The guys spent the first Wednesday of their trip shopping and looking around the Pudong area of Shanghai. I had to work again, so caught up with them at around 6pm after finishing a little early. I wanted to show them a big technology shopping centre (5 floors of electronic gadgets to peruse through) so we got on the subway and made our way to downtown Pudong.
Only to find that the centre closed at 7pm. Damn it! After a bit of aimless wandering around trying to work out what to have for dinner, I made the executive decision to take the guys to Xin Tian Di. I think I've mentioned this place in a previous blog post - if not, here's the description from Wikipedia:
Xin Tian Di is a car-free shopping, eating and entertainment area of Shanghai. It is composed of an area of restored traditional shikumen ("stone gate") houses on narrow alleys, a modern shopping mall with a cinema complex, and some adjoining houses which now serve as book stores, cafes and restaurants. Most of the cafes and restaurants feature both indoor and outdoor seatings. Xintiandi has an active nightlife on weekdays as well as weekends, though romantic settings are more common than loud music and dance places. Xintiandi means "New Heaven and Earth", and is considered one of the first lifestyle centers in China.
It's a pretty nice place, very popular with tourists and locals alike, and a good place to have a meal outside when the weather is nice, so we hopped into a taxi and got there in less than 20 minutes. We wandered up and down the strip trying to find a place that we were interested in. A couple of steak places caught our eye but the guys had decided they could get better, cheaper steak back in Aus. There were a few other Chinese restaurants but they were all packed, so we ended going to a German place where we could sit outside and watch the people go by. We also got to try some of the German beers which were delicous, though horrendously expensive (Xin Tian Di is one of the most expensive areas in Shanghai to get a meal). We finished up our meals and decided to go back to Pudong, but had got a taste for beer so we decided to find a place to keep drinking. Not many places to choose from in the Pudong area, so we went to the place that was closest to my apartment (and just happened to keep the German theme going) - the Pudong Hofbrauhaus.
The original Hofbrauhaus is a famous beer hall in Munich (which I went to way back in 2004). The one in Pudong is a multi-storey building, with a modern bar/dining area on the ground floor, a small-scale reproduction of an authentic German beer hall on the second floor, and an outdoor dining area on the third floor. The 2nd and 3rd floors were shut when we got there, so we just settled down at a table near the small three-member band (vainly trying to drum up interest from the crowd) and ordered up some locally-brewed beverages. Shotty decided to go with the 1-litre glass, while Cookie and I wisely chose the 500ml versions.
They were pretty tasty beers, and the waitress kept bringing over a dish of free peanuts, so we were content. We ended up staying there until the place was about to close (just near midnight) and got a taxi as we were too lazy to walk the whole 2km to get home. Was very happy I'd stayed away from the 1-litre beers when I woke up without a hangover the next day.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
11 days of mayhem - days 2 & 3
Monday dawned. The first day after the guys had arrived, and we were all amazingly hung over. Getting home at 5 or 6 in the morning after a 13 hour drinking session can do that to you, funnily enough. We ended up sleeping in until after midday and lazing around the apartment for most of the afternoon. Finally at around 5pm we decided we were in the right frame of mind to go out and see some sights, so I took the guys up to the subway station to travel across the river to Puxi.
We went for a walk along Nanjing Rd taking the obligatory photo here and there. Aside from having a quick look inside the flagship Nike store (complete with design-your-own-shoe area), we were far too lazy to stop in and explore any of the other stores. We were approached by someone trying to sell us a watch or DVDs every minute or so, but it was fun for the guys to experience it for the first time. We decided not to indulge in any of the offers, and instead just meandered down the road taking everything in.
We had a meal at one of the restaurants along the road after being approached by a guy asking if we were looking for a meal - actually, it was a coffee place with a reasonably westernised version of Chinese food, but it was still pretty tasty (aside from the spring rolls which seemed to have a chocolatey-type substance inside them). I remember that it was amazingly hot inside that place, which was probably for two reasons: 1 - we were still very hung over, and 2 - we sat very close to the neon sign that advertised their presence on Nanjing Rd.
After leaving the restaurant we wandered further down Nanjing Rd and onto The Bund where we took a few more photos of the great Pudong skyline. We walked almost all the way down to the Old Town area before organising a taxi to get back to the apartment. We were heading for an early night, and spent a little time with the Lonely Planet Guide to Shanghai so that the boys could plan what they wanted to do the next day.
The guys spent most of Tuesday wandering around the Old Town area while I was at work. We caught up for dinner, and I decided to show them my favourite meal - hot pot. We caught a taxi as the guys were sick of walking, and made a quick stop at the DVD store that I've been to previously. Shotty bought about 20 DVDs to take back (Cookie was a bit pickier as he'd seen pretty much everything they had), and we caught another quick taxi to the Little Sheep hot pot restaurant.
It was the first time I'd ever been to have hot pot without one of my Chinese co-workers with me to order everything. Luckily they had an English menu version (the standard one is all Chinese text with no photos) so I proceeded to order up a storm on behalf of the three of us. The guys left it completely in my hands as they had no idea what they were getting in for, and initially it looked like I'd stuffed things up completely. The amount of food that came out was extremely daunting - lamb, beef, potatoes, noodles, bean shoots - it just kept coming! Unperturbed, we ordered some Chinese beer (somehow managed to convey the fact that I wanted it to be cold even though I don't know the Chinese word for 'cold') and tucked in.
We must have stayed there for more than 2 hours, and drank a couple of litres of beer each during that time, but we got through all the food. We waddled home afterwards and lay around groaning and holding our bellies. The guys were extremely impressed with the amount of food and beer we consumed considering the price we paid ($AUS22 each), and Shotty rated it as one of the best things he's ever eaten. Another convert to the hot pot cause!
We went for a walk along Nanjing Rd taking the obligatory photo here and there. Aside from having a quick look inside the flagship Nike store (complete with design-your-own-shoe area), we were far too lazy to stop in and explore any of the other stores. We were approached by someone trying to sell us a watch or DVDs every minute or so, but it was fun for the guys to experience it for the first time. We decided not to indulge in any of the offers, and instead just meandered down the road taking everything in.
We had a meal at one of the restaurants along the road after being approached by a guy asking if we were looking for a meal - actually, it was a coffee place with a reasonably westernised version of Chinese food, but it was still pretty tasty (aside from the spring rolls which seemed to have a chocolatey-type substance inside them). I remember that it was amazingly hot inside that place, which was probably for two reasons: 1 - we were still very hung over, and 2 - we sat very close to the neon sign that advertised their presence on Nanjing Rd.
After leaving the restaurant we wandered further down Nanjing Rd and onto The Bund where we took a few more photos of the great Pudong skyline. We walked almost all the way down to the Old Town area before organising a taxi to get back to the apartment. We were heading for an early night, and spent a little time with the Lonely Planet Guide to Shanghai so that the boys could plan what they wanted to do the next day.
The guys spent most of Tuesday wandering around the Old Town area while I was at work. We caught up for dinner, and I decided to show them my favourite meal - hot pot. We caught a taxi as the guys were sick of walking, and made a quick stop at the DVD store that I've been to previously. Shotty bought about 20 DVDs to take back (Cookie was a bit pickier as he'd seen pretty much everything they had), and we caught another quick taxi to the Little Sheep hot pot restaurant.
It was the first time I'd ever been to have hot pot without one of my Chinese co-workers with me to order everything. Luckily they had an English menu version (the standard one is all Chinese text with no photos) so I proceeded to order up a storm on behalf of the three of us. The guys left it completely in my hands as they had no idea what they were getting in for, and initially it looked like I'd stuffed things up completely. The amount of food that came out was extremely daunting - lamb, beef, potatoes, noodles, bean shoots - it just kept coming! Unperturbed, we ordered some Chinese beer (somehow managed to convey the fact that I wanted it to be cold even though I don't know the Chinese word for 'cold') and tucked in.
We must have stayed there for more than 2 hours, and drank a couple of litres of beer each during that time, but we got through all the food. We waddled home afterwards and lay around groaning and holding our bellies. The guys were extremely impressed with the amount of food and beer we consumed considering the price we paid ($AUS22 each), and Shotty rated it as one of the best things he's ever eaten. Another convert to the hot pot cause!
Monday, April 20, 2009
11 days of mayhem - day 1
Ok, so it was an absolutely massive 11 days with the boys. I've got stories to tell and pictures to upload...so I'd best get started.
The guys arrived on Sunday morning the 5th of April at 11:30am. I took the Shanghai Maglev (that's the train that does 430km per hour out to the Pudong International Airport, one of the fastest trains in the world) out to get them and got there in plenty of time (it does 38km in 7 minutes). The guys arrived pretty much on schedule...sans baggage. Turns out they had to rush to get their connecting flight in Hong Kong, and while they got on the flight, their bags did not. Luckily we only had to wait an hour or so for the bags to come on the next flight, so we adjourned to the airport food lounge to grab some lunch and catch up on things. Their first meal in Shanghai? KFC.
After picking up their bags (and having a deja-vu experience when they came out of the arrivals area for a second time), we grabbed the Maglev back to downtown Pudong. While waiting in line to get a taxi back to my apartment, the guys were amused to be given some pamphlets advertising "Lots of lovely young girls of an average age of 18-20 are available here to relieve your fatigue and loneliness in the alien country". The reason I know exactly what it says is because they left it here for me when they left. Thanks guys.
Anyway, we got back to the apartment and got the guys unpacked and settled in. We made a quick trip to the local supermarket to buy some essentials (beer) and show them the madness that is a Shanghai supermarket on a Sunday afternoon. Then we hopped into another taxi to head down to Hengshan Rd over on the Puxi side of town.
We started off at a bar named Cotton's - a place I'd been past before but had never actually been into. It's a pretty nice place, much better in the warmer weather as there's a reasonably sized outdoor area that's good to sit down with a beer. After having a well deserved beverage, we met a couple of other Aussies there who invited us along to an Aussie drinks night on the following Friday (more about that later). We stayed for a couple of beers and then made our way to the next place - The Beaver.
It was only about 5:30 at this stage, and obviously a bit early in the day, because there was only one other guy at The Beaver and he was smashing some fish & chips. I guess Sunday isn't the biggest day to go out around that area (definitely nothing like the Sunday sessions back in Melbourne). Anyway, we had a couple of beers there (they had VB but we decided to steer clear of those) and played with the cat that was wandering up and down the bar, and then moved on. To an Irish pub just around the corner. I wanted them to experience as many places as possible, you understand.
Had a few more beers at the Irish pub and then decided it was time to get some food. Went just up the road to an Arabian place that I'd been to before (still no Chinese food for the guys) and had an excellent meal of rice and kebab-shaped meats. Plus a lot more beer. We waited in vain for the belly dancer to come on, but were told that she wasn't on that night for some reason. Disappointed, we left and went just over the road to SBS 191.
I've mentioned this place before in previous posts - it seems quite popular with the locals and I haven't really seen very many other Westerners in there the couple of times I've gone. Anyway, we settled in near the dance floor and started ordering jugs of beer. The boys were pretty thirsty from what I can remember, because those jugs disappeared rapidly. At this point, although the band was doing their thing (cheesy covers of Western songs), the dance floor was completely empty. With almost no egging-on from the guys, I got up on the dance floor...and started dancing by myself. Remarkably, this seemed to be the catalyst the crowd needed. Within a few minutes, I had been joined by a dozen others, and from that time on the floor remained pretty-much full. Just doing my part :)
About this time Cookie decided that he wanted to start drinking vodka and lime instead of beer. It was here that he ran into some problems - it took him a long time to get across to the bar staff what it was that he wanted. I think he had to send a couple of drinks back before they finally got the right thing. However, when he then asked for exactly the same drink, he got something completely different. It was frustrating, but we managed.
By this stage I was well and truly hammered, and had noticed that there were a couple of guys dancing over by a table just near the dancefloor. I decided that they were far better dancers than anyone actually on the floor, and eager to put on a show for my guests, I went over to them and challenged them to a dance-off.
Yes, you read that correctly. I think I may have been pulling out some Starsky & Hutch quotes at this time, I don't really remember. I do remember going over to the dancefloor just in front of them, cutting some sick moves, pointing to them and pointing to the floor in front of me. And some raucous laughter. Not sure where that came from. Anyway, whatever I ended up saying, it worked, because within a few seconds the guys were out on the floor and we were all pulling out our best stuff to one-up each other. Shotty swears to me that I started doing 'The Robot' at one point - I have no real excuse for this *hangs head in shame*. We had a lot of fun and even got the lead singer of the band out to dance with us for a little while.
We stayed at SBS until about 2am when it closed, and then hopped in a taxi to go to Judy's Too on Tongren Rd. I'm sure I've mentioned this place before - full of local girls (that are not exactly what they seem) hunting for prey, and some very drunken individuals such as ourselves that are there to dance and keep drinking as much as possible. This is the stage where things get really hazy. Somehow, the three of us managed to get separated. I seem to recall giving Cookie the key to the apartment so that he could go home...but didn't give him the address. I had shown him the Sheraton Hotel landmark earlier in the day, and he knew I lived in Pudong, and somehow managed to get the taxi driver to take him to the right place so that he could walk back to my apartment. Super impressive effort on his first day in the country. Shotty got home separately soon after Cookie...he actually had a piece of paper with my address, but it had been ripped in half, so it was a miracle that he got home too. I got back a bit later (after smashing some vanilla french toast at the all-night diner - don't ask) and was relived to find the boys had made it safely home.
So there you go - first night out in a foreign country where they couldn't speak the language at all, and we get separated. Extremely average hosting duties by yours truly! After that debacle, I gave both the boys a piece of paper with my address in both English and Chinese so that they'd always be able to find their way home.
And at the end of that massive post, it's the end of day 1 of their trip. I'm hoping the rest of the trip won't warrant such large posts! More tomorrow.
The guys arrived on Sunday morning the 5th of April at 11:30am. I took the Shanghai Maglev (that's the train that does 430km per hour out to the Pudong International Airport, one of the fastest trains in the world) out to get them and got there in plenty of time (it does 38km in 7 minutes). The guys arrived pretty much on schedule...sans baggage. Turns out they had to rush to get their connecting flight in Hong Kong, and while they got on the flight, their bags did not. Luckily we only had to wait an hour or so for the bags to come on the next flight, so we adjourned to the airport food lounge to grab some lunch and catch up on things. Their first meal in Shanghai? KFC.
After picking up their bags (and having a deja-vu experience when they came out of the arrivals area for a second time), we grabbed the Maglev back to downtown Pudong. While waiting in line to get a taxi back to my apartment, the guys were amused to be given some pamphlets advertising "Lots of lovely young girls of an average age of 18-20 are available here to relieve your fatigue and loneliness in the alien country". The reason I know exactly what it says is because they left it here for me when they left. Thanks guys.
Anyway, we got back to the apartment and got the guys unpacked and settled in. We made a quick trip to the local supermarket to buy some essentials (beer) and show them the madness that is a Shanghai supermarket on a Sunday afternoon. Then we hopped into another taxi to head down to Hengshan Rd over on the Puxi side of town.
We started off at a bar named Cotton's - a place I'd been past before but had never actually been into. It's a pretty nice place, much better in the warmer weather as there's a reasonably sized outdoor area that's good to sit down with a beer. After having a well deserved beverage, we met a couple of other Aussies there who invited us along to an Aussie drinks night on the following Friday (more about that later). We stayed for a couple of beers and then made our way to the next place - The Beaver.
It was only about 5:30 at this stage, and obviously a bit early in the day, because there was only one other guy at The Beaver and he was smashing some fish & chips. I guess Sunday isn't the biggest day to go out around that area (definitely nothing like the Sunday sessions back in Melbourne). Anyway, we had a couple of beers there (they had VB but we decided to steer clear of those) and played with the cat that was wandering up and down the bar, and then moved on. To an Irish pub just around the corner. I wanted them to experience as many places as possible, you understand.
Had a few more beers at the Irish pub and then decided it was time to get some food. Went just up the road to an Arabian place that I'd been to before (still no Chinese food for the guys) and had an excellent meal of rice and kebab-shaped meats. Plus a lot more beer. We waited in vain for the belly dancer to come on, but were told that she wasn't on that night for some reason. Disappointed, we left and went just over the road to SBS 191.
I've mentioned this place before in previous posts - it seems quite popular with the locals and I haven't really seen very many other Westerners in there the couple of times I've gone. Anyway, we settled in near the dance floor and started ordering jugs of beer. The boys were pretty thirsty from what I can remember, because those jugs disappeared rapidly. At this point, although the band was doing their thing (cheesy covers of Western songs), the dance floor was completely empty. With almost no egging-on from the guys, I got up on the dance floor...and started dancing by myself. Remarkably, this seemed to be the catalyst the crowd needed. Within a few minutes, I had been joined by a dozen others, and from that time on the floor remained pretty-much full. Just doing my part :)
About this time Cookie decided that he wanted to start drinking vodka and lime instead of beer. It was here that he ran into some problems - it took him a long time to get across to the bar staff what it was that he wanted. I think he had to send a couple of drinks back before they finally got the right thing. However, when he then asked for exactly the same drink, he got something completely different. It was frustrating, but we managed.
By this stage I was well and truly hammered, and had noticed that there were a couple of guys dancing over by a table just near the dancefloor. I decided that they were far better dancers than anyone actually on the floor, and eager to put on a show for my guests, I went over to them and challenged them to a dance-off.
Yes, you read that correctly. I think I may have been pulling out some Starsky & Hutch quotes at this time, I don't really remember. I do remember going over to the dancefloor just in front of them, cutting some sick moves, pointing to them and pointing to the floor in front of me. And some raucous laughter. Not sure where that came from. Anyway, whatever I ended up saying, it worked, because within a few seconds the guys were out on the floor and we were all pulling out our best stuff to one-up each other. Shotty swears to me that I started doing 'The Robot' at one point - I have no real excuse for this *hangs head in shame*. We had a lot of fun and even got the lead singer of the band out to dance with us for a little while.
We stayed at SBS until about 2am when it closed, and then hopped in a taxi to go to Judy's Too on Tongren Rd. I'm sure I've mentioned this place before - full of local girls (that are not exactly what they seem) hunting for prey, and some very drunken individuals such as ourselves that are there to dance and keep drinking as much as possible. This is the stage where things get really hazy. Somehow, the three of us managed to get separated. I seem to recall giving Cookie the key to the apartment so that he could go home...but didn't give him the address. I had shown him the Sheraton Hotel landmark earlier in the day, and he knew I lived in Pudong, and somehow managed to get the taxi driver to take him to the right place so that he could walk back to my apartment. Super impressive effort on his first day in the country. Shotty got home separately soon after Cookie...he actually had a piece of paper with my address, but it had been ripped in half, so it was a miracle that he got home too. I got back a bit later (after smashing some vanilla french toast at the all-night diner - don't ask) and was relived to find the boys had made it safely home.
So there you go - first night out in a foreign country where they couldn't speak the language at all, and we get separated. Extremely average hosting duties by yours truly! After that debacle, I gave both the boys a piece of paper with my address in both English and Chinese so that they'd always be able to find their way home.
And at the end of that massive post, it's the end of day 1 of their trip. I'm hoping the rest of the trip won't warrant such large posts! More tomorrow.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Intermission
Two friends (Shotty and Cookie) are in town at the moment, and as a result there has been a distinct lack of blogging going on. Got plenty to write about but will be waiting until they leave mid-next week. Some teasers include dance-off, $AUS20 all-you-can-drink, and a weekend in Beijing.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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