Although I actually did a lot of working in Shanghai, I also made sure to have a little bit of fun. Here are a few observations I made and a few of the experiences I had....
The city is a lot nicer than I was expecting. I understand this is because of its rapid growth. Apparently 20 years ago everything you see here was actually farmland.
I was pretty comfortable there. My time in Hong Kong probably prepared me pretty well for this and even though the language was very different, the smells, pace, and experience were very similar.
Dumplings! OK, not just the dumplings. I had a lot of fun doing a lot more to the food than just remembering it! My pants are saying maybe I had a little bit too much fun.
This particular dumpling place is pretty famous place in Old Chinatown (seems like an odd name.... I think they created the place pretty much for tourists). The queue was like 50 people deep but it was worth the wait and plus watching them make the dumplings was part of the show.
Shopping. Bargaining is a must in Shanghai. The vendors all start at ridiculously high prices because you are a foreigner and getting down around 50% of their first offer for most items is usually a good place to land. In the end, I didn't do that much shopping except for a few trinkets for the boys. I did buy myself two tailored suits though! I ended up paying a little over $60 USD for each. Sounds like a deal right? Well, I haven't actually got the suits yet so I am not bragging. I am having them ship the suits to the US and yes I have already paid for them. I sure hope they make it!
2 comments:
Suits $60.00. Shipping and handling $300 each! Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised. Oh, how I LOVE to bargain in the markets and shops!
Thanks for cultural lessons. All I know about Shanghai is from Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson! :)
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