Shanghai, China

Some pictures from China. This first one is actually the Great Wall as seen from 35,000 feet just south of Beijing.

Shanghai, especially the Pudong area where I stayed, was very modern. Lots of skyscrapers, lots of highways.

The crew that I flew over with took me to Science and Tech, the local market to get authentic "fakes". However, due to the recent Olympics, the police have been cracking down on forgeries so a lot of the vendors did not have anything to sell. A lot of factories were also ordered to be shut down to reduce pollution.

I really wanted a watch. One vendor, Jack, of Jack's Bags and Watches, insisted he did not have any, until one of the ladies on the crew told me I was a "friend" and then Jack took us to a back room and opened a set of drawers with a false bottom. I got an "authentic" Tag Hauer watch for $25, down from $75, but my friend Carla, who is rather well versed in the art of Asian negotiations after three years in Malaysia, said she could have taught me more about calculator negotiations (you always use a calculator to name your price). I also got some Olympic magnets and some DVDs (Seasons 1 & 2 of 30 Rock, and Season 1 of Madmen.