Day 24 My First World Expo

10 Best Moments of the Shanghai World Expo:

1. Visiting the USA Pavilion- we got to skip the entire line (probably 2 hours at least) because of an inside connection and were then pleasantly surprised by the contents of the pavilion. USA was supposed to be sort of lame, but we actually really enjoyed the 4-D (I know!) videos and got cute t-shirts afterwards.

2. Watching a huge thunderstorm from the observation deck of the Expo Culture Center- we actually timed this perfectly, we were totally dry and watched as the lines at each pavilion halved, then talked to a Chinese man who tried to explain to us how eating dog meat will keep you warm at night…go figure.

3. Getting presents at the Taiwan pavilion- Seriously, if you want people to love your pavilion, tell them you’re giving them gifts at the end of the tour. This pavilion was pretty cool anyway, but the gift bag really clinched it for me.

4. Visiting 19 Pavilions- That’s right, we visited 19. If you had been to the Expo, you would know how awesome this is. Most people visit a third of this number. Now to see if I can remember them all: Taiwan, USA, Iran, Uzbekistan, Indonesia (my favorite), Luxembourg, North Korea (so pathetic it was hilarious), Italy, France, Netherlands (“Happy Street”), Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, South Africa, Egypt, Slovenia, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, and Germany (sort of, but we’ll count it).

5. Not killing Evan or being killed by Evan- So we left for the Expo at 6:00 a.m. (approximately) and got back at midnight (approximately). That’s right, we spent 18 hours together at the Expo. I think we both deserve awards for still being friends and still being alive.

6. Not using the bathroom once at the Expo- This was an incredible feat and something I would highly recommend if you are ever lucky enough to visit the Shanghai Expo. This accomplishment can be attributed to the incredible amount of sweating I was able to do over the day- I think I drank probably 4-5 full water bottles and sweat it ALL out. No joke. TMI, let’s move on.

7. Passing up a pavilion because “I’ve been there in real life”- This was pretty satisfying. Enough said.

8. The sideways orchestra at Italy- So the Italian pavilion was all around pretty cool, but probably the neatest thing they did was take an entire orchestra (we’re talking instruments, stands, music, instrument cases, the whole shebang), turn it sideways, and then put it on the wall. So in case you missed that last bit, there was a full grand piano turned sideways and attached to the wall. It was really cool. At some point I will attach a picture and then you can see what I mean.

9. Skipping the 8 hour line to Saudi Arabia- What would you give to visit a palm tree garden on the top of a UFO-looking building in the middle of Shanghai? Not 8 hours of my time spent in the king of all Expo lines, that’s for sure.

10. The Indonesia Pavilion- This was probably my favorite pavilion. I felt like the Indonesia displays were actually informative (this was actually rare, believe it or not) and the facts about the country were very cool. They also had this great display about one of the most unique Indonesian instruments, the angklung. After visiting this pavilion I really wanted to go to Indonesia, so I’d say they did a pretty good job.


5 Worst Moments of the Shanghai World Expo:

1. Waiting in line to get into the Expo to wait in more lines- It was good we got there early (6:45), because I can only imagine the chaos going on at the gate right at 9, but this wait was probably the most brutal. It was SO hot and humid and those stupid mist machines were getting us all even wetter than we were; I was preparing to bump “Westport Deep-Sea Fishing” and “Driving the Alpine Loop to Timp Cave” down to 2nd and 3rd on my “worst days of my life” list to make room for a new “worst day ever.” That’s how bad it was.

2. Sweating ALL day- I can literally not remember another time when I have sweat so much for such an extended period of time. I sweat every minute of those 18 hours. Needless to say, it was very uncomfortable.

3. Attempting to refill my water bottle- So there are these nice little water stations every so often in the Expo where you can get clean water instead of buying it. It’s a great idea in theory, but when you add the full brutality of Chinese crowds, it becomes a disaster. I’m trying really hard not to base my judgment of this nation off the disgusting behavior I saw in this moment, but it’s been difficult.

4. Being touched by sweaty people in general- If you know me very well, you might know that I don’t like to be touched. I especially don’t like to be touched when I’m hot. The Expo experience violated my personal bubble in every way possible. Actually, looking back, I can’t believe that I managed to keep my cool, though I may have thrown some elbows in some of the more sticky situations.

5. Seeing myself in a mirror- Obviously, I won no prizes today for style or beauty, however, even I was surprised when I walked by a mirror in one of the pavilions. Was that really me? No wonder not as many Asian people asked to take pictures of me today.