Blogs from Shanghai, China, Asia - page 266

We had a great time in Shanghai. Like any large city, with only seven days one can only catch a glimpse of local life and see the mainstay of the tourist attractions, which is what we did. It was very easy to spend our days zenning around and taking things in. We saw the Bund, Pudong area, people square, Yuyan gardens, the impressive Shanghai Museum, the Art Gallery and the very kitsch sightseeing tunnel to name a few, some photos are below. My favourate was peoples square, a large open central park which containing the grand theatre, art gallery and museum, and surrounded by Shanghaiese skyscrapers has a captivating atmosphere which has stuck with me. We spent many enjoyable hours just sitting here (some recovering from hangovers) chatting and watching the Chinese. Chinese New Year (29th ... read more

After a firecracker filled night I woke up to more firecrackers. I got out of bed at nine since my eldest aunt and uncle (da jiu ma & da jiujiu) were taking me to their relatives' house for lunch. Haha actually, I had no idea where I was going or why I was there. All I knew was that I didn't know these people and I didn't want to eat. But it's gotten to the point where I eat out of fear. Conversations usually go something like this: Eat! Quickly, eat! No thank you I'm full. Ok, just a little bit. You try it! Here (places heaping chopstick full of food into my bowl) this is very tasty! Ok, thank you (lungs give way to expanding stomach). Anyways, the rest of the day was quite fun. ... read more

Xin nian kuai le! First let me say that I always enjoyed celebrating the chinese new year at home (I mean what 10 year old can argue with free food and and a free dollar, right Elizabeth?), but in China it's craziness (and I just stayed in with family.) The day essentially consisted of nonstop eating, and if there was a theme I would have to say it was eat and be noisy. My relatives started coming in at lunch time to eat hun dun soup (boiled meat and vegetable dumplings that look like the gold peices people used back in the day.) Then we busted out all the snacks and treats we had in the house so that everyone could sit around and chat until it came time for some serious majiang. Soon it was ... read more

Hiiiiii finally!! Ok just to warn you in advance, this one is gonna be long and possibly pointless. So note to people lacking in common sense, don't attempt to use a computer set to a language you can't read. It just leads to breakage of internet connections and jeanette being desperate for email access. Since I missed a few fun-filled days I'll back track to the 22. Let's see Jan. 22...I sat around all day updating the blog then I sat around some more. For dinner my oldest cousin Shenkan took me and my other cousin Jiawei out to dinner. The food was delicious, but the conversation was...well lacking. I feel so bad, I can't understand anything. I think I also had my first AWESOME shower that night. Ok that's sounds really weird but understand it's ... read more

Finally...the adventure begins. Thailand here I come! Yet first Jeff and I had a 10 hour layover in Shanghai. By taking China Eastern and having this layover in the Pudong Airport we saved $300 and got to spend a day in China!!!! Jeff and I paired up with two other English teachers in Hiroshima that were going to Myanmar, Larissa and Eric. I was a little worried at first since getting in and out of China usually requires a visa and a bunch of paper work. I mean...what if they never let us out of China once in? Worries aside we went into the city. It was quite interesting trying to get out of the airport. They had a special counter just for us 'transit' passengers and gave us really cool stickers to wear (sidenote: ... read more