June 11th: Shanghaijinks part 2: Matt's folly and Bund view

Day 268

We woke, went to the Metro and ran into Mike on the way to the outdoor market. Bizarre considering how large the city is, but he was coming to meet us and the timing of all of us meeting there in the station was uncanny.

Matt shopped around for last minute gifts for his family, I picked up a belt buckle for Lariat B. Grim. We had lunch at the French place overlooking the market, and the energy was mixed. I felt excited for Matt, but sad that he was leaving, and anxious that he got to his flight on time. One of the biggest stresses in my life is punctuality, even if it's not my own. I had a salmon baguette sandwich, very tasty. It would have been better if it had capers and mustard (and had it not had "after effects," more on that later.)

We got back to the hotel, Matt grabbed his stuff and we all went to the Metro, said a hasty goodbye on the train, got off a few stops before he and Erin. Mike, Heather and I went to the old town to get more tiny wooden carvings. We had just settled in and had started setting aside what we wanted when Mike got an urgent call from Erin. Matt had left his passport in the hotel. We hastily left, told the cabbie not to spare the petrol. It was 2:20 and Matt's flight was at 4pm. If he didn't make it, he'd be out 800 USD and he'd still need to get back to the states.

Heather, whose Chinese dwarfs Mike's and mine combined, fled the hotel, Matt's documentation in hand, eyes wide and frantic, muttering "there's no way, there's no way." Mike and I watched some Asia Pacific, then accidentally fell asleep for a half hour. We woke, got some refreshments at the nearest store, only to have Erin and Heather walk in a few minutes later with even more beer. Matt made his flight with about five minutes to spare.

With a sigh of relief shared by the group as a whole, we headed out to Istanbul yet again for more Turkish decadence. The buffet had different enough dishes that kept things interesting, and the kebabs as always were stunning. We chatted about ghosts and how freezing to death is the best way to die, typical post-dinner fare.

Afterwards, we caught a Metro to find a hookah bar (although Llinos could not join us because of stomach problems.) We wandered around the park in the center of People's Square, taking in the lights of the city. The grass was strictly off-limits, which was frustrating. But it was understandable considering how most Chinese citizens stomp all over everything and litter and spit. Keep the grass beautiful by keeping it locked up. Sometimes you have to save China's beauty from the Chinese.

We decided to walk to the Bund, the main river port where international ships have been coming for hundreds of years. On the way, my limbs felt weighted down, my muscles sore and weak, which I attributed to all the pedestrianizing around the city. When we got to the Bund, most of the city's lights had been turned off, since it was after 11pm. The more annoying lights were still on, Nestle and such.

Erin bought some sparklers which triggered harrassment from every Tom, Dick and Wang selling their glowing pabble on the walkway. I felt extremely tired and on the cab ride back I could feel myself getting cranky. Back at the hotel, I got into bed, got shivers and my head felt hot. What the hell? This was sudden. Or maybe not so much, since the heavy limbs and weakness may not have been ordinary fatigue. I spent the night restless, an oven in my chest pouring columns of dry heat through my mouth and nostrils.