Before I tell you my latest adventures, I have to get over my most recent jolt of culture shock. I am not a squeamish person, but Shanghai is starting to test my limits of "eeewwww".
The latest boundary-testing incident happened in Carrefour, our local grocery store which is a huge Super Wal-Mart type chain from France. Anyway, there I am buying stuff for dinner and what do I see? A sweet Chinese toddler sitting in the grocery cart seat, like any other kid you've seen...except he's wearing split pants and I can see his winkie and his bum touching the very same seat where I would put my bag. Eeeeewwww!!!! Please tell me they disinfect those grocery cart seats on a quasi-regular basis.
I came home and have never wanted to boil my hands in Purell as much as I did today. Blech!!!
Now these pants make a lot of sense, are great for the environment, make it easier to toilet train cute kids, etc, etc, but still! Just keep your seat off my seat, so to speak.
O.K. Got that out of my system. Now I can tell you what I've been up to.
Rakesh's colleague, Rich, and his wife, Susan, were in Shanghai last week. While the men were at a conference (suckers!), I was playing tour guide to a very patient Susan. Talk about a trial by fire! She wanted to see stuff, of course, and I had no idea what we should be seeing, how to get there, what things were once we got there or if we were even in the right place. I can't believe she put so much faith in someone who was still so wet behind the ears.
We survived, and in style, as you will see from the photos to come.
The first day of their week, Sun June 12, was quiet. Rakesh and I were considerate enough to allow them to recuperate from their jet-lag during the day.
The first day of their week, Sun June 12, was quiet. Rakesh and I were considerate enough to allow them to recuperate from their jet-lag during the day.
At night, we all went to a part of town called Xin Tian Di for dinner. Xin Tian Di means New Heaven and Earth. The area is kind of like Yorkville in terms of quaintness and cost, but car-free. The construction of the houses, which now hold galleries, restaurants, bars and high-end boutiques, is typical style of 1920's Shanghai architecture called Shi Ku Men. Basically, it means "houses with stone-framed gate" and it combines both Western and Chinese elements.
You didn't know my blog was going to be so educational, did you?
So here are the photos, in no particular order:
You didn't know my blog was going to be so educational, did you?
So here are the photos, in no particular order:
Random street scenes, very romantic and mysterious, definite European flavour.
If I squint my eyes just so, I can imagine I'm in Italy.
More street scenes, it's dark, I know. Still very romantic. Think of it that way and not poor lighting or photography skills.
You remember the part where I said, "In no particular order", right?
This is near the site of the First Conference of the Communist Party of China. Hmm.
After a lot of gawking, we went to a fabulous Chinese restaurant for dinner.
Details, details, details....
Window outside restaurant
Little vignette Chinoise outside restaurant
Statue inside restaurant
After dinner, we went for a walk around the Xin Tian Di neighbourhood, a very nice place to take a stroll.
Fountain with statues in a plaza.
Yours truly
Yours truly with the ubiquitous Expo mascot, Haibao, who was also hanging out in the same plaza.
Haibao has more outfits than Barbie.
Part of the scenery on the way home, the amazing Pearl of the Orient Tower. Twenty dollars says you'll be seeing more of that in the future. It is one of the premier sights in Shanghai.
Looks surreal, doesn't it?
More surreal images
The Louis Vuitton store. Yes, this is Communist China.
The Shanghai World Financial Centre, up close and personal, all 93 storeys of it. It's only the second tallest structure in the world. You'll be seeing this again, too.
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