Cobbler Tale

Today Elaine and I went for a walk to the neighborhood market. I had my backpack since I planned to do some work afterwards. Sadly this favorite backpack had a torn handle, and in the US would have been headed for the trash.

On the way home I saw a cobbler, and (using sign language) asked if she could fix it. She carefully disassembled it, made some modifications, then restitched it with her manual sewing machine. It's better than new! I came back for the photo of her shop on the street, but she was too shy to have her photo taken.

Washing Windows at Shimao

Here's how they wash windows on the 23rd floor of our apartment...

The Astonishing Power of the Chinese Bicycle

Everyday we see slender Chinese men (both old and young) pedaling rusty, decrepit bikes laden with every imaginable item. here are some we've captured on camera. Though it's common for men to carry the ubiquitous "sparklett's size water cooler bottles" on a bike CART, today I saw a man cycling WITHOUT a CART balancing not 2, but 8 massive bottles all on a simple bicycle. Who needs a gym?

Here's another test w/o VPN

Blue skies, puffy clouds and comfortable temps and humidity have increased my enjoyment of Shanghai this week. The downside - shredded wheat costs nearly $9 a box.

We're On from Shanghai!