Shanghai-Beijing

"All good things must come to an end."

And that held true for my time in Shanghai.  I had a great time, great views, mostly great food, and lots of positive memories.  Didn't buy much in the way of souvenirs- really, just the two photos and my Hershey's.  Nothing else jumped out at me.  So after checking out of the hotel (which I will review at some point in time), the girl at the desk helped me grab a taxi, then I was on my way back to Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport.  I got there and checked in with plenty of time to kill, but they have better options than at Beijing's airport.  I got through a few chapters in Inkspell, did a few word search puzzles in my little book, and watched a few videos on my MP3 player. 

The flight in one word- AH!

Bumpy, stomach dropping and rough also describe it.  Service was okay, food wasn't much better, and I think they appreciated it when I said water in Chinese when they were asking for drinks.  The flight started out late, but I got a free tea and China Daily newspaper (it's in English).  WooHoo.  Anyway, after getting my bag, it was back to Burger King to go, then homewards.

Having some time to think about it, partially why I liked Shanghai so much was it felt more comfortable.  The European influences are obvious, especially around The Bund.  Things seemed freer there too, not quite as strict as Beijing.  Honestly, I kinda wish EF sent me there instead of Beijing.  I may have fallen in love with Shanghai like I did with Rothenburg and Prague.  But it was not meant to be.

Oh, and for any Cornelia Funke/Inkheart fans- the movie isn't so bad!  Doesn't follow the book too well, but still had the spirit.  Admittedly, Brendan Fraser didn't make for the most convincing Mo... but Paul Bettany as Dustfinger... *sighs*  He's all I can imagine whenever I read about Dustfinger in Inkspell.  *is happy*