It is not every day that you see blue skies over Shanghai. It had been raining almost incessantly in the past few weeks. The weather wasnt expected to clear anytime soon. So if you are planning a trip to Shanghai in Nov, do be prepared for the wet weather.

I have recently been obsessed with anything involving umbrellas. The one thing I love about the rain is umbrellas. I find them so enchanting and whimsical. In my opinion, umbrellas as well as rain boots are always the high points of any rainy day. As long as you have nowhere to go, the rain can be quite relaxing, the perfect backdrop to a never ending adventure through your city. I have always wanted to shoot rain. But shooting torrential down pour while traveling wasnt something I prepared myself for. I was also hoping to capture a pretty face in a pretty dress walking in the rain but I think that was a bit too much to ask for :-) Just a little tip for women out there: please stay stylish rain or shine. There are always creepy photographers waiting on every corner of the streets to snap a photo of you and post it on facebook for your future signifcant other to see.

So...whats better to do in Shanghai than attempting to snap a few photos of not so good looking dudes with umbrellas in the rain? Grab an early dinner and go see ERA, an acrobatic show (similar to Cirque du Solei) at Shanghai Circus World. No extravaganza, just pure human skill taken to the limits. Things like this acrobat putting her chin on the ground and then her ass on her head. And then a second acrobat does the same on the first acrobat's knees. And another one. And another one....no safety nets no harnesses. Bike riders standing on top of each other. Motorcycle daredevils zooming around inside a metal globe cage and more...

Shanghai 11/25/12