We were really tired in class today, but we thought we'd take advantage of classes with our pin yin teacher and take classes until 4. Lunch was nothing special as we went to yoshinoya for jap fast food and went home quickly to say bye to Andrea.
After class, we were originally going to hit up the Duo lun Cultural street but then decided it was a bit far away and to postpone the trip when we go back to qi pu street. So instead we went to get dinner at Westgate mall again in their food court where I had an awesome hot pot something or other. It was very yummy as it wasn't too saucy or oily. Then we went up to show Ashley the shoes that Min fell in love with at ped red. They have a huge sale on right now and things were from 10% to 70% off with an additional discount if you buy multiple items. So we all bought a pair of shoes: mine were 939 with a 60% off discount plus another 15% so it added up to 307 RMB which is about 45 CAD - a pair of super cute black kitty heels that I can totally wear for work.
Then we went over to the bund again in the attempt to catch the cruise. We got there at 9:15 and bought our tickets at what we thought was hp river cruise. They told us to come back to the ticket counter at 9:40 so that we can catch the bus to where the boat leaves the shore. So when we got back, we saw a bunch of people waiting at the side of the road. We were like it'd be really bad if this was a bus tour of the bund and not a boat cruise, it'll be our 3rd rip off of the trip. Luckily, after taking us through one of the most sketchiest street in shanghai, the bus dropped us off in an alleyway that led to the dock. We boarded the boat, and it took them forever to leave the docks. In fact, the bank side, so the west side of the bund had their lights off even before our boat started moving. Then after awhile, the TV tower (Pearl of the Orient) also went off *grrr*... oh well Min and I still had a good time just enjoying the breeze and looking at the buildings, which looked very out of place and a bit creepy with their futuristic design and foggy surroundings. we can finally see the jin mao building, the tallest building, and a bunch of very empty residences along the huangpu and the unlit colonial style bank side of puxi (west side).
Even though our river cruise experience wasnt the best, it only cost about 98 RMB per person which is about 14 dollars. It was still a must do and I definitely enjoy breezes.
Tomorrow we took a day off school and was supposed to head to suzhou to check it out. But we've decided to stay in town, in shanghai to do the touristy stuff. The day should begin with lining up for xiao lung bao at nan xiang and then yu yuan. Followed by the urban planning museum, possibly the shanghai museum. Some walk around in the french concession, possibly heading back to huai hai zhong lu... and I really need to call that person. Maybe i should call her in the morning and see if I can plan to meet her on thursday.
Anyways, happy Canada Day to those at home!~
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Day 9: South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market
We were woken up by the office early this morning since they really want to know if we want to switch to the big room as they had someone else coming in today. So after some considerations, we had decided to pay the difference (420 RMB to 560 RMB) to increase our room size so that there is sort of a division or a "room". This meant that we had to run home during lunch time and quickly pack all our stuff and dump it into the leasing office. We finished packing in due time and grabbed a quick bite at KFC -> again it was the super yummy beijing style chicken wrap.
After class, we hopped on a taxi and got ourself over to the soft spinning market near the south side of the bund. We met up with the girls there while Ashley quickly found her usual stores. She got a few cotton tube dresses made for 100 RMB each and the rest of us then headed over to the suit store.
The suits were really cheap so I gave in to the trap and decided to make a grey set. It was a suit jacket, pants and skirt for 500 RMB (~70 CAD) and we also picked up a trench jacket (a nice dark blue) for 420 RMB ( ~60 CAD). Min picked up 3 suits and the jacket in dark green and Ashley also got a jacket. We also bought a little clutch in the bag store and I got one in gold and red flowers on it for 100 RMB. I wanted to see if there's another one that I can pick up for mel but they didnt' really have any decent ones left. I should try to pick one up for her the next time i go back there.
We're considering the River cruise on the Huangpu tonight, so we looked it up on the internet and it's about 100 RMB per person. So we'll see how that's going to turn out :) I need to figure out waht to wear ;)
Note: We ended up missing the cruise, so we took some pictures and headed over to ruijin bin guan to a bar called faces. Min had the most awesome drink ever there called japoneise : kiwi puree, sake and honey. It was awesome
After class, we hopped on a taxi and got ourself over to the soft spinning market near the south side of the bund. We met up with the girls there while Ashley quickly found her usual stores. She got a few cotton tube dresses made for 100 RMB each and the rest of us then headed over to the suit store.
The suits were really cheap so I gave in to the trap and decided to make a grey set. It was a suit jacket, pants and skirt for 500 RMB (~70 CAD) and we also picked up a trench jacket (a nice dark blue) for 420 RMB ( ~60 CAD). Min picked up 3 suits and the jacket in dark green and Ashley also got a jacket. We also bought a little clutch in the bag store and I got one in gold and red flowers on it for 100 RMB. I wanted to see if there's another one that I can pick up for mel but they didnt' really have any decent ones left. I should try to pick one up for her the next time i go back there.
We're considering the River cruise on the Huangpu tonight, so we looked it up on the internet and it's about 100 RMB per person. So we'll see how that's going to turn out :) I need to figure out waht to wear ;)
Note: We ended up missing the cruise, so we took some pictures and headed over to ruijin bin guan to a bar called faces. Min had the most awesome drink ever there called japoneise : kiwi puree, sake and honey. It was awesome
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Day 8: Sunday Brunch @ Azul + Tourist wanders
The day started off rather late as we were all exhausted from our partying the night before. We went to a little boutique restaurants in the French Concession called Azul for Sunday brunch. Since we did not have a reservation, we had to wait for about 10-15 minutes in hopes that someone will get the bill and get out of there. We were very lucky to be sitting in 15 minutes time in a very nicely decorated but crowded restaurant.
The crowd was mainly French but with some local and tourists mixed in. A brunch combo can either include 2 courses for $120 RMB or 3 courses for $150 RMB. There is a starter, a main and a dessert, plus a drink which can be either alcoholic (like sangrias, champagne mixtures, etc), a smoothie (very exotic combos like lime-mango, pineapple-coconuts, passionfruit-mango, mixed berries), or a freshly squeezed juice (watermelon, grapefruit, pineapple, etc), plus a tea or a coffee.
Most of us went for the 3 course meal and the table was filled with pancake starters (min's pancakes were super thick and yummy), baby spinach salad with feta and pine nuts (yummy) and my smoked salmon on top of a crepe thing. Then we were served our drinks - Ashley got a sangria, min a white sangria, Andrea got a passionfruit-mango smoothie and my pineapple-coconut smoothie turned into a pineapple juice which was ok as I was getting full by that time. We were also served scones, and very cute muffins. Then the main was served and Ashley's egg's benedict and Min's grilled monkfish came out first. They were great but Ashley's benedict was a bit overcooked. Then my open-faced omlette came with a very yummy hashbrown underneath it. Andrea's monkfish took forever to come, but it was still very good in the end. Our final course was the dessert and unfortunately by that time the passionfruit and citrus salad option was sold out. So instead we got the kahlua chocolate creme brulee which ended up awesome. Andrea got a flan and it was also very very yummy.
By the time we finished brunch, we all felt like going back home to nap again. But because of our ambitions and desire to do at least something touristy, we dragged ourselves over to sun zhong shans or sun yatshen's old residence in the fuxing park area. We dropped Ashley off to shop and then headed to the residence. Entrance cost was 20 RMB, and to rent a audio guide was 30 RMB. You had to pay a deposit of $200 RMB + passport to rent or $400 without a passport. The museum was very big and very cold but it was very thorough with different collections and display of things that documented his life. It ended with closing words written about him by his wife song qing ling, it was very nice. The third floor was a changing exhibit and the one that we ended up walking through quickly (as the place was closing) were a bunch of pictures about his life and the museum itself.
The whole visit ended up with a tour of his actual old house where you enter into the kitchen and have to put on plastic shoe socks. We then toured his dining area, living area and upstairs into his study room, bedroom etc. The place was lined with very nice wood and decorated very comfortably. Also he has drawers and shelves of books divided into the different dynasty and different time periods of chinese history. It was all very impressive.
Then we went home and took naps until dinner time and had dinner at a restaurant named Simply Thai. I quite enjoyed my meal especially the sesame seed sauce on the leaf wrapped chicken. We then headed over to the pudong area and went to the JinMao tower where the Grand Hyatt is located starting on the 54th floor. The bar, Cloud 9, was actually on the 87th floor, and the highest bar in the world in the tallest building in Shanghai as part of the tallest hotels in the world. We took the express elevator from the bottom of the building to floor 54 which is where the hotel Grand Hyatt starts. Then, we took another elevator up to floor 85 which leads to people's rooms and the jin mao conference rooms and Cloud 9 restaurant. A third elevator was required to get to the 87 floor as there's probably a choice to head out to the observation deck instead. The deck closed at 9pm and originally would have costed 50 RMB just to get up there anyways ( a cover thing like the Panorama in Toronto). Instead, we had a 120 RMB + 15 % minimum charge per person to cover. So we ordered expensive drinks (my tea cost 60 so i ordered long ching) and some desserts ( a dessert platter that looked better than it taste), some champagne, coffee and wine to cover the cost. The desserts were a bit disappointing but my tea was good. Nonetheless, the view of the huangpugong (although a lot of the lights are off, we found out later that they turn off at 11pm) was still breathtaking to a point that we wished we were lower.
class again tomoro... i think we're also heading to the circus.... should be quite fun
we are also checking out the fabric market.. i might not end up buying or making clothes here as i want to keep a bit more cash handy.. we'll see what happens
The crowd was mainly French but with some local and tourists mixed in. A brunch combo can either include 2 courses for $120 RMB or 3 courses for $150 RMB. There is a starter, a main and a dessert, plus a drink which can be either alcoholic (like sangrias, champagne mixtures, etc), a smoothie (very exotic combos like lime-mango, pineapple-coconuts, passionfruit-mango, mixed berries), or a freshly squeezed juice (watermelon, grapefruit, pineapple, etc), plus a tea or a coffee.
Most of us went for the 3 course meal and the table was filled with pancake starters (min's pancakes were super thick and yummy), baby spinach salad with feta and pine nuts (yummy) and my smoked salmon on top of a crepe thing. Then we were served our drinks - Ashley got a sangria, min a white sangria, Andrea got a passionfruit-mango smoothie and my pineapple-coconut smoothie turned into a pineapple juice which was ok as I was getting full by that time. We were also served scones, and very cute muffins. Then the main was served and Ashley's egg's benedict and Min's grilled monkfish came out first. They were great but Ashley's benedict was a bit overcooked. Then my open-faced omlette came with a very yummy hashbrown underneath it. Andrea's monkfish took forever to come, but it was still very good in the end. Our final course was the dessert and unfortunately by that time the passionfruit and citrus salad option was sold out. So instead we got the kahlua chocolate creme brulee which ended up awesome. Andrea got a flan and it was also very very yummy.
By the time we finished brunch, we all felt like going back home to nap again. But because of our ambitions and desire to do at least something touristy, we dragged ourselves over to sun zhong shans or sun yatshen's old residence in the fuxing park area. We dropped Ashley off to shop and then headed to the residence. Entrance cost was 20 RMB, and to rent a audio guide was 30 RMB. You had to pay a deposit of $200 RMB + passport to rent or $400 without a passport. The museum was very big and very cold but it was very thorough with different collections and display of things that documented his life. It ended with closing words written about him by his wife song qing ling, it was very nice. The third floor was a changing exhibit and the one that we ended up walking through quickly (as the place was closing) were a bunch of pictures about his life and the museum itself.
The whole visit ended up with a tour of his actual old house where you enter into the kitchen and have to put on plastic shoe socks. We then toured his dining area, living area and upstairs into his study room, bedroom etc. The place was lined with very nice wood and decorated very comfortably. Also he has drawers and shelves of books divided into the different dynasty and different time periods of chinese history. It was all very impressive.
Then we went home and took naps until dinner time and had dinner at a restaurant named Simply Thai. I quite enjoyed my meal especially the sesame seed sauce on the leaf wrapped chicken. We then headed over to the pudong area and went to the JinMao tower where the Grand Hyatt is located starting on the 54th floor. The bar, Cloud 9, was actually on the 87th floor, and the highest bar in the world in the tallest building in Shanghai as part of the tallest hotels in the world. We took the express elevator from the bottom of the building to floor 54 which is where the hotel Grand Hyatt starts. Then, we took another elevator up to floor 85 which leads to people's rooms and the jin mao conference rooms and Cloud 9 restaurant. A third elevator was required to get to the 87 floor as there's probably a choice to head out to the observation deck instead. The deck closed at 9pm and originally would have costed 50 RMB just to get up there anyways ( a cover thing like the Panorama in Toronto). Instead, we had a 120 RMB + 15 % minimum charge per person to cover. So we ordered expensive drinks (my tea cost 60 so i ordered long ching) and some desserts ( a dessert platter that looked better than it taste), some champagne, coffee and wine to cover the cost. The desserts were a bit disappointing but my tea was good. Nonetheless, the view of the huangpugong (although a lot of the lights are off, we found out later that they turn off at 11pm) was still breathtaking to a point that we wished we were lower.
class again tomoro... i think we're also heading to the circus.... should be quite fun
we are also checking out the fabric market.. i might not end up buying or making clothes here as i want to keep a bit more cash handy.. we'll see what happens
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Day 7.5 : 1st Taste of Shanghai Night Life: Barbarossa + Guan Dii
After dinner at di shui dong (a famous hunnan style restaurant) and having the most amazing malted fried bananas ever.. we went home to take a look at our shoppings.
Then we headed out to Barbarossa which Min`s friend Ashley really liked when she was on exchange here in Shanghai last year. It was supposed to be a lounge but it`s situated in the People`s park. We got dropped off outside people`s park and had to walk through a path of uneven cobblestones on heels to the center where Barbarossa was surrounded by a pond. Barbarossa was 3 levels with different music playing in all 3. We bought a drink and went up to the rooftop patio to enjoy the evening view of shanghai`s main buildings.
After that drink, we decided to hit up a club and picked Guan Dii. Again Guan Dii was located in some random park (why Shanghai people like to build lounges and clubs in the middle of parks I do not know). It was pretty packed when we got there just after midnight. The crowd was mainly Shanghaiese, with some International students and perhaps some expats. There were dancers who put on a show for certain songs, 3 girls and 1 guy in costumes. Waiters walking through crowds and pushing their way through it to serve people drinks. Seats and couches for people who are there to lounge and play dice. We mainly danced and it was quite fun as the DJ was quite good with his song selection. The only thing that was a bit strange was that the DJ sang to parts of the song...
Also, there were some creepy people that were attracted by the cute singaporean girls in my group. I was the alert one to look out for creepiness... There were a few instances of really old guys patting hands, old guys telling them they were pretty.. random guys trying to dance with them.. andrea`s shirt getting stuck on some guy`s zipper who we were trying to say no to... random guy trying to talk to me.. whom i gave a blank look to and kept shaking my hand at him.... Overall it was quite an interesting experience and quite fun :)
I`m really awake right now and reak of smoke (since you can still smoke in most places indoors in shanghai).. but i know that if i don`t sleep soon we wouldn`t be able to accomplish much tomorrow.
Monday should be buying fabric and tailoring day. New updates tomorrow ;)
Then we headed out to Barbarossa which Min`s friend Ashley really liked when she was on exchange here in Shanghai last year. It was supposed to be a lounge but it`s situated in the People`s park. We got dropped off outside people`s park and had to walk through a path of uneven cobblestones on heels to the center where Barbarossa was surrounded by a pond. Barbarossa was 3 levels with different music playing in all 3. We bought a drink and went up to the rooftop patio to enjoy the evening view of shanghai`s main buildings.
After that drink, we decided to hit up a club and picked Guan Dii. Again Guan Dii was located in some random park (why Shanghai people like to build lounges and clubs in the middle of parks I do not know). It was pretty packed when we got there just after midnight. The crowd was mainly Shanghaiese, with some International students and perhaps some expats. There were dancers who put on a show for certain songs, 3 girls and 1 guy in costumes. Waiters walking through crowds and pushing their way through it to serve people drinks. Seats and couches for people who are there to lounge and play dice. We mainly danced and it was quite fun as the DJ was quite good with his song selection. The only thing that was a bit strange was that the DJ sang to parts of the song...
Also, there were some creepy people that were attracted by the cute singaporean girls in my group. I was the alert one to look out for creepiness... There were a few instances of really old guys patting hands, old guys telling them they were pretty.. random guys trying to dance with them.. andrea`s shirt getting stuck on some guy`s zipper who we were trying to say no to... random guy trying to talk to me.. whom i gave a blank look to and kept shaking my hand at him.... Overall it was quite an interesting experience and quite fun :)
I`m really awake right now and reak of smoke (since you can still smoke in most places indoors in shanghai).. but i know that if i don`t sleep soon we wouldn`t be able to accomplish much tomorrow.
Monday should be buying fabric and tailoring day. New updates tomorrow ;)
Day 7: Qi Pu Lu shopping CRAZE!
so we went to the long waited for Qi pu lu to shop. Min had really wanted to go market shopping since forever and we finally made it there today. The shops opens from 5am to 5:30pm since they do wholesale activity in the mornings and then individual retails (or to rip off tourists after about 9am).
We got dropped off at this weird looking place which was kinda sketchy looking. Apparently, we started off at the newer place, where there were less store but still the same amount of sketchy people asking if you want fake bags.
The `personal shoppers`or whatever were saying they recently got searched so they are being a bit more careful right now. We were able to hit up some places and bought some fun stuff and our first try at bargaining also succeeded quite well. The skillful haggler is to be prepared to walk away from anything that you`re not willing to pay for and start much lower than where you want to end up.
We got dropped off at this weird looking place which was kinda sketchy looking. Apparently, we started off at the newer place, where there were less store but still the same amount of sketchy people asking if you want fake bags.
The `personal shoppers`or whatever were saying they recently got searched so they are being a bit more careful right now. We were able to hit up some places and bought some fun stuff and our first try at bargaining also succeeded quite well. The skillful haggler is to be prepared to walk away from anything that you`re not willing to pay for and start much lower than where you want to end up.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Day 6: pouring rain and rainboots
We had another taste of how bad asian rain can get today. It was quite scary as the sky turned all white (it was still rather bright) but you can no longer see the buildings in the distance.
So instead of being very ambitious and going out to do all the things we want to do, i decided that i needed a nap. So i napped for about 3 hours while the others went out to do stuff (which is still not much since the rain and the flood makes it very difficult to go anywhere)
We were then deciding between an upscale japanese all you can eat versus having hot pot. We ended up going to a place called hot pot king (lai fu liu), it's at huai hai zhong lu... it wasn't all you can eat but still pretty good. The service was excellent as they are very friendly and helpful. We ate a lot and was so full.
We really didn't want to go anywhere so we ended up just coming home, wanting to watch a movie. Another one of min's friend is going to come for a visit tomorrow and we're thinking of heading out to qipu lu and the market tomorrow.
I wore my rainboots out so it was quite fun to run around in the puddle, not having to worry that anything's going to happen to my feet and keeping them super dry. The only bad thing is that the plastic is rather cheap (as I bought it for only 128 HKD) and so it smells a bit :P I think i'll use it during my stay in shanghai and in HK, then buy a better pair with mariann to bring back to canada.
I finally found ah to at a good time, so we skyped so that I can talk to mommy and daddy :) So it seems people are having a long weekend this weekend. quite exciting.
I hope I'll find something really cool tomorrow and some good buys ;)
So instead of being very ambitious and going out to do all the things we want to do, i decided that i needed a nap. So i napped for about 3 hours while the others went out to do stuff (which is still not much since the rain and the flood makes it very difficult to go anywhere)
We were then deciding between an upscale japanese all you can eat versus having hot pot. We ended up going to a place called hot pot king (lai fu liu), it's at huai hai zhong lu... it wasn't all you can eat but still pretty good. The service was excellent as they are very friendly and helpful. We ate a lot and was so full.
We really didn't want to go anywhere so we ended up just coming home, wanting to watch a movie. Another one of min's friend is going to come for a visit tomorrow and we're thinking of heading out to qipu lu and the market tomorrow.
I wore my rainboots out so it was quite fun to run around in the puddle, not having to worry that anything's going to happen to my feet and keeping them super dry. The only bad thing is that the plastic is rather cheap (as I bought it for only 128 HKD) and so it smells a bit :P I think i'll use it during my stay in shanghai and in HK, then buy a better pair with mariann to bring back to canada.
I finally found ah to at a good time, so we skyped so that I can talk to mommy and daddy :) So it seems people are having a long weekend this weekend. quite exciting.
I hope I'll find something really cool tomorrow and some good buys ;)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Day 5: Raffle City, Shanghai Uncle and 3 on the Bund
We had KFC congee for breakfast, it was arlight but just a bit salty
after class we checked out wagas and then went to huai hai lu, but can't find anything good there so just walked over to raffle city again and shopped. Didn't end up getting anything but it was a very trendy mall and our kind of places to shop. Still a bit skeptical in getting things since i can get the same stuff for possibly cheaper in HK.
Then we cabbed over to the wai tang chong xin, bund center to have dinner at uncle shanghai and meet up with Rob from Bain.
The food was so good and it was very very cheap. We had our first real shanghai xiao lung bao experience and it was quite yummy.
Rob ended up taking the bill and the rest of us headed down guang dong lu to 3 on a bund
apparenlty 3 on the bund and 5 on the bund are very popular places for expats (ex patriots) and so it was filled with those people and since it was thursday, martinis were 2 for 1. Min got me a lychee martini and because they were being cheap, it was watered down to the right level for me. Even their apple ones tasted pretty good. She tipped the guy 10 bucks so the next time she went back, she actually ended up getting something stronger
We headed back home at about midnight and now i'm all ready for bed..
tomorrow is going to rain, so i need to dig out my rainboots! woot excited to use them!
I think the plan for the weekend is shop, club, then sunday brunch.. exciting!
after class we checked out wagas and then went to huai hai lu, but can't find anything good there so just walked over to raffle city again and shopped. Didn't end up getting anything but it was a very trendy mall and our kind of places to shop. Still a bit skeptical in getting things since i can get the same stuff for possibly cheaper in HK.
Then we cabbed over to the wai tang chong xin, bund center to have dinner at uncle shanghai and meet up with Rob from Bain.
The food was so good and it was very very cheap. We had our first real shanghai xiao lung bao experience and it was quite yummy.
Rob ended up taking the bill and the rest of us headed down guang dong lu to 3 on a bund
apparenlty 3 on the bund and 5 on the bund are very popular places for expats (ex patriots) and so it was filled with those people and since it was thursday, martinis were 2 for 1. Min got me a lychee martini and because they were being cheap, it was watered down to the right level for me. Even their apple ones tasted pretty good. She tipped the guy 10 bucks so the next time she went back, she actually ended up getting something stronger
We headed back home at about midnight and now i'm all ready for bed..
tomorrow is going to rain, so i need to dig out my rainboots! woot excited to use them!
I think the plan for the weekend is shop, club, then sunday brunch.. exciting!
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