iPads

While browsing in the Apple store this morning, I was amazed how many iPads were being sold. This is a picture of one of the cashiers - the table behind her has iPads stacked up, and another Apple employee is wheeling a trolley with another 2 or 3 dozen of them on. In the couple of minutes I stood and watched, I reckon about 12 or 15 of them were sold (one person bought 7). As they say, selling like hotcakes.

All roads lead to....

Apple! I am curious how Apple managed to convince local authorities to paint a diagonal pedestrian crossing leading straight into the store. This is one of only two Apple stores in Shanghai and one of only five across China. I predict this number to at least quadruple before we leave in 3 years.

Rain rain

Heavy downpour this morning, accompanied by good proper lightning and thunder. Reminiscent of damp monsoon days in Delhi - especially the instant flooding of streets. The difference for us in Shanghai is that we now have a commute to battle - no more working and living behind the same four walls.

Peace

Zara picked up a new skill at Disneyland - the Asian two-finger happy photo Peace pose. Straight after this was taken, she asked what it actually means. Maybe you can also make out Max's 'fro - the humid weather makes his blonde curls tighten up, drawing even more attention from Asian girls with cameras!

The Gappiest Place on Earth

Disneyland wasn't all tinkerbells and fairydust for us. Little Max slipped while getting out of the pool and chipped a noticeable amount from a front baby tooth. Can't quite get him to smile for a photo though.

Disneyland 3

Disneyland 2

Disneyland

We are at Hong Kong Disneyland. First day today - kicked off with breakfast with the characters. Max didn't want a bar of it.

Funny driving

Normally, if one wanted to turn left, one would get into the left hand lane. That principle doesn't apply to some of Shanghai's roads - check the blue traffic sign. Kind of a Melbourne right hand turn situation in a way. Sometimes I can't quite believe I've been granted a Chinese drivers licence without any road testing.

Super typhoon

Super typhoon Muifa to hit Shanghai this weekend

People of Shanghai, take heed. Typhoon Muifa (梅花), which has been upgraded to a SUPER TYPHOON, the ninth in the country this year, is expected to hit Shanghai this weekend, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

As of yesterday, Muifa was still more than 1,000 kilometers away from the city but ismoving northwest toward Zhejiang Province at a vast speed of 15kph. It is expected to enter the East China Sea today and hit the province within 72 hours.

As of yesterday, winds were blowing at 198 kilometers per hour at Muifa's core. Officials and experts compare Muifa's impending wrath this weekend to 2005's Typhoon Matsa, which killed four people and caused economic losses of 100 million yuan ($15.5 million).

It has already made its rounds in northern and central Philippines, where it killed five people, displaced tens of thousands of families and caused damages of roughly $81 million.

Over the next few days in Shanghai, thundershowers should be frequent and we should be seeing cooler temperatures, with the highest below 33 degrees.

Typhoon

Typhoon Mufia is Shanghai bound, expecting to cause havoc "later in the week". Hoping that doesn't mean Friday afternoon, as we are flying to Hong Kong, bound for Disneyland. Today though we are definitely feeling the typhoon - raining heavily accompanied by thunder and lightning. (Note planter box of healthy looking mint).

Sweaty work

This man operates an ironing business. His shop is about the size of an Australian bathroom, yet he has dozens and dozens of shirts hanging from the roof and a single ironing board and steam iron at the front. The shop opens right onto the road and has no other visible windows or doors to allow any airflow. On a 36 deg high humidity Shanghai day, ironing someone else's shirts, the man deserves a moment of blog fame...

Cadbury

Proud to report that our several kgs of choc arrived safely in the shipment. It's safely stored away in a shelf of the 'Australia' cupboard.

Have wheels, will travel

The bureaucratic processes associated with getting our car wrapped up late on Friday afternoon and we did some driving over the weekend. It helps during these humid summer days.

Unpack 2

Unpack 1

Confucius say...

For the kitchen? Or simply the box's destination?

15 cubic metres of Christmas

Our boxed effects from Australia arrived today, 7 weeks after we landed in Shanghai. The kids are particularly excited as it heralds the arrival of their toys and games they haven't seen for a couple of months now.

What is this?

Forklift 2

Forklift

An otherwise mundane trip to a big supermarket on Saturday morning turned into fun for Max when he discovered a forklift a bit like Grandad's.

This would never happen in India

Well behaved traffic. Everyone wants to go one way while the opposite direction is all but empty.

Shanghai you impress me. Delhi I miss you.

Liquid gold

Custard I have tried to make has ended up very lumpy and even the kids wouldn't eat it. Found a little carton of Paul's custard in a supermarket that stocks imported groceries. Nevermind the price; the kids are enjoying every drop of it. Who knows when it's on the shelves next!

Sshhh don't tell Zara

This place is a multi-level Barbie branded kids spa on Huaihai Road. According to wikipedia it has the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Barbie dolls and licensed Barbie products . A four year old's dream.

Post script..... after posting this, further web searching revealed that the Barbie Shanghai store closed to the public in March 2011. Kiddie facials priced at RMB680 (about a hundred aussie dollars) was probably a significant contributing factor towards its demise!

Lanterns in trees

Red Chinese lanterns along Huaihai Rd. This is the China I had imagined. Not many bikes on this particular road though - maybe they're afraid of the buses. A sticky 34 degrees today.