An improvement and a setback

One big improvement compared to last year is that I'm finally able to view my own blog in China. In fact, the entire Blogger interface has been translated to Chinese and if this post is visible I've apparently managed to figure out how to navigate the site.

I arrived in Shanghai two days ago and took the maglev towards town. This passage from Wikipedia pretty much says it all as far as this particular means of transportation is concerned:

"Nevertheless, the Shanghai Project was designed primarily to demonstrate
the state-of-the-art technology and capabilities of the Transrapid system. A
high tilt compared with a relatively high speed of 430 km/h (267 mph) and
leaving passengers in the outskirts of Pudong shows that the Chinese authorities
were more interested in the technology transfer than commercial success."

Being left in the outskirts meant having to take a taxi to the hotel and taking a taxi in China could end up being a costly affair. Normally, I'd be able to distinguish which taxis to avoid but after 26 sleepless hours my wits were somewhat lacking and I ended up settling for the first available option. Long story short, they tried to scam me big time, asking 420 yuan for a trip that normally would cost around 50. After a tough shouting session I ended up paying considerably less than 420 but also a whole lot more than 50.

After this less than friendly welcome by the local service sector I've passed time sleeping and eating, all the while trying to stay away from monetary transactions unless absolutely necessary. Tomorrow I'll be going to Nanjing though, train station staff usually won't rip people off so things should turn out fine. The next update will contain pictures.