket was great! Hostel is fine. It's called Le Tour rest hostel or something, outside the touristy area, in a cool old building.

The air is cleaner, and so are the streets and everything. It's more like San Jose just with sky scrapers. I'd like to check out the Bund along the waterfront and People's Square before it gets too dark. Looking forward to some museums, the Urban Planning Exhibition Center, and some good food! I'll stay until Sunday. Want to book a flight to Manila!

I like this place the best so far. I'm glad I started in glum Beijing and worked my way up, so to speak. The waterfront is striking and nice, kind of reminds me of Chicago's Michigan Ave with old stone buildings all in a row. There are several art deco structures, one with a clock tower that rings every 15 min and at least one tour boat on the water will honk back.

The new, East side of the river is all recently built with sky scrapers and needle towers. It was apparently a swamp with nothing 15 years ago. There are still tiny buildings and not so clean neighborhoods peppered in, reminding me I'm still in China.

I see more western faces here than any of the previous cities. Tons and tons of stores, shopping madness.