Next stop: Japan!!!

"It is blowing my mind how we are already going to Japan tomorrow on our 2-day ferry. That's really nuts. I still can't fully believe we got all the way across Eurasia and are almost to our farthest non-airplane-flying point of our trip already. It seems like it should have taken us 6 months to cover that much distance. But it hasn't, thank god, and tomorrow we get on a boat to Japan, and we will be on it for two nights, arriving the morning of the 13th in Osaka.

As for Shanghai, it has been good, but I won't be that sad to leave. The heat here is unbearable. Meri is more used to it from living in DC for three years, but I have become used to colder climates, especially after Russia. The air is so hot and humid you can feel it sitting on your skin. It's pointless to shower because you sweat so much the minute you get out it's like you didn't even try. We've had a nice time walking around though -- there isn't a ton much else to do in Shanghai besides shopping.... it's a very Western, European/American kind of shopping, materialistic city full of expat business men..... but it's beautiful and flashy and colorful and last night we went to the top of the Jin Mao Tower (home of the highest post office in the world) and saw the view of all the lights. So that was snazzy.

Anyway, you'll hear from me next in Japan where hopefully I can update my blog myself again!"

-- e.b.

e l i z a b e t h a n d e r s e n b a r t e l sr u s s i a n l a n g u a g e & s t u d i o a r t