上海: Shanghai, City Above the Sea..12/23-12/28

Shanghai, China 12/23-28


So in the afternoon on Dec 23, 2009, I rolled into Pu Dong International Airport in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Direct from the airport into the city, I took this super-fast MagLev train, and the speed can be seen here on the LED screen (that translates to oh, roughly 267 miles/hr.) then, I switched trains at the ridiculously congested People's Square to meet Liz in a Coldstone (! yay!) at South Shanghai Station. From there, it was back to her place, then off to hot-pot... yum! basically, there was a pot divided between a peanut sauce and a spicy sauce that you could dip meat into. Say what you want about Shanghainese cuisine, but you can't accuse it of not being flavorful!
Next day it was off with Liz to her schools to help her out and take some pictures. She dressed like Santa for Christmas Eve, and even passed out gifts to the kids. After work, we relaxed for awhile, even caught some fireworks for Christmas Eve! then went to a delicious Thai place for dinner before going out to a club.... it was ridiculous! There were people dressed as the Winnie the Pooh characters walking around, and people with blow up hammers, and tons of Christmas decorations. We stayed out til about 4 in the morning, to let Liz's friend hang out with some guy she'd met, then headed back home to sleep in. Liz and I had a sleepover of sorts, staying in the bed, til her friend Ashley and I went shopping to pick up some food she needed for the party later that night, where we all hung out and had delicious Christmas cookies and apple cider and watched Love Actually, the best, girliest Christmas feel-good movie out there (oh, Colin Firth...) then, the next day was the first actual sightseeing day--and it snowed ! On top of seeing the YuYuan Garden with its famous teahouse (currently under construction for the World Expo in Shanghai later this year, as was the Bund. Oh, China and your construction...), we wandered around Nanjing Road. I also got a look at the French Concession and, most rewardingly, a peek into the Shanghai Museum, viewing scrolls and furniture from the Ming and Xing periods, as well as Buddhist sculpture. All around, a very eventful weekend! Also, I got to eat the most delicious chicken and rice combo meal I've ever had in my life--all for the unbeatable price of about 3 bucks USD! Overall, the sights and sounds--not to mention overwhelming traffic and hordes of people--are definitely something I won't soon forget.--more pictures will come once I get the film developed, my camera phone died while in China--