Shopping delights of Quancheng Lu

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A big sleep in and a big read in the morning sun on my balcony was a great start to my Saturday.

Not being a shopper, I prefer an op shop bargain to looking at Myers, I thought I would have to go to Quancheng Lu to check out what all the hype was about.



So you head up Li Shan Lu towards Thousand Budda Mountain Park and turn right just after Carrefour onto Jiefang Lu. Keep going, past the canal and head towards decadence and shopping with a capital S!



Every shop that is designer label and more is here. All the usual Western Brands, equivalents of what looks like Myers and David Jones, I looked decidedly scruffy in my op shop trackies and $5- Rockmans shirt and joggers. Some of the men and women look like they had just jumped out of a photo shoot, gorgeous!



Malls with the very latest in architectural designs, fountains, cafes, street art, gardens in abundance, could be anywhere and everywhere.

To think the first reforms started towards modernisation in China in 1984 after the Cultural Revolution, so a lot has been achieved in a very short time.



Stumbled across a Starbucks café so coffee in hand I set off and found a little side street that looked interesting, just past the Starbucks shop.

Just turn into it and then turn left and be amazed.

I popped my backpack on my front and wandered in, what a feast for the senses.

If I come back from China as fat as a barrel it’s because there was sooooo much yummy looking food to want to try out.



This area has so many types of bread, pastries, crepes, small ravioli looking products, cakes, biscuits and then there is all the savoury food.



Anything on a stick; insects, seafood, meat, tofu, dove eggs.



Then there are all sorts of dumplings, little savoury buns, the list goes on.



Had to go into Walmart- never been in one before that I can remember, bought some wine glasses, grater, a great Spanish red for $5- and some presents for my nieces.



Red wine so far has been brilliant. French red cost me Y35- local Chinese Y28- and today’s Spanish Y27. Fat chance of me getting thin I think whilst I am here!

Took the #3 bus home, what a squeeze and a push and shove to get on and get away from the open door, everyman for themselves.

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Photos

Shopping Mall
The usual teenagers checking out their phones and hanging out

Street Art
Check out the imposter, mobile phone and lace up shoes are the give away, very well done and great tongue in cheek humour

Dumplings
Not very common around here, think they are a speciality from Shanghai

Eggs on a stick
The looked like dove eggs, cooking them in the little round cast iron tins, staked, turned and then brushed with a sauce

Unidentified
Think this was savoury?

Halal lamb kebabs
I had two of these cooked for me on the spot for Y4-50.
Very yum

Comments

[Jenny Staples]

Hello from the Staples
Hi Rosemary - I've just caught up on all of your fantastic blogs - they're so descriptive that it's almost like being there! Don't know how I'd go with the food - I'm not very adventurous. We had a trip to Bowen today (Sunday) to watch Stephen compete in the Bowen Triathlon at Queen's Beach. It was a beautiful day (a little chilly to start with 9 degrees at Bloomsbury and Proserpine) with dolphins frolicking before the start of the swim leg. The Eisteddfod is heading into week 2 and all is going well. The Mature and Motivated section was again booked out on Friday night. Paul has done a couple of chairing sessions with three more this week. I'm looking forward to the Choral sections starting. Thank you for your blogs, I'm looking forward to reading lots more. Regards Jen and Paul

[rosy59]

Hi there. Glad you are reading them, love writing them, my memory in my old age is not that great so this is a great aid to remembering. This is a tough gig, Shanghai was a breeze in comparison. Teaching is slightly easier but time frames are tight, but the lack of anyone else makes this hard. Am coping, last Monday i just about chucked it all in! My sanity is my balcony, my little plant i bought, red wine and the beautiful canal and parks here