Shanghai, China

A few minutes before I ate the most disgusting breakfast on Earth, I was waiting at the side of the street with Eddie, flagging down a cab for Jeff. In less than 24 hours, it will be my turn to stand on the curb and bid Eddie adieu.

Went back to the house to nap a bit and out for some Cantonese food. My stomach was still killing me, so I just ordered some chicken and corn soup. Soothing, filling and not too offensive to my overly-sensitive gut. Couldn't get anything else in me though, which was a shame, since it'd be more than half a month til I would get any good Chinese food again.

Before coming here, I was pretty excited about trying the street food. To my disappointment, I was strongly advised against it by Eddie and James. If the food at the convenience store was making feel like the antichrist was doing a slam dance in my stomach, there'd be no way I could handle the stuff they cook on the sidewalks.

On my last day here, I didn't really want to do anything. I was running on very little sleep and just wanted to ease my way out of Shanghai. Part of the reason I wanted to come here (apart from seeing Eddie and James again) was to see if I could live in this city, should I ever decide to look for work abroad.

Still had some things that I needed to do before leaving. I'd given up on postcards, but there was no way in hell that I was leaving without some souvenirs. And I had to pick up my shirts as well.

Went to "the markets" which turned out to be indoors. I was expecting a Moroccan bazaar scene, but it looked more like Pacific Mall than anything out of an Indiana Jones movie. Rather disappointing. However, I was able to pick up a few souvenirs, so mission accomplished.

Crikey! Look at the size of that sheila!

James, as it turns out, is something of a flora and fauna buff. He and Eddie took me to a part of town that was just teeming with pets for sale. Each stall we stopped at, he was able to name the animal, tell me its native country/region and name five astounding facts about it...all off the top of his head. Wasn't doing much for shaking off the Crocodile Dundee stereotype (it's still too early to make Steve Irwin jokes, I think).

First up, fish and amphibians. Fish were sold in little plastic bags. Turtles, you could take home in your pocket if you wanted to...though it's recommended you avoid doing so with the snapping variety. Eddie was looking for a fighting fish. One could be had for 5 RMB. That's less than $1 CAD.

Next, birds, rodents and worms.

Animals are treated differently outside of North America. This wasn't exactly a PETA-friendly place. I mean, I didn't see anyone hurting animals or otherwise mistreating them, but it was unclear as to whether these were sold as pets, or food for larger, carnivorous pets.

While Eddie and James were busy checking out fighting fish (which I admit, are pretty damn cool-looking), I was looking around to see if I could find any evidence of top secret genetic cross-breeding being done by the communists. It didn't need to be anything huge like a whale cross-bred with a lion, or an eagle-elephant, just anything to substantiate my suspicions. I found it.

Behold, the Pig-turtle.

Now, I'm not quite sure what the strategic value of this thing is, but you can be sure the Chinese government does. During the inevitable invasion, when our shores are being overrun by porcine tortoises, bearing little red flags, remember that you heard about them here first.

Took a few more photos around the area and headed home to do nothing. I love being on vacation.

Fooled Again

The similarities end with the signage.

Proof that I'm no fun

It's my last day here and moreover, it's my birthday. They guys were adamant about me making the most of it, but I was too beat to take them up on the offer. You know you're getting old when you're in a place with two Aussies, no human rights, almost no laws and a reasonable chunk of cash and all you want to do is have some home-style food and sit on the couch.

So, that's what we did. I'm a party pooper, yes, but I still had another 2/3 of my trip left and I needed my liver and brain to be functioning for the rest of it.