Week 6: Shanghai Part 2

This week I decided a bit of R&R was in order, so I stayed in Shanghai to get to know the city a bit better. My coworker gave me a list of things worth seeing or doing: from standard tourist attractions to places locals explore in the city. I started out with getting a new pair of prescription glasses. No I don’t need new glasses, the ones I brought are working just fine. However, as advertised, you can get custom glasses made within 30 minutes and the price tag is nothing to scoff at, especially compared to prices in the US. Thus, 30 minutes and $50 later, I am now the proud owner of a pair of Ray Ban glasses, to wear when I want to mix it up a bit. Highlights of my trip include showing the salesperson a picture of my office manager in order to secure the “friend discount” and getting an eye exam done. In the States, when they want to test what lens strength you need, they hold up an eye machine to your face and flip through the different lenses. Here, they had an actual pair of glasses that had clip-ins for the lenses, which you could compound as the patient requires. Since I’m very, very near-signed, my obligatory walk around the shop with this medical device was a sight to see, with 3-4 lenses strapped to each eye!

I also decided to go get a haircut, since I hadn’t had one in several years. I walked into a recommended salon with the intention of getting a trim and some layers: what I ended up with was a shampoo, head massage, upper shoulder massage, trim, and styling. It was quite the relaxing experience, so I can’t really complain!

Outside of my mini makeover, I went to one street known for selling clothing. Along this particular road were several buildings that were full to the brim with independent clothes salespeople and their shops. It was like TJ Maxx had split into 100 different tiny rooms, each with a hodgepodge selection, with any kind of clothing you could imagine. There was 1 “store” with only denim-pants, shirts, jumpers, you name it! I’m not sure how the Chinese are able to find anything with the cluster that was Qi Pu road, but it was certainly a sight to see.

The other place I visited was the Yu Garden of the “Old Temple”. This is a historic site tucked away in the middle of the city, complete with a temple and beautiful garden. The garden was probably a serene place once, but now it is filled to the brim with people from all over the world. Still beautiful, it was worth the visit, especially for the enormous fish in the various ponds the garden encircles. Outside the garden they also have a type of cafeteria, where I had a laugh at some of the translations of the available delicacies. Particularly funny was the translation for a dish that I’ve always known as “Stinky Tofu”. (And believe me, this particular snack gives off an unmistakable odor that cannot be escaped. I always seem to find it in the old towns.) This sign indicated that it was “Deep-Fried Bean Curd of Odor”. How’s that for a mouth-watering description!