Gardens, Food, and Thievery

And on the second day, I was mugged.

Seriously. It's not like I haven't been out of the country before. I should know how to protect myself better. And yet, here we are. My wallet is gone, my credit and debit cards are gone, my driver's license is gone, along with about 300 yuan (roughly $45). On the second day. Gah!

It must have happened on the metro, during rush hour when we were packed in like sardines. I protectively clutched my bag with one hand, and kept my other hand over my left front pocket, which contained my wallet. But I got lost in conversation at one point and must have removed my hand, leaving the pocket exposed. That's all it took. I had thought I'd feel someone reaching near my inner thigh, but no. The thief was too good, the bastard.

I used Lu's Skype account to call the U.S. and have the cards canceled. Thank you, the Internet. Still, getting access to more cash is going to be a problem now. I'll find a way, but dammit if its not an obnoxious setback.

This made for a crappy end to an otherwise great afternoon. It was unseasonably warm – in the 60s, where its usually chilly 40s. Ness, Ramsey, Lu and I took a bus, metro, and taxi somewhere out into the city. At this point I'm blindly following wherever Lu and Ness lead, taking in the boundless sprawl of Shanghai as we go. There seems to be no beginning or end to it -- concrete, glass, and asphalt stretching on into eternity. We got a slushee (green apple yogurt flavored, mm!) on the famous Nanjing road (one of the worlds busiest shopping streets – tall buildings, lights, and glitz) and then poked around the bazaar outside Yu Gardens, where all the buildings are traditional Chinese architecture. From the roof of a tea house, we could see the modern city skyline in the distance, shrouded by haze and pollution but still impressive. The Yu Gardens itself is a maze of old temples, stone, trees, and coy-filled pools. Beautiful.

It started drizzling in the gardens so we left the area, strolling through alleys and back roads filled with vegetable and fruit markets. I bought a bag of kumquats and sampled a few things from food vendors – a steamed bun with meat inside (delicious and so cheap) and some kind of tortilla thing with white carrot and egg. We stopped at a restaurant for more food: Shanghai dumplings, a dish of tofu and peppers, and spicy pork. So far nothing I have eaten I haven't liked (I'm neutral on Ness's beloved squid jerky). It's like a food-cation, and I feel like I could just wander the streets eating cheap tasty food until I burst.

There has been no bursting yet. Tomorrow there will be some more Shanghai visiting but also a lot of planning, and then a a scramble to the train yard at 5 a.m. for a 2-day ride to sub-Siberia and Lu's hometown.