speed change

so today i decided to get a haircut before i head off to america tomorrow. being a creature of habit i decided to go back to the only place i've had my hair cut here in shanghai, at the ramada hotel.

i took the escalator up to the third floor where i thought i remembered the gym and salon were, only to find a couple of restaurants. Another floor up and I was in the center of another new restaurant. The hostess came over and I asked her where the gym and salon were. They were closed, she said, and would reopen on another floor in august.

walking back outside i noticed more changes. the small shops where bought a travel bag a couple of months ago had been knocked down. a further row of shops nearby had been vacated and looked to be next on the chopping block. an area next to the howard johnson that was under heavy construction six months ago is now a large outdoor auditorium.

looking to buy a television antenna i entered a department store on nanjing road. i took the elevator up to the electronics floor only to find a clothing floor. the electronics floor had been moved since the last time i went there, about two months ago.

its amazing how fast things change here- it certainly makes settling into a routine a bit difficult!

on a related note, i'm beginning to suspect there's more to the pink-colored barber shop near my apartment than meets the eye.