Snow, snow and more snow. A week ago the snow started to fall and by the end of the weekend, there was 5-10cm on the ground. The traffic was a mess, flights were grounded and people started to get anxious about traveling during the Chinese New Year. Last night we got another 10 cm of fresh fluffy stuff.

I guess it hasn't snowed in 25 years and it hasn't snowed this much since 50 years ago. So no one has any clearing equipment to make life easier in the snow.

So people have had to use anything they can think of to clear the sidewalks, like brushes and brooms. Cardboard box lids also work as well as window squeegees. 

They also place bamboo mats on top of the concrete (or snow) to keep people from slipping. This morning as we were walking back from the clubhouse, I saw a maintenance worker with a Morton's salt container in hand, spreading the salt around the entrance.

While we think it's cute to have all this snow, there are people stuck around airports and train stations on their way to their hometowns. During the week, 800,000 people were waiting for trains at the Guangzhou station. And that was just one city. CNN also reported that during this Chinese New Year, 170 million people are expected to travel by train and another 20 million by airplane. Under the normal travel conditions, it's chaotic. This year...?

So our ayi left a few days early for her vacation eventhough the only ticket she could get was a standing one in a non-heated train car for the 12 hour journey. She figured if she doesn't get out of Shanghai now, she might not get out at all.