I have arrived in Shanghai. My luggage hasn’t. A friendly Air China lady patiently tries to find the missing luggage. “Your luggage is still in Beijing, Sir” she tells me and immediately apologizes. “All the better, then at least I don’t have to carry it.” We both laugh cheerfully.

The very first person I meet directly at the airport. It is Igor from Brazil, not Russia. A very pleasant, quiet guy. He will be learning Chinese in Hunan for half a year. Igor is a little shocked that I don’t  have a plan for the next 3 days, it’s 11pm and I don’t know where I’m going to sleep that night. So I decide to share with Igor and go to the hostel rock & wood, which is more convenient than its name augurs.

That night, I meet Deck, the receptionists, assuring me that there is really no barbecue on the corner of the street since it’s spring festival. Fair enough. ——- So I’m going to the corner of the street and it proves that Deck is totally right. I am going for instant noodles, milk tea and munchies instead. I won’t spare Igor from various stories until 3 o’clock that night.

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My room roommates Chen from Shenyang and Hagimal from Kassel are more extroverted than Igor the Brazilians. We have a lot of fun, unfortunately, it is also almost the last day of the two lads. Chen, despite of never having been abroad speaks both French and English fluently. He leads me to the myth-enshrouded Bund. In the rain, we cross the river before Chen leaves for  a Frenchman’s farewell party and finally I savor the first Lanzhou noodles for this year. Totally different my sense of direction, being incapable to bring me back to the hostel. In the end, a taxi will do the job.

Hagi and I are awake again, it is already afternoon. We start the day with rice, and because we spot a dumpling eatery opposite the road we decide to eat again. Sated, I write my term paper in the winter garden of the hostel. It is Hagis last day in China, so I help him packing. He bequeaths beer, a measuring tape, Swiss knife, shampoo to me.  That’s what I call a men survival kit. And I get to know Floor, a fun Dutch girl who invites me to a promotion party in Shanghai.

Via couchsurfing I meet with Jeffrey in the city for a couple of beers. We monkey around for a while holding on tight on the chair laughing. Jeff invites me back to Shanghai promising to let the rice wine bottles pop in the future.

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The weather is less rainy and I decide to do a city walk instead of visiting the Science and Technology Museum as recommended by Hagi. Sorry dude. I take the subway to the people’s square and playing my hunch on foot.
I find myself strolling in the Volkspark of Shanghai, others are trying to find sons and daughters-in-law. The Park is wallpapered with job… I mean…wedding ads.

My way leads me to the Yu Garden, the Shanghai Museum, as well as to the hall of city planning, and back along the skyline of SH. From there I head into the buzzing shopping street Nanjing Road East.