Safe and Sound in Shanghai

After a ridiculously easy trip to Shanghai, I am safe and sound and enjoying a final relaxing night in China.

After hauling two months worth of clothes and gifts and tea down to the street, a very nice woman helped me flag down a taxi. I think the taxi driver was a little irritated with all my things but took me to the bus station. With a little help, I bought my bus ticket and loaded up for a 3 and a half hour trip to Pudong Shanghai International Airport. Once I unloaded I navigated through the airport to the other terminal and easily located my shuttle bus and got to my hotel.

My room is very nice and even has a bathtub! I enjoyed a long bath, did some reading, and am waiting for room service (yes, I am fulling living up my cheap luxurious life).

I plan on getting a full night of sleep and shuttling back to the airport at 8 tomorrow morning. I don't fly out until noon but I am happy to wait at my gate instead of being worried about missing my flight. My travel time is three hours shorter than my time here, with four hour layovers in Korea and Seattle. I should be back in MIssoula by 7:00 pm local time. Just to get that straight, I will travel 21 hours but only lose 7 hours of time.

I will post updates as I have time. I can't believe this is my final night in China. Two months has gone by so fast, but I am extremely ready to return to my life in America.

Last Day in Hangzhou

I can't actually believe I am saying this, but today is my last full day in Hangzhou. Two months ago, I left my home in Missoula to come to a place where I didn't understand the language, had a completely different culture, and has almost nine times as many people as my entire state. I remember that Sunday when I arrived at the school, asking myself how was I ever going to survive two months in this horrible place…. well I survived, and loved (almost) every minute of it.

I still have a little more adventure to experience before I leave. Tomorrow I will take a bus to the Pudong Airport in Shanghai (which takes about three hours). I will then find the shuttle to hotel, go there for the night, then shuttle back to the airport for my flight. I am not going to attempt exploring Shanghai alone and if I miss my flight I think my father might have a heart attack.

Today will be a day of packing and goodbyes. I even think I will be able to keep my luggage under the weight limit without having a huge carry-on, which is nice when having to navigate two of the largest airports in the world (in Shanghai and Seoul, plus a layover in Seattle). I am also going to splurge a little and go get a manicure and pedicure this afternoon, followed by a trip to night market to pick up a few extra gifts and then a solo dinner at my favorite restaurant here.

I will try to keep the blog updated as I bus 130 miles to Shanghai then fly 6000 to get back home.

The Joys and Pitfalls of Travel

Live has been pretty good in Hangzhou the last few days. We have been taking it easy, visiting our favorite spots, and eating our favorite food. Ben (Frances's boyfriend) flew in two days ago so it has been fun showing him around as well.

Just when I am feeling great and getting excited to go home, the worst happened (well feels like the worst): I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning. I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary but for some reason my body just decided to go crazy. I am through the worst of it I hope. I spent a large portion of the day with Lois, our American friend from California, who has a great apartment near the school. She fed me oatmeal and rice water which seemed to help, but I am still feeling weak and queazy. With this being Frances's last night in town before she goes with Ben to do some hiking I am a little frustrated I am forced to stay inside.

This week will be pretty open for me. I am going in to teach one more lesson with my sixth graders and have a spa date on Thursday. On Friday I will travel to Shanghai and Saturday I fly home. I am so eager to get home but will fully enjoy my last week in Hangzhou.