Still spending Christmas Eve without snow in Puerto Rico. Didn’t prance at all or really think about the season that much, which could be unfortunate, but is still on the whole, altogether enjoyable.
Red and red make christmas pina colada baubles.
I’m in Puerto Rico for a few days for a family Caribbean vacation. I missed Jamaica (for Japan) last year, but I wasn’t going to miss this one! After many days of waking up early and running around the island to do various touristy things, we finally got to sleep in (until 10am, which is to say, normal working adult sleep in and regular college girl normal on the early side waking hours) and leisurely walk through Old San Juan and the forts there.
Wearing 1. UO Cloud Body Suit, 2. Romwe Tan Maxi Skirt
It’s been a few months since I got on a plane to go anywhere off-continent, and that being the case, I was flipping through these pictures from Chile this past spring break I scanned in from the Golden/Half. They sell for about $40-50 USD depending on where you buy them, and are super unobtrusive and easy to take covert pictures with. Since they double the roll capacity of any film you use with them, they’re pretty economical, too. Unfortunately, way too often I find myself forgetting to wind the film or take off the cap when I pass it off to someone else.
The camera gets really soft at the edges (and isn’t too sharp anywhere else for that matter), but I love the lomo toy-camera look all the scanned pictures have. Especially in bright light, there’s an out-of-world whimsy about them.
We ended up getting cheap seats at a South American soccer game…they come with free riot police.
It’s been so long that I was in China that I feel almost removed from July, when I first boarded the plane for my pre-college trip there. If you don’t remember, this is when swine flu was the big issue.
We took a United direct flight over; the plane was almost empty, as you can take a look-see here. We had the aisle seat empty, though my brother who is more motion sick than a drunk flamingo would not let me move so we were stuck still squished in our seats.
We flew into Shanghai’s Pudong Airport. Shanghai is extremely busy getting itself ready for the World Expo in 2010. It’s ugly little blue mascot is everywhere in the city, though I refrained from taking a snapshot of it for its sheer unattractivenes. Half the streets are being fixed or repaved and the city’s really pushing to finish its subway system. Construction is a frantic and constant activity all throughout the city, since the aim is to be done or just stop by March for the initiation of the Expo.
In Shanghai, we stayed with one of our mother's old college friends and her husband in her 13th floor apartment just inside the Inner Circle. This is the view from her balcony, and as is typical, clothes hang dry in lieu of dryers. If one city in China really needs dryers, it would be Shanghai around storm season, when essentially you're breathing vapor.
Nevertheless, Shanghai is China's New York City, beautiful waterscape and all. We went down to see the cityscape at night and it was amazing. Haagen Daz had a shop right down by the waterfront, and as already one of the most expensive ice-cream brands in China, I didn't even dare wonder what the price was on actually going to the 'restaurant'.
Left: My favorite building in Shanghai and also one of its newer ones. It also happens to be the tallest one at the moment in the city, though I never did get to go in and do the wide-eyed tourist thing inside. Right: street singer with a beautiful voice.
The aunty we were staying with totally explained all the buildings to me but honestly, I didn't catch their Chinese names well enough to store and memorize, nevertheless think of translating. Maybe sometime before I try to attend the expo I'll do more research and catch up on my empty bucket of knowledge, but for now, enjoy the view.
On Sunday, our third and final day in city in July, another one of mom's old friends came and took us to Old Shanghai, more tourist-trap than anything truly authentic. Nevertheless, the vibe was still great.
China should look like this everywhere.
We went to Yu Yuan, a small garden in Old Shanghai and dined at a quiet restaurant.
I also managed to look my most hideous on this trip (humidity and heat will do that to a person), which is why you see not pictures of posing people here.
….and this is how it happens.
Taken from my window seat on the plane.
