Shanghai Lunch & Yu Gardens

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We had quite an experience in Shanghai yesterday afternoon. Our hosts from the Zhejiang CDC picked us up at the hotel and took us for lunch in the Old Town, also known as the Yu District. It was a Sunday afternoon at the old market, and incredibly busy and crowded. We walked through the market area, which was centuries old, but had some modern places - KFC, Dairy Queen, and Starbucks! There were lunch stalls all over, and all kinds of smells; not all were pleasant either! Some interesting fare too; I am pretty sure I saw a deep fried bat in one person’s hands! Check out one of the pictures for what was advertised to be in one of the delectable steamed dumplings….!

Our hosts toured us through the market, and around various tea houses, before we returned to one of the restaurants, seated in a dining room upstairs. Our hosts ordered, and we sampled! Some sampled faster than others, as the tables were only set with chopsticks (initially)! Some of the plates were similar to home (e.g., S&S pork) others were a little different (e.g., bamboo shoots - apparently seasonal and popular in the Yangtze region).

After lunch, we toured through the famous Yu Yuan gardens, built in 1559 and one of the four most famous gardens in China. The walled off area was intended to be a tranquil area for the inhabitants to escape, and read or write in the various ‘verandas’ next to the ponds and streams. Highlights within the gardens include the Dragon Wall, the Hall of Feeling Happy, and the Stage. As you can see from the pictures, the temperature was not as warmed as we had originally planned.

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Photos

T in Old Town Market
Thomas was easy to spot in the market!

Old Town Market #2
This was just before the rancid smells hit us!

Shanghai lunch
After a little practice, these chopsticks are kinda fun!

Shanghai lunch #2
Our hosts ordered all of this food for us. The tiny lady beside Dawn is Zhang Xie, who works at the Zhejiang CDC.

Shanghai lunch #3
See! Anyone can do it!

Can you read the sign?
Unfortunately we saw this after having our own lunch, so we were too full to give it a try...

Yu Gardens
A tranquil pagoda in the Yu Gardens, Shanghai.

Dragon Wall
The Dragon Wall in the Yu Gardens, Shanghai.

T & Mommom
A rest stop during our tour of the Yu Gardens, Shanghai.

Comments

[Mom]

Not sure
Not sure about the food. How are you doing T with all the different stuff. Is Auntie Dawners being adventurous? Finding any salt and vinegar chips? Looks like a totally different world!

[Dennis Johnson]

Message from Saskatoon
Hi all: Looks like you are having fun. A report on the toilets is missing. Any spit on your shoes? Have you learned any words yet? Is Grandma amongst the taller people? Snow and rain last night. -4 C today. Had steak,baked potatoe and corn last night so getting fat! Neither Duane nor I could open your second blog but these are fine and pictures great. Cheers, Grandpa

[Uncle Bill]

Digestive Glands....
Was this the 'International House of Ovary and Digestive Glands of a Crab'? I think after eating there you'd have to go hang out at the 'Hall of Feeling Happy' for quite awhile.