This morning, Grant and I went to Zhujiajiao, a water town that is very close to Shanghai. The canals running through the area reminded me a little bit of Venice; the architecture of the buildings reminded me of the more remote areas of New Territories in Hong Kong. The first place we stopped by in Zhujiajiao was this Chinese puzzle shop. Between the two of us, we attempted to solve about five puzzles. We only solved one (I solved the first one I tried, which gave me a false sense of confidence for the rest) and by the time we left the shop, we were feeling supremely stupid because those puzzles were deceptively difficult.
As we walked along the streets of Zhujiajiao, we stopped by a temple. Inside the temple, you could ring a large bell three times if you paid 5RMB. You could also throw circular disks at a smaller bell, also for 5RMB. Let’s just say that we (well, more like Grant) had quite the time with these activities at the temple! It was also a really beautiful temple. They had very nice landscaping, and the trees were decorated in red ribbon that had characters written on them. I’m not sure what that means, but for some reason I think it’s like a wishing tree. (I saw something similar to it in a Hong Kong TV show when I was little.)
We had lunch at a nearby restaurant that served lots of seafood that was caught fresh from the nearby water. They served the tiniest shrimp and clams that I’ve ever seen! I tried everything that was served, which is a rarity for me. I’m usually a fairly picky eater, but Grant is the kind of person who wants to try everything. Therefore, I have to try everything, or I look bad. I’m really glad he’s that kind of person though; if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t have tried half the things I’ve eaten (and enjoyed eating) so far on this trip.
Later that afternoon/early evening, we went to Xintiandi, this swanky area of Shanghai that caters more to a foreigner/expat crowd than to locals. We walked around the entire area to see what was there, and then we walked around it again, taking note of what restaurant we wanted to eat at. There was a German restaurant called Paulaner. I really missed Germany when I looked at their menu and saw that they served spätzle! As it was, we ended up eating at a restaurant called Luna, which had very good, albeit expensive, food.
Grant and I walked around Xintiandi some more after dinner and discovered this stage that was decorated with signs for the World Expo. We soon discovered that it was American Cultural Week at Xintiandi, and there was going to be a small sample performance of the performances that go on daily at the USA pavilion at the World Expo. Well… I don’t want to undermine the dancers’ hard work, but if that’s what represents the USA at the World Expo, heaven help us. Is MTV a sponsor of the USA pavilion? If so, that explains EVERYTHING. The dancers either looked incredibly trashy or flamboyantly gay. Not that there is a problem with either in itself, but if that’s the only impression of the US people walk away from that performance with, that’s a bit of an issue.
Anyway. After that, uh, performance, we walked around Xintiandi some more. We decided to go to TMSK, a very trendy bar that apparently serves the best cocktails in Shanghai. I don’t know if they actually are the best in Shanghai, but they were very good. Again, they were pretty pricey, though. If one is on a budget, one night out in Xintiandi really cleans out your wallet.
Post a Comment