Maddie and I just left Shanghai and are now in Beijing. We thought Shanghai was smoggy - ugh but Beijing takes it up a notch. But I digress, back to Shanghai for this blog topic. Go check out the shots in the picassa gallery - link over there on the right ------>.
We couldn't get over how SPRAWLING this city is - it just keeps going, and going and ... Well you get the point. Maddie, who grew up in NYC, couldn't believe just how huge this metropolis is - but seeing is believing.
We had a pretty good time except for everyone here wanted to sell us 'Watches Bag' - knock-offs of name brand things. Honestly every 30 seconds we were being accosted by someone else trying to get us to come by their shop and take a look. Finally on Sunday night we did and it was creepy - go through a store, a false shelf that swings open to reveal a back room with all the illegal crappy copies of bags and watches and polo shirts. Do people still wear Polo shirts?
It got so we noticed when we were left along for all of sixty seconds but soon after we'd remark, someone would approach 'watches bag'. If that didn't work they would throw in 'shoes dvd' and finally they would leave. Maddie took to answering in Spanish until we ran into a bunch of Chinese hawkers who knew how to sell in that language too!
Check out the pictures in the gallery of Yu Garden. Fairly funny story getting there. We were dropped off at some side street and the maps I had were not detailed enough to show how to enter to the garden. Well, this little old city block is huge and flanked by tourist trap stores and loads of people clamoring to sell their wares.
Eventually a little old man came up and started talking to us - claimed to be a pensioner who doesn't need our money but wanted to practice his English. He asked us were we were from and what we came to see and offered to show us around. I was nervous about the whole thing, I mean he was an old man but it seemed like we'd just be placed in a position where we'd be stuck and have to offer him money.
We spoke a little more to him but told him we wanted to go into the garden, he wanted to show us around town no doubt leading us to some stores where he was paid a commission but still, he wanted to follow. We firmly told him we were fine on our own and made some distance from him when some young woman came up and whispered to me 'watch your back'! OMG - this young girl telling me this old man is not someone to trust. As we hurriedly crossed the street it hit me - she was saying 'watches, bag' and not warning me of impending backstabbing. I was laughing and sorry that my paranoia perhaps cost us from talking more to this man.As you can see, like the rest of Shanghai, the entrance to Yu Garden was packed. This zig-zag bridge that leads to an impossible to spell tea house (look it up for your self if you want to know) has nine zigs (or zags) to confuse spirits from following you. This pre-supposes that these evil spirits can only go in straight lines but whatever, we have our own weird folk tales.
We did venture out into the more "neighborhood area" of Shanghai and it was quite nice - loads of trees all along the street and very nice houses behind tall walls and iron gates. The place we ate at was called Yuan Yuan for some Haung Sho (spelling to be checked later folks) - which is roasted pig belly in honey BBQ sauce. If you lop off the huge honking fat and eat the meatier portion - it was great. We also had some friend rice of sorts that was also delicious, although it was sans egg as I misunderstood when the waiter asked me how many eggs we wanted... I didn't realize you can specify the eggy-ness of your rice, but there you go.
We shopped a bit but didn't buy a whole bunch. But that didn't keep Maddie's suitcase from busting - must have been from the flight from Sydney as a piece was broken off. Oh well - we have plenty of people willing to sell us a replica!
