Up to my knees in Shanghai

So today I thought I would write about this Chinese wedding i went to on the weekend, but now I am wet, cold and worried I have contracted typhoid, so instead I will write about the flood I had to walk through to get to work today (who knew I was so dedicated ---really I am not, my chinese colleagues wouldn't give up, not me!).

We woke up to what was seriously, continuous thunder, at around 6:30, and steady rain.

At 10, I headed off to work. Since it is impossible to get taxis in the rain, I walked to Nanjing West Road Tube station and got the train. It was raining on the way, but not too hard.

While on the train, I got a call from my colleague Amy, asking where I am, if I am alright, and that she would wait for me at Hongqiao station(where we get off to go to work), because there is some water around the station.

I didn't really understand, and thought I would be fine, as i wore my cons today, not sandals.

Well, some water is an understatement. There were cars stopped and stranded in the street it was so flooded - right outside the station.

At this point, i should have just gone back home. But no. We walked through the one small alley which wasn't flooded (crowded therefore with bikes, people and many many cars), to Honqiao Lu trying to find a non-flooded way to get through.

Amy, before we left the station, suggested we hire a rickshaw guy to take us to work, but I thought we could find a safe way to walk. I thought it would be a rip off. I thought it would be dangerous, like we would get in an accident.

Eventually, we made our way to Huai Hai Lu, which is the road our work is on, only to discover it was also flooded. Finally, we had to suck it up and just walk through this dirty brown water up to our calves in some spots.

When it came to crossing the road/river, I just gave in, and we hired a bike to take us across. Not only did he take us across the road though, as the entire of Red Town (our work complex) was flooded, so he had to take us up the river to our building.

I am ashamed to say, that for three people, we only paid 10 Kuai. Why am I so tight?!?!?!

Admittedly, if I had been with Aidan, he would have charged us 200 I am sure.

So anyway, that was todays adventure...