I'm continually amazed that I have a job which allows me to travel around the world. I don't always travel to exotic places but I have the opportunity to travel nonetheless. And obviously this trip was no different. I'm so happy I was able to visit London, as it has always been one of the places I wanted to go. Now if I can only talk someone into making a mandatory business trip to Paris. ;-) Maybe one day...
As it seems to be with any business trip, there's never enough time to do all of the sightseeing that you want to do. This trip was no different. But the trip was for business and I was able to go so I won't complain. The next time I go to London, there are definitely some places that I want to check out further... Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards, shopping at Harrods, take in a show or two, visit Tate Modern and generally just explore around Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus. Plus, I still want to get smashed with some Englishmen at a pub. :-) Really for no other reason than to listen to their English accents and talk shit with them while ingesting beer.
The weather during my stay in London was not great. I think it rained all days except for one, which was the day I took my bus tour so I was quite lucky! But I guess that's to be expected. England seems to be known for its misty, dreary weather. Nonetheless, I was still able to get out and explore so who am I to complain? Although I don't know if I could live in a place that has weather like that all of the time. That's one really great thing about Montreal...seems like there is plenty of sunshine and that makes me happy. :-)
One thing that I really appreciate about London is the sense of fashion. It's edgier than what I've seen in most other places. I think that I would really embrace the fashion if I lived there. Although with greater courage for fashion also comes some over-the-top fashion statements. I did see a couple of people who really made me question what they were thinking when they got out of bed that morning. In general, though, the fashion is fantastic. As a side note, I wore my new hot pink coat today for the first time and felt absolutely amazing. I love my new coat!! It totally made my day brighter...no pun intended. :-)
Overall my experience in London was extremely positive. I enjoyed the area where I stayed and all of the areas that I visited. The one thing that I noticed is that London is very international. The way I describe it is that it's like the U.S. but international. :-) As a native English speaker, it's very easy to visit London since the official language is English. Now having traveled to multiple different countries, it can sometimes be stressful not knowing the native language. However, it was easy and simple in London. But when walking on the sidewalk or riding the tube, you hear Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian...the list goes on and on. And I absolutely love that!! It's one of the aspects I really appreciate about Montreal. So of course it's one of the things that also attracts me to London. In most cities I visit, I always wonder if I could live there. If not for the high cost of living, I definitely think I could feel right at home in London.
So in closing, I say "cheerio" to London but not forever. I will be back... and always remember "Please Mind the Gap." :-)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Shopping and Portobello Market
After finishing up my work on Friday evening, I decided that I wanted to go shopping and get a feel for some of the shops in London. So I headed to High Street Kensington to do a little shopping... my favorite past-time by far. ;-)
So when I got out of the tube station, I saw the cutest accessories store called...you guessed it... "Accessories." I'm amazed by the ingenuity and imagination. ;-) But they had a lot of fun stuff. But I decided that I didn't need any more hats, scarves, necklaces, earrings, etc. because I don't wear it often...especially since I work with mostly boys and they have absolutely no appreciation for it. So why try?! ;-)
I kept going and arrived at Marks and Spencer. My first experience at Marks and Spencer was in Shanghai. I had walked through the store there but was afraid to try-on anything with all of the tiny Chinese people. Compared to them, I looked like a massive, white giant and felt uncomfortable trying clothes on. Plus, I figured since I was in Shanghai I should buy things that I could only get in Shanghai. But since I'm now in London and Marks and Spencer is an English brand, it's only fitting that I shop there and try on clothes. :-) At least that's what I told myself... and thus it was the beginning of the end of my Friday evening...
Most things are grossly overpriced in London...and fashion is no different. But I've decided that Marks and Spencer is the Old Navy of England but with much better quality. The clothes are actually decently priced and just about everything I went passed in the store is adorable. Furthermore, it all comes in my size!! How exciting is that?!!? As many of you may have already seen in my pictures, I found this amazing hot pink wool/cashmere coat that I had to have. But literally...I had to have it. The coat I took with me to London was falling apart by the day. By the end of my stay, I felt like a homeless women. There were holes and the material was frayed in many places. I was a hot mess when I should have been really cute during my travels. So as you can imagine, the pink coat was an absolute necessity. Furthermore, I think every woman needs a hot pink coat. It makes you feel all girly and feminine. :-)
I tried on lots of other things and fell in love with just about everything I tried on. And while I equate Marks and Spencer to the Old Navy of England, the prices aren't exactly comparable. While M&S seems much cheaper than other stores, it's by no means "cheap." Just cheaper than the alternatives. But I found some jeans that I couldn't live without and got those as well. I'm really pleased with my purchases and am proud of myself for only buying the necessities.
Continuing on with my shopping theme, I still needed to pick up some souvenirs for my family and friends. I decided that the perfect place to do that (and the perfect finale to my London trip) was at Portobello Market in Notting Hill. The Portobello Market is probably most notorious because of the movie Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. There is a montage scene in the movie which shows time passing as Hugh Grant is walking along Portobello Road. So I definitely wanted to check it out.
I went to the market really early in the morning because I needed to be back at my hotel no later than 11am in order to start my journey back to Montreal. So I got to the market just as all of the vendors were setting up and getting ready for the day. For any of you who might visit London and want to go to Portobello Market, go first thing in the morning. I arrived around 9am and left about 10:30am. I felt like a fish swimming upstream as I was walking back. Seriously, it was the earth opened up and spit out a million people on Portobello Road. They were like moths drawn to the flame.
Portobello Market was fun. I didn't really know what to expect but there were a lot of "antique" stalls and kitsch shops. I put "antique" in quotes because by antique I really mean old, crappy shit. Although there were a few nice pieces, it was more like a big garage sale at some parts of the market. But there were also some unique things there as well. What I found really interesting is that there were a lot of handmade leather goods which still smelled like animals. I was tempted buy a handmade leather journal that also had handmade paper within. It was pretty cool. But I wasn't quite sure if I could get over the smell or if it would dissipate at all. I knew that if it didn't, I wouldn't use it and it would be a wasted purchase. So I continued on my trek for souvenirs. In the end, I found everything that I wanted or needed to get for my peeps. I won't mention what I got everyone because if they're reading this, I want it to be a surprise. I have so say, though, that my favorite find was my mom's...it's more sentimental than anything else, but as soon as I saw it, I had to get it for her. I can't wait to give it to her.
Portobello Market was my last taste of London and it was a good experience. As always, I wish that I had more time to explore and really get to know the neighborhoods...especially Notting Hill. It seems like a really cool part of town.
So when I got out of the tube station, I saw the cutest accessories store called...you guessed it... "Accessories." I'm amazed by the ingenuity and imagination. ;-) But they had a lot of fun stuff. But I decided that I didn't need any more hats, scarves, necklaces, earrings, etc. because I don't wear it often...especially since I work with mostly boys and they have absolutely no appreciation for it. So why try?! ;-)
I kept going and arrived at Marks and Spencer. My first experience at Marks and Spencer was in Shanghai. I had walked through the store there but was afraid to try-on anything with all of the tiny Chinese people. Compared to them, I looked like a massive, white giant and felt uncomfortable trying clothes on. Plus, I figured since I was in Shanghai I should buy things that I could only get in Shanghai. But since I'm now in London and Marks and Spencer is an English brand, it's only fitting that I shop there and try on clothes. :-) At least that's what I told myself... and thus it was the beginning of the end of my Friday evening...
Most things are grossly overpriced in London...and fashion is no different. But I've decided that Marks and Spencer is the Old Navy of England but with much better quality. The clothes are actually decently priced and just about everything I went passed in the store is adorable. Furthermore, it all comes in my size!! How exciting is that?!!? As many of you may have already seen in my pictures, I found this amazing hot pink wool/cashmere coat that I had to have. But literally...I had to have it. The coat I took with me to London was falling apart by the day. By the end of my stay, I felt like a homeless women. There were holes and the material was frayed in many places. I was a hot mess when I should have been really cute during my travels. So as you can imagine, the pink coat was an absolute necessity. Furthermore, I think every woman needs a hot pink coat. It makes you feel all girly and feminine. :-)
I tried on lots of other things and fell in love with just about everything I tried on. And while I equate Marks and Spencer to the Old Navy of England, the prices aren't exactly comparable. While M&S seems much cheaper than other stores, it's by no means "cheap." Just cheaper than the alternatives. But I found some jeans that I couldn't live without and got those as well. I'm really pleased with my purchases and am proud of myself for only buying the necessities.
Continuing on with my shopping theme, I still needed to pick up some souvenirs for my family and friends. I decided that the perfect place to do that (and the perfect finale to my London trip) was at Portobello Market in Notting Hill. The Portobello Market is probably most notorious because of the movie Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. There is a montage scene in the movie which shows time passing as Hugh Grant is walking along Portobello Road. So I definitely wanted to check it out.
I went to the market really early in the morning because I needed to be back at my hotel no later than 11am in order to start my journey back to Montreal. So I got to the market just as all of the vendors were setting up and getting ready for the day. For any of you who might visit London and want to go to Portobello Market, go first thing in the morning. I arrived around 9am and left about 10:30am. I felt like a fish swimming upstream as I was walking back. Seriously, it was the earth opened up and spit out a million people on Portobello Road. They were like moths drawn to the flame.
Portobello Market was fun. I didn't really know what to expect but there were a lot of "antique" stalls and kitsch shops. I put "antique" in quotes because by antique I really mean old, crappy shit. Although there were a few nice pieces, it was more like a big garage sale at some parts of the market. But there were also some unique things there as well. What I found really interesting is that there were a lot of handmade leather goods which still smelled like animals. I was tempted buy a handmade leather journal that also had handmade paper within. It was pretty cool. But I wasn't quite sure if I could get over the smell or if it would dissipate at all. I knew that if it didn't, I wouldn't use it and it would be a wasted purchase. So I continued on my trek for souvenirs. In the end, I found everything that I wanted or needed to get for my peeps. I won't mention what I got everyone because if they're reading this, I want it to be a surprise. I have so say, though, that my favorite find was my mom's...it's more sentimental than anything else, but as soon as I saw it, I had to get it for her. I can't wait to give it to her.
Portobello Market was my last taste of London and it was a good experience. As always, I wish that I had more time to explore and really get to know the neighborhoods...especially Notting Hill. It seems like a really cool part of town.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Churches of old
On Friday morning, after only 4 hours of sleep, I forced myself out of bed so that I would have plenty of time to visit Westminster Abbey before I had to be back at my hotel room to take a conference call in the afternoon and then work the rest of the afternoon. It's a good thing that I'm a planner and that I typically try to arrive early rather than late, because if I had not left the hotel when I did, I would have never made it there and back in time for my meeting. Two of the main subway lines were closed down due to a police investigation. It made me wonder what they were investigating. (Later I found out that there was a body found on one of the tracks over night and so the police had do to some crime scene investigation. Yikes!!) So I had to put on my thinking cap and devise alternate routes to get to Westminster Abbey. My trek that morning took me almost an hour and a half. Plus, when I was coming home, said subway lines were still delayed so it took me another hour to get back to my hotel. Anyways, I digress...
Besides not being a traditional person, I'm not really a religious person either. But the one really strange thing about me is that I absolutely love the old churches and cathedrals found in Europe. It doesn't matter who, what, when, where or why, if there's a church or cathedral, I must see it. So as you can imagine, Westminster Abbey was at the top of my list. I'm so happy that I was able to visit.
I didn't know much about the history of Westminster Abbey, but I learned a lot of interesting and inspiring facts. There are parts of the church which are over 1000 years old. Before it was ever a practicing church, it was a monastery. To this day, they still have a boys choir and school affiliated with the church. Furthermore, a ton of people are buried at Westminster Abbey. Of course, all of the kings and queens of old are there, plus some of their kinfolk. However, most notably (and surprising to me), both Chaucer and Handel are buried there. They have their own memorials in the church. During my tour, they played an excerpt from Handel's Messiah. I forgot how much that music moves me. As I said, I'm not very religious anymore, but the music still gives me goosebumps. Sometimes I really miss singing and playing music. That was definitely one of those times I was feeling extremely nostalgic.
As I was touring Westminster Abbey, it finally dawned on me why I love churches so much. First of all, I find the architecture and design to be incomparable to anything else. You never see the same kind of gothic and ornate design in any other kind of building. But even more so, compare a building, for instance Tower of London, that was built in the same time as the church, in this case Westminster Abbey. The differences are night and day. Granted, the Tower of London was built for an entirely different purpose and was built with the intent of being a fortress against attackers and to protect the king. But the details in the church are unimaginable. There were even parts of the church which took over 400 years to complete because the various kings kept running out of money. But for what purpose must you build such an ornate building?!? Is it really for the glory of your god? Or is it for your glory so you can boast about it? I guess that's what I find so confounding about these old churches and cathedrals. Here they are spending tons of money to build such a grand place of worship and yet people are going hungry. The same is still true today. Ahhh...the many hypocrisies of religion... Let's not get started.
Once again, when touring Westminster Abbey, I was amazed at the traditions and rituals that have held fast over the many years. Every coronation for the last 700 years was held at Westminster Abbey. If I remember correctly, all weddings have also taken place there as well. I think it is amazing to be part of a society and culture which is so riddled with tradition. I don't know if I would appreciate it if were my heritage the way I appreciate it as an outsider. One of the really cool things was that during some of the restorations on parts of the church, they uncovered some of the original gothic wall paintings which were over 800 years old. It was really amazing to be able to see that!
Even considering my own personal beliefs on religion and putting that aside, Westminster Abbey was by far the most gorgeous church I have visited thus far in my travels. It's in a league all of its own. When I go back to London, I would like to go again but go with a real tour guide. Unfortunately, I was pressed for time and unable to take the guided tour. It's amazing to think that there are buildings older than my great country of America or my adopted country of Canada. Westminster Abbey, well-done in preserving your country's heritage and history!
Besides not being a traditional person, I'm not really a religious person either. But the one really strange thing about me is that I absolutely love the old churches and cathedrals found in Europe. It doesn't matter who, what, when, where or why, if there's a church or cathedral, I must see it. So as you can imagine, Westminster Abbey was at the top of my list. I'm so happy that I was able to visit.
I didn't know much about the history of Westminster Abbey, but I learned a lot of interesting and inspiring facts. There are parts of the church which are over 1000 years old. Before it was ever a practicing church, it was a monastery. To this day, they still have a boys choir and school affiliated with the church. Furthermore, a ton of people are buried at Westminster Abbey. Of course, all of the kings and queens of old are there, plus some of their kinfolk. However, most notably (and surprising to me), both Chaucer and Handel are buried there. They have their own memorials in the church. During my tour, they played an excerpt from Handel's Messiah. I forgot how much that music moves me. As I said, I'm not very religious anymore, but the music still gives me goosebumps. Sometimes I really miss singing and playing music. That was definitely one of those times I was feeling extremely nostalgic.
As I was touring Westminster Abbey, it finally dawned on me why I love churches so much. First of all, I find the architecture and design to be incomparable to anything else. You never see the same kind of gothic and ornate design in any other kind of building. But even more so, compare a building, for instance Tower of London, that was built in the same time as the church, in this case Westminster Abbey. The differences are night and day. Granted, the Tower of London was built for an entirely different purpose and was built with the intent of being a fortress against attackers and to protect the king. But the details in the church are unimaginable. There were even parts of the church which took over 400 years to complete because the various kings kept running out of money. But for what purpose must you build such an ornate building?!? Is it really for the glory of your god? Or is it for your glory so you can boast about it? I guess that's what I find so confounding about these old churches and cathedrals. Here they are spending tons of money to build such a grand place of worship and yet people are going hungry. The same is still true today. Ahhh...the many hypocrisies of religion... Let's not get started.
Once again, when touring Westminster Abbey, I was amazed at the traditions and rituals that have held fast over the many years. Every coronation for the last 700 years was held at Westminster Abbey. If I remember correctly, all weddings have also taken place there as well. I think it is amazing to be part of a society and culture which is so riddled with tradition. I don't know if I would appreciate it if were my heritage the way I appreciate it as an outsider. One of the really cool things was that during some of the restorations on parts of the church, they uncovered some of the original gothic wall paintings which were over 800 years old. It was really amazing to be able to see that!
Even considering my own personal beliefs on religion and putting that aside, Westminster Abbey was by far the most gorgeous church I have visited thus far in my travels. It's in a league all of its own. When I go back to London, I would like to go again but go with a real tour guide. Unfortunately, I was pressed for time and unable to take the guided tour. It's amazing to think that there are buildings older than my great country of America or my adopted country of Canada. Westminster Abbey, well-done in preserving your country's heritage and history!
Back on the tour again...London style
So this week has been really busy with meetings and working. The last two nights I was working until 1am-2am and then getting up at 6am or 7am to get ready for the day. I'm exhausted. But I have to admit that I took a little time for myself on this glorious Friday morning (as glorious as you can get in dreary London) and visited Westminster Abbey. One word...incredible!! Oh, I guess I should mention that I also took a couple of hours yesterday afternoon and went to Tower of London with my colleagues. ;-) But really...I have been working EXTREMELY hard.
Tower of London was pretty cool. Of course it's a really old fort/tower and the artifacts are pretty amazing. Just to think that something has survived over 700 years is mind boggling. There are three things that I really enjoyed during my visit there.
1. The view from the Tower of the Thames River and the Tower Bridge. I got some nice pictures of the bridge and river from the Tower of London. Plus, yesterday was a strange day for weather. It was all dreary and raining in the morning, sunshine for about 2 hours in the afternoon and then torrential downpour for an hour until it got all dark and drizzly again. We were pretty lucky that the two hours of sunshine occurred while we were playing tourist.
2. Carvings in the soapstone walls. In one of the small towers, they used to house prisoners there. The prisoners would apparently occupy their time by carving into the soapstone walls. Amazingly enough, they were able to preserve parts of the wall. Some people wrote various sayings or proverbs, others wrote their names and dates, some others even drew pictures (although quite rudimentary). It was completely fascinating to see how people occupied their time while imprisoned.
3. The Crown Jewels. Need I say more?!?! I'm all about accessories. You know this if you know me at all. But the baubles and crowns that adorned the royal families are a little over the top....and I absolutely love it!!! :-) I have never before in my life seen such magnificent jewels. Even the crowns which were created over 200 years ago have gems and jewels that are dazzling. It's always been my expectation that the further we evolve, the more sophisticated designs are in general. But they sure knew how to craft intricate details and cut the stones. Plus, I got to see the world's largest and clearest diamond - the Asscher diamond which is mounted in the Queen Her Majesty's royal scepter. Uuuuhhhh....hello, can I have one for Christmas please?!? ;-) I wouldn't mind going back to the Tower of London to just stare at the Crown Jewels for hours. But the royal guards would probably think I'm planning a heist. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to adorn yourself with all of that stuff. But the fascists wouldn't let me take any pictures. Boo. :-(
In general, I'm not really what I would consider a "traditional" person. I don't have family traditions that I follow. There is really no pomp and circumstance in my life that drives my decisions. But I have to admit that there is something to be said for long standing traditions. Learning the history of the crown jewels and knowing that every royal person uses the same scepter for hundreds of years or that the same anointing spoon has been used in every coronation ceremony for the past 700 years - it makes me appreciate the value of tradition and
why people hold fast to this kind of ideology.
Stay tuned for my thoughts of Westminster Abbey... and in the words of the English, "have a good day, love!" xoxo
Tower of London was pretty cool. Of course it's a really old fort/tower and the artifacts are pretty amazing. Just to think that something has survived over 700 years is mind boggling. There are three things that I really enjoyed during my visit there.
1. The view from the Tower of the Thames River and the Tower Bridge. I got some nice pictures of the bridge and river from the Tower of London. Plus, yesterday was a strange day for weather. It was all dreary and raining in the morning, sunshine for about 2 hours in the afternoon and then torrential downpour for an hour until it got all dark and drizzly again. We were pretty lucky that the two hours of sunshine occurred while we were playing tourist.
2. Carvings in the soapstone walls. In one of the small towers, they used to house prisoners there. The prisoners would apparently occupy their time by carving into the soapstone walls. Amazingly enough, they were able to preserve parts of the wall. Some people wrote various sayings or proverbs, others wrote their names and dates, some others even drew pictures (although quite rudimentary). It was completely fascinating to see how people occupied their time while imprisoned.
3. The Crown Jewels. Need I say more?!?! I'm all about accessories. You know this if you know me at all. But the baubles and crowns that adorned the royal families are a little over the top....and I absolutely love it!!! :-) I have never before in my life seen such magnificent jewels. Even the crowns which were created over 200 years ago have gems and jewels that are dazzling. It's always been my expectation that the further we evolve, the more sophisticated designs are in general. But they sure knew how to craft intricate details and cut the stones. Plus, I got to see the world's largest and clearest diamond - the Asscher diamond which is mounted in the Queen Her Majesty's royal scepter. Uuuuhhhh....hello, can I have one for Christmas please?!? ;-) I wouldn't mind going back to the Tower of London to just stare at the Crown Jewels for hours. But the royal guards would probably think I'm planning a heist. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to adorn yourself with all of that stuff. But the fascists wouldn't let me take any pictures. Boo. :-(
In general, I'm not really what I would consider a "traditional" person. I don't have family traditions that I follow. There is really no pomp and circumstance in my life that drives my decisions. But I have to admit that there is something to be said for long standing traditions. Learning the history of the crown jewels and knowing that every royal person uses the same scepter for hundreds of years or that the same anointing spoon has been used in every coronation ceremony for the past 700 years - it makes me appreciate the value of tradition and
why people hold fast to this kind of ideology.
Stay tuned for my thoughts of Westminster Abbey... and in the words of the English, "have a good day, love!" xoxo
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Bonafide London tourist
So yesterday was all about travel, seeing my friend from high school and trying to cope with my jet lag. Today was all about touring London and seeing the sights. I bought a bus tour ticket and went all around Central London. I was able to see so many fantastic sights and am looking forward to going back to see more later this week.
This morning I treated myself to an English breakfast buffet...which was pretty much the same thing as an American breakfast buffet except for a few unidentified objects - namely some charred black sausage patty looking thing. Otherwise all was good.
I got to know the London tube system better today. Unfortunately on my way to the bus tour, parts of the tube were shut down so I had to figure out alternative methods to get to my destination. But all's well that ends well. My bus tour began in Picadilly Circus. My colleague told me to visit there and I asked him what was there and he said theatres, shops, and restaurants. I was thinking to myself that it didn't sound very unique and had pretty much written it off of my list of things to do in London. But it was absolutely fantastic!! That area of London is so thriving and upbeat. It would be really great if I could get in a show while here but I doubt that I will find enough time. But let's see...
On my bus tour, I saw all of the major attractions of London... Trafalger Square, Buckingham Palace (although we weren't able to get too close), Hyde Park, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern Exhibit, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, River Thames, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. Oooh, I got to see where Margaret Thatcher and J.K. Rowlings live. Mind you, all of this was seen from the upper portion of my bus. But it was a great introduction to London and to some of the sights that I would like to go back and visit.
However, I did go on the London Eye today. It was pretty fantastic. It's a great way to get a 360 degree view of all of London. There is an introductory video that boasts about being 4D. I was thinking to myself, what the heck is 4D? What more can they add? During the video, they blow bubbles, snow flakes and spray you with water. I was unprepared for that. :-)
So I have to admit that I was a bad tourist and ate at McDonald's today. I realized I hadn't eaten in almost 6 hours and all of the sudden I started getting the shakes from low blood sugar. So I broke down and bought a chicken sandwich that I could quickly eat and then get real food later. However, I can safely report that the chicken sandwich in London tastes the same as it does in the U.S. and Canada.
Oh guess what... there used to be a Republic of Texas Embassy here in London before Texas became part of the U.S. Now they have a Texas Embassy restaurant in its place. I also saw the Canadian Embassy with its flag flying high. Pictures of both places to be posted soon.
There's a lot more to discuss but it's my bed time and tomorrow starts the work (the whole reason why I'm here). But I will make sure to post more later...and pics as well.
This morning I treated myself to an English breakfast buffet...which was pretty much the same thing as an American breakfast buffet except for a few unidentified objects - namely some charred black sausage patty looking thing. Otherwise all was good.
I got to know the London tube system better today. Unfortunately on my way to the bus tour, parts of the tube were shut down so I had to figure out alternative methods to get to my destination. But all's well that ends well. My bus tour began in Picadilly Circus. My colleague told me to visit there and I asked him what was there and he said theatres, shops, and restaurants. I was thinking to myself that it didn't sound very unique and had pretty much written it off of my list of things to do in London. But it was absolutely fantastic!! That area of London is so thriving and upbeat. It would be really great if I could get in a show while here but I doubt that I will find enough time. But let's see...
On my bus tour, I saw all of the major attractions of London... Trafalger Square, Buckingham Palace (although we weren't able to get too close), Hyde Park, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern Exhibit, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, River Thames, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. Oooh, I got to see where Margaret Thatcher and J.K. Rowlings live. Mind you, all of this was seen from the upper portion of my bus. But it was a great introduction to London and to some of the sights that I would like to go back and visit.
However, I did go on the London Eye today. It was pretty fantastic. It's a great way to get a 360 degree view of all of London. There is an introductory video that boasts about being 4D. I was thinking to myself, what the heck is 4D? What more can they add? During the video, they blow bubbles, snow flakes and spray you with water. I was unprepared for that. :-)
So I have to admit that I was a bad tourist and ate at McDonald's today. I realized I hadn't eaten in almost 6 hours and all of the sudden I started getting the shakes from low blood sugar. So I broke down and bought a chicken sandwich that I could quickly eat and then get real food later. However, I can safely report that the chicken sandwich in London tastes the same as it does in the U.S. and Canada.
Oh guess what... there used to be a Republic of Texas Embassy here in London before Texas became part of the U.S. Now they have a Texas Embassy restaurant in its place. I also saw the Canadian Embassy with its flag flying high. Pictures of both places to be posted soon.
There's a lot more to discuss but it's my bed time and tomorrow starts the work (the whole reason why I'm here). But I will make sure to post more later...and pics as well.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Motherland of America
So I arrived in London very early this morning (i.e. 7:00am). I had high hopes that my flight would be quite empty, as it showed many empty seats when I was checking in. But it was all a conspiracy because the flight was full. Needless to say, sleep on the airplane was restless and fitful. So as I disembarked the plane and headed to customs, I was completely disoriented and overwhelmed by the magnitude of people who were also arriving at Heathrow at 7am on a Saturday morning.
Immigration and customs were very easy. I guess the UK government doesn't give Americans a hard time when traveling to London like the American government gives our fellow British companions a hard time. (Back story: my British friend was traveling to the U.S. from Canada to go to some meetings at a customer of ours and the U.S. immigration officers detained him for questioning for hours and finally let him through but told him not to come back to the U.S. without a work visa. Mind you, he was just going for some meetings and does not work out of or live in the U.S. smh. Ahhh...gotta love the U.S. government.)
I took the Heathrow Express from the airport to Paddington Square in central London. It travels 15 miles in 15 minutes, which is apparently a big deal in London. It was a very nice train and good experience. Then I proceeded to go to the Underground Tube in order to get to my hotel. A friend of mine had suggested that I not take the tube with all of my luggage because it's a lot of stairs and few escalators. But did I heed his advice? No, because I'm stubborn like that. Sooo...my friend was right. I should have just taken a taxi because my luggage and those stairs were quite the workout!! But, c'est la vie! :-)
It's about a 6 minute walk from the Tube station to my hotel on Holland Park Ave. I'm staying in Kensington, right on the edge of Notting Hill. Let me tell you...it looks just like the movie. Plus, it's still fall here (not full-on winter like Montreal) and it's very picturesque with the fall leaves and brisk breeze. I've seen the typical red, double decker buses that you always hear about. I also saw the stereotypical black taxi cabs. It still completely trips me out to see someone getting in the car on the "wrong side" in order to drive. I guess I'm an American at heart. ;-)
One funny thing is that at every cross walk, it's written "Look right" or "Look left". I have to wonder if this courtesy is for the tourists because traffic travels on the opposite sides of the street than most other places in the world. Or if this is written because the traffic is so screwy that pedestrians need a reminder which way to look. Anyhow, I will take a picture and post because I think it's funny.
Speaking of cross walks, I do find it difficult when crossing the street. You don't realize it, but you become accustomed to always looking to your left first, then your right in order to check for oncoming traffic. However, you need to do the opposite here. Several times I had to catch myself before stepping out onto the road because I quickly realized that there was oncoming traffic.
I also was able to see one of my friends from high school, as she and her husband are in London for a week visiting family and friends. I haven't seen her in 11 or 12 years so that was fun to catch up and see how she was doing. I also was able to visit a proper English pub, although I only had one pint of beer. But I expect that to be the first of many visits to the pub. I'm looking forward to grabbing some dinner tonight and just listening to the British accent. Oh how I love it. I'm a sucker for the accents...I can't help it.
Immigration and customs were very easy. I guess the UK government doesn't give Americans a hard time when traveling to London like the American government gives our fellow British companions a hard time. (Back story: my British friend was traveling to the U.S. from Canada to go to some meetings at a customer of ours and the U.S. immigration officers detained him for questioning for hours and finally let him through but told him not to come back to the U.S. without a work visa. Mind you, he was just going for some meetings and does not work out of or live in the U.S. smh. Ahhh...gotta love the U.S. government.)
I took the Heathrow Express from the airport to Paddington Square in central London. It travels 15 miles in 15 minutes, which is apparently a big deal in London. It was a very nice train and good experience. Then I proceeded to go to the Underground Tube in order to get to my hotel. A friend of mine had suggested that I not take the tube with all of my luggage because it's a lot of stairs and few escalators. But did I heed his advice? No, because I'm stubborn like that. Sooo...my friend was right. I should have just taken a taxi because my luggage and those stairs were quite the workout!! But, c'est la vie! :-)
It's about a 6 minute walk from the Tube station to my hotel on Holland Park Ave. I'm staying in Kensington, right on the edge of Notting Hill. Let me tell you...it looks just like the movie. Plus, it's still fall here (not full-on winter like Montreal) and it's very picturesque with the fall leaves and brisk breeze. I've seen the typical red, double decker buses that you always hear about. I also saw the stereotypical black taxi cabs. It still completely trips me out to see someone getting in the car on the "wrong side" in order to drive. I guess I'm an American at heart. ;-)
One funny thing is that at every cross walk, it's written "Look right" or "Look left". I have to wonder if this courtesy is for the tourists because traffic travels on the opposite sides of the street than most other places in the world. Or if this is written because the traffic is so screwy that pedestrians need a reminder which way to look. Anyhow, I will take a picture and post because I think it's funny.
Speaking of cross walks, I do find it difficult when crossing the street. You don't realize it, but you become accustomed to always looking to your left first, then your right in order to check for oncoming traffic. However, you need to do the opposite here. Several times I had to catch myself before stepping out onto the road because I quickly realized that there was oncoming traffic.
I also was able to see one of my friends from high school, as she and her husband are in London for a week visiting family and friends. I haven't seen her in 11 or 12 years so that was fun to catch up and see how she was doing. I also was able to visit a proper English pub, although I only had one pint of beer. But I expect that to be the first of many visits to the pub. I'm looking forward to grabbing some dinner tonight and just listening to the British accent. Oh how I love it. I'm a sucker for the accents...I can't help it.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
More pics of Shanghai
The following are some of my favorite pics of Shanghai. But to see all pictures, visit my Facebook page.
This was right by my hotel - note that the bushes are shaped like peacocks. It was really amazing to see!
One of the entrances for Yuyuan, the place where I did some shopping and visited a Chinese Garden and architecture.
My hotel at night - yes, my hotel is the one with the purple light.
This is the bridge I would take every day to get back and forth from my hotel to the office. Notice the rainbow lights as it's starting to get dark. I think Shanghai is LGBT friendly. ;-)
This was right by my hotel - note that the bushes are shaped like peacocks. It was really amazing to see!
One of the entrances for Yuyuan, the place where I did some shopping and visited a Chinese Garden and architecture.
Walking around in Yuyuan.
One of the signs posted for an electronics store. I couldn't help taking a picture and posting. Clearly a non-native English speaker translated this.
Yu Garden
The furniture you see here is all made of knotted wood and somehow formed into the shape of a chair. Amazing craftsmanship!
There was a special exhibit for a contemporary French artist, Katarina HallbackMonnier, at Yuyuan. I think this piece in particular was quite spectacular.
There was a man-made stream going through Yuyuan with a gazillion goldfish. Here's a pic of some children feeding the goldfish.
Obligatory self-portrait at Yuyuan. I would just like to say, this is not vanity. It is an essential if you are traveling alone and don't have anyone to take a picture of you. ;-)
Pretty building and waterfall.
The entire top of the wall was topped by the tail of the dragon. I couldn't capture it all in the photo but it was pretty cool. :-)
Visiting the financial district.
Only white woman for miles.
The Shanghai World Finance Center. This is the world's second tallest building with a lookout point on the 100th floor. The building was so tall, I couldn't even fit it all in my camera view.
Amazing view of Shanghai from the 100th floor of the SWFC.
Me and Benny (my colleague) at the SWFC.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
China stands for change
So my trip to Shanghai was ultimately successful. While I blogged about all of my personal experiences, the real purpose of my trip was for business, and I accomplished what I was suppose to accomplish. So YAY!!
My experience in Shanghai is one that I will never forget. It was my first taste of China and was just enough of an amuse-bouche so that I want to taste more. I would love to go back to China and visit Beijing or Hong Kong. I would even love to go back to Shanghai and complete my visit.
There are some things I will never forget.
1. Humidity. I know this was a resounding theme but let me tell you, it will take a very, very long time for me to forget just how incredibly humid it was in Shanghai. On those days where I would spend time outside, I was taking showers at least twice a day. There was one point where I was completely soaked with sweat...and I'm not even exaggerating. Thank god I'm married because there is no way I would be able to attract a man with all of that mess that was going on my sweatiness, frizzy hair, and oily skin. I felt like an awkward teenager all over again.
2. Crowds and sense of personal space. I think if I were to live in China, it would take me a while to get use to the lack of personal space. Not only did I experience this in the queue for the ferry while at the Expo, the lack of personal space was also quite evident in elevators. Every single person waiting in line for an elevator would pile in so that the doors would barely shut. I would just think to myself that I hoped the elevator didn't get stuck or else I was going to go into panic mode.
3. The taxi rides. Every taxi ride I took, I was completely astounded by the driving. Very rarely do any cars slow down for pedestrians. The expectation is that the people move out of the way of the cars but the cars do not yield to pedestrians...or anything else on the road for that matter. And all drivers tail gate really bad, leave very little room when maneuvering between lanes and stop quickly and close to other cars. There are lines in the road marking the lanes and yet very few drivers pay attention to them. However the amazing thing is that I did not see one single car which was dented or had any scratches. Despite what seems like crazy driving, there seem to be very little accidents. I think the drivers are more aware of their surroundings and pay closer attention when driving, thus reducing the amount of accidents.
4. Modernness of Shanghai. I'm still amazed at how Shanghai is so modern and new. Much of the city's growth has been realized within the last 10-15 years and you can tell. Many of the buildings and roadways are sleek and streamlined with the bright lights. There are clean public restrooms on the sidewalks that you pay to use. The people are all about the brand names and boast some of the best designers in the world. Shanghai has some of the newest gadgets in the world and are on the cutting edge of innovation in many ways. On the other hand, the people are still rooted in traditional ways. They try not to use air conditioning. Many people ride bikes and transport everything by hand. People sit on the streets making their own handcrafted items.
The people have a deep sense of family and women honor their husbands and obey them. I find the dichotomy fascinating! I think Shanghai is the perfect medley of Chinese tradition and global modernism.
Shanghai is an amazing city with a great mixture of old and new. Anywhere you go, the service is impeccable and the people are nice. I obviously stood out as a tourist or foreigner but by the end of my stay I was starting to feel more comfortable and was getting my bearings. But maybe that's due to the shopping - that can always put a girl at ease. ;-) It is definitely a different culture, a different way of life. You can be sure of that the minute you step off of the plane. But it is refreshing and nice to experience something so different from your normal reality. It is stressful traveling in a foreign place by yourself but there is also a sense of freedom and abandonement which is also prevalent. I'm so thankful my company afforded me the opportunity for such a trip and I look forward to the next one, wherever it may take me.
My experience in Shanghai is one that I will never forget. It was my first taste of China and was just enough of an amuse-bouche so that I want to taste more. I would love to go back to China and visit Beijing or Hong Kong. I would even love to go back to Shanghai and complete my visit.
There are some things I will never forget.
1. Humidity. I know this was a resounding theme but let me tell you, it will take a very, very long time for me to forget just how incredibly humid it was in Shanghai. On those days where I would spend time outside, I was taking showers at least twice a day. There was one point where I was completely soaked with sweat...and I'm not even exaggerating. Thank god I'm married because there is no way I would be able to attract a man with all of that mess that was going on my sweatiness, frizzy hair, and oily skin. I felt like an awkward teenager all over again.
2. Crowds and sense of personal space. I think if I were to live in China, it would take me a while to get use to the lack of personal space. Not only did I experience this in the queue for the ferry while at the Expo, the lack of personal space was also quite evident in elevators. Every single person waiting in line for an elevator would pile in so that the doors would barely shut. I would just think to myself that I hoped the elevator didn't get stuck or else I was going to go into panic mode.
3. The taxi rides. Every taxi ride I took, I was completely astounded by the driving. Very rarely do any cars slow down for pedestrians. The expectation is that the people move out of the way of the cars but the cars do not yield to pedestrians...or anything else on the road for that matter. And all drivers tail gate really bad, leave very little room when maneuvering between lanes and stop quickly and close to other cars. There are lines in the road marking the lanes and yet very few drivers pay attention to them. However the amazing thing is that I did not see one single car which was dented or had any scratches. Despite what seems like crazy driving, there seem to be very little accidents. I think the drivers are more aware of their surroundings and pay closer attention when driving, thus reducing the amount of accidents.
4. Modernness of Shanghai. I'm still amazed at how Shanghai is so modern and new. Much of the city's growth has been realized within the last 10-15 years and you can tell. Many of the buildings and roadways are sleek and streamlined with the bright lights. There are clean public restrooms on the sidewalks that you pay to use. The people are all about the brand names and boast some of the best designers in the world. Shanghai has some of the newest gadgets in the world and are on the cutting edge of innovation in many ways. On the other hand, the people are still rooted in traditional ways. They try not to use air conditioning. Many people ride bikes and transport everything by hand. People sit on the streets making their own handcrafted items.
The people have a deep sense of family and women honor their husbands and obey them. I find the dichotomy fascinating! I think Shanghai is the perfect medley of Chinese tradition and global modernism.
Shanghai is an amazing city with a great mixture of old and new. Anywhere you go, the service is impeccable and the people are nice. I obviously stood out as a tourist or foreigner but by the end of my stay I was starting to feel more comfortable and was getting my bearings. But maybe that's due to the shopping - that can always put a girl at ease. ;-) It is definitely a different culture, a different way of life. You can be sure of that the minute you step off of the plane. But it is refreshing and nice to experience something so different from your normal reality. It is stressful traveling in a foreign place by yourself but there is also a sense of freedom and abandonement which is also prevalent. I'm so thankful my company afforded me the opportunity for such a trip and I look forward to the next one, wherever it may take me.
Monday, July 12, 2010
My last day and a half
Saturday and Sunday have now come to an end for me here in Shanghai. It's bitter sweet, as a part of me is looking forward to getting back to my home and seeing Esteban this next week. But I feel like I haven't done close to what I wanted to do personally while in Shanghai.
Saturday was a fun-filled day of some sight-seeing, shopping, dinner and more sight-seeing. I went to Yuyuan (or Yu Garden in English) and looked at some traditional Chinese architecture and gardens, which were absolutely gorgeous. I did some of the typical tourist shopping and bought some fab souvenirs for the loved ones in my life. And if anyone receives a souvenir from me that they don't want, I'm more than happy to keep it myself. I was looking at all of the loot on my bed last night and was thinking that I didn't want to give any of it away. Ha ha ha!! I'm so selfish. ;-)
The shopping experience in Yu Garden is very interesting. Of course being a white woman, I felt like every other street vendor accosted me and tried to get me to look at their watches and handbags. By the end, I was actually getting really annoyed. At first I was really polite with everyone and said, "No thank you. I'm not interested," and would smile. By the end, I would just say no, not make eye contact and keep walking. I negotiated prices on many of the things I purchased so that was exciting and a first for me. I even got a really fabulous pair of earrings. The woman first told me an amount equivalent to $45 CAD. I immediately said thanks, turned around and starting walking out. She yelled at me to stop and then offered me a price of $16 CAD for the same pair of earrings. We haggled back and forth and I got her down to $14 CAD. I was impressed with myself. But I have to wonder if other tourists always pay the original asking price. I mean I saved myself enough money have four extra pints of beer when I get home.
Which speaking of alcohol, I have been completely sober the entire time I've been here. Not one single drop of alcohol was consumed. Granted, it's only been 10 days, but it seems like recently with all of the activities going on in my life...hockey playoffs, Bree's graduation, Orlando, BBQs, F1 race, dinner with friends, World Cup, etc...I was consuming way too much alcohol. Anyways, not the point of this blog, but it does feel like quite the accomplishment to not consume alcohol on my entire trip. :-)
After shopping in Yuyuan, I went to another market which is more like shopping areas in North America. But there were some amazing shops with unique jewelery, tea shops, accessories and fashion. It was a different experience there but still lots of fun. I was walking around the area and even ran across the China flagship store for Coach, Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton! I was pleasantly surprised and felt very much at home. Although to my disappointment, the prices weren't any cheaper in Shanghai and so I did not end up with any luxury items.
Later on in the evening, I met up with my colleague for dinner (yummy food but nothing as crazy as the first dinner) and then we went to the top of the Shanghai World Finance Center (SWFC). It is the second tallest building in the world but has the highest lookout point of all the world's skyscrapers. And let me tell you, this was one tall building. However the craziest thing of all is that on the 100th floor, which is the highest look out point, there are clear floor tiles down the middle of the entire room. You can see straight down to the ground. At first I couldn't even look down through the floor, let alone walk from one side of the room to the other. Just to put it into perspective, I currently live on the 14th floor in my new apartment building that I moved into just over a month ago. I have a fantastic view of Montreal...just spectacular. I picked this apartment for the view. However, I cannot look over the side of my patio railing and look down at the ground. I have no problem with looking out over the city of Montreal, but I cannot look down at the sidewalk or street below. Now put me on the 100th floor of a building and this compounds the height issue.
Eventually I was able to walk across the room as long as I didn't look down, but even when I got to the windows I had to slowly inch closer and have a death grip on the railing that was at the windows. When did I become such a coward?!?! But man, when you get to the window of the SWFC and look out across Shanghai, it's amazing!! If you remember, in a previous post I was telling you about all of the lights at night in Shanghai. Imagine seeing all of that in one view as you look at the city. It's unbelievable. In order to get to the 100th floor, you have to wait in like 4 different queues; one to buy your ticket, one to see the introductory video, one to get on the elevator to the 94th floor, another to get on the elevator to the 100th floor. Then on the way down, you have two more queues; one to leave the 100th floor and one to leave the 94th floor and go to the bottom floor. I think my colleague and I only spent 15-20 minutes on the 100th floor. But I realized the entire process was about 2 hours. Even considering all of this, it was totally worth it to experience Shanghai like that. This is a definite Must-do for anyone who visits Shanghai.
Oh and by the way, if you visit Shanghai in 2012 or after, you might get to experience the new high rise building which is supposed to be twice as tall as the SWFC. Amazing, huh?
On Sunday, I did some more shopping because I still hadn't found the perfect gift for everyone. I went to a different place for my final shopping. I had intended to go to the Jade Buddha Temple but ran out of time before I had to check out of the hotel and begin my 24 hours of travel on Sunday afternoon. I think that is my biggest disappointment from my trip because I really wanted to see the Buddhist temple. I guess I now have an excuse to go back at some point. I hopped in a taxi and proceeded back to the airport. While waiting in line for the airport check-in, I met 4 really nice women, two originally from China but currently living in New Jersey and two young women living in San Antonio.
The trip home was mostly uneventful and actually wasn't as bad as my trip going to Shanghai. The airplane was much roomier and thus I felt more comfortable during the 13 hour duration. Plus, my seatmate was really nice and kind of cute. ;-) I finally made it home at midnight on Sunday night. And the rest is history...
Saturday was a fun-filled day of some sight-seeing, shopping, dinner and more sight-seeing. I went to Yuyuan (or Yu Garden in English) and looked at some traditional Chinese architecture and gardens, which were absolutely gorgeous. I did some of the typical tourist shopping and bought some fab souvenirs for the loved ones in my life. And if anyone receives a souvenir from me that they don't want, I'm more than happy to keep it myself. I was looking at all of the loot on my bed last night and was thinking that I didn't want to give any of it away. Ha ha ha!! I'm so selfish. ;-)
The shopping experience in Yu Garden is very interesting. Of course being a white woman, I felt like every other street vendor accosted me and tried to get me to look at their watches and handbags. By the end, I was actually getting really annoyed. At first I was really polite with everyone and said, "No thank you. I'm not interested," and would smile. By the end, I would just say no, not make eye contact and keep walking. I negotiated prices on many of the things I purchased so that was exciting and a first for me. I even got a really fabulous pair of earrings. The woman first told me an amount equivalent to $45 CAD. I immediately said thanks, turned around and starting walking out. She yelled at me to stop and then offered me a price of $16 CAD for the same pair of earrings. We haggled back and forth and I got her down to $14 CAD. I was impressed with myself. But I have to wonder if other tourists always pay the original asking price. I mean I saved myself enough money have four extra pints of beer when I get home.
Which speaking of alcohol, I have been completely sober the entire time I've been here. Not one single drop of alcohol was consumed. Granted, it's only been 10 days, but it seems like recently with all of the activities going on in my life...hockey playoffs, Bree's graduation, Orlando, BBQs, F1 race, dinner with friends, World Cup, etc...I was consuming way too much alcohol. Anyways, not the point of this blog, but it does feel like quite the accomplishment to not consume alcohol on my entire trip. :-)
After shopping in Yuyuan, I went to another market which is more like shopping areas in North America. But there were some amazing shops with unique jewelery, tea shops, accessories and fashion. It was a different experience there but still lots of fun. I was walking around the area and even ran across the China flagship store for Coach, Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton! I was pleasantly surprised and felt very much at home. Although to my disappointment, the prices weren't any cheaper in Shanghai and so I did not end up with any luxury items.
Later on in the evening, I met up with my colleague for dinner (yummy food but nothing as crazy as the first dinner) and then we went to the top of the Shanghai World Finance Center (SWFC). It is the second tallest building in the world but has the highest lookout point of all the world's skyscrapers. And let me tell you, this was one tall building. However the craziest thing of all is that on the 100th floor, which is the highest look out point, there are clear floor tiles down the middle of the entire room. You can see straight down to the ground. At first I couldn't even look down through the floor, let alone walk from one side of the room to the other. Just to put it into perspective, I currently live on the 14th floor in my new apartment building that I moved into just over a month ago. I have a fantastic view of Montreal...just spectacular. I picked this apartment for the view. However, I cannot look over the side of my patio railing and look down at the ground. I have no problem with looking out over the city of Montreal, but I cannot look down at the sidewalk or street below. Now put me on the 100th floor of a building and this compounds the height issue.
Eventually I was able to walk across the room as long as I didn't look down, but even when I got to the windows I had to slowly inch closer and have a death grip on the railing that was at the windows. When did I become such a coward?!?! But man, when you get to the window of the SWFC and look out across Shanghai, it's amazing!! If you remember, in a previous post I was telling you about all of the lights at night in Shanghai. Imagine seeing all of that in one view as you look at the city. It's unbelievable. In order to get to the 100th floor, you have to wait in like 4 different queues; one to buy your ticket, one to see the introductory video, one to get on the elevator to the 94th floor, another to get on the elevator to the 100th floor. Then on the way down, you have two more queues; one to leave the 100th floor and one to leave the 94th floor and go to the bottom floor. I think my colleague and I only spent 15-20 minutes on the 100th floor. But I realized the entire process was about 2 hours. Even considering all of this, it was totally worth it to experience Shanghai like that. This is a definite Must-do for anyone who visits Shanghai.
Oh and by the way, if you visit Shanghai in 2012 or after, you might get to experience the new high rise building which is supposed to be twice as tall as the SWFC. Amazing, huh?
On Sunday, I did some more shopping because I still hadn't found the perfect gift for everyone. I went to a different place for my final shopping. I had intended to go to the Jade Buddha Temple but ran out of time before I had to check out of the hotel and begin my 24 hours of travel on Sunday afternoon. I think that is my biggest disappointment from my trip because I really wanted to see the Buddhist temple. I guess I now have an excuse to go back at some point. I hopped in a taxi and proceeded back to the airport. While waiting in line for the airport check-in, I met 4 really nice women, two originally from China but currently living in New Jersey and two young women living in San Antonio.
The trip home was mostly uneventful and actually wasn't as bad as my trip going to Shanghai. The airplane was much roomier and thus I felt more comfortable during the 13 hour duration. Plus, my seatmate was really nice and kind of cute. ;-) I finally made it home at midnight on Sunday night. And the rest is history...
Not ready yet
Shanghai is still humid as hell...literally. But I think I might actually be acclimating. The other day on my taxi ride from the office back to my hotel, the taxi driver kept the windows open instead of turning on the air conditioner in the car. I thought to myself that the temperature must have been cooler than in previous days. So in curiosity I checked the temp when I got back to the hotel and it was the same temperature that it had been for the last several days. Huh. Maybe it's not so bad when you're used to it. ;-)
The day after that, I left the office late. It was the first time I happened to be in a taxi after dark. When night falls in Shanghai, it's absolutely amazing. Every bridge (and there are several bridges getting to Shanghai from the suburban areas and where the office is located) is alight with bright fluorescent colors that illuminate the night sky. I had previously taken a picture of the highways at night from my hotel room, but that is minimal when looking at the entire city. I felt like I was in the China Las Vegas. It's surprising how modern Shanghai is when considering how old the culture is here in China.
It's my last working day here in Shanghai, and then I have all day Saturday and the first half of Sunday to get in as much sight-seeing as I possibly can. I have a list of at least 10 things I want to do and am going to have a very hard time trying to decide. But I'm determined to wake up early tomorrow and be out all day until late in the night and do the same on Sunday until I absolutely have to leave for the airport.
At first 10 days felt like a long time but when you include travel days, working days and jet lag, it's not very long at all. I wish that I had more time. But alas, I don't and so I have to jam-pack my next day and a half full of all I can possibly experience.
The day after that, I left the office late. It was the first time I happened to be in a taxi after dark. When night falls in Shanghai, it's absolutely amazing. Every bridge (and there are several bridges getting to Shanghai from the suburban areas and where the office is located) is alight with bright fluorescent colors that illuminate the night sky. I had previously taken a picture of the highways at night from my hotel room, but that is minimal when looking at the entire city. I felt like I was in the China Las Vegas. It's surprising how modern Shanghai is when considering how old the culture is here in China.
It's my last working day here in Shanghai, and then I have all day Saturday and the first half of Sunday to get in as much sight-seeing as I possibly can. I have a list of at least 10 things I want to do and am going to have a very hard time trying to decide. But I'm determined to wake up early tomorrow and be out all day until late in the night and do the same on Sunday until I absolutely have to leave for the airport.
At first 10 days felt like a long time but when you include travel days, working days and jet lag, it's not very long at all. I wish that I had more time. But alas, I don't and so I have to jam-pack my next day and a half full of all I can possibly experience.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Humidity = mosquitoes, right?
Well, I'm going to be pretty boring today because I'm exhausted (maybe it's delayed jet lag?) and want to go to bed soon. Plus, I didn't do very much today except work.
However, I made one very interesting observation today. There are no mosquitoes here despite the crazy humidity that I can't get over. But not only are there no mosquitoes, my colleague has never even heard of them. She thought I was crazy when I asked her about this tiny flying bug that sucks your blood and leaves a bump on your skin that itches like crazy. When she asked what they were and I described mosquitoes, she really thought that I was playing a joke on her.
Oh one other thing...Esteban gave me a really hard time for trying escargot here in Shanghai and never in Montreal where French food is rampant with escargot. I told him that I needed a crazy motivating factor in order to try it. He happened to mention that maybe when we first moved to Montreal that should have been a crazy motivating factor...like when in Rome... But I held out for Shanghai. I wonder if the slugs here taste different than the slugs in France or Montreal. Hmmm...something to ponder...
Lastly, I have yet to see the sun shine in Shanghai. I need to ask my colleague if this is normal because of all of the humidity during the summer. Or if this is a strange phenomenon just because I'm visiting.
However, I made one very interesting observation today. There are no mosquitoes here despite the crazy humidity that I can't get over. But not only are there no mosquitoes, my colleague has never even heard of them. She thought I was crazy when I asked her about this tiny flying bug that sucks your blood and leaves a bump on your skin that itches like crazy. When she asked what they were and I described mosquitoes, she really thought that I was playing a joke on her.
Oh one other thing...Esteban gave me a really hard time for trying escargot here in Shanghai and never in Montreal where French food is rampant with escargot. I told him that I needed a crazy motivating factor in order to try it. He happened to mention that maybe when we first moved to Montreal that should have been a crazy motivating factor...like when in Rome... But I held out for Shanghai. I wonder if the slugs here taste different than the slugs in France or Montreal. Hmmm...something to ponder...
Lastly, I have yet to see the sun shine in Shanghai. I need to ask my colleague if this is normal because of all of the humidity during the summer. Or if this is a strange phenomenon just because I'm visiting.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A few pics of Shanghai
The view of downtown Shanghai from my hotel room window.
Part of the Korean pavilion at Expo 2010.
Indian pavilion at Expo 2010.
Super awesome women's urinal bathroom experience. Please note that it's the "Squatting type" (as if that wasn't painfully obvious).
A man transporting recyclables on a bicycle. This seems very typical throughout the entire city.
Night view of downtown Shanghai from my hotel room. The blue lights you see are lights on the highways. Beautiful, huh?
Indian pavilion at Expo 2010.
Super awesome women's urinal bathroom experience. Please note that it's the "Squatting type" (as if that wasn't painfully obvious).
A man transporting recyclables on a bicycle. This seems very typical throughout the entire city.
Night view of downtown Shanghai from my hotel room. The blue lights you see are lights on the highways. Beautiful, huh?
Adventures and Observations
So today was a bit more normal because I went to the office and worked with my colleague at our SAP Labs offices in the suburbs of Shanghai. Although I did have some new experiences today.
While I took a taxi to the office this morning, I rode the metro back to my hotel. As mentioned previously, I have recently discovered that I am claustrophobic in large crowds. However, the crowd in the metro wasn't so bad. Plus, I had my colleague with me for extra moral support. :-) The metro is surprisingly clean considering the amount of traffic it sees everyday. Plus, the automated voice announces all stops in both Chinese and English - very convenient for us foreigners. I think I will try the metro again tomorrow by myself and see how I fare. Although I continue to get the odd stares from people - it's like they've never seen a white woman before.
Secondly, my colleague and I went out for dinner tonight after finishing up at work. For those of you who know me, you will never in a million years guess what I tried tonight.
1. Pickled baby bok choy
2. Fried pigeon (the head was even on the plate)
3. Escargot in a butter garlic sauce
4. Pork dumplings
5. Burnt green beans
6. Fermented bean curd
My favorite was the pork dumplings followed equally by the fried pigeon, escargot and pickled bok choy. I didn't really like the green beans and I about threw up in my mouth with the fermented bean curd (the smell was so awful I could barely swallow the food). I was literally having to breath through my gag reflex on the bean curd. Unfortunately, I pretty much lost most of my appetite after that. But I tried it all and am very proud of myself!!! I would never have ordered any of that for myself but had decided to try anything my colleague suggested. Yay me!! =)
While in the taxi on the way to work this morning, I was jotting down a bunch of my observations that I want to share with you all (and these aren't in any sort of order - just a random list).
1. Even when there isn't any rain or any sun, people walk around with open umbrellas. I'm assuming it's to help with the humidity but I'm at a loss as to what the umbrella actually does for you. I've now seen this three days in a row.
2. Mopeds (or vespas) have their own road rules (or don't pay attention to any road rules). And there are traffic police at most busy intersections to ensure that the mopeds follow traffic lights and signs. I was almost run over by a moped on Sunday.
3. A green walking signal at an intersection doesn't mean that the pedestrian is protected to walk across the intersection. It only means that this is the most acceptable time for you to cross. You may still be hit by a turning car or a moped (as is my case in both instances).
4. When it rains, the moped drivers have these amazing ponchos which not only cover the motorist but the entire front end of their moped with a clear plastic to allow the lights on the moped to shine through. The poncho protects their entire upper bodies, including arms and hands, as well as the entire front end of the moped. I will have to try and take a picture of this later this week so you can fully understand.
5. Drivers fully utilize their lights and horns in order to move through traffic on the roads. However neither seems rude like it most likely would in North American cities. You honk to let other drivers know to go faster or get out of the way. You also honk at pedestrians who are out in the street to make sure they know you are coming. You flash your lights to let other drivers know to get out of your way. At first I found this behavior a little alarming. But two days into my visit, I think it is efficient. I mean, don't we always complain about needing better communication? I think the Chinese have it right.
So that's my random list for today. Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventure in the metro by myself and any other mishaps I may get into. =)
While I took a taxi to the office this morning, I rode the metro back to my hotel. As mentioned previously, I have recently discovered that I am claustrophobic in large crowds. However, the crowd in the metro wasn't so bad. Plus, I had my colleague with me for extra moral support. :-) The metro is surprisingly clean considering the amount of traffic it sees everyday. Plus, the automated voice announces all stops in both Chinese and English - very convenient for us foreigners. I think I will try the metro again tomorrow by myself and see how I fare. Although I continue to get the odd stares from people - it's like they've never seen a white woman before.
Secondly, my colleague and I went out for dinner tonight after finishing up at work. For those of you who know me, you will never in a million years guess what I tried tonight.
1. Pickled baby bok choy
2. Fried pigeon (the head was even on the plate)
3. Escargot in a butter garlic sauce
4. Pork dumplings
5. Burnt green beans
6. Fermented bean curd
My favorite was the pork dumplings followed equally by the fried pigeon, escargot and pickled bok choy. I didn't really like the green beans and I about threw up in my mouth with the fermented bean curd (the smell was so awful I could barely swallow the food). I was literally having to breath through my gag reflex on the bean curd. Unfortunately, I pretty much lost most of my appetite after that. But I tried it all and am very proud of myself!!! I would never have ordered any of that for myself but had decided to try anything my colleague suggested. Yay me!! =)
While in the taxi on the way to work this morning, I was jotting down a bunch of my observations that I want to share with you all (and these aren't in any sort of order - just a random list).
1. Even when there isn't any rain or any sun, people walk around with open umbrellas. I'm assuming it's to help with the humidity but I'm at a loss as to what the umbrella actually does for you. I've now seen this three days in a row.
2. Mopeds (or vespas) have their own road rules (or don't pay attention to any road rules). And there are traffic police at most busy intersections to ensure that the mopeds follow traffic lights and signs. I was almost run over by a moped on Sunday.
3. A green walking signal at an intersection doesn't mean that the pedestrian is protected to walk across the intersection. It only means that this is the most acceptable time for you to cross. You may still be hit by a turning car or a moped (as is my case in both instances).
4. When it rains, the moped drivers have these amazing ponchos which not only cover the motorist but the entire front end of their moped with a clear plastic to allow the lights on the moped to shine through. The poncho protects their entire upper bodies, including arms and hands, as well as the entire front end of the moped. I will have to try and take a picture of this later this week so you can fully understand.
5. Drivers fully utilize their lights and horns in order to move through traffic on the roads. However neither seems rude like it most likely would in North American cities. You honk to let other drivers know to go faster or get out of the way. You also honk at pedestrians who are out in the street to make sure they know you are coming. You flash your lights to let other drivers know to get out of your way. At first I found this behavior a little alarming. But two days into my visit, I think it is efficient. I mean, don't we always complain about needing better communication? I think the Chinese have it right.
So that's my random list for today. Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventure in the metro by myself and any other mishaps I may get into. =)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
American...huh?
So I wanted to go see some of the shops today and experience some good Chinese food. Before starting out, I stopped at the concierge to ask for a restaurant suggestion. He looked at me and said, "You want McDonalds?" I laughed and said no, I wanted a good restaurant. Then he said, "McDonalds is right over there," and pointed across the street. So I said I want Chinese food and he said, "You want General Tso's chicken?" Hmmm...this guy doesn't seem to have much faith in my desire to try new things. I told him that I wanted real Chinese food and asked him where he would eat. At which point he told me he wouldn't eat around here. Great. =( Big fail on the food so far.
So I decided to go looking at the shops and put off eating, thinking maybe I'll find something on my own. I'm walking along the main road that has all of the shops (and am completely melting in the humidity but that's another story all together). No sooner did I venture away from my hotel, I'm about three blocks down the road and see one of the most peculiar sights I have ever seen. But I don't know if it's because I'm from North America. Let me explain... I see a gentleman holding an infant (probably not more than a year old). And the gentleman is almost squatting on the sidewalk, holding the child in a seated position by her legs. I found it odd so I continued to stare (yes, probably a little rude but whatever) at which point I realized the little girl's pants were around her ankles and the gentleman had her legs spread apart so she could pee at the base of the tree on the sidewalk. I almost stopped to see if she was actually going to pee considering she is so young and I would be surprised if she could pee on demand. But alas, I kept on walking. I'm curious to know if this is normal practice here in China. Anyway, needless to say, I avoided any wet spots on the pavement after witnessing that.
So I continue walking and I obviously stand out amongst the crowd. Therefore I'm apparently a magnet for every street pedaler. Every other block is someone offering me a great price on handbags and watches. Ummm...thanks, but no thanks. I saw Sex and the City 2 and will not be going anywhere with you to look at your handbags. I don't know what the laws are here.
So I found all of the high-end shops and looked at Coach, Burberry, Gucci, etc. But I didn't see any phenomenal prices. So shopping was a bust today but that's ok. I got the opportunity to walk around a bit and experience some of the city.
I had to come back to my hotel, though. The humidity is killer!!! I know I complained about it in my last entry, but it's worse than I described. I don't even know how to describe it. I was wearing cropped denim pants today and went into Marks & Spencer with the intention of buying something cooler to wear. My jeans were sticking to me as I walked and I had this super sexy sheen of sweat all over my body. I mean this humidity is bordering on ridiculous. I ended up not buying anything because I decided I probably didn't need anymore clothes. But we'll see how the rest of the week goes and if I can handle this insanity.
Now I'm off to the Expo in a few minutes... will update later with those details.
Ok, so the Expo was interesting to say the least. Can I once again bitch about the humidity?!?! This shit is killer!!! I think I'm going to melt before I ever make it back to Montreal. By the time I left the Expo (after only 3 hours), I was completely soaked through and through with sweat. I was the literal definition of hot mess.
My oh so lovely hotel has a free shuttle to and from the Expo so I took that and arrived at my destination. There are loads of queues and apparently seven different gates in which you can enter the Expo. The Expo spans on both sides of the Huangpu River and is actually really huge. I wasn't expecting something so large and extravagant. The buildings were incredible. But there were so many people!
The Expo is a huge international event and therefore I expected to see more of an international crowd. But I can count on one hand the number of non-Asians I saw. That's ok, though, just an observation.
So all of the neater country pavilions were located on the other side of the river. So you have to wait in a queue to take a ferry across the river. As soon as I figured this out, I found the nearest ferry queue to take. While waiting in line, there are definitely some cultural differences that I noticed.
1. No sense of personal space. I was prepared for this considering that Shanghai has over 18 million people and is the largest city in the world. I figured that everything would be crowded. But I wasn't prepared for the young woman leaning against my breast while her boyfriend picked food out of her teeth. Unfortunately there wasn't any room to maneuver so I was stuck.
2. There isn't any order when waiting in a queue. I've been to a lot of amusement parks, the post office, the bank. And in each of those places, it's essentially first come, first serve; i.e. first one in the line, first one out of the line. That doesn't seem to be the case here...or at least at the Expo. The queue was just a formality. Once people got in line, they starting finding holes in the line and would push their way forward. And there were entire families that did this. At first I was getting really irritated but then realized that everyone was doing this and no one was complaining. So I figured it was the norm.
3. Public restrooms...'nough said. I know I've already mentioned peeing once today but it has come up again. The public restrooms have urinals in the ground where women squat over them and pee. I can honestly say I haven't squat and peed since I was thirteen and camping. I was so paranoid about going on myself but all ended well. I made sure to take a picture of the "toilet" so you all could live my experience. =) Unfortunately, after exiting the restroom and washing my hands, I realized that there were a few stalls that actually had a toilet seat (i.e. 6 stalls out of 25). I will make sure to keep my eyes open for them next time.
So all in all, the Expo was an experience to say the least. And I haven't even mentioned the actual Expo part. Well, my first experience with queues left me feeling very claustrophobic and nauseous. I really didn't think that I was claustrophobic but by the time I boarded the ferry, I had to make sure I went upstairs and got a seat outside because I thought I was going to vomit. I almost didn't even go on the ferry because I didn't want to have to deal with coming back in order to exit the Expo. But I went and walked around but didn't actually go into any of the Pavilions. The lines for each pavilion was even longer than the queue for the ferry and I didn't want to relive that experience more than necessary. And the only Pavilion that I really wanted to see was the Indian one and that pavilion had the longest queue times three compared to any others that I saw. So I just walked around and continued melting in the humidity.
Then all of the sudden a huge downpour erupted and everyone was scattering for shelter. However, the handy traveler that I am...I had my own umbrella. =) But I slowly made my way back to the ferry to go back to the other side. This time, no queue. =)
Lastly (I know, super long entry this time), I experienced some Chinese food. I had shrimp with some spicy sauce and chicken in some soya and spicy sauce. Not very adventurous yet but getting there. I'm working way up. On the menu, they had shark fin soup but for moral and personal taste reasons, I could not bring myself to try it. Furthermore, I would like to see trying to expense a $100 bowl of soup. Somehow I don't think they would have accepted that.
Today, I will go into the office and meet my colleagues here for the first time in person. And tonight I hope to try some of the famous seafood around here.
So I decided to go looking at the shops and put off eating, thinking maybe I'll find something on my own. I'm walking along the main road that has all of the shops (and am completely melting in the humidity but that's another story all together). No sooner did I venture away from my hotel, I'm about three blocks down the road and see one of the most peculiar sights I have ever seen. But I don't know if it's because I'm from North America. Let me explain... I see a gentleman holding an infant (probably not more than a year old). And the gentleman is almost squatting on the sidewalk, holding the child in a seated position by her legs. I found it odd so I continued to stare (yes, probably a little rude but whatever) at which point I realized the little girl's pants were around her ankles and the gentleman had her legs spread apart so she could pee at the base of the tree on the sidewalk. I almost stopped to see if she was actually going to pee considering she is so young and I would be surprised if she could pee on demand. But alas, I kept on walking. I'm curious to know if this is normal practice here in China. Anyway, needless to say, I avoided any wet spots on the pavement after witnessing that.
So I continue walking and I obviously stand out amongst the crowd. Therefore I'm apparently a magnet for every street pedaler. Every other block is someone offering me a great price on handbags and watches. Ummm...thanks, but no thanks. I saw Sex and the City 2 and will not be going anywhere with you to look at your handbags. I don't know what the laws are here.
So I found all of the high-end shops and looked at Coach, Burberry, Gucci, etc. But I didn't see any phenomenal prices. So shopping was a bust today but that's ok. I got the opportunity to walk around a bit and experience some of the city.
I had to come back to my hotel, though. The humidity is killer!!! I know I complained about it in my last entry, but it's worse than I described. I don't even know how to describe it. I was wearing cropped denim pants today and went into Marks & Spencer with the intention of buying something cooler to wear. My jeans were sticking to me as I walked and I had this super sexy sheen of sweat all over my body. I mean this humidity is bordering on ridiculous. I ended up not buying anything because I decided I probably didn't need anymore clothes. But we'll see how the rest of the week goes and if I can handle this insanity.
Now I'm off to the Expo in a few minutes... will update later with those details.
Ok, so the Expo was interesting to say the least. Can I once again bitch about the humidity?!?! This shit is killer!!! I think I'm going to melt before I ever make it back to Montreal. By the time I left the Expo (after only 3 hours), I was completely soaked through and through with sweat. I was the literal definition of hot mess.
My oh so lovely hotel has a free shuttle to and from the Expo so I took that and arrived at my destination. There are loads of queues and apparently seven different gates in which you can enter the Expo. The Expo spans on both sides of the Huangpu River and is actually really huge. I wasn't expecting something so large and extravagant. The buildings were incredible. But there were so many people!
The Expo is a huge international event and therefore I expected to see more of an international crowd. But I can count on one hand the number of non-Asians I saw. That's ok, though, just an observation.
So all of the neater country pavilions were located on the other side of the river. So you have to wait in a queue to take a ferry across the river. As soon as I figured this out, I found the nearest ferry queue to take. While waiting in line, there are definitely some cultural differences that I noticed.
1. No sense of personal space. I was prepared for this considering that Shanghai has over 18 million people and is the largest city in the world. I figured that everything would be crowded. But I wasn't prepared for the young woman leaning against my breast while her boyfriend picked food out of her teeth. Unfortunately there wasn't any room to maneuver so I was stuck.
2. There isn't any order when waiting in a queue. I've been to a lot of amusement parks, the post office, the bank. And in each of those places, it's essentially first come, first serve; i.e. first one in the line, first one out of the line. That doesn't seem to be the case here...or at least at the Expo. The queue was just a formality. Once people got in line, they starting finding holes in the line and would push their way forward. And there were entire families that did this. At first I was getting really irritated but then realized that everyone was doing this and no one was complaining. So I figured it was the norm.
3. Public restrooms...'nough said. I know I've already mentioned peeing once today but it has come up again. The public restrooms have urinals in the ground where women squat over them and pee. I can honestly say I haven't squat and peed since I was thirteen and camping. I was so paranoid about going on myself but all ended well. I made sure to take a picture of the "toilet" so you all could live my experience. =) Unfortunately, after exiting the restroom and washing my hands, I realized that there were a few stalls that actually had a toilet seat (i.e. 6 stalls out of 25). I will make sure to keep my eyes open for them next time.
So all in all, the Expo was an experience to say the least. And I haven't even mentioned the actual Expo part. Well, my first experience with queues left me feeling very claustrophobic and nauseous. I really didn't think that I was claustrophobic but by the time I boarded the ferry, I had to make sure I went upstairs and got a seat outside because I thought I was going to vomit. I almost didn't even go on the ferry because I didn't want to have to deal with coming back in order to exit the Expo. But I went and walked around but didn't actually go into any of the Pavilions. The lines for each pavilion was even longer than the queue for the ferry and I didn't want to relive that experience more than necessary. And the only Pavilion that I really wanted to see was the Indian one and that pavilion had the longest queue times three compared to any others that I saw. So I just walked around and continued melting in the humidity.
Then all of the sudden a huge downpour erupted and everyone was scattering for shelter. However, the handy traveler that I am...I had my own umbrella. =) But I slowly made my way back to the ferry to go back to the other side. This time, no queue. =)
Lastly (I know, super long entry this time), I experienced some Chinese food. I had shrimp with some spicy sauce and chicken in some soya and spicy sauce. Not very adventurous yet but getting there. I'm working way up. On the menu, they had shark fin soup but for moral and personal taste reasons, I could not bring myself to try it. Furthermore, I would like to see trying to expense a $100 bowl of soup. Somehow I don't think they would have accepted that.
Today, I will go into the office and meet my colleagues here for the first time in person. And tonight I hope to try some of the famous seafood around here.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
喂中國 (Hello China!)
I'm here!! I'm here!! Although I haven't done much yet. But I'm here!! It's 4:55 am on Sunday. I arrived in China roughly 12 hours ago. And let me tell you...that plane was NOT nice to my butt. Towards the end of my 13 hour flight, all I wanted was someone to make me pass out because I couldn't stand the butt sore I was getting from sitting for so long.
Funny thing about the plane...being based out of Montreal, I use AirCanada quite a bit now for travel. And it would seem that I have become spoiled with my Canadian airline. Each seat has it's own tv for you to watch movies, tv shows, sports, etc. And there is plenty of leg room (although I don't personally need it considering how short my legs are). However, the leg room just makes it feel more spacious and less claustrophobic. I can almost say that I enjoy traveling when flying with AirCanada. And let me be clear...the flying arrangements that I describe are in Coach class (not business or first class).
So I'm flying AirCanada to San Francisco and then am to take a United flight from San Fran to Shanghai. I about lost my shit when I got on board my United flight in San Fran. There is half the leg room and I'm forced to watch whatever they are showing to the entire plane. The seats are plastic and uncomfortable (which I attribute to my butt sore that I previously mentioned). Now don't get me wrong...at least they have a movie. And the flight staff was really nice and tried to make accommodations where possible. Plus, there was an empty seat beside me so at least I wasn't jammed with people right next to me. So there are a few things to be grateful for. But hello air carriers, this is a 13 hour flight!! Can we at least pretend to be interested in the passengers' comfort?!?!?
Next time, I will ensure that I fly business class. My butt and my back are already dreading the flight home. Maybe I will really luck out and no one will be on my flight and I can stretch out across the seats and sleep. Ahhhh...here's to dreaming. ;-)
Needless to say, I was pretty exhausted when arriving. I checked into my posh hotel (hello, this hotel is one of the nicest hotels I've stayed at and the service is incredible!!!) and went to one of the four hotel restaurant in the 60-floor building where I am staying in downtown Shanghai. I decided on a restaurant called "California Grille". I know, not very adventurous but I promise I will start today. I opted for this because I just wanted to sleep well and didn't want any tummy problems my first night.
Funny thing about interpretations of a place where you're not familiar with... I was expecting the California Grille to have some tex-mex, some light, fresh fare - typical things when eating in a proclaimed "California style" restaurant. However, on the menu, they boasted all sorts of imported Australian beef, lobster, cornish hen, and braised pork ribs. It's not really my idea of California but the menu looked great. I tried the cornish hen, which was stuffed with wild rice and onion confit. Let me tell you, that was one of the best meals I have ever had! So scrumptious! Yum!! :-)
The other thing to tell you about is the weather here. OH. MY. GOD!!!! Once again, I've been spoiled by living in Montreal for too long. Apparently it's been raining like every day here. And if you're not aware, Shanghai is a coastal city. So that combination plus heat is detrimental to my hair and general enjoyment of outside activities. It's like being in the Valley again. The air is so thick, it's hard to breathe and you just feel like water is sitting on your skin. I've forgotten what real humidity is like (because people in Montreal like to complain about humidity since we're next to the St. Lawrence river but they have no idea). But my arrival to the bustling metropolis of Shanghai was a lovely reminder as to what I've been missing since moving out of the Valley. Hmmmm...yeah, I don't miss it.
Anyway, plans for today include trying local food, visiting the Expo 2010 (which just happens to be in Shanghai this year) and looking at the shops. Oh my god, can I tell you that I saw the BIGGEST Gucci store ever! It takes up a full square block...and it's walking distance from my hotel. Guess who's visiting...that would be me! ;-)
Okay, stay tuned for some additional updates from my first trip to China (and Asia for that matter)...
再見 (Goodbye!)
Funny thing about the plane...being based out of Montreal, I use AirCanada quite a bit now for travel. And it would seem that I have become spoiled with my Canadian airline. Each seat has it's own tv for you to watch movies, tv shows, sports, etc. And there is plenty of leg room (although I don't personally need it considering how short my legs are). However, the leg room just makes it feel more spacious and less claustrophobic. I can almost say that I enjoy traveling when flying with AirCanada. And let me be clear...the flying arrangements that I describe are in Coach class (not business or first class).
So I'm flying AirCanada to San Francisco and then am to take a United flight from San Fran to Shanghai. I about lost my shit when I got on board my United flight in San Fran. There is half the leg room and I'm forced to watch whatever they are showing to the entire plane. The seats are plastic and uncomfortable (which I attribute to my butt sore that I previously mentioned). Now don't get me wrong...at least they have a movie. And the flight staff was really nice and tried to make accommodations where possible. Plus, there was an empty seat beside me so at least I wasn't jammed with people right next to me. So there are a few things to be grateful for. But hello air carriers, this is a 13 hour flight!! Can we at least pretend to be interested in the passengers' comfort?!?!?
Next time, I will ensure that I fly business class. My butt and my back are already dreading the flight home. Maybe I will really luck out and no one will be on my flight and I can stretch out across the seats and sleep. Ahhhh...here's to dreaming. ;-)
Needless to say, I was pretty exhausted when arriving. I checked into my posh hotel (hello, this hotel is one of the nicest hotels I've stayed at and the service is incredible!!!) and went to one of the four hotel restaurant in the 60-floor building where I am staying in downtown Shanghai. I decided on a restaurant called "California Grille". I know, not very adventurous but I promise I will start today. I opted for this because I just wanted to sleep well and didn't want any tummy problems my first night.
Funny thing about interpretations of a place where you're not familiar with... I was expecting the California Grille to have some tex-mex, some light, fresh fare - typical things when eating in a proclaimed "California style" restaurant. However, on the menu, they boasted all sorts of imported Australian beef, lobster, cornish hen, and braised pork ribs. It's not really my idea of California but the menu looked great. I tried the cornish hen, which was stuffed with wild rice and onion confit. Let me tell you, that was one of the best meals I have ever had! So scrumptious! Yum!! :-)
The other thing to tell you about is the weather here. OH. MY. GOD!!!! Once again, I've been spoiled by living in Montreal for too long. Apparently it's been raining like every day here. And if you're not aware, Shanghai is a coastal city. So that combination plus heat is detrimental to my hair and general enjoyment of outside activities. It's like being in the Valley again. The air is so thick, it's hard to breathe and you just feel like water is sitting on your skin. I've forgotten what real humidity is like (because people in Montreal like to complain about humidity since we're next to the St. Lawrence river but they have no idea). But my arrival to the bustling metropolis of Shanghai was a lovely reminder as to what I've been missing since moving out of the Valley. Hmmmm...yeah, I don't miss it.
Anyway, plans for today include trying local food, visiting the Expo 2010 (which just happens to be in Shanghai this year) and looking at the shops. Oh my god, can I tell you that I saw the BIGGEST Gucci store ever! It takes up a full square block...and it's walking distance from my hotel. Guess who's visiting...that would be me! ;-)
Okay, stay tuned for some additional updates from my first trip to China (and Asia for that matter)...
再見 (Goodbye!)
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