Let there be light.

Holding a pair of socks in my hand, I asked a woman at the market in Shanghai how much she wanted for them. 75 yuan(¥), nearly 11 dollars. Politely smiling, I replaced the socks exactly where I picked them up and started walking away. She grabbed my arm, how much am I willing to pay for them? Well, considering they’re tiny pieces of cloth I wear around my feet, no more than ¥5, I said. After two more attempts to walk away, I finally paid ¥20 for four pairs.

Polly and I took the 40 minute ride on the bullet train to Shanghai on Friday evening, in time to catch dinner with her sister and Lizly. (Polly, Lizly and I are neighbors and teach for the same school). I can’t fathom the electricity bills of cities in China, at least of the ones I’ve been to, considering the intensity of the pyrotechnic designs on every window of every building and skyscraper, including the outlines of highways and overpasses. In the meantime, there are tens of thousands of people around at any given moment. We arrived during rush hour, so the subway stations looked like an over-boiling pot of water with people constantly coming to the top and the subway cars bursting at the seams.

We went out Friday and Saturday night to various well-known places. I didn’t realize how accustomed I had become to Suzhou’s nightlife, which is populated mostly by Chinese but gives you ample opportunity to spot and mingle with foreigners. Most of the places I visited in Shanghai consisted of an overwhelmingly expat crowds. There is no question as to whether I enjoyed myself, but there was a different dynamic. Running into other foreigners when you’re out is fun, but I find places frequented by large groups of westerners to be a little tense. The prospect of moving to Shanghai is very appealing. Although, I don’t know if the issue of homogenous expat crowds will prevent me from doing so, or prove to be a temporary deterrence. Considering Shanghai’s close proximity to Suzhou, I’m sure there will be many more visits.

Shanghai is getting a little crazier right now because the International Expo is going take place there next year. Just as in preparations for the Beijing Olympics, half of the city is being renovated, because one can never have too many rainbow-hued lights adorning one’s manmade structures.

*Btw, the last three pics are from Suzhou. And click on any of the photos to get amazing resolution.

**We also took a ride on a bike-taxi in Shanghai... here's a quick video.