Over halfway

I'm sitting here in "comptoirs du France", a little French patisserie blogging while waiting for my panini and fresh watermelon juice. I've set out today just wandering around a bit. I found the Russian area.. 

China or Russia? Who knows! May as well have stepped into Moscow. 

And a beautiful park, ritan park, which is very Chinese and peaceful to wander through

Now that I'm more than halfway through my adventure here, a few things I've learned:

1. How to cross an 8 lane street, against the signal, safely (cars and bikes don't, and aren't expected to yield to pedestrians)

2. In a pinch, a bakery is somewhere to get yummy and safe food

3. For a culture that doesn't much like sweets, they make everything that isn't supposed to be sweet cloyingly sweet. Meat. Tomatoes. Bread. You name it, it has a ton of sugar in it! 

4. In a restaurant, you flag the waiter over to order, to pay, if you want anything. There's always a ton of staff however they are REALLY good at not making eye contact so that they don't have to come over and help you.

5. A Chinese department store is basically a store with many mini stores of different brands in it. You'll mostly find that here. Not too many "western style" malls

6. The seasons here are very distinct. When I arrived it was Summer. 40 degrees plus, smog, humidity, rain showers, thunderstorms, gross. The past week, it's autumn, so mid to high 20's, sunny, clear skies. Wonderful. September is the month to be here! 

7. The subway is a great way to get around. Even in rush hour. Just be prepared to use your elbows. Biking is better though.

Now for the TMI portion:

8. There is an abundance of public toilets around, in various states of cleanliness. Enter at your own risk. Oh, and they're usually squatty potties (hole in the ground, you put your feet on either side). Handicap stalls have western style toilets but trust me, based on cleanliness, you'd rather use the hole. 

9. Starbucks napkins are amazing. They come in handy for everything from wiping the sweat off your face to using as TP. You're welcome :-D

Now I'm going to go enjoy my lunch and continue my wanderings..