The weekend...I never knew how wonderful those 2 words could be until I started working full time. My days as a student are over for the time being, and entering the work force is not only exciting/ quite "adult" feeling...it is also tiring. Therefore, when the weekend arrives, I am ready to relax and make the most of my weekend.
Saturday was quite an interesting day, filled with searching for a China Construction Bank to open an account in and a train ticketing booth for Ashley. As we searched the day near Jing'an area (West Beijing Road), we decided to take a break and pause to get some afternoon lunch/snacks. We stopped off in a touristy area first, and were not able to find anything we wanted to eat (among the fast food chinese restaurants). We then, continued to cross the street into the "Eats Street" that Ashley knew about, and got a Mango/Orange smoothie for a $1 and some soup dumplings that tasted a tad funky (so we didn't finish them). We then continued our adventures at the fabric market to get re-fitted for the clothes we had made last weekend.
Let me just paint a picture for you on what this fabric market is like. It is a 3 story building, that once you step inside....you literally NEVER want to leave. You get dropped off several miles away from the popular area of XinTianDi, in an area I am almost positive no Westerners live in (Ashley would be the only person who could live in this area that I know....she loves China that much). The taxi cab stops at a busy corner underneath a highway, and you step out into a bustling area of street food/ street jewlery vendors/ and you see manikins of tailored suits/ dresses/ cashmere coats. You step past the flaps that look like you're entering a meat packaging factory into a world of endless fabric. Each floor has stalls about 8 feet by 5 feet. The stalls specialize in a fabric or type of clothing, ranging from linen, cashmere, silk, prints, fur, cotton, etc. Ashley and I made it to the 2nd floor to the "trench coat" stall where I had a coat made, that was not ready for pick up (since I had come on Sat and my ticket said it would be ready on Sunday). We then went to the linen stall where I had a work dress made, and she had a jumper made. We each stepped behind a hoisted piece of fabric in the corner that you could clearly look over (if you wanted) to change into our outfits. Both of our pieces were too big, and had to be taken in significantly. I got refitted and so did Ashley. We then wandered around the three floors, I of course tried on several fur vests of rabbit, fox, (and probably dog) that felt incredible!! After spending at least an hour and half in the market, we decided to wander in the alley road beside the fabric market.
We had no idea what we were getting into when we decided to go on this adventure. we walked down a dirt alley lined with dog grooming shops/ open restaurants/ seafood stalls/ foot reflexology booths/ nail stalls/ and many many others. We then got to Fuxing Road, which was bustling with tons of restaurants, and decided that we wanted to eat 牛肉拉面 for dinner. However, being the indecisive girls we are, wanted to check out the rest of the road before we decided. Walking along the road you are bombarded by motorcycles/ couples/ cars/ and the average busyness of any Chinese road. As we got to the end of the road, we ended up taking a wrong turn (or 3), and stepped into what appeared to be an old Chinese neighborhood (and clearly no Westerners had ventured in here in the past....I would say decade). We wandered through the dirt road staring into the open doors of each house that was piled high with bowls/ mattresses/ chairs/ newspapers/ and other odds and ends, lighted only by a fluorescent bulb of some sort dangling from the ceiling. It was like stepping back in time. The dirt road was scattered with garbage/ rubbage/ and dogs picked at the bones while avoiding the bikes and motorcycles that made their way through. One of the most memorable moments in our lost adventure was walking down a wide dirt road with fabric stores and street food with large round tables outside with men drinking/ smoking/ eating with their shirts above their bellies. I saw cages of pigeons/ chickens/ and perhaps a quail in there. I told Ashley, "Look at all those birds," and as I looked up I saw a man take a butcher's knife and chop the head off what looked to be the size of a Candian Goose!! I SCREAMED outloud in anguish/ astonishment, and the woman standing next to the bird killer laughed so hard, I thought she was going to pee her pants. Oh the things you'll see in China...if you get lost on a dirt road.
As it began to get dark, Ashley and I felt the urge to somehow get back to Fuxing road to eat in what now looked like a lavish restaurant (compared to our dirt road adventure of street food) serving 牛肉拉面. We somehow made it back, and went into the white tile restaurant that only served 3 things. (PS You know a place is good if they only have 3 things on the menu....just for future reference) We ordered our dishes, and watched mesmerized at the man making our noodles. Maybe I should explain what we ordered. So niu rou la mian is literally noodles in this amazing broth with parsley and a little bit of beef. The noodles are made literally in front of you, fresh by a man kneeding dough on a metal counter/ stretching the dough/ making the noodles only with his fingers by banging the dough on the metal and flipping it around, and then placing it in boiling water. You will never go back to ramen noodles or anything instant once you eat this, and it's only 5 元 (less than a $1) too! The restaurant was run by only men, meaning that the tables/ floors were dirty, but we didn't mind. The table beside us,4 men..the place only had men in it, watched us eat the entire time, but we didn't mind. Krista, when you come to China, I promise to take you here !!!
Other than that, my weekend was quite fun, and full of adventure.
More to come later about the amazing taxi cab driver hole in the wall restaurant down my road.
再见！！
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Chinese Valentine's Day
As I mentioned in my previous "blog," yesterday was Valentine's Day in China. I don't think I've ever felt like there were so many couples in Shanghai as I did yesterday. Everywhere you looked on the subway were couples leaning on one another, people sharing motorcycles, and girls sitting sideways on the back of bikes with their feet crossed. As I tried to pretend that every flower person on the street wasn't just selling roses, but actually had some wildflowers/ lilies/ or carnations hidden under their cart....it was clear to me it was Valentine's Day when I went to eat lunch at HOOF. Now, let me explain. HOOF is a Korean restaurant I had never been to close to where I work. I LOVE Korean food, and ate it for lunch almost everyday last summer at HuaShiDa (East China Normal University) in Shanghai. We had the BEST Korean cafeteria. Anyways, I saw a picture outside of a "hot bowl" that I used to eat all the time, which consists of an egg, sprouts, edamame, carrots, some sort of bean, and rice. You mix it all together in this super hot bowl, and everything sort of cooks together. It's fabulous, and you can add a hot sauce to it too. So, I decided to try HOOF, and see what it was all about.
Ohhh how I didn't know what I was stepping into.........The waitress opened the door saying "Welcome Welcome" in Chinese. As I proceeded to walk on the red carpet leading me into the restaurant, I saw rose petals scattered everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE that were white/ red/ and pink. Then, when I entered the restaurant, I noticed that there was a special "set menu" for couples at lunch. Therefore, everyone in the restaurant was a couple. I sat down in a booth with crushed red velvet cushions (with rose petals on the table), and ordered my hot bowl meal...hoping that it wouldn't take them that long. As I sat, and pretended to read Catch-22, I couldn't help but notice the music selection of: Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston, etc. Finally, my hot bowl came, and I ate it and left.
After this lunch escapade, I decided to make a date for Valentine's Day. I was not about to let the day pass without doing SOMETHING slightly romantic. Sooo, I talked with my friend Ashley, and decided to make a date at this fantastic dessert place she had been telling me about. After my long commute home, I walked from the subway stop down HuaHai Road to the H&M to meet her. We then walked down a small road next to H&M to the dessert place called Hof. (And yes Sara Hofman and Melissa Hofman...I thought of you) Hof is a small/ modern/ dimly lit beautiful restaurant, that fit our "ideal" location for a Valentine's Day date. We shared a lovely bottle of Cabernet, and ate infused olive oil with bread. We had a wonderful conversation about life, and living in China. After our relaxing "date," we decided to then go to Barbarossa to see what all the talk was about this venue. Getting a cab was tremendously hard, and after about 25 minutes, we managed to get a cab that the driver had told us up the road we couldn't get in (even though nobody was in the cab). We asked him if he had a girlfriend, and if he bought her presents for Valentine's Day. Through his mutters and loud chewing, I think we concluded that he had a girlfriend and hadn't bought her presents because they had just begun dating.
We then arrived at Barbarossa, which you have to walk through People's Park to get to. The park is pretty at night, and you have to walk over a stone bridge surrounded by a huge lily pond to get there. Once we were there, it was actually a relaxing atmosphere. Barbarossa consists of 3 floors decorated in a Middle Eastern style. There are lamps/ candles/ tapestries everywhere. Ashley and I didn't end up staying long, and took motorcycle taxis home!! Anyways, it was a wonderful Valentine's Day!!
More to come later...再见！
Ohhh how I didn't know what I was stepping into.........The waitress opened the door saying "Welcome Welcome" in Chinese. As I proceeded to walk on the red carpet leading me into the restaurant, I saw rose petals scattered everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE that were white/ red/ and pink. Then, when I entered the restaurant, I noticed that there was a special "set menu" for couples at lunch. Therefore, everyone in the restaurant was a couple. I sat down in a booth with crushed red velvet cushions (with rose petals on the table), and ordered my hot bowl meal...hoping that it wouldn't take them that long. As I sat, and pretended to read Catch-22, I couldn't help but notice the music selection of: Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston, etc. Finally, my hot bowl came, and I ate it and left.
After this lunch escapade, I decided to make a date for Valentine's Day. I was not about to let the day pass without doing SOMETHING slightly romantic. Sooo, I talked with my friend Ashley, and decided to make a date at this fantastic dessert place she had been telling me about. After my long commute home, I walked from the subway stop down HuaHai Road to the H&M to meet her. We then walked down a small road next to H&M to the dessert place called Hof. (And yes Sara Hofman and Melissa Hofman...I thought of you) Hof is a small/ modern/ dimly lit beautiful restaurant, that fit our "ideal" location for a Valentine's Day date. We shared a lovely bottle of Cabernet, and ate infused olive oil with bread. We had a wonderful conversation about life, and living in China. After our relaxing "date," we decided to then go to Barbarossa to see what all the talk was about this venue. Getting a cab was tremendously hard, and after about 25 minutes, we managed to get a cab that the driver had told us up the road we couldn't get in (even though nobody was in the cab). We asked him if he had a girlfriend, and if he bought her presents for Valentine's Day. Through his mutters and loud chewing, I think we concluded that he had a girlfriend and hadn't bought her presents because they had just begun dating.
We then arrived at Barbarossa, which you have to walk through People's Park to get to. The park is pretty at night, and you have to walk over a stone bridge surrounded by a huge lily pond to get there. Once we were there, it was actually a relaxing atmosphere. Barbarossa consists of 3 floors decorated in a Middle Eastern style. There are lamps/ candles/ tapestries everywhere. Ashley and I didn't end up staying long, and took motorcycle taxis home!! Anyways, it was a wonderful Valentine's Day!!
More to come later...再见！
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Bus
For those of you who have traveled to China or a densely populated country (Japan or India or HK) know what public transportation can be like. A sea of people crammed together in such tight quarters that you think you're either getting pick pocketed as you inch your way up the stairs or escalator or you just got to second base with the 80 year old man behind you with no teeth or shirt.
I have been experimenting the past week and a half with how to efficiently get to and from work. I have left at 7:30 AM to get to the subway stop near my house (陕西南路)(15 mins walking distance), to take metro line 1 and interchange at People's Square (人民广场)to THEN get on line 8 to Siping (四平)to only then walk 10 minutes to catch the 910 or 55 bus to Wujiaochang (五角场), which then leaves me with a 10 minute walk to my office building. Ladies and gentlemen...this is the easiest commute for me to and from work! It takes a mere hour and 15 minutes. I have tried various other ways...only taking the bus (Bus 55 or 910 to switch to bus 26), which takes an hour and 30 minutes on average. I have stopped further on line 8 closer to my work, and then taken a cab to work. This option is the most convenient, but costs 6x as much as my 1st option (walking/ metro/ switch to another metro/ walking/ bus/ walking).
Despite the turmoil it may appear to cause to my daily routine, I don't mind it. I often get a seat on the bus and metro. I read my book on both, and all the areas are air conditioned....which is a BIG deal. haha Other than that, I am constantly stared at, but all you can do is just smile when people stare at you. My favorite part of the commute are all the ADORABLE kids I get to see! For instance, yesterday I saw a little boy (age 7 or 8) go to one exit door while his father was at the neighboring one. As the subway slowed down to a halt, the boy prepared for at least a minute and a half getting in a stance that looked like he was going to karate chop the door down. When the door finally opened, his father and him raced to the escalator, which the father let the little boy beat him to. It was extremely cute!
Anyways, today is the Chinese Valentine's day, and we'll see what is in store for my friends and I tonight.
More to come later! 再见!
I have been experimenting the past week and a half with how to efficiently get to and from work. I have left at 7:30 AM to get to the subway stop near my house (陕西南路)(15 mins walking distance), to take metro line 1 and interchange at People's Square (人民广场)to THEN get on line 8 to Siping (四平)to only then walk 10 minutes to catch the 910 or 55 bus to Wujiaochang (五角场), which then leaves me with a 10 minute walk to my office building. Ladies and gentlemen...this is the easiest commute for me to and from work! It takes a mere hour and 15 minutes. I have tried various other ways...only taking the bus (Bus 55 or 910 to switch to bus 26), which takes an hour and 30 minutes on average. I have stopped further on line 8 closer to my work, and then taken a cab to work. This option is the most convenient, but costs 6x as much as my 1st option (walking/ metro/ switch to another metro/ walking/ bus/ walking).
Despite the turmoil it may appear to cause to my daily routine, I don't mind it. I often get a seat on the bus and metro. I read my book on both, and all the areas are air conditioned....which is a BIG deal. haha Other than that, I am constantly stared at, but all you can do is just smile when people stare at you. My favorite part of the commute are all the ADORABLE kids I get to see! For instance, yesterday I saw a little boy (age 7 or 8) go to one exit door while his father was at the neighboring one. As the subway slowed down to a halt, the boy prepared for at least a minute and a half getting in a stance that looked like he was going to karate chop the door down. When the door finally opened, his father and him raced to the escalator, which the father let the little boy beat him to. It was extremely cute!
Anyways, today is the Chinese Valentine's day, and we'll see what is in store for my friends and I tonight.
More to come later! 再见!
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