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I was standing in a small, muddy lane in a busy market in the old part of Shanghai. One of the vendors had a net bag full of toads.
China 1998 - Part Two: Shanghai & Suzhou
Dougburnett2003-11-22 16:20:34
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Shanghai
I was standing in a small, muddy lane in a busy market in the old part of Shanghai. One of the vendors had a net bag full of toads. They were jumping around trying unsuccessfully to get free - forty or fifty of them. The vendor was talking to a customer and I was thinking what a great picture the bag of toads would make. I got my camera out and stopped to think about how to compose the picture. As I put my camera up to my eye the vendor saw me and he went ballistic.
He jumped between me and the toads, yelling at the top of his lungs. I didn't understand a word he said but his intentions were clear: he didn't want me taking pictures of his toads. Next his wife joins in yelling at me. I stood still and held my hands and camera up in the air - I surrender. They kept yelling. After a few more minutes they both just turn around and went back to their work. I walked off.
Farther down I found another bag of toads. I didn't hesitate this time - I already had my camera out. Click, I took the picture and quickly moved off. Ha, got it.
Friday, April 10, 1998
It was quite late when I arrived in Shanghai and I was really tired. Outside I had trouble communicating with the taxi driver. He seemed to understand where I wanted to go but wouldn't say anything about the price. After I got in, I had to tell him to put the flag down - but the meter still didn't light up. As he pulled away and I started yelled at him about the meter. He turned around and gave me a dumb look, so I kept yelling. Finally, he pulled over to the curb again and, when I couldn't get him to respond, I gabbed my bag and got out - I was still wary of the taxi drivers.
We happened to be just outside the International terminal, so I walked in there to regroup and noticed a desk for the Peace hotel. There I found that the last shuttle to the hotel was about to leave
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See photographs from:
China Gallery
