Trippy

UPDATED WITH PICS

Lunch was pretty good. I find eating out here a bit lonely because Chinese food is best eaten in groups with people shouting across the table and waving cigarettes. The menus are geared to that, with dishes meant to be shared. It's damn good food though, even if I always end up ordering too much.

I just got back in from a visit to the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower, that tall odd looking structure in a couple of my pics with the baubbles and flashing lights. The Chinese love flashing lights. Even in the few areas where there are still clumps of tress, er, parks, they're all decked out with christmas lights.

To get over to Pudong I took the tourist tunnel under the river. My guide book said it was a psychedelic experience, but i wasn't prepared for the wackiness of it. You buy your ticket then head down the stairs. There are blinking disco lights in the floor, and a turn around area for these little stubby rail cars. I got in one alone and set off through the tunnel. All along there were lazer shows, blinking lights, coils of light, and voices, first in English then in Chinese, describing each section like "Hell and Paradise" "Assault in the blue sea" "Meteor Shower" and "Massive Magma." I bet the Chinese will look back on this and groan.

Since I've been here I've known the air was quite acrid, but it didn't seem quite as dirty as I'd imagined. Parts of Delhi were worse, and in other cities like Cairo I could barely breath. But once I got to the tower observation deck the view of the smog was dramatic. It did make for a pretty awesome sunset though.
Tomorrow morning I get up bright and early to spend a day with a source for one of my stories. I'm looking forward to getting some real solid work done, rather than just planning, planning, planning.