Directions

There's this phrase that M and I have a running joke about.  It's one you should never use in China:

You would think...

Nevertheless, I find myself using this phrase all the time as I continue to try to wrap my head around how things work here.  You would think that if you open Google Maps and type an address, a real, legitimate address, into the search field, you would find it!

Not so, I tell you.  I have tried over and over again to make this happen here in Shanghai and I have to say there must be something I am doing wrong because it never works!!!!

Today I tried to look up a neighborhood and see how far it is from the kids school.  Since I couldn't pull it up using the address, I decided to use the right-click option "Directions From Here."  I chose the school as "Directions To Here."

This is probably the best route, right? Not the major highway going between the two?  There might be a few houses or walls in the way, but no worries.

I think the curve is for getting on the highway, which makes me think maybe the route is offset, but I can't really make sense of the rest of it.  "Directions From Here" aren't really from "Here?"  Who knows!  One thing I do know: there is no limit to the foolishness of "You would think" here in China.

No Limit.