Ok so that title contains many inside jokes with the intern entourage, so don't worry about it. I was going to do an entry last Friday, but weebly wasn't cooperating. Thankfully today, it is! So here is my next entry.
Before I begin: Thank you so much everyone for all the comments and words of encouragement! I didn't think this blog would be such a big hit with some people. Anyways, keep the comments coming as they will encourage me to keep me posting! Let's begin...
I love Shanghai. What a beautiful place. Where the air is much cleaner, there is a much larger European influence, the people are friendlier and more civilized, and where you can walk down a street that has a completely different feel, look, and style than the street before. No wonder it is called the Paris of the east.
Monday: Ok a very interesting for all the WRONG reasons. We were supposed to fly out to Shanghai Monday morning but due to some........complications we weren't able to get on the flight. After some negotiations with the company (thank you kind lady who could speak English! Iliada hopes you call back so you can go swimming together one time), we were able to get a flight booked for the night free of charge, as well as some money for the taxis and a free lunch for all the time and hassle that we faced. We went back to our apartments to nap and enjoy an Instant noodle dinner before heading out to the airport again. Despite everything that happened, we were able to look on the bright side and had some good group bonding sessions. We eventually arrived in Shanghai after midnight, and at that point we were completely wiped and just went to bed. Tuesday we would wake up early and go enjoy Shanghai.
Tuesday: After a great sleep and a great breakfast at the hostel (OMG TOAST), we made our way to the metro line and headed into the city center. We went to the Bund (which I love to say for some reason) along the riverside, in which the Pudong district is across the river. It is a spectacular spot (tons of tourists) and lots to do around there. We wondered around for a long time, through parks, through food streets, to the residence of Mao when he would stay in Shanghai (this we stumbled across accidentally)...there is so much to see and do in Shanghai! There are plenty of street vendors that you can barter with...Kerim is Turkish, so he was a pro at it and was able to score us some good swag for super low prices. Afterwards, we went out to go have some fun. Did I mention I love Shanghai?
Wednesday: Bit of a later day due to the night before. Kerim and I went to the Shanghai Museum, which was very cool and goes to show how much history exists in China and how we are but a drop of water in an endless ocean in the long run. Once again, we wondered around, although this time we went across the river and went to the Pudong district. We went to a shopping market with tons of clothes, shoes, electronics that you can barter for...pretty fun to say the least, and we were all able to pick up some quality goods for cheap prices. In the early evening, we went to the Hyatt Hotel to the top to Cloud 9 bar. Suprisingly, you don't have to pay to get to the top and you get an AMAZING view of the city...it was about 85 floors up to give you an idea. Afterwards, we we met up with one of Raghda's old friends for supper, Oscar. Oscar is one cool dude, and hopefully we get a chance to hang out with him again. He took us to Brown Sugar, a very cool bar with live music. The band was AMAZING, and the singer, Carlton J. Smith (http://carltonjsmith.org/) had boatloads of charisma, talent, and showmanship.
Thursday: Our final day in Shanghai. Luckily, our flight did not leave until 9:30 in the evening so we had plenty of time to explore the city and finish up what we missed. After another quick stroll through the bund, we made our way to Yuyuan gardens. Along the way, we came across a budhist temple, a park, and another street that was full of food and no tourists. Quite crazy what you will see when you go off the beaten path. Yuyuan was GORGEOUS. There was an amusing incident there in which there was a Turkey tourist group going through...Kerim would listen to the tour guide and then translate it for us. Thanks again Kerim! Afterwards, we did a bit more wondering around the city, before going back to the hostel to pick up our stuff and head to the airport. We took the maglev to the airport, which is the high-speed train on the magnetic track...unfortunately, the train only goes its maximum speed (about 430ish km/h) at certain times during the day, and when we went, it only topped out at 300km/h. Kinda bummed out to say the least, but whatever.
So....that was our trip to Shanghai! Since I got all this momentum writing this entry, I'll write about the weekend as well.
Friday: Work work. There have been some..........interesting developments with the sudden departure of one of the interns, but that is for another time. Just took the evening off (I had some me time) to think things over of what happened in Shanghai, as well as what I want to do next. We wall all need time like that every once in awhile.
Saturday: A trip to the Tianjin Water Park! No, this isn't ACTUALLY a water park (like the one in West Edmonton Mall)...it's just a really really nice park! I have not been there before, and it's an amazing place to go visit! We enjoyed some food (mainly chips and sushi) and enjoyed a lazy afternoon with a lot of sitting, listening to music, and talking. That evening, we went out for supper, and enjoyed some billiards afterwards.
Easter Sunday: Happy Easter! We went to the Magnetic City in Tianjin and picked up a few things that we would be enjoying for our Easter supper. Jon and Ilyana joined us for a feast at the girl's penthouse which consisted of Chicken, salad, pasta, scrambled eggs (omg) and mashed potatoes (OMGYEAH). We enjoyed some oreos and ice cream afterwards for desert.
What's next? So next Saturday, I will be going on a business trip (along with Iliada and several people from Linky Sense) to Guangzhou for about three weeks. We will be working four days on, and then four days off for a bit, so we will have plenty of time to check out the area. I look forward to seeing what southern China has in store for us! During that time, Anne-Marie from Quebec will be coming to work here. Hi Anne! Guess we will finally meet face to face in early May.
So that is it for all.........very long entry but once I get started it's easy to keep going. Enjoy reading, as well as the pictures, and please feel free to leave some comments...I will try for another blog entry before Saturday before I head off to Guangzhou.
Until next time children...keep your stick on the ice.
Before I begin: Thank you so much everyone for all the comments and words of encouragement! I didn't think this blog would be such a big hit with some people. Anyways, keep the comments coming as they will encourage me to keep me posting! Let's begin...
I love Shanghai. What a beautiful place. Where the air is much cleaner, there is a much larger European influence, the people are friendlier and more civilized, and where you can walk down a street that has a completely different feel, look, and style than the street before. No wonder it is called the Paris of the east.
Monday: Ok a very interesting for all the WRONG reasons. We were supposed to fly out to Shanghai Monday morning but due to some........complications we weren't able to get on the flight. After some negotiations with the company (thank you kind lady who could speak English! Iliada hopes you call back so you can go swimming together one time), we were able to get a flight booked for the night free of charge, as well as some money for the taxis and a free lunch for all the time and hassle that we faced. We went back to our apartments to nap and enjoy an Instant noodle dinner before heading out to the airport again. Despite everything that happened, we were able to look on the bright side and had some good group bonding sessions. We eventually arrived in Shanghai after midnight, and at that point we were completely wiped and just went to bed. Tuesday we would wake up early and go enjoy Shanghai.
Tuesday: After a great sleep and a great breakfast at the hostel (OMG TOAST), we made our way to the metro line and headed into the city center. We went to the Bund (which I love to say for some reason) along the riverside, in which the Pudong district is across the river. It is a spectacular spot (tons of tourists) and lots to do around there. We wondered around for a long time, through parks, through food streets, to the residence of Mao when he would stay in Shanghai (this we stumbled across accidentally)...there is so much to see and do in Shanghai! There are plenty of street vendors that you can barter with...Kerim is Turkish, so he was a pro at it and was able to score us some good swag for super low prices. Afterwards, we went out to go have some fun. Did I mention I love Shanghai?
Wednesday: Bit of a later day due to the night before. Kerim and I went to the Shanghai Museum, which was very cool and goes to show how much history exists in China and how we are but a drop of water in an endless ocean in the long run. Once again, we wondered around, although this time we went across the river and went to the Pudong district. We went to a shopping market with tons of clothes, shoes, electronics that you can barter for...pretty fun to say the least, and we were all able to pick up some quality goods for cheap prices. In the early evening, we went to the Hyatt Hotel to the top to Cloud 9 bar. Suprisingly, you don't have to pay to get to the top and you get an AMAZING view of the city...it was about 85 floors up to give you an idea. Afterwards, we we met up with one of Raghda's old friends for supper, Oscar. Oscar is one cool dude, and hopefully we get a chance to hang out with him again. He took us to Brown Sugar, a very cool bar with live music. The band was AMAZING, and the singer, Carlton J. Smith (http://carltonjsmith.org/) had boatloads of charisma, talent, and showmanship.
Thursday: Our final day in Shanghai. Luckily, our flight did not leave until 9:30 in the evening so we had plenty of time to explore the city and finish up what we missed. After another quick stroll through the bund, we made our way to Yuyuan gardens. Along the way, we came across a budhist temple, a park, and another street that was full of food and no tourists. Quite crazy what you will see when you go off the beaten path. Yuyuan was GORGEOUS. There was an amusing incident there in which there was a Turkey tourist group going through...Kerim would listen to the tour guide and then translate it for us. Thanks again Kerim! Afterwards, we did a bit more wondering around the city, before going back to the hostel to pick up our stuff and head to the airport. We took the maglev to the airport, which is the high-speed train on the magnetic track...unfortunately, the train only goes its maximum speed (about 430ish km/h) at certain times during the day, and when we went, it only topped out at 300km/h. Kinda bummed out to say the least, but whatever.
So....that was our trip to Shanghai! Since I got all this momentum writing this entry, I'll write about the weekend as well.
Friday: Work work. There have been some..........interesting developments with the sudden departure of one of the interns, but that is for another time. Just took the evening off (I had some me time) to think things over of what happened in Shanghai, as well as what I want to do next. We wall all need time like that every once in awhile.
Saturday: A trip to the Tianjin Water Park! No, this isn't ACTUALLY a water park (like the one in West Edmonton Mall)...it's just a really really nice park! I have not been there before, and it's an amazing place to go visit! We enjoyed some food (mainly chips and sushi) and enjoyed a lazy afternoon with a lot of sitting, listening to music, and talking. That evening, we went out for supper, and enjoyed some billiards afterwards.
Easter Sunday: Happy Easter! We went to the Magnetic City in Tianjin and picked up a few things that we would be enjoying for our Easter supper. Jon and Ilyana joined us for a feast at the girl's penthouse which consisted of Chicken, salad, pasta, scrambled eggs (omg) and mashed potatoes (OMGYEAH). We enjoyed some oreos and ice cream afterwards for desert.
What's next? So next Saturday, I will be going on a business trip (along with Iliada and several people from Linky Sense) to Guangzhou for about three weeks. We will be working four days on, and then four days off for a bit, so we will have plenty of time to check out the area. I look forward to seeing what southern China has in store for us! During that time, Anne-Marie from Quebec will be coming to work here. Hi Anne! Guess we will finally meet face to face in early May.
So that is it for all.........very long entry but once I get started it's easy to keep going. Enjoy reading, as well as the pictures, and please feel free to leave some comments...I will try for another blog entry before Saturday before I head off to Guangzhou.
Until next time children...keep your stick on the ice.
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