Shanghai

Somehow we managed to be in Shanghai for the three days that Typhoon Fitow swept through Eastern China. Although the storm didn't hit Shanghai directly, it did mean that we got nonstop rain for three days. We made the best of it though - since we were in Shanghai mostly to visit my family, we used the rest of our time here to catch up on pictures and trip planning. We are four months into the trip (two-thirds over!!!) now and almost two months behind on pictures! Sadly, we weren't able to share any of the pictures we organized in Shanghai, since Google+ sat behind China’s great firewall.

Another major accomplishment in Shanghai was shopping for trekking gear. Through the wonders of online blogs, we found the Decathlon store in Pudong, where we bought additional supplies we needed for our upcoming hikes in New Zealand and Argentina. The store is a mecca for sporting goods, with 2-floors filled with all kinds of gear and equipment. Best of all, the prices are about a third of what you would pay at NorthFace or Columbia. The styles were great, and so far, we haven’t found any issues with quality. Now we are fully prepared with a new backpack, day-pack, waterproof pants, and windbreakers. I'm so excited for some real trekking. This will actually be my first time trekking for multiple days with my own backpack!