Hong Kong Happens When You Least Expect It

After an inspiring send off from David in Beijing, I had only night and one day to spend in Hong Kong before the ship had to set sail to Vietnam.

 

So, naturally, I had to make it count.

 

First of all, flying from Beijing to Hong Kong in January could not possibly provide a more stark contrast in environment. In a matter of a few hours we went from barren, snow-covered tundra into the heart of Pandora from Avatar. Maybe this is another bit of my ignorance coming out, but I was completely unaware that Hong Kong would be tropical.

 

 

After my eyes had adjusted to sun and blue skies, I realized anew just how different this port was from Shanghai. Although both have incredibly iconic skylines and well-developed shipping infrastructure, it was undeniable that Hong Kong was a separate entity entirely. The city almost seemed to buzz with a sort of youthful vibe that permeated everything we encountered.

 

I could tell it was going to be a good.

 

On our way to the dock, our guide informed us that Hong Kong puts on a nightly lightshow that incorporates all of the buildings in the skyline. The best place to view the show was from the top of the Star Ferry, so once dinner on the ship was over, we made our way and fought for the best vantage point. While calling this display a ‘show’ may be a bit of a stretch, the skyline was an amazingly beautiful sight, and was especially enjoyable as we no longer had to be wearing coats outdoors.

 

Yay, warmer weather!

 

 

I still can’t believe that a city skyline can be that coordinated, but the lights even corresponded with music that played overhead. Score 1 point for Hong Kong.

 

With the display under our belts we headed off to another one of the city’s nighttime destinations: the Temple Street Night Market.

 

The night market is no joke. Don’t even think about getting there before 7pm. In fact, you probably wouldn’t be able to distinguish Temple Street from any other street at that time even if you tried. But once the sun goes down, this place comes alive.

 

 

I couldn’t quite capture the chaos and magnitude of the street itself, but it was basically stall after stall of almost any good you could imagine. Many of you will be getting souvenirs from here, so be ready (and act surprised, will ya?) for some gems.

 

After we’d sufficiently fed our consumer side, we headed back to the ship to drop off our loot and make our way out for the night. I was particularly excited about this port, because a close friend of mind spent much of her childhood here. When I asked her for advice on Hong Kong, I received a very detailed description of exactly where to go and what to do for fun. In the interest of not incriminating anyone, I’ll just tell you what we did, and you can decide if it was good advice.

 

We first had to get from the port on the Kowloon side of HK over to HK Island itself. So naturally, we took the ferry.

 

 

There was the option to take a subway, but I figured we’d gotten that far by boat already, so might as well finish it off that way.

 

Our next few moves were recommended for those of legal drinking age only… or those who happened to be traveling in a country with a drinking age that corresponds to their current age… You get the idea.

 

We walked to an area of town called Lan Kwai Fong, known by locals as one of the best bar districts in town. The street is basically a huge L-shaped hill lined with bars and restaurants. At the bottom of the hill is a 7-Eleven (remember our homebase in Japan?) that seemed oddly crowded for that time of night.

 

Here’s why:

 

 

7-Eleven is where the party started!

 

So clearly a celebratory HK shotgun was in order. Bottoms up! Or I guess tops up… Whatever.

 

 

With that first drink down, our next mission was to make our way up the hill, stopping at each bar, all of which were famous for their unique ambiance and signature shots.

 

I’ll stop right there to prevent the heart attack that I figure my mom will have if she thinks I had a shot at EVERY bar on a street in Hong Kong.

 

I didn’t!

 

Stop worrying!

 

 

We just ended up floating around the streets, periodically making our way back to the convenience store to buy beers and then continue exploring. My friend was right. Each bar was so different and vibrant that the only way to experience the whole ‘scene’ was to spend some time checking out the street itself and peek into bars that looked interesting.

 

One bar in particular had one of the more interesting drinks I’ve ever seen: a Flaming Lamborghini. If I remember correctly, it involved gin, bailey’s, Sambuca, and of course, fire. One of those absolutely disgusting drinks that happens to have a cool name, so naturally everyone HAS to have one.

 

 

Quite a show. Not for the faint of heart. No, I didn’t have one. Yes, I’m lame, but Sambuca… Ugh!

 

We had such an incredible night enjoying the weather, dancing in the streets, and spending time with what are quickly becoming amazing new friends.

 

 

The next morning I woke up late once again. It seemed that nearly the entire ship had left for mandatory ‘Field Labs’ that are a required part of the curriculum on the ship. I felt a little strange at first, but then I realized why.

 

This was the first time on the entire trip that I had been alone.

 

As I’ve said before, personal time is a commodity on a ship with 1000 other people. Even in port, it’s usually not wise to leave your travel group lest you get lost and left behind. So I had found myself in unfamiliar territory yet again, but I decided to embrace it and explore the city on my own.

 

 

I’ll give you a little hint: great decision.

 

I left the ship and explored the Kowloon side of town on foot, stopping to check out back alleys and making turns on whichever streets looked interesting. It was so relaxing to not have to run each little decision (bathroom break… ATM stop… souvenir shopping) by a whole group of people.

 

 

After I had wandered the streets in Kowloon, I took to the subway for a trip over to HK Island. I had a general idea of what I wanted to see, but no set plans in mind. Because of that open mindset, I happened upon a few incredible and unexpected things.

 

Thing 1: A Catholic Church

 

 

This little church was at the top of a hill across from HSBC tucked away near the Hong Kong gardens. I snuck in a said a quick ‘thank you’ and the cathedral rewarded me with an amazing sense of calm and serenity that I had been missing on such a frantic adventure.

 

Thing 2: Random Markets.

 

 

Just when you think you’ve hit the center of downtown or the financial district, you take a left and see something like the scene above. People yelling over each other, live chickens running around, hagglers purchasing food and goods for the day—such a stark contrast to the suits and ties across the street. I wish I had more panorama game, and you could get a better feel for this incredible juxtaposition.

 

Thing 3: My Michelin Moment

 

 

I took a random turn after one of the market streets and stumbled on this little gem: Nha Trang Restaurant. Apparently, Nha Trang was included in the 2013 Michelin Guide which awards Michelin Stars to the best restaurants in the world.

 

Jackpot!

 

I went in and sat down at a barstool seat across from a businessman taking a late lunch. As it was an upscale Vietnamese restaurant I went with the only safe bet I knew: spring rolls. Sure, kinda lame, but let me tell you what… SO TASTY! And the icing on the cake, you ask? The whole meal cost the equivalent of $7 USD.

 

Double Jackpot!

 

After I had eaten (I stopped again for street dumplings which were incredible), I made the trip back to the ship dock. I arrived a little early for departure, so I decided to treat myself while I waited for the ship to board. As you may know by now, food and drink on the ship is quite limited, so I took the liberty of indulging in a few things I don’t get very often.

 

At 4 in the afternoon, I sat on the roof of the Star Ferry, overlooking the Hong Kong skyline, eating chocolate and strawberry ice cream, and sipping red wine.

 

Life moment!

 

Triple Jackpot!

 

 

I couldn’t help but look back at the day and the previous night and be nothing but thankful. I felt such a sense of calm and peace- something that I had been sadly lacking in my daily life for so long. With so little worry about the past and so much excitement about the future, I felt as though I’d begun to understand the magnitude of the trip and its meaning for my life.

 

At times it’s still hard to let go of everything and relax, but I know I’ll always have that moment in Hong Kong to set me straight.

 

I headed back to the ship in time for one last shot of the skyline before we had to set sail to Vietnam.

 

 

There’s a reason it’s #1 in the guide books.

 

Dinner was spent reminiscing about our 6 days of travel in China and Hong Kong, but we were already looking forward to Vietnam and the next adventure to come.

 

Three days on the ship and then we will be in Ho Chi Minh City! More to come on that soon enough, but for now, I’ll just leave you with the skyline—my personal favorite.

 

Question of the Day: What was your last great ‘life moment’?

 

Life Lessons and Bucket List Items in Classical China

Welcome back!

 

My last post chronicled two jam-packed days of touristy activities in China.

 

On the third day in Beijing we woke up early to make the 2 hour trek to what is arguably the most iconic of Chinese destinations: The Great Wall.

 

This sight was one of particularly high anticipation for me as I was anxious to check off yet another one of the 1000 Places to See Before You Die. Little did I know that we would do it in style.

 

 

Yep, that’s a chair lift. Apparently we were going to make the journey up to the wall with our feet dangling above the snow covered mountainside. Beijing was still recovering from the previous day’s storm, so the landscape was absolutely beautiful. We were also blessed with one of the clearest blue skies I have ever seen.

 

So, we started the journey via lift…

 

 

And climbed higher…

 

 

And even higher…

 

 

Until you could just make out that classic wall ridge in the distance…

 

 

And all of a sudden, we had arrived!

 

Let me just make a quick comment about the hats… It was SO cold that on the walk to the chair lift (which was littered with vendor stalls, obviously) that we decided to buy something… anything… that would cover our heads. This one lucky woman had somehow been the only one to realize that people would need hats when it was literally negative degrees Celsius, so she was the recipient of ALL our business. Good for her. Even better for our pictures.

 

 

It was a pretty surreal moment to say the least.

 

 

We walked around, up, and down for an hour or so before we had to head back to catch the bus. What we found was that the trip down was going to be even more adventurous than the trip up. That, my friends, was because we were going down in toboggans.

 

 

I didn’t even realize something like this existed, but sure enough, we each sat down on a toboggan—not strapped in, mind you—and flew down the side of this mountain as fast as we could go. The only thing slowing me down was the speed of the person in front of me. Can’t say this was the safest thing I’ve ever seen, but damn, was it fun.

 

From there, we made the trip back to downtown Beijing for an afternoon of random activities including lunch at a jade jewelry store and, my personal favorite, a stop at a Kung Fu School. Turns out, this was no ordinary school, but rather, it had the distinction of being chosen by Jackie Chan as the school in which he would film one of his most recent movies, Karate Kid.

 

HIYA!

 

We watched a karate show, complete with classical Chinese music overlays, featuring high-flying jumps, traditional weaponry, and feats of strength that definitely had us on the edge of our seats. At the end, all of the boys came down off the stage and took pictures with us. There was even a teeny tiny break dance fight where the boys competed to see who could do the best “worm.” Dancing is truly a universal language.

 

 

After the school, it was almost time for dinner, so we made our way to yet another 1000 Places destination—the Hutong. We rode rickshaws around a frozen lake where locals were ice skating then turned into a popular nightlife district full of popular bars and restaurants. Our dinner destination was not another one of these establishments, but rather, a private home.

 

 

In this two-room house, a woman and her husband cooked an entire meal for us from scratch. We even got to pitch in by making our own dumplings! This ended up being one of my favorite experiences of the trip as it gave us a small glimpse into local life and traditional Chinese food. The dinner was incredible and the woman was so friendly and welcoming that for a moment I totally forgot how far away from home we were…

 

Finally—the Holy Grail attained!

 

 

The next morning was by far the coldest, but we had a very short schedule before heading to the airport to meet up with the ship in Hong Kong. We made a quick stop at the Temple of Heaven for a couple photos….

 

 

And I took a small detour to dance with some Tibetans. Just to clarify, dancing was NOT on the schedule… that was just a very spontaneous, very cold, decision on my part.

 

 

That’s me in the green coat with the airplane arms. Such a good choice! Yet another life experience to add to the list! But one of the most meaningful and salient moments came on the bus to the airport.

 

Our tour guide, David, had spent all 4 days with us, leading us to, from, and through, each individual stop we made. He was always happy and engaged and incredibly knowledgeable when asked questions, which was often. When it was finally time to say goodbye, he gave a short speech about how he had chosen to be a tour guide because he loved speaking English and loved meeting new people.

 

Then came the hammer.

 

He implored us, nearly begged us, to find work we loved and chase our passions to their fullest extent. He said, and I quote:

 

“If you ever find yourself working at a job that doesn’t inspire you, doesn’t make you happy, or doesn’t fulfill you, please leave that job. Instead, share what you love with people that you like, and the money will follow you.”

 

I just about fainted.

 

It’s like he read minds or something…

 

The entire ensuing flight to Hong Kong, I sat staring out the window thinking about his wise words. On my worst days here, this little life experiment of mine feels incredibly dire—what’s a girl to do without an income, a plan, a vision. But on my best days, after hearing such reaffirming and comforting words, I get the sense that this trip is not in vain—that this journey to get re-inspired by life is going to be worthwhile… already is worthwhile.

 

So thank you, David, for everything I learned in Beijing.

 

It won’t soon be forgotten.

 

Question of the Day: What’s the last thing you checked off your bucket list?

 

Great Expectations and Few Complaints in Beijing

On the second day in China I found myself in what has become a strangely unfamiliar place: the airport.

 

And this time, I was with one hundred and fifty people, not just one.

 

Flying around the world naturally lends itself to a definite experience when entering foreign countries. As you can imagine, we highly associate feelings of foreignness and ‘having arrived’ with things like the drive to the airport, security checks, baggage issues, waiting on flights, sitting in uncomfortable seats, flying for hours at a time, and then finally, being where you wanted to go.

 

The ship is totally different.

 

On the morning of an arrival we wake up, and we’re there. Poof. It’s pretty much that easy. All we have to worry about is packing up some clothes (not even that if you aren’t staying overnight) and not forgetting that damn passport. I, of course, had completely taken the ship for granted. How awesome is it that we get to walk off a gangway and just, boom, we’re in country?

 

Answer… pretty awesome.

 

So the trip to the airport was a nice reminder of how blessed we are to be traveling the world in this unique way. That being said, the Chinese airport was an experience in and of itself. I tell you what… these people just don’t miss an opportunity to throw some culture at you. Especially during the New Year celebrations.

 

 

Yep, that’s a big shiny dog puppet running through the gates.

 

Try finding that at Laguardia… or Newark… ::shudder::

 

So once we had been slightly entertained, we made our way to the gate and were off to the capital city of Beijing. Having gotten use to the sparse food and friendliness of most US based carriers, I was surprised when I was freely (and nicely) given bottles of water, complimentary beer, and a full meal on a flight that was a little over 2 hours long. (As an aside, I just heard about the AA/US Airways merger… I’m hoping those two can figure SOMEthing out.)

 

After a few hours of blogging, we began the decent. This time, I noticed yet another strangely unfamiliar thing outside of my window: snow.

 

Dammit. I thought I had escaped winter!

 

 

Not so much.

 

Not a single day we spent in Beijing was above freezing. But hey, I got to see the Forbidden City covered in snow, so I’m not really complaining.

 

Our first stop after boarding the bus was the Beijing Olympic Park featuring the well-known Bird’s Nest and Cube buildings. Even after 5 years, this sight is still crawling with tourists and the government seems just as proud as they were in 2008. To be fair, I guess I’d be just as excited if the Olympics were in say Dallas… wink wink… nudge nudge…

 

 

They were definitely impressive, but we had about 5 minutes before we had to be on the bus again.

 

The plan for the afternoon led us to a Chinese acrobatic show—something that I would NEVER have signed up for on my own. I imagined it would be something akin to a lame version of Cirque du Soleil, so I wasn’t all that excited when I was shaken awake from my bus nap to run inside the performance hall. But one hour and one box of popcorn later, I was a changed woman.

 

I could strain my vocabulary rolodex to come up with the perfect superlative for just how amazing these athletes were, but I’d rather just sum it up in one word.

 

STRONG.

 

Holy crap these people were strong.

 

 

Yes, friends, that’s a guy… walking over a ladder… while balancing a chair on his head… while another guy… balances on the chair… ON HIS HEAD.

 

And that wasn’t even the craziest part!

 

People were doing flips without letting bowls drop off their heads. Guys were tossing girls in the air like they were dice. At one point, 10 girls were riding ONE bicycle. They even put 8… yes 8… motorcycles into a sphere cage and had them driving around in circles at the same time.

 

I wish I had taken more pictures.

 

With our jaws decided on the floor, it was time for dinner. Our first one of many ‘lazy susan’ meals… This one was the least authentic, but we were hungry from traveling, so few complaints were heard.

 

 

The next morning, we were up early for a full day of classic Chinese tourist sights, the first of which was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Apparently, only a week prior to our arrival, the air quality in Beijing had been so bad that cars at stop lights couldn’t even perceive light changes. Although we were given a freezing and foggy morning, thankfully, we were without smog.

 

One of the first things I noticed about Tiananmen Square, and Beijing in general for that matter, was the ubiquitous presence of the Chinese police force. I don’t think we visited one sight that wasn’t somehow regulated or supervised by the authorities. Tiananmen Square itself was crawling not only with officials but also with security cameras that were so numerous, we were certain that not an inch of the grounds went unnoticed.

 

 

Once we got to the square, the snow and ice began. Not quite an ideal situation for walking around all day, but we ran with it. Or rather, we shuffled with it. Carefully.

 

With our ‘tourist mindsets’ about us, we actually found that this otherwise unwelcome weather situation created the opportunity for some incredibly unique pictures.

 

 

From the Square we headed into the Forbidden City. Now, I’ll let you in on a little secret—yet another embarrassing truth about my lack of preparedness. My only orientation to what the Forbidden City might look like… was Mulan. The Disney movie. I didn’t look at a single picture or read a single article before visiting.

 

Ignorant tourist, yes.

 

Childlike wonder at every turn, also a yes.

 

So my walk through the ornately decorated temples and vast expanse of pagodas was a veritable picture snap-fest. I may have overdone it a little, but oh well. I got some gems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So pretty!

 

After two hours of touring the grounds, we moved on to a few more sights including a tour of a silk factory, lunch at a local restaurant, and pondering the meaning of life at a Confucian temple. Of all these, the temple was by far my favorite, and again, the snow allowed for some choice photo opportunities.

 

 

Gorgeously decorated pagodas.

 

 

And my personal favorite…

 

 

So deep.

 

So mature.

 

So funny!

 

After the temple, we were whisked away to yet another stop—the tea shop! The Chinese have over 3,000 kinds of tea, and we were able to try a whopping 6 of them: oolong, jasmine, flower, black, lychee, and fruit tea. I actually learned a ton about which teas should be made with boiling water (oolong and black) and which teas should just use hot water (green and jasmine). You should also drink your first cup of tea in 3 sips for happiness, good luck and a long life.

 

Cheers!

 

 

We wrapped up the day with two infamous Beijing activities: bargaining markets (clearly now as professionals, if you refer to the previous post) and Peking duck (been a professional for years, so no worries there). The bargaining was successful—Louis Vuitton bag and multiple souvenirs for fractions of their normal prices. The dinner was just as successful—hoisin, cucumber, rice pancake, duck… DONE!

 

As you might be able to tell, those were two rather full days in Beijing.

 

I honestly felt that while we were clearly being steered in undeniably touristy directions, I enjoyed seeing a wide variety of what the city had to offer and tried to make each experience as personal as possible. Ultimately, I was left with a sense that China wishes to be viewed in a certain distinct way and, especially in Beijing, it’s difficult to find the Holy Grail of travel experiences: an “authentic” one.

 

But hey, we got duck, so I’m not complaining.

 

Question of the Day: What do you expect to get out of traveling?

 

Eenie Meenie Miney... China!

Nǐ hǎo from China!

 

Last I blogged, we had boarded the ship in Kobe, Japan. This time, instead of ten days between ports, we had only two days to collect our thoughts on Japan and prepare for China. Needless to say our time at sea went by in a flash, and we found ourselves at the port in Shanghai.

 

I was antsy to start collecting photos, so I took pictures out of my porthole window of the iconic Shanghai skyline, also known as the Pudong. Little did I know I'd collect a veritable fortune of pictures, ranging from midday to midnight, of that same exact scenery.

 

 

The debarkation process went much faster and more smoothly than that in Japan, so we were off the ship around 9 or 10 in the morning. I was so thankful, because I only had one day and night in Shanghai before I had to be on a flight to Beijing.

 

I had also learned, from my time spent in Japan, that it is much easier to move around in groups of less than 6 people. I hedged my bets and went with one this time around. So without any ado, whatsoever, my friend Wade and I set out to explore the city together.

 

Thankfully, Wade is equally as playful and easily distracted as I, which led to some fun experiences and silly pictures.

 

 

We decided to make a big loop around the main parts of the city on the side opposite of the Pudong. So, we walked south from the ship along the main drag of Shaghai, the Bund, and then made our way inland along East Nanjing Road. This street was lined with multi-level department stores and local restaurants. There was one establishment in particular that caught our eye because of the sheer volume of people coming and going with bags and bags full of… well… we couldn't really tell.

 

Clearly, we were intrigued.

 

Turns out, this 3 level behemoth was full of just one thing: FOOD!

We surveyed the scene and decided on what I can only hope every true Texas (and thus, meat-eater, naturally) will appreciate: FRESH BACON.

 

Let me tell you―you haven't experience bacon until you've eaten it at a place that also sells flattened pig faces (please see picture above for a face-finding adventure).

 

That was just our first teaser in Chinese cuisine, and we were very impressed.

 

We continued on our walk with the idea that we would swing by the three main museums at the end of East Nanjing in People's Square. I add this little detail so that my parents and teachers will note my attempt at cultural appreciation via museum―which isn't my usual style. I'm more of an immersion girl at heart, but hey, I like art too.

 

Interestingly enough, my favorite parts of the museums weren't their displays but rather their unique architecture. China really puts a premium on how things appear to the public (more to come on this seemingly vague statement later) so it really shouldn't have been surprising just how dynamic these buildings were.

 

 

Both the Shanghai Grand Theatre (above) and the Shanghai Art Museum (below) were certainly more than merely functional. They drew you closer in the hopes that you might want to explore what they had to offer.

 

It worked.

 

 

After an hour of jade sculptures and calligraphy scrolls, we were famished. But what are two 20-somethings to do for food in a foreign country with no guide, no smart phones, and no map. You guessed it…

 

Eenie… Meenie… Miney… THAT ONE!

 

And boy, did we score.

 

 

Now, I know that this little guy doesn't look like much. But let me throw some fun after-the-fact facts your way in the hopes that you can appreciate our choice.

 

Number 1: The place was PACKED with Chinese people (clearly a good hint).

Number 2:Our food was phenomenal. Like scrumptious phenomenal.

Number 3:The entire meal of 15 beef dumplings, 15 pork dumplings, and one giant plate of spicy chicken and peanuts cost us less than 9 USD―total.

 

WIN.

 

Refueled, reinspired, and entirely cost-recalibrated, we left in search of the Yuyuan Gardens―one of Shanghai's main tourist attractions. Wade's professor had hinted at a market on the way, but we were hardly prepared for what we stumbled on in the process.

 

This place was madness!

 

 

Because we were traveling through China just days before the Lunar New Year, everything was ornately decorated and people were frantically trying to prepare for their celebrations. I'll try to let the pictures do most of the talking for just a bit. Keep in mind―this marketplace is usually colorless.

 

 

 

 

 

Not too shabby, right?

 

Once we wound our way through the market, we entered the gardens. What struck me most about this place was the absolute opposition to the marketplace only yards away. In just moments we went from screaming vendors and massive crowds to silent observers and serene enclosures. The ornate architecture, beautiful foliage, and quiet coy ponds were so relaxing that we found ourselves just wandering and gazing.

 

 

 

After our time in the garden and a quick stop at another temple nearby, we were ready to engage in one of China's most infamous activities for tourists.

 

No, not happy endings. Get your mind out of the gutter!

 

Wade and I were ready to shop.

 

And that meant BARGAINING!

 

I had been warned by professors and family members as to the local customs and culture surrounding the purchasing of goods in China. As many of you may know, it's one of the best places in the world to score inexpensive designer knock-offs and souvenirs. It's also common knowledge that if you pay any more than half of a vendor's asking price, you're probably getting ripped off.

 

Standard bargaining practice goes something like this:

Vendor gives a price.

Customer gives a counter price.

If your price is reasonable, the vendor will continue to negotiate.

If not, you're on your merry way.

And frankly, you're ok with being on your way, because there are at least 10 more stalls with the exact same thing within your immediate periph. That is not an exaggeration.

 

The key here is the thing that most of us consumers are uncomfortable with: JUST WALK AWAY.

 

Vendors will literally chase you down the street to make a sale.

 

 

One purchase in and we realized who the superior bargainer was: Wade.

 

Yours truly got hosed.

 

Multiple times.

 

I'd like to defend myself with the fact that I had no barometer (except maybe our meal) and thus no way of knowing how much things should cost. But honestly, my first purchase was just embarrassing. I bought 2 stuffed snakes as gifts (Lunar New Year 2013 is the Year of the Snake) and paid 60 yuan. Given that I followed that purchase with an eight-piece tea set for the exact same price… I think I overpaid. Fail.

 

I was determined to redeem myself, but was constantly overshadowed by Wade's natural skill at this practice. The boy took to negotiation like a fish to water, and I was left watching in awe. My one moment of glory came when we decided to do something a little bit sketchy and out of character. Sorry, Mom. Just skip this part if you want.

 

Wade and I decided to engage one of the guys on the street claiming to sell designer goods on the cheap. We sprinted after him through crowded streets and snuck through a tiny door into a dingy residence building, finally arriving in a small room FILLED with name brand bags, scarves and watches, and three very nervous-looking Chinese people. I shopped while they spent the entire time checking the door and looking at their cell phones. Despite some obvious uncertainty, I emerged victorious with this little gem:

 

 

Isn't she pretty!?

 

Now, say what you will about her being fake. She probably is. But there's a teeny, tiny stitch in the back that's double-looped, so in my mind, she was a cast-off defect and is, in fact, a real Channel bag.

 

Just let me live my fantasy, ok?

 

Clearly then, a celebration was in order. We headed back to the ship and regrouped with a bunch of other students to hit the town. A bunch of us wandered along the Bund, headed over to the Pudong, made our way to a bar in Xintiandi, and found ourselves back on the ship at, you guessed it, a pretty late hour. But not without some more pictures of the skyline!

 

 

Such an amazing day in Shanghai! Food, culture, architecture, Channel… we got it all!

 

Next stop, Beijing! Catch you on the other side of my first flight of the trip!

 

Question of the Day: What purchase do you wish you could take back?