27th October
It nice to have a lie in the morning - the only one this week!! I got dressed and then got the bus into xujiahui to buy my twin a birthday present. After a bit of shopping it was getting really busy so I got the bus back to uni and after lunch frankie and i went to some estate agents because we are thinking about renting a flat next semester, but we couldnt find anything that was right. When we were walking around the estate agents I got a call from Ada asking if i could go and teach in an hours time cos someone had called in sick so obv i said yes. When i got to school it was so busy and i didnt know what i was supposed to be teaching or what class it was, but then someone gave me a book and I had 10 mins to prepare my class which was a bit stressful but it went quite well. The class I had to teach were a couple of years older than my usual class and they all spoke really good english so it was quite easy.
This evening we all went to a bar called windows scoreboard which was really good. It was owned by the people who own windows too that we went to last weeked so they had all the same really cheap drinks. But i was really good and just had an orange juice and a bottle of tiger because I had to teach the next day. There were loads of expats there, but they were all just ugly white men with pretty chinese girlfriends. At half 11 frankie and I decided to walk to mister donut to see if it was still open and luckily it doesnt close till midnight at the weekend!!
Sunday 28 October 2007
Where is my bicycle bell?
25th October
This morning we got up and went to get our bicycles to cycle to class and we discovered that someone had stolen the bells from our bicycles!!! I couldnt believe it. I reckon it would have taken just as much effort to unscrew my bicycle lock as it would to unscrew the bell, its soooooo annoying!!!
There was hardly anyone in speaking class today and we just had to read a dialogue which didnt take long so frankie and i were chatting to the two korean guys with gold teeth and one of them pointed at my tattoo and asked if it washes off so obv i said no. and then the other korean guy was telling us how only gangsters and prostitutes have tattoos in korea which i thought was quite funny. It was also quite amusing how they dont speak any english, but they know the words "gangster' and 'prostitute'.
This afternoon frankie and i went to find the emirates office and we booked our flights home for next July!!
This morning we got up and went to get our bicycles to cycle to class and we discovered that someone had stolen the bells from our bicycles!!! I couldnt believe it. I reckon it would have taken just as much effort to unscrew my bicycle lock as it would to unscrew the bell, its soooooo annoying!!!
There was hardly anyone in speaking class today and we just had to read a dialogue which didnt take long so frankie and i were chatting to the two korean guys with gold teeth and one of them pointed at my tattoo and asked if it washes off so obv i said no. and then the other korean guy was telling us how only gangsters and prostitutes have tattoos in korea which i thought was quite funny. It was also quite amusing how they dont speak any english, but they know the words "gangster' and 'prostitute'.
This afternoon frankie and i went to find the emirates office and we booked our flights home for next July!!
The class meal
24th October
This morning and this afternoon was pretty boring - went to class and then did some work. But this evening frankie and i went out for our class meal! We met everyone outside the main entrance of campus and then a few of us went to the restaurant. I thought we would be going somewhere nice, but we ended up going to the restaurant in the other foreign student halls across the road. It was alright tho. Because there were about 30 of us we had a private room. On the way there I was talking to the american girl which was interesting, shes so good at chinese and she sometimes makes me feel stupid in class, but i found out that she has been living in china for 2 and a half years so im sure that if i had lived here for that long my chinese would be just as good, hopefuly.
One of the guys said that we should each order one thing off the menu but i think that got a bit confusing and so someone just ordered for everyone. The food was . . . . . interesting. There were the usual things like chicken feet, but there were also some strange things like jelly fish and something involving chicken blood which i decided not to try. We were sat on 2 different tables and unfortunately we had the sexist writing teacher on our table, great!! we counted 8 sexist remarks during the meal, but im sure there were more.
During the meal the guys insisted on having drinking competitions with the writing teacher and with each other which was quite funny, altho it wasnt so funny when we got the bill because we ended up paying for loads of beer that only a few people had drunk. Afterwards a couple of people went to karaoke but we decided not to go, I really dont think my classmates would like to hear me singing really badly out of tune. On the way back to halls we saw the little korean guy from our class who was sooooooo drunk, and when we saw him he was driving into town - safe!
This morning and this afternoon was pretty boring - went to class and then did some work. But this evening frankie and i went out for our class meal! We met everyone outside the main entrance of campus and then a few of us went to the restaurant. I thought we would be going somewhere nice, but we ended up going to the restaurant in the other foreign student halls across the road. It was alright tho. Because there were about 30 of us we had a private room. On the way there I was talking to the american girl which was interesting, shes so good at chinese and she sometimes makes me feel stupid in class, but i found out that she has been living in china for 2 and a half years so im sure that if i had lived here for that long my chinese would be just as good, hopefuly.
One of the guys said that we should each order one thing off the menu but i think that got a bit confusing and so someone just ordered for everyone. The food was . . . . . interesting. There were the usual things like chicken feet, but there were also some strange things like jelly fish and something involving chicken blood which i decided not to try. We were sat on 2 different tables and unfortunately we had the sexist writing teacher on our table, great!! we counted 8 sexist remarks during the meal, but im sure there were more.
During the meal the guys insisted on having drinking competitions with the writing teacher and with each other which was quite funny, altho it wasnt so funny when we got the bill because we ended up paying for loads of beer that only a few people had drunk. Afterwards a couple of people went to karaoke but we decided not to go, I really dont think my classmates would like to hear me singing really badly out of tune. On the way back to halls we saw the little korean guy from our class who was sooooooo drunk, and when we saw him he was driving into town - safe!
Tuesday 23 October 2007
Teaching
23rd October (one week till my birthday)
Today listening class was so boring - about 1/3 of the class went to sit in the smoking room down the corridoor and a lot of people who stayed in the class went to sleep. After it finished we went to McDo for lunch which was really nice - its good to have a break from the chinese food!
This afternoon I met up with sunny and she helped me with some work, and i helped her with some english work. And she gave me a really nice birthday present - its a chinese stamp that has my english name and chinese name on it! and i got a little thing of ink as well so i have been stamping my name in my books cos im cool.
Later on this afternoon I had to go for my training session before my first class this evening. When I got there I talked to Ada and Tina (the other teachers - who are chinese) about what i would be doing, and then Tina spent about 10 minutes telling me what i should do in my class and then she left me to prepare for it. It was quite scary because I didnt really know what to do and i felt like i had been thrown in at the deep-end. But there was a chinese girl called nicole who was my assistant so she got all the props and things that I would need and she helped me a lot. Her job is to sit in my class and stop the children from shouting and being naughty.
So at half 6 my class started. the children are all 5 or 6 and they are really cute. I had to teach them four words - breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert. It was quite fun, and I made them play lots of games to keep their attention and stop them falling asleep cos its quite late for small children. But some of them were really naughty and they kept shouting all the time even after id told them not too, and even when nicole had shouted at them in chinese. But it was still lots of fun, but by the end some of them were falling asleep.
I really enjoyed my first class,even tho it was so tiring, and ive got a couple more training things before my next one so it shouldnt be so scary next time!
Today listening class was so boring - about 1/3 of the class went to sit in the smoking room down the corridoor and a lot of people who stayed in the class went to sleep. After it finished we went to McDo for lunch which was really nice - its good to have a break from the chinese food!
This afternoon I met up with sunny and she helped me with some work, and i helped her with some english work. And she gave me a really nice birthday present - its a chinese stamp that has my english name and chinese name on it! and i got a little thing of ink as well so i have been stamping my name in my books cos im cool.
Later on this afternoon I had to go for my training session before my first class this evening. When I got there I talked to Ada and Tina (the other teachers - who are chinese) about what i would be doing, and then Tina spent about 10 minutes telling me what i should do in my class and then she left me to prepare for it. It was quite scary because I didnt really know what to do and i felt like i had been thrown in at the deep-end. But there was a chinese girl called nicole who was my assistant so she got all the props and things that I would need and she helped me a lot. Her job is to sit in my class and stop the children from shouting and being naughty.
So at half 6 my class started. the children are all 5 or 6 and they are really cute. I had to teach them four words - breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert. It was quite fun, and I made them play lots of games to keep their attention and stop them falling asleep cos its quite late for small children. But some of them were really naughty and they kept shouting all the time even after id told them not too, and even when nicole had shouted at them in chinese. But it was still lots of fun, but by the end some of them were falling asleep.
I really enjoyed my first class,even tho it was so tiring, and ive got a couple more training things before my next one so it shouldnt be so scary next time!
Duck feet!
22nd October
This evening frankie, fran, sarah and I deciced to try somewhere different for tea. On the bus into town we always go past a mongolian restaurant called little sheep and it always looks really busy so we thought it must be quite nice.
We ordered a big hotpot and then we had to choose what we wanted to go in it. So we choose chicken and duck palm (which turned out to be duck feet - which is pretty obv if you think about it) and then we just got some bamboo shoots and potatos. It was all really nice apart from the duck feet. I decided to try one even though they look so unappetising. So i picked out one of the claws and tried to eat some. But all there is on it is skin and bone. I had a bit of skin but it didnt taste of anything and it wasnt very exciting. Loads of chinese people love eating chicken and duck feet but i dont really know why - its a bit gross and very overrated!
This evening frankie, fran, sarah and I deciced to try somewhere different for tea. On the bus into town we always go past a mongolian restaurant called little sheep and it always looks really busy so we thought it must be quite nice.
We ordered a big hotpot and then we had to choose what we wanted to go in it. So we choose chicken and duck palm (which turned out to be duck feet - which is pretty obv if you think about it) and then we just got some bamboo shoots and potatos. It was all really nice apart from the duck feet. I decided to try one even though they look so unappetising. So i picked out one of the claws and tried to eat some. But all there is on it is skin and bone. I had a bit of skin but it didnt taste of anything and it wasnt very exciting. Loads of chinese people love eating chicken and duck feet but i dont really know why - its a bit gross and very overrated!
the hairdressers!
21st October (9 days till my birthday)
Today we all met up for lunch in the canteen which was nice. Afterwards frankie and I went to meet vanessa and we went to the hairdressers!! It was . . . . . . .interesting. In china you dont need to make an appointment which is good, and the best thing of all .. . . . . its so cheap! It only cost £2! and you can get your hair chemically straightened for only £10 so im going to have to get that done sometime soon.
We went to sit down and they gave us some magazines to look at, but i couldnt find a picture that i liked so i said that i just wanted it the same style but a bit shorter. Then we had a dry-shampoo which was interesting, and while they were doing that we had a head massage which last quite a long time. It was nice and relaxing at first, but then the guy started doing wierd things like flicking my head which i didnt really enjoy so much. After they rinsed the shampoo we had to wait for about 10 minutes for a hairdresser so the guy who had given me a headmassage gave me a back massage which was quite nice, but a little bit painful.
Then my hairdresser came over - vanessa said that he looked very proffessional because he had a box full of products and stuff! Vanessa told him that i wanted it the same but just a bit shorter and i showed him how short i wanted it, BUT he kept cutting and cutting and it was getting soooooo short and it was getting a bit worried so i had to ask vanessa to tell him to stop cutting because I dont know how to say that in chinese. He did cut it really nicely, but its just really short.
Afterwards we went out for tea, and then when we got back to halls i got frankie to dye my hair blonde again :) altho it is quite yellow, but never mind.
Today we all met up for lunch in the canteen which was nice. Afterwards frankie and I went to meet vanessa and we went to the hairdressers!! It was . . . . . . .interesting. In china you dont need to make an appointment which is good, and the best thing of all .. . . . . its so cheap! It only cost £2! and you can get your hair chemically straightened for only £10 so im going to have to get that done sometime soon.
We went to sit down and they gave us some magazines to look at, but i couldnt find a picture that i liked so i said that i just wanted it the same style but a bit shorter. Then we had a dry-shampoo which was interesting, and while they were doing that we had a head massage which last quite a long time. It was nice and relaxing at first, but then the guy started doing wierd things like flicking my head which i didnt really enjoy so much. After they rinsed the shampoo we had to wait for about 10 minutes for a hairdresser so the guy who had given me a headmassage gave me a back massage which was quite nice, but a little bit painful.
Then my hairdresser came over - vanessa said that he looked very proffessional because he had a box full of products and stuff! Vanessa told him that i wanted it the same but just a bit shorter and i showed him how short i wanted it, BUT he kept cutting and cutting and it was getting soooooo short and it was getting a bit worried so i had to ask vanessa to tell him to stop cutting because I dont know how to say that in chinese. He did cut it really nicely, but its just really short.
Afterwards we went out for tea, and then when we got back to halls i got frankie to dye my hair blonde again :) altho it is quite yellow, but never mind.
Saturday 20 October 2007
Windows Too
19th October
This morning after reading class I went for a walk to find the building where my interview was this afternoon so that I wouldnt get lost and be late. After I found it i decided to go for a little walk but i somehow got really really lost even though i was like two streets away from university. After about half an hour I ended up at the back entrance of campus - i have no idea how i managed to get there. After lunch I went to my interview. When i got there someone asked me to go and wait upstairs, and then a chinese woman called Ada came and met me. The first thing she said in the interview was that she had to appologise to me because she had lied, she didnt want me to teach her children, she wanted me to teach at her school. I dont know why she couldnt just tell the university this, it was a bit strange. And then she gave me some books and told me I had 15 minutes to prepare a lesson and then I had to teach it to her, it was quite scary but I think it went quite well.
After my interview i went to speaking class which was in the park next to uni because it was a nice sunny day. It was really fun. We spent about 20 minutes doing speaking stuff and then we just wandered around the park.
In the evening we all went out for a nice italian meal and then we went to find a bar that we had read about in the guide book. However when we got there the guy said that it opened at 4am!!!! luckily there were lots of other bars near there so we went into one called tequila sunrise. This was a mistake. There were lots of ugly western men surrounded by pretty chinese woman we were blatantly prostitues. There was a french guy there called frank who came to talk to us and we asked him if the woman were prostitues and he said that they werent and that they just got commission for every drink they sell - we didnt believe this.
So we quickly drank our drinks and then got a taxi to a place called windows too which was a really nice club, and the drinks were so cheap - so obviously I had far too much to drink. There were loads of western people there! We were dancing quite a lot and then we saw three korean guys from our class which was really funny. But then apparantly I said i had to go home so frankie and sarah came back with me. I dont really remember much else. I was in the toilets in our halls for quite a while and I wanted to sleep there and I said I would scream if anyone tried to move me, but after a lot of persuasion from frankie and sarah and decided that it would be best if i slept in my room and i managed to crawl into the lift and then crawl into my bed.
20th
horrendous hangover today!
I spent pretty much all day in bed and spoke to william for a bit which was nice.
In the evening I managed to get up and get dressed and frankie and I went to the uygur restuarant for tea which was really nice.
This morning after reading class I went for a walk to find the building where my interview was this afternoon so that I wouldnt get lost and be late. After I found it i decided to go for a little walk but i somehow got really really lost even though i was like two streets away from university. After about half an hour I ended up at the back entrance of campus - i have no idea how i managed to get there. After lunch I went to my interview. When i got there someone asked me to go and wait upstairs, and then a chinese woman called Ada came and met me. The first thing she said in the interview was that she had to appologise to me because she had lied, she didnt want me to teach her children, she wanted me to teach at her school. I dont know why she couldnt just tell the university this, it was a bit strange. And then she gave me some books and told me I had 15 minutes to prepare a lesson and then I had to teach it to her, it was quite scary but I think it went quite well.
After my interview i went to speaking class which was in the park next to uni because it was a nice sunny day. It was really fun. We spent about 20 minutes doing speaking stuff and then we just wandered around the park.
In the evening we all went out for a nice italian meal and then we went to find a bar that we had read about in the guide book. However when we got there the guy said that it opened at 4am!!!! luckily there were lots of other bars near there so we went into one called tequila sunrise. This was a mistake. There were lots of ugly western men surrounded by pretty chinese woman we were blatantly prostitues. There was a french guy there called frank who came to talk to us and we asked him if the woman were prostitues and he said that they werent and that they just got commission for every drink they sell - we didnt believe this.
So we quickly drank our drinks and then got a taxi to a place called windows too which was a really nice club, and the drinks were so cheap - so obviously I had far too much to drink. There were loads of western people there! We were dancing quite a lot and then we saw three korean guys from our class which was really funny. But then apparantly I said i had to go home so frankie and sarah came back with me. I dont really remember much else. I was in the toilets in our halls for quite a while and I wanted to sleep there and I said I would scream if anyone tried to move me, but after a lot of persuasion from frankie and sarah and decided that it would be best if i slept in my room and i managed to crawl into the lift and then crawl into my bed.
20th
horrendous hangover today!
I spent pretty much all day in bed and spoke to william for a bit which was nice.
In the evening I managed to get up and get dressed and frankie and I went to the uygur restuarant for tea which was really nice.
Carrefour
18th October
This morning we all skipped class and went to the airport to meet Beki. When we got there we looked at the arrivals board and the only flight that she could have been on was coming from Frankfurt, but the time of that flight was slightly different from the time that we thought she was arriving. We were all really worried that we'd come at the wrong time or if it was 9.50pm that she was arriving, and then we thought that it couldnt be her flight because why would she come from Germany. But luckily it was the right flight and we got on the bus back to Xujiahui. We were just sat on the bus waiting for it to leave and then some people at the front started having a massive argument, it was really exciting to watch.
In the afternoon frankie and i cycled to carrefour. it was so exciting. They had loads of imported western food, but it was realy expensive. Some english cereals were 80yuan!! While I was upstairs getting some food, Frankie went to look around the other floor and she bought me the back to the future dvds for my birthday!!! (only 10 days to go)
This morning we all skipped class and went to the airport to meet Beki. When we got there we looked at the arrivals board and the only flight that she could have been on was coming from Frankfurt, but the time of that flight was slightly different from the time that we thought she was arriving. We were all really worried that we'd come at the wrong time or if it was 9.50pm that she was arriving, and then we thought that it couldnt be her flight because why would she come from Germany. But luckily it was the right flight and we got on the bus back to Xujiahui. We were just sat on the bus waiting for it to leave and then some people at the front started having a massive argument, it was really exciting to watch.
In the afternoon frankie and i cycled to carrefour. it was so exciting. They had loads of imported western food, but it was realy expensive. Some english cereals were 80yuan!! While I was upstairs getting some food, Frankie went to look around the other floor and she bought me the back to the future dvds for my birthday!!! (only 10 days to go)
Wednesday 17 October 2007
shopping!
14th October
Today we went to the yu gardens so that we could go to the tea house. We got a seat upstairs and we both got flower teas which were really nice. They also gave us some interesting snacks to eat! There were some little eggs that were really brown and I wasnt tempted to try them. The other things were ok, but not sure what they were. Afterwards we went for a little walk into the centre of shanghai and then we got the metro to the jinmao tower so we could go to the cloud 9 bar. I had a nice fruity cocktail and dad had a james bond martini which was so strong! It was really nice to go the bar during the day because the views were amazing.
15th October
Today was shopping day. We went to one of the fake markets and it was sooooooo exciting. It was just in one of the underground metro stations and as soon we got into the market there were people shouting "you want watch?you want bag?you want shoes?". We went to look at one of the watch stands and all the watches looked a bit crap, but then the guy started unlocking the drawers and pulled out loads of fake watches that looked really good so dad got one of those. I got a new Abercrombie coat which is really nice, altho its still really hot here so I wont be able to wear it for a while. But they had so much stuff that I really wanted to buy. We went to a cafe afterwards and there was an american guy there talking to a chinese couple. but he was asking them loads of questions like: "what do you think of the government?" "do you think censorship is a problem here?" etc etc. I felt so sorry for the chinese lady because her husband just got a magazine and ignored the american guy so she was just left to answer all the questions and she seemed really scared.
After that we went to peoples square because there was another market there. It was sooooo exciting. There were so many bags that I wanted to buy. Before I go home next year Im going to take loads of money and just get soooooooo much stuf.
In the evening we went for tea to a restaurant on the same road as the uni. The food was really nice and the woman was so excited when she realised that I could speak some chinese. After we finished the meal she came over to talk to me and asked me to follow her, so I did. And she took me to a fish tank to show me a huge fish. It was quite strange but she seemed really excited about the big fish so I pretended that it was really interested and so she was happy.
16th October
Frankie came back last night. I woke up when she got back but the light was off and I couldnt see her properly, and because I was half asleep I didnt think it was frankie and I was really stressed because I thought someone had broken into our room. So i lay in bed and didnt move, and then I thought it might be frankie so i said her name and she said "go back to sleep" so i did.
Didnt really do much today. Had class all morning, and then just dossed around. I bought a dvd at one of the markets so I watched that, and then did a bit of work.
17th October
This morning I had to get up at 5.30am to go to the airport with dad. After I said goodbye to him I got on the bus back and I was back in time for class. When we were in class the koreans were listening to umberella by rhianna and they were asking if we'd heard of her so obv we said yes. And then they were saying english bands that they liked - westlife and blue!!! During the break, one of the korean ladies had made some sushi for everyone so I had a bit of that and it was so nice. Altho she said it was korean food even though I thought that sushi was japanese.
Frankie and I went for lunch in the canteen. I hadnt been for ages, and it was sooooooo nice. I did some work in the afternoon, and then in the evening frankie and i decided to go somewhere different for tea and one of the guys on our course said that there uyghur restaurant just down the road. It was really nice and only 7yuan each!! Definately going to go back there. Afterwards we went to the supermarket and frankie got some dried fish for us to try (its a popular snack for chinese people). It was tasted alright, but I couldnt eat a lot of it because it smelt so bad. It smelt like those fish flakes that you feed to goldfish!
Today we went to the yu gardens so that we could go to the tea house. We got a seat upstairs and we both got flower teas which were really nice. They also gave us some interesting snacks to eat! There were some little eggs that were really brown and I wasnt tempted to try them. The other things were ok, but not sure what they were. Afterwards we went for a little walk into the centre of shanghai and then we got the metro to the jinmao tower so we could go to the cloud 9 bar. I had a nice fruity cocktail and dad had a james bond martini which was so strong! It was really nice to go the bar during the day because the views were amazing.
15th October
Today was shopping day. We went to one of the fake markets and it was sooooooo exciting. It was just in one of the underground metro stations and as soon we got into the market there were people shouting "you want watch?you want bag?you want shoes?". We went to look at one of the watch stands and all the watches looked a bit crap, but then the guy started unlocking the drawers and pulled out loads of fake watches that looked really good so dad got one of those. I got a new Abercrombie coat which is really nice, altho its still really hot here so I wont be able to wear it for a while. But they had so much stuff that I really wanted to buy. We went to a cafe afterwards and there was an american guy there talking to a chinese couple. but he was asking them loads of questions like: "what do you think of the government?" "do you think censorship is a problem here?" etc etc. I felt so sorry for the chinese lady because her husband just got a magazine and ignored the american guy so she was just left to answer all the questions and she seemed really scared.
After that we went to peoples square because there was another market there. It was sooooo exciting. There were so many bags that I wanted to buy. Before I go home next year Im going to take loads of money and just get soooooooo much stuf.
In the evening we went for tea to a restaurant on the same road as the uni. The food was really nice and the woman was so excited when she realised that I could speak some chinese. After we finished the meal she came over to talk to me and asked me to follow her, so I did. And she took me to a fish tank to show me a huge fish. It was quite strange but she seemed really excited about the big fish so I pretended that it was really interested and so she was happy.
16th October
Frankie came back last night. I woke up when she got back but the light was off and I couldnt see her properly, and because I was half asleep I didnt think it was frankie and I was really stressed because I thought someone had broken into our room. So i lay in bed and didnt move, and then I thought it might be frankie so i said her name and she said "go back to sleep" so i did.
Didnt really do much today. Had class all morning, and then just dossed around. I bought a dvd at one of the markets so I watched that, and then did a bit of work.
17th October
This morning I had to get up at 5.30am to go to the airport with dad. After I said goodbye to him I got on the bus back and I was back in time for class. When we were in class the koreans were listening to umberella by rhianna and they were asking if we'd heard of her so obv we said yes. And then they were saying english bands that they liked - westlife and blue!!! During the break, one of the korean ladies had made some sushi for everyone so I had a bit of that and it was so nice. Altho she said it was korean food even though I thought that sushi was japanese.
Frankie and I went for lunch in the canteen. I hadnt been for ages, and it was sooooooo nice. I did some work in the afternoon, and then in the evening frankie and i decided to go somewhere different for tea and one of the guys on our course said that there uyghur restaurant just down the road. It was really nice and only 7yuan each!! Definately going to go back there. Afterwards we went to the supermarket and frankie got some dried fish for us to try (its a popular snack for chinese people). It was tasted alright, but I couldnt eat a lot of it because it smelt so bad. It smelt like those fish flakes that you feed to goldfish!
Saturday 13 October 2007
Zhujiajiao
13th October
This morning we got on the number 4 tourist bus to Zhujiajiao. Zhujiajiao is an ancient fishing town outside shanghai. It was really pretty, although a bit touristy. There were loads of really nice old buildings and there was so much to see. First we went to see the display of shanghai handicraft which was really interesting and we met a lady who was telling us about all the paintings. When she found out that I lived in Shanghai she told me that I mist join her club, im not entirly sure what her club is, something to do with foreign people meeting up and learning about chinese culture, i think. Anyway I thought it might be fun so I gave her my email address. Next we went to the Hall of Paddy and Rice custom which showed the history and culture of rice growing in zhujiajiao. We had a walk along some of the narrow streets by the river which led to the Yuan Jin Buddhist Temple. It was a really big temple and we saw all the monks wandering around, and just after we arrived they started chanting and praying which was really interesting to watch.
We saw the Fengsheng Bridge which is the most famous thing in Zhujiajiao. It was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1571 by a buddhist monk who said that the bridge could only be used for freeing fish and turtles and he forbid people from fishing there.
We then went to the Kezhi Gardens, the Great Qing Post office (which is the only historical post office site in east china) and the Silk Road Museum.
We went into the City God Temple and some one called us into the temple to pray, so we did. And then he told us to write our names on this big thing that would bring good luck, so we did. And then he made us pay 100yuan each for it!
It was a really nice day though, and a really interesting place.
This morning we got on the number 4 tourist bus to Zhujiajiao. Zhujiajiao is an ancient fishing town outside shanghai. It was really pretty, although a bit touristy. There were loads of really nice old buildings and there was so much to see. First we went to see the display of shanghai handicraft which was really interesting and we met a lady who was telling us about all the paintings. When she found out that I lived in Shanghai she told me that I mist join her club, im not entirly sure what her club is, something to do with foreign people meeting up and learning about chinese culture, i think. Anyway I thought it might be fun so I gave her my email address. Next we went to the Hall of Paddy and Rice custom which showed the history and culture of rice growing in zhujiajiao. We had a walk along some of the narrow streets by the river which led to the Yuan Jin Buddhist Temple. It was a really big temple and we saw all the monks wandering around, and just after we arrived they started chanting and praying which was really interesting to watch.
We saw the Fengsheng Bridge which is the most famous thing in Zhujiajiao. It was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1571 by a buddhist monk who said that the bridge could only be used for freeing fish and turtles and he forbid people from fishing there.
We then went to the Kezhi Gardens, the Great Qing Post office (which is the only historical post office site in east china) and the Silk Road Museum.
We went into the City God Temple and some one called us into the temple to pray, so we did. And then he told us to write our names on this big thing that would bring good luck, so we did. And then he made us pay 100yuan each for it!
It was a really nice day though, and a really interesting place.
Friday 12 October 2007
The Wlidlife Park - not the zoo!
12th October
This morning I got up early and went to reading class. I got there a bit early and the teacher came and sat with me and started asking me loads of questions about what degree I do in newcastle, and what Im going to do after I graduate, which was nice but a bit scary.
After class dad and i went to get the bus to the zoo. Luckily the tourist buses all go from the stadium which is close to where i live. I went to the ticket office at the bus stop and told the lady that i'd like to go to the zoo and she said i could get the ticket on the bus and that the bus was just outside. So we got on the bus and after a few minutes i realised that it was going in the wrong direction!!! An hour and a half later we arrived at shanghai wildlife park. I had read about this place in sarah's shanghai guide book, it was a bit like a safari park, and a few years ago someone had got out of the bus and been killed by a bear!
It was a really good place though. All the animals were really well looked after and they had loads of space. Part of the park was a bus tour, and you could walk around the rest of it. We went have a look at the bit where the elephants were and one of the elephants came running over which i thought was nice. I stood next to the wall to have my photo taken with it in the background, and just after the photo had been taken the elephant sprayed water all over us! i was soaked, but it was sooooo funny. We saw 2 pandas which were so cute, i want one!
This morning I got up early and went to reading class. I got there a bit early and the teacher came and sat with me and started asking me loads of questions about what degree I do in newcastle, and what Im going to do after I graduate, which was nice but a bit scary.
After class dad and i went to get the bus to the zoo. Luckily the tourist buses all go from the stadium which is close to where i live. I went to the ticket office at the bus stop and told the lady that i'd like to go to the zoo and she said i could get the ticket on the bus and that the bus was just outside. So we got on the bus and after a few minutes i realised that it was going in the wrong direction!!! An hour and a half later we arrived at shanghai wildlife park. I had read about this place in sarah's shanghai guide book, it was a bit like a safari park, and a few years ago someone had got out of the bus and been killed by a bear!
It was a really good place though. All the animals were really well looked after and they had loads of space. Part of the park was a bus tour, and you could walk around the rest of it. We went have a look at the bit where the elephants were and one of the elephants came running over which i thought was nice. I stood next to the wall to have my photo taken with it in the background, and just after the photo had been taken the elephant sprayed water all over us! i was soaked, but it was sooooo funny. We saw 2 pandas which were so cute, i want one!
Thursday 11 October 2007
The typhoon and other stuff
8th October
Last night the typhoon was quite bad and kept me awake for ages. In my room the windows arent very good and they were rattling loads because of all the wind.
Today was the first day back at class after golden week so it was an effort getting up at 7, especially with the weather being so crap outside. We had planned to go on a boat trip in the afternoon, but because of the wind and rain we decided against it and we just went shopping in xujiahui instead.
9th October
This morning we got the bus and the metro into town and we went to pu dong to have a walk around and look at all the huge buildings. Even though i've seen them quite a few times they're still amazing. We went to walk by the river because i've never seen the bund from the other side of the river, but the walkway was flooded because of all the rain from the typhoon.
We went to get some lunch and we found a nice italian place - was nice to have a change from chinese food.
In the afternoon we went to the aquarium which was really good. There were soooooooo many fish, nemo was my favourite!
10th October
This morning on the way to class I saw Gemma and Fran who told me that we had to sign up for field trips before friday which was annoying because on the timetable the uni gave us it said we had to sign up on monday next week. After class i went to sign up but there was no one there and i didnt have time to go in the afternoon, but fran said she hadnt got round to doing it either and that there would be places left because only 2 people had signed up so far.
In the afternoon we went on a boat ride which was really nice, and it was a nice sunny day. After the boat ride we went to bookshop street (actually called fuzhou lu - but its just the street where the bookshops are) and I got a french grammar book because I thought I should try and learn some french this year so that im not really crap in 4th year. We went for tea on one of the boat restaurants on the river which was really nice.
11th October
Today I managed to sign up for a field trip. We are all going to the yellow mountains which look really pretty. And I will be there for my birthday which i'm really looking forward to!
Last night the typhoon was quite bad and kept me awake for ages. In my room the windows arent very good and they were rattling loads because of all the wind.
Today was the first day back at class after golden week so it was an effort getting up at 7, especially with the weather being so crap outside. We had planned to go on a boat trip in the afternoon, but because of the wind and rain we decided against it and we just went shopping in xujiahui instead.
9th October
This morning we got the bus and the metro into town and we went to pu dong to have a walk around and look at all the huge buildings. Even though i've seen them quite a few times they're still amazing. We went to walk by the river because i've never seen the bund from the other side of the river, but the walkway was flooded because of all the rain from the typhoon.
We went to get some lunch and we found a nice italian place - was nice to have a change from chinese food.
In the afternoon we went to the aquarium which was really good. There were soooooooo many fish, nemo was my favourite!
10th October
This morning on the way to class I saw Gemma and Fran who told me that we had to sign up for field trips before friday which was annoying because on the timetable the uni gave us it said we had to sign up on monday next week. After class i went to sign up but there was no one there and i didnt have time to go in the afternoon, but fran said she hadnt got round to doing it either and that there would be places left because only 2 people had signed up so far.
In the afternoon we went on a boat ride which was really nice, and it was a nice sunny day. After the boat ride we went to bookshop street (actually called fuzhou lu - but its just the street where the bookshops are) and I got a french grammar book because I thought I should try and learn some french this year so that im not really crap in 4th year. We went for tea on one of the boat restaurants on the river which was really nice.
11th October
Today I managed to sign up for a field trip. We are all going to the yellow mountains which look really pretty. And I will be there for my birthday which i'm really looking forward to!
Grand Prix
7th October
Today it was the shanghai grand prix.
Ive never been to a Grandprix so I thought it would be a fun thing to do. We had a look at tickets on the website but they were really expensive so we just decided to go to the course and see if we could get tickets there.
It was mad getting there. We got a bus (which was free) but just at the bus stop there were loads of people selling tickets - we didnt get any of those cos they were probably fake.But all around the bus stop there were just people trying to sell you stuff.
We got to the track, which was quite far away from the centre of shanghai. It took about an hour on the bus. We went to the ticket office and luckily there were tickets left. The tickets were really good, we were sat just near a long straight bit and a bend, and a couple of cars went off on the bend which was exciting. It was really bad though when Lewis Hamilton came off cos i was obv hoping he would win.Afterwards we got to walk on the track which was cool.
When we got back into town we decided to get a taxi back to halls because i couldnt be bothered to go to the bus stop, and when the taxi driver set off she pulled out infront of a moped and it was raining really badly because of the typhoon, so the moped tried to stop but couldnt because of the rain and it skidded and the guy fell off and it looked quite bad. But instead of stopping to see if the guy was ok, the taxi driver told me that it was his fault for going too fast, and then drove off and didnt stop to see if he was ok.
When i got back to halls sarah and fran came round because they had just got back from their travels. They said Hong Kong was amazing so im really looking forward to going there.
Today it was the shanghai grand prix.
Ive never been to a Grandprix so I thought it would be a fun thing to do. We had a look at tickets on the website but they were really expensive so we just decided to go to the course and see if we could get tickets there.
It was mad getting there. We got a bus (which was free) but just at the bus stop there were loads of people selling tickets - we didnt get any of those cos they were probably fake.But all around the bus stop there were just people trying to sell you stuff.
We got to the track, which was quite far away from the centre of shanghai. It took about an hour on the bus. We went to the ticket office and luckily there were tickets left. The tickets were really good, we were sat just near a long straight bit and a bend, and a couple of cars went off on the bend which was exciting. It was really bad though when Lewis Hamilton came off cos i was obv hoping he would win.Afterwards we got to walk on the track which was cool.
When we got back into town we decided to get a taxi back to halls because i couldnt be bothered to go to the bus stop, and when the taxi driver set off she pulled out infront of a moped and it was raining really badly because of the typhoon, so the moped tried to stop but couldnt because of the rain and it skidded and the guy fell off and it looked quite bad. But instead of stopping to see if the guy was ok, the taxi driver told me that it was his fault for going too fast, and then drove off and didnt stop to see if he was ok.
When i got back to halls sarah and fran came round because they had just got back from their travels. They said Hong Kong was amazing so im really looking forward to going there.
Saturday 6 October 2007
Museums!
5th October
This morning we got the metro to people's square to go to the urban planning museum. It might sound like quite a boring place, but it was sooooooooooo interesting. They had loads of old photos of shanghai and the surrounding areas. and on one floor there was a huuuuuuuge scale model of shanghai, it was massive and looked as though it would have been loads of fun to make. It was really detailed. They also had loads of stuff about the future of shanghai and about making it more environmentally friendly which was really interesting.
After lunch we went to Pu dong (the other side of the river) to have a walk around and look at the skyscrapers. It was really good, but still really busy everywhere. There was a big shopping mall called the "branded mall" so we thought we'd go for a look and it was just full of western shops, and we went into next and it was more expensive than england, outrageous!!
6th October
Today we went to the Shanghai art museum which was really good. They had loads of nice paintings and prints, but the best thing was the silk exhibition by hermes!! It was a story about the silk road and it was really interesting and really well presented. And there were loads of hermes scarves with amazing designs and i wanted to steal them all, but obv i didnt cos i would probs have got arrested. It was amaaaaaazing tho.
In the evening we went out for tea with sunny because she has an english exam next week so i was testing her on stuff. we went for tea at sarah's, the best place!!!
This morning we got the metro to people's square to go to the urban planning museum. It might sound like quite a boring place, but it was sooooooooooo interesting. They had loads of old photos of shanghai and the surrounding areas. and on one floor there was a huuuuuuuge scale model of shanghai, it was massive and looked as though it would have been loads of fun to make. It was really detailed. They also had loads of stuff about the future of shanghai and about making it more environmentally friendly which was really interesting.
After lunch we went to Pu dong (the other side of the river) to have a walk around and look at the skyscrapers. It was really good, but still really busy everywhere. There was a big shopping mall called the "branded mall" so we thought we'd go for a look and it was just full of western shops, and we went into next and it was more expensive than england, outrageous!!
6th October
Today we went to the Shanghai art museum which was really good. They had loads of nice paintings and prints, but the best thing was the silk exhibition by hermes!! It was a story about the silk road and it was really interesting and really well presented. And there were loads of hermes scarves with amazing designs and i wanted to steal them all, but obv i didnt cos i would probs have got arrested. It was amaaaaaazing tho.
In the evening we went out for tea with sunny because she has an english exam next week so i was testing her on stuff. we went for tea at sarah's, the best place!!!
Thursday 4 October 2007
The Silk Museum
3rd October (27 days till my birthday)
Today was our last day in suzhou. In the morning we went to the silk museum which was really interesting. Suzhou was the centre of the silk trade in china. In the museum it showed how they used to make all the stuff and they had loads of silk worms which i thought we're plastic ones just so you could see what they looked like, but they started moving so i realised that they werent plastic.
After we went to the museum we decided to have a walk around the new part of suzhou (which was really similar to shanghai so not that exciting) We couldnt be bothered to walk to the centre so we got on of those bicycle taxis that has a seat on the back and the guy completely ripped us off! He charged us 100yuan (£7) for a 10 minute ride and I tried to argue about it but he wouldnt speak and just kept pointing at a hundred note that he already had which was so annoying!
The centre wasnt that interesting. It was sooooooooooo busy and just the usual shops.
For lunch we found a restaurant on one of the side streets which looked really nice. The menu was all in chinese so i just guessed at things. I picked something off the vegetable menu which turned out to be celery, and then we got a beef thing with sesame buns which i think had been deep fryed (healthy) and then beef soup which was basically a bowl of msg with a bit of beef in it, it wasnt very nice.
We went back to the hostel to get our bags and then got the train back to shanghai. It was really nice to get back to uni. I really liked suzhou and tai hu but it was just too busy. Although ive learnt not to go to a popular tourist place during golden week. I think next semester when we get a week off im going to get a sleeper train to the middle of nowhere to escape the crowds!
Today was our last day in suzhou. In the morning we went to the silk museum which was really interesting. Suzhou was the centre of the silk trade in china. In the museum it showed how they used to make all the stuff and they had loads of silk worms which i thought we're plastic ones just so you could see what they looked like, but they started moving so i realised that they werent plastic.
After we went to the museum we decided to have a walk around the new part of suzhou (which was really similar to shanghai so not that exciting) We couldnt be bothered to walk to the centre so we got on of those bicycle taxis that has a seat on the back and the guy completely ripped us off! He charged us 100yuan (£7) for a 10 minute ride and I tried to argue about it but he wouldnt speak and just kept pointing at a hundred note that he already had which was so annoying!
The centre wasnt that interesting. It was sooooooooooo busy and just the usual shops.
For lunch we found a restaurant on one of the side streets which looked really nice. The menu was all in chinese so i just guessed at things. I picked something off the vegetable menu which turned out to be celery, and then we got a beef thing with sesame buns which i think had been deep fryed (healthy) and then beef soup which was basically a bowl of msg with a bit of beef in it, it wasnt very nice.
We went back to the hostel to get our bags and then got the train back to shanghai. It was really nice to get back to uni. I really liked suzhou and tai hu but it was just too busy. Although ive learnt not to go to a popular tourist place during golden week. I think next semester when we get a week off im going to get a sleeper train to the middle of nowhere to escape the crowds!
Wednesday 3 October 2007
Tai Hu
2nd October
Today we went to Lake Tai, although it was a bit of a mission to get there!! We asked one of the guys who worked at the hostel which bus we should take so he found a map and told us, and when we were leaving he shouted good luck so i thought it might not be the easiest place to get to. When we were walking to the bus stop there was an old lady stood at the side of the road stamping on a snakes head!
We found the bus stop and got on the right bus, but the bus went to the train station and everyone got off, so obv we should have got on the bus at the other side of the road. But we just got back on the bus, and (2 hours later!!) we arrived at the end of a huge island on lake tai. It was a bit of a sight-seeing journey because we got to see all of suzhou, which was really modern and i preffered the old part of the city where we were staying.
It was really pretty around the lake, there were loads of islads and huge hills and old buildings and temples. We saw a nice restaurant just by the lake so we thought we'd go there for lunch, but when we arrived the woman pointed at a boat so i assumed we could have lunch on there, but i was wrong. Instead we went on a boat ride around the island which was really good. We got to see loads more of the lake, its huuuuuuuuuuge.
When we got off the boat we went back to the restaurant to get some lunch but i didnt understand the menu - the only thing i could understand was tofu and obv i didnt want that so we asked for some chicken and rice, and we got a whole chicken which was floating in a bowl full of chicken stock. It was sooooooo yummy. But, in china when you order a whole chicken you do actually get a whole chicken! I was expecting the feet to be on it because everyone eats those, but I got a bit of a shock when i saw its head floating around the bowl.
We went into the big garden on the end of the island and had a walk up the hill to see the views which were really nice, although i made the mistake of wearing shorts and no insect repellant - i have soooo many bites. In the garden they had a budhist temple so we went into have a look and I gave the old lady 10yuan because we lit some of the insence and she gave me her orange which was quite random, but she seemed so pleased when i took it.
We went to get the bus back, but there was a huge queue so we had to wait for an hour. But when we got on the bus it was really quiet and we managed to get a seat, but when the bus was going back accross the lake loads more people were getting on. I didnt know it was possible to fit so many people on a bus. There were 40seats on the bus and it wasnt that big, but we worked out that there were at least 120 people on it. One girl stood next to me couldnt even stand up properly so i moved up and let her share my seat, and people kept getting trapped in the doors in the middle of the bus whenver they opened. It was mad.
When we got off the bus we went to get some tea before going back to the hostel, but we went into a restaurant that was owned by the scariest man ever. He just walked around shouting at everyone all the time, and when we were looking at the menu he came and sat by our table and he was pointing out things that he thought we would like, but they were also the most expensive things on the menu, The food was really nice tho. On the way back to the hostel, a guy who lived in one of the little houses by the cannal was hanging his washing out - he was hanging it on metal coat hangers onto an electricity cable - SAFE
Today we went to Lake Tai, although it was a bit of a mission to get there!! We asked one of the guys who worked at the hostel which bus we should take so he found a map and told us, and when we were leaving he shouted good luck so i thought it might not be the easiest place to get to. When we were walking to the bus stop there was an old lady stood at the side of the road stamping on a snakes head!
We found the bus stop and got on the right bus, but the bus went to the train station and everyone got off, so obv we should have got on the bus at the other side of the road. But we just got back on the bus, and (2 hours later!!) we arrived at the end of a huge island on lake tai. It was a bit of a sight-seeing journey because we got to see all of suzhou, which was really modern and i preffered the old part of the city where we were staying.
It was really pretty around the lake, there were loads of islads and huge hills and old buildings and temples. We saw a nice restaurant just by the lake so we thought we'd go there for lunch, but when we arrived the woman pointed at a boat so i assumed we could have lunch on there, but i was wrong. Instead we went on a boat ride around the island which was really good. We got to see loads more of the lake, its huuuuuuuuuuge.
When we got off the boat we went back to the restaurant to get some lunch but i didnt understand the menu - the only thing i could understand was tofu and obv i didnt want that so we asked for some chicken and rice, and we got a whole chicken which was floating in a bowl full of chicken stock. It was sooooooo yummy. But, in china when you order a whole chicken you do actually get a whole chicken! I was expecting the feet to be on it because everyone eats those, but I got a bit of a shock when i saw its head floating around the bowl.
We went into the big garden on the end of the island and had a walk up the hill to see the views which were really nice, although i made the mistake of wearing shorts and no insect repellant - i have soooo many bites. In the garden they had a budhist temple so we went into have a look and I gave the old lady 10yuan because we lit some of the insence and she gave me her orange which was quite random, but she seemed so pleased when i took it.
We went to get the bus back, but there was a huge queue so we had to wait for an hour. But when we got on the bus it was really quiet and we managed to get a seat, but when the bus was going back accross the lake loads more people were getting on. I didnt know it was possible to fit so many people on a bus. There were 40seats on the bus and it wasnt that big, but we worked out that there were at least 120 people on it. One girl stood next to me couldnt even stand up properly so i moved up and let her share my seat, and people kept getting trapped in the doors in the middle of the bus whenver they opened. It was mad.
When we got off the bus we went to get some tea before going back to the hostel, but we went into a restaurant that was owned by the scariest man ever. He just walked around shouting at everyone all the time, and when we were looking at the menu he came and sat by our table and he was pointing out things that he thought we would like, but they were also the most expensive things on the menu, The food was really nice tho. On the way back to the hostel, a guy who lived in one of the little houses by the cannal was hanging his washing out - he was hanging it on metal coat hangers onto an electricity cable - SAFE
Travelling to Suzhou on national day
1st October (29 days till my birthday)
This morning I got up really early because we were getting the train to suzhou at 10.30 and it was going to be really busy travelling to the train station because its national day, and one of the busiest times for travelling in china. But we managed to get to the train station ok and we had a bit of a wait, but id taken some work to do. I was just trying to translate the reading passage and the girl sat opposite me said she was studying english and that she would like to help me,so she basically did all my work for me. She was really nice,she was called stephanie and she had been learnng english for 7 years and she gave me some tips for learning chinese.
The train was so exciting. It was really comfy and spacious, and it only took half an hour to get to suzhou. But when we got there it was mad, litterally hundreds and hundreds of poeple everywhere. I had expected it to be bad because of national day, but i never thought it would be this bad, and then none of the taxi drivers would take us to the hostel because aparantly they'd never heard of it, but one guy offered to drive us, and completely ripped us off. He dropped us off at the end of the road because it was a really narrow old street running down the side of the cannal and i thought that it couldnt be right, but i found a signpost and it was the right place so we set off down there, and then we had to turn down an even smaller narrower lane. It was really interesting walking down there, we could see inside some of the houses and poeples homes were just one little room, id never seen anything like it. Part way down this little street we found the hostel which was amazing. From the outside all you can see is a white wall, but when you go in there is a big courtyard with all the rooms surrounding the courtyard. It was the most amazing place that i've ever stayed, it was so pretty and the history of the building was so interesting (but quite long so i cant be bothered to write about it). We left our bags and went exploring the old part of suzhou around all the canals and we arrived at the east gardens which were really pretty and they had a little zoo. (Suzhou is famous for its gardens). In the east gardens there were lots of streams and people were fishing in them for goldfish and crabs to take home. After we left ths garden we went to get some lunch and then carried on walking around suzhou until we found the Lion Forrest Garden which is the only surviving garden from the ming dynasty. It was really pretty, altho i little bit too busy. We were walking back on one of the main roads back to the hostel and all along the street they had loads of pet shops and dog hairdressers, and i saw a little white dogs with pink ears and a pink tail, i want one!
This morning I got up really early because we were getting the train to suzhou at 10.30 and it was going to be really busy travelling to the train station because its national day, and one of the busiest times for travelling in china. But we managed to get to the train station ok and we had a bit of a wait, but id taken some work to do. I was just trying to translate the reading passage and the girl sat opposite me said she was studying english and that she would like to help me,so she basically did all my work for me. She was really nice,she was called stephanie and she had been learnng english for 7 years and she gave me some tips for learning chinese.
The train was so exciting. It was really comfy and spacious, and it only took half an hour to get to suzhou. But when we got there it was mad, litterally hundreds and hundreds of poeple everywhere. I had expected it to be bad because of national day, but i never thought it would be this bad, and then none of the taxi drivers would take us to the hostel because aparantly they'd never heard of it, but one guy offered to drive us, and completely ripped us off. He dropped us off at the end of the road because it was a really narrow old street running down the side of the cannal and i thought that it couldnt be right, but i found a signpost and it was the right place so we set off down there, and then we had to turn down an even smaller narrower lane. It was really interesting walking down there, we could see inside some of the houses and poeples homes were just one little room, id never seen anything like it. Part way down this little street we found the hostel which was amazing. From the outside all you can see is a white wall, but when you go in there is a big courtyard with all the rooms surrounding the courtyard. It was the most amazing place that i've ever stayed, it was so pretty and the history of the building was so interesting (but quite long so i cant be bothered to write about it). We left our bags and went exploring the old part of suzhou around all the canals and we arrived at the east gardens which were really pretty and they had a little zoo. (Suzhou is famous for its gardens). In the east gardens there were lots of streams and people were fishing in them for goldfish and crabs to take home. After we left ths garden we went to get some lunch and then carried on walking around suzhou until we found the Lion Forrest Garden which is the only surviving garden from the ming dynasty. It was really pretty, altho i little bit too busy. We were walking back on one of the main roads back to the hostel and all along the street they had loads of pet shops and dog hairdressers, and i saw a little white dogs with pink ears and a pink tail, i want one!
Yu yuan gardens
Today we went to the yu yuan gardens in the centre of shanghai which were built in 1559-1577 and they were sooooo pretty. We had lunch there in a place called "the designated tourist restaurant" and had xiaolongbao which are a kind of bun filled wth pork and they are a shanghai speciality - very nice! When we went to the garden they had a special exhibition on with ornaments from the forbidden city, some of the jade and gold ones were amaaaaaazing.
Afterwards we walked round some of the streets in the old part of the city, and on one street there were people selling loads fish, and they just had plastic trays full of live fish and crabs, but they also had nets full of live bull frog and terrapins that people were buying for their tea, yummy!
Afterwards we walked round some of the streets in the old part of the city, and on one street there were people selling loads fish, and they just had plastic trays full of live fish and crabs, but they also had nets full of live bull frog and terrapins that people were buying for their tea, yummy!
walking, walking and more walking
28th
This morning we went into the centre of shanghai so dad could see what it was like. We walked for miles. First of all we went along nanjing road, which is the main shopping road, and we walked towards the bund which is on the riverside. It was soooooooooo hot today tho so we just say on the bund for a while.
We went to a few of the parks in shanghai (there are loads) and we ended up in a place called Xintiandi (which means new heaven and earth). They are old terrace houses that have been restored and really nice architecture, and one of the buildings was where the chinese communist party was founded!! And the most exciting this off all, one of the buildings is now pizza express!!!!!!!!
In the evening after a few chinese beers (my favourite drink) we got the metro back, and couldnt be bothered to walk to the uni so we got a taxi, and i told the taxi driver where I wanted to go but he blatantly didnt know where it was and drove off in the wrong direction, so i asked him where we were going and he didnt really give me an answer and he had to stop and ask another taxi driver where it was, and then i had to try and direct him back, and when we actually got to the uni it was loads more money than usual, but i succesfully managed to argue in chinese and we only paid 11yuan!!
This morning we went into the centre of shanghai so dad could see what it was like. We walked for miles. First of all we went along nanjing road, which is the main shopping road, and we walked towards the bund which is on the riverside. It was soooooooooo hot today tho so we just say on the bund for a while.
We went to a few of the parks in shanghai (there are loads) and we ended up in a place called Xintiandi (which means new heaven and earth). They are old terrace houses that have been restored and really nice architecture, and one of the buildings was where the chinese communist party was founded!! And the most exciting this off all, one of the buildings is now pizza express!!!!!!!!
In the evening after a few chinese beers (my favourite drink) we got the metro back, and couldnt be bothered to walk to the uni so we got a taxi, and i told the taxi driver where I wanted to go but he blatantly didnt know where it was and drove off in the wrong direction, so i asked him where we were going and he didnt really give me an answer and he had to stop and ask another taxi driver where it was, and then i had to try and direct him back, and when we actually got to the uni it was loads more money than usual, but i succesfully managed to argue in chinese and we only paid 11yuan!!
Howie arrives in China
27th September
Well, i have now been in china for one month, and its gone sooooooo quickly!
This morning I went to the airport to meet my dad because he is coming to visit for 3 weeks.
I went on the Maglev train again, but it wasnt as exciting as last time.
When I met dad we went back to the uni because he was renting a room in the foreign guest house (where i live) but when we got to south shanghai railway station it was soooooo busy on the metro and dad managed to get off but I didnt get off in time, and the door tried to shut while i was stood the doorway, and I had a bag with some shopping in it which got stuck in the door on the station platform. It was really annoyng. I had to go to the next stop and then come back on the other train, and dad had to get someone to unlock the door at the station to get my shopping bag out!
We went to xujiahui in the afternoon and did a bit of shopping, and i went to starbucks for the first time since ive been here!
Well, i have now been in china for one month, and its gone sooooooo quickly!
This morning I went to the airport to meet my dad because he is coming to visit for 3 weeks.
I went on the Maglev train again, but it wasnt as exciting as last time.
When I met dad we went back to the uni because he was renting a room in the foreign guest house (where i live) but when we got to south shanghai railway station it was soooooo busy on the metro and dad managed to get off but I didnt get off in time, and the door tried to shut while i was stood the doorway, and I had a bag with some shopping in it which got stuck in the door on the station platform. It was really annoyng. I had to go to the next stop and then come back on the other train, and dad had to get someone to unlock the door at the station to get my shopping bag out!
We went to xujiahui in the afternoon and did a bit of shopping, and i went to starbucks for the first time since ive been here!
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