benford | 
01 30th, 2009| 
As a quick update, I was able to meet up with Benny just fine at Pudong airport. Due to mistaken informatifrom me, whichc in turn was mistaken information from the airline ssschedule, he was waiting for me at Hangqiao airpot instead (bith were in shanghai). One of the officers at the airport ws kind and helped me make a phone call at the payphone, after which Benny was able to pick me up.
We had dinner near the house we would be staying at in Shanghai. It was a very traditional Chinese restaurant, so what I had known as chinese food is only afaint shadow in comparison towhat was on my plate today. The beef pepper dish was hot beyond beleif, though Benny thought it was only slightly warmer than mild. We also had some baked fish, served whole on the plate. It was baked with several suases, including soyish sause, and the skin evfen had a good flavor.
I arrived in shanghai during the last two day’s of spring festeval AKA Chinese New Yea. I could say that there were firewors, but that would belik e saying that Antartica was a bit chilly, or that wrestling a bear was a not so good idea. ONe of the Chinese favorite way to celebrrate the new year is to light fireworsk… all week long. as we were walking t the appartment building, There was a constant barrage of fireworks in most directions. Imagine that ccrazy uncle you all had who spent 1000 dollars on firworks every 4th. Now imagine that everyone is seting off that amount every day… each. One family I saw was carrying a pallet ful of fireworks, and went though them in less than a half hour. The apartmesecurity staff didnt sto them as this was completely normal behavior, even if noone could heaaaaaa each other.
We arrived at the house, a bit tired, a bit exhausted, but ate leas t I was mostly in the right time zone. I had stayed up for the equivalent of 36 hours on four hours of sleep, so by the time It was time for bet, Iwas very tired…… The next day we went on a grand tour of shanghai, covering a shopping mall, the Bund financial district and green belt, and the Shanghai Fiancial center building, which is 100 stories tall and from thet top you can see the ajority of the city.
