First time yoga class and a birthday celebration

On Tuesday evening I went to Yoga 109 and did a beginners class in Yoga. I wasn't sure what to expect as previously in this school I did classes in pilates and in Yin yoga.

I heard of people doing Bikram yoga which is done in a very hot room but I think the same can be achieved in Shanghai in the summer! The humidity made it intense and I found it hard to keep up. I enjoyed the meditation part but many poses were too difficult for me and I haven't done any exercise in months so I'm definately feeling the pain!

Afterwards I tried to get a taxi but it proved difficult in this area so I walked for a bit to the main road and managed to flag one down. In the dark I didn't realise it was a dark blue one and a friend of mine a few days ago warned me about them. I figured nothing can go wrong but he suddenly turned off the main road and went around the block that I got a bit concerned. Then he was asking where to drop me but I told him this wasn't my road. He got quite angry and aggressive and pulled over and tried to get me to leave his taxi! I stood my ground though and told him which road and he started moaning in Mandarin at me and realised I was a foreigner.

Wednesday

After my class I met a new friend for coffee near Xujiahui church. It definately looks a bit unusual and doesn't feel like being in China.

Afterwards I headed to Yili Lu to my friend's apartment. It isn't very far from Xujiahui but taking the Metro is a major pain and I had to change 3 times! It took me over 1 hour to get to his place and even when I arrived it turns out there are two buildings with the same number (how confusing!).

So we waited for everyone to turn up and we ate pizza and pasta and another friend made a cake. Later we went to KTV where my friends sang some L'arc en Ciel for me. We paid 70RMB each (7 of us) for a 2 hour session. It was really good to see my old school friends here even though we aren't all going back in September its nice to know they are still in Shanghai.

Meilan Lake and Qibao

This morning I met Jorge at Zhenping Lu Station and together we took line 7 to Meilan Lake. It took about 40 minutes and is the very last stop where many people seemed to be headed.

On arrival we were bombarded by the companies trying to sell tours and taxi drivers trying to get us to use their cars. At one point saying "bu yao" (don't want) resulted in quite a bit of aggression from them that it seemed wise to not look back and keep walking.

The weather was really good with blue skies but it was still a little humid. The lake was easy enough to find but cars and motorbikes quite annoying to keep hitting their horns trying to attract people to take their transportation.

The buildings here were very European, much like Thames Town and quite a few couples doing wedding photographs. There are backdrops and props around for these purposes too. Reading the history of this area it seemed to be based around a Nordic town.

After walking around and taking some photos we stopped into Macao Dolar which is a chain of hot pot restaurants. The service wasn't so good and they were very pushy and they spoke no English nor did their menu have any English so with my limited Chinese skills I managed to work out some food for us. I really enjoy hot pot and in total came to about 150RMB for 2 of us.

We then headed to Berlinda's place to chill for a bit before we took the metro to Qibao to look for the night markets. On arrival I was surprised it wasn't the water town I'd been told about but it was full of lights and restaurants and shopping malls. Berlinda asked several people for directions to the market but nobody seemed to know until a man on a motorcab pointed us the right way.

This was the water town and we headed over the bridge through narrow alleys filled with stalls selling souvenirs and some selling food. It was very busy and noisy but definately an experience. There were even fireworks! There were so many types of food I'd never seen before, and at times the strong smelly tofu.

After we headed back towards the metro and went to the food part of a mall and found Cloud 9 which is a Taiwanese restaurant chain that I quite like because I find the food very comforting and reminds me of home (especially happy smiley potato waffles!). Also Cloud 9 offers free wifi which is a bonus when you are out and about.

 

Snoozing in a hammock

 

Yes, show your mercy!

 

Backdrops for wedding photos

 

I think the "u" has been put in upside down!

 

At Qibao

 

Sooooo many people!

 

Some kind of small bird??

 

Pancakes and KTV with the Meet Up crowd

It started off another rainy day with a thunderstorm which woke me up around 9am and left me in bed for an hour contemplating if I should still go to the Meet Up or not. By 10.30am it had stopped thundering but it was still raining and I thought to myself I'm sure people of Shanghai can't stop their lives because of heavy rain and that I should try my very best so I headed out.

I underestimated the rain from the 13th floor it didn't look that heavy but when I got to the front door it was pouring and pouring. I put up my umbrella and took a brave step outside. It isn't cold and still a bit humid and as I got to the main road I saw a taxi. I thought someone had just got inside as I saw it leave the kerb but I waved anyway and to my surprise it came for me!

I went to Julu Lu to Mr Pancake House and there I met some people from the Meet Up website. At first there were only 4 of us but soon we had about 12. I had breakfast pancakes which cost 42RMB and is very filling.

Afterwards a few of us went to Party World as Lucy, the organiser of the event, had booked a karaoke room for a few hours.

KTV here seems quite relaxed and they didn't seem to mind us bringing in outside food and drinks. I'm not too sure the price of the room per hour though as I didn't pay but Lucy assured me it wasn't much. So we had English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese songs which was interesting and all very good fun. People came and left throughout but I stayed until the end.

Around 5pm I got a taxi with a friend and went to Berlinda's place and watched a movie there with Jorge. Another friend, Sho, came and joined us and we headed to Koala Bar nearby for dinner and drinks. I see this bar on HuaiHai Xi Lu as it is near the university and the sign says its a coffee bar but it is more of a drinks bar and has a pool table in the back. The atmosphere was nice, we sat outside to eat and the waiter could speak and understand English which is a bonus.

Burgers cost around 50RMB and breezers around 40RMB which is a little steep I think.

I'm hoping tomorrow's weather is ok and that the predicted typhoon has moved away so that I can do some exploring with my friends.

When it rains in Shanghai...

The weather out here can be rather unpredicable and when it decides to rain it decides to pour! It started with a trip to People's Square, I thought I would go to Book City on Fuzhou Lu. When I arrived at the station I decided to get something to eat and all the fast food places were insanely packed so I went to Pizza Hut where I can sit down and be served instead.

At 230 degrees this plate is hot!! Also very fatty so it wasn't so tasty to be honest. Service was also incredibly slow in this place and when I finally got my food I finished in less than 10 minutes and had to wait another 20 minutes just for the bill.

I headed to the exit of the station only to find it pouring with rain and people coming into the station for shelter - great. So I started walking around the station which luckily has quite a number of stores and even a small market area. I managed to buy some cross stitch kits for 5RMB each and tried to waste some time walking around. I thought there would be a way to go to other shopping centres but I had no luck and in the end as it was still raining, I decided to head to Xintiandi where I know I could be indoors without needing to go outside at all.

It is very useful to remember which stations have tunnels that lead to shopping centres and so I spent my day hopping on the metro trying to stay dry and busy.

Wifi can be found in most places although I have to say Coffee Bean wifi is really awful and sometimes decides not to work at all! Starbucks in Metro City in Xujiahui is really big and probably because there are so many people this wifi is also very bad so I would avoid it. When I am in Metro City I would opt to go to Saint Marc's cafe because it is less busy, good service and I've never had a problem with their wifi which is powerful enough for me to log onto VPN.

I have found a new school to study in for the summer and my teacher gives me these free magazines. She tells me you can pick them up from Starbucks or most Western restaurants. The website for City Weekend is also very good and I like to regularly check it for upcoming events.

(sorry my Blogger isn't rotating this image)

My first trip to Laowai Jie

I love unplanned days they seem to work out much better when there is no expectation.

So I decided I need to go out every day or I just stay in my room being anti-social. I walked to Hongqiao Lu station and decided to go to West Nanjing Road where there is Krispy Kreme. It's one of the few places I like the tea and reminds me of England. The doughnuts though are pretty soggy. A tea and doughnut came to 27RMB so around 70p for a doughnut isn't bad.

I read my Kindle for a little while and then decided to go for a walk, did some window shopping and then went to Ajisen for some noodles. I'm feeling better that my appetite is coming back. I was a little sad that the Enjoy Easy store had closed down though. I went to the station and headed to People's Square to meet Jorge only we had a communication problem and after walking up and down the platform 4 times to discover we were at different stations which was why we couldn't find each other! And People's Square station is one of the few that doesn't have any AC!

Finally we met up and walked along East Nanjing Road in the hot hot sun before finding a place where we could buy some ice tea. I bought a pear tea which came in a cute bottle for only 10RMB so I'm planning to buy some flowers and use it as a vase.

We went to a shopping mall to cool off before deciding to make a move to Shanghai Indoor Stadium to meet Berlinda at Ikea so she could buy some things for her new flat. We got to the station and found we needed to ask directions to Ikea. The first guy was a new student to Shanghai so didn't know anywhere yet, the other guy didn't know what we were saying and then we spotted Ikea and walked over. Even that short distance in the humidity was getting too much to me. I was so relieved to be indoors!

Ikea is much like in England, prices are similar too. After a good shop we went back to the flat to drop off things and took a taxi to Carrefour in Gubei.

Nearby Gubei is a place called Laowai Jie which is a pedestrian street that has many different restaurants and bars so it was full of foreigners, expats etc. Prices are quite expensive - much like in Xintiandi. We had dinner in a Belgium restaurant and for a plate of fish and mash and a glass of coke came to almost 200RMB so very expensive! But the atmosphere in this area is nice and a good escape if you feel China is becoming too much.

 

Jay Chou vs Kobe Bryant Celebrity Charity Basketball, Shanghai Oriental Sports Center

Today was the day of the charity basketball match with Jay Chou vs Kobe Bryant at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. I took a taxi which didn't take too long and cost 30RMB which wasn't bad seeing as the arena is in Pudong and I live in Puxi. I was glad to arrive quite early and there were many people hanging around outside but we were allowed to go in already.
It was very different inside that there was no merchandise on sale and only drinks and popcorn. I was surprised actually that a bottle of water only cost 5RMB as I would have thought the prices inside would be much more expensive.
I was in block 17 and the security man told me I could go through any of the entrances to get to my seat but when I went in I had to ask each area where my seat was and then one man took my ticket and made me walk up and down and follow him and we ended up right where we started and another man told him off about something and then I was on my own again.
I finally found my seat on the opposite side of the arena from where I entered which was annoying but the seat was good.
It started with some basketball players from Washington jumping up on trampolines doing slam dunks, then cheerleaders from Oklahoma and Toronto doing dances, and some people dressed in Sprite colours (the sponsors for the game) doing cheers and dances.
Kobe and Jay arrived on opposite sides of the arena by Smart cars, Kobe playing guitar and Jay spinning a basketball. The teams were announced with Kobe being yellow and Jay being green. I was really surprised to see JJ Lin also playing for yellow! I'm unsure who the others are but there were many songs and Jay did a performance.
The first half and Kobe watched and didn't play. There was a text vote and the winning team got an extra 20 points which went to Jay. In the halfway point and there was a sing off against the teams and a few more performances including JJ.
Kobe played the 2nd half and evened out the scores but in the end Jay lost 82 - 87.
I really enjoyed it, the mix of music and game was good and a great experience. I left as soon as the scores were announced as I was worried about the huge rush of people and as I was on my own I wanted to take a taxi back. However quite a few other people had the same idea and we were heading to get a taxi but these taxi's were charging 150RMB to drive to Puxi! In the end I had to take the Metro but as my changing station it was closed so I had to take a taxi from there. All in all, an experience well learnt.

A sushi experience

I met Yuki at Jing'an after her class and she took me to a cafe called Aura. They seem linked to Coolzey and think that Sherpa do delivery for them too.

The menu had Western dishes, pasta and dishes like tenderloin and mashed potatoes. They do a lunch set menu for 58RMB consists of a main, salad and a drink however I chose the Carbonara for 42RMB and smoothie for 22RMB. This was the first time since I arrived in Shanghai this time that something tasted really good.

Penne Carbonara at Aura cafe

After lunch we went to Enjoy Easy which is a chain of shops that sell a variety of good relatively cheap. So not quite a Pound Store but close enough with many items at 10-20RMB.

 Clear blue skies today in Jing'an

We then studied for about 4 hours in a Wagas Express until we were hungry for dinner around 7pm. We went to Sushi Meijin which had almost a 1 hour waiting time! Each dish here costs 10RMB unless you order noodles or something which will cost more. There is a conveyor belt but also each table has a touch screen where you can order too. The food gets made in the kitchen and shot across on a speedy sushi train to your table on a track above the conveyor belt. You then take your dishes and send the train back to the kitchen by hitting the red button. It was very fun and different experience!

I also saw sushi I hadn't seen before like ones with cheese on them. The sushi here is nicer than as Sushi Express but then it costs a little more (Sushi Express is 6RMB a plate).

 Touch screen at the table

 Conveyor belt sushi

 Salmon with cheese sushi!

Blurry speedy sushi train with special orders on it

Unplanned are best plans

I decided to go to Zhongshan Park Starbucks instead today and as I walked through Hongqiao Lu Metro I saw this woman with a questionable t-shirt on....

I sat by the big window and watched people go by and some workers sitting by the window playing card games and smoking. After a few hours I decided to get some lunch and headed into Cloud 9 shopping centre into the basement where Secret Recipe is.

My friend introduced me to this chain last time which serves a variety of food from pasta, Western dishes like fish and chips and pies to Asian dishes like curry and noodles. They are well-known though for their cakes and serve so many varieties and they have tea-time specials. I had some noodles with fried chicken although I'm unsure if its my jet lag or something that everything tastes very bland still. I also bought a slice of their new "Absolute Chocolate" cake to go.

 My noodles with fried chicken

 One of Secret Recipe's new cakes

I went to Carrefour and I had planned a little casual stroll as I like to browse but I then decided I just wanted to head home. As I left I noticed it was very dark outside and I thought it was very strange. The sky was grey and there was a little bit of rain so I tried to call a taxi but I had no luck so I thought I'd better take the Metro. There was huge crashes of thunder and I got scared so I rushed into the Metro. As I got onto the platform there was a huge downpour! There were bright flashes of lightning and loud thunder I just wanted to be home! When I got to Hongqiao Lu Metro I was surprised the ground was still dry and there wasn't any rain yet so I walked really fast back to my flat. As I got to my room and the rain poured and poured for about half an hour.

My friend, Jorge, called up around 5.30pm and said he was nearby and if I wanted to get some dinner with our other friend Joseph so we all met up and it took a while to get a taxi to Xujiahui. We ate in Din Tai Fung which again, tasted more bland than I remembered it being but I'm beginning to think something is wrong with my tastebuds at the moment.

After dinner we headed to Shanghai Brewery where it was Expat Mixer night. It was one of these events we had to wear name tags which felt rather lame but I guess its how you talk to other people. The other thing that helps is drinking... lots of drinking...

Our other friend, Berlinda, came by not long after and after a drink, Salsa night kicked off. It was fun to watch and I kind of wish I knew how to do it and had someone to dance with. By 10pm we called it a night.

Hit the one week mark

I couldn't log on to post last night but a re-cap of yesterday...

I'm unsure if it is jetlag or insomnia but I haven't slept properly in months. I ended up awake from 5am and watched Friends online on Sohu for a few hours until it seemed reasonable to get out of bed.

I took the bus to Jing'an and I'd never taken the bus in the morning so I was unprepared how crowded it would get! I ended up sitting down as when I was standing I seemed to be in the way and kept getting hit a lot. The seats are covered in plastic and I ended up sitting right above the wheel so I was pretty cramped. I was glad to be sitting as the traffic was awful. However there are TV screens on the bus so I got to see some of the clips of the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics which made me want to tell everyone I'm from London ^^

I got to class a bit early and practiced some conversation with my teacher until Yuki turned up. I found the class very difficult and I think I was tired and stressed I got rather upset. It really was a bad mistake to not have studied at all when I left for UK. In the end I decided to leave the school because I felt I was slowing down Yuki and that the teacher kept pushing me with more hours that I couldn't do and charging me more money.

After class Yuki took me to a Japanese restaurant where we had noodles. The place was really nice and much bigger than it seemed from the outside. After lunch we went outside and found it pouring with rain! So much rain.... She left to go to a cafe and I waited for the rain to ease up and try and call a taxi. It seemed an impossible task so I ended up walking toward the station when I finally got a taxi.

By the evening I decided to call for a pizza. Since Lee took me to a place in Gubei before with honey pizza I really had a craving so my delivery came from Coolzeys. A friend from uni recommended it to me before but I have to say I was rather disappointed as it was quite bland.

Today

I finally got some decent sleep and woke up at 9am - I can't remember the last time I managed that! So after getting myself ready I headed out to Xintiandi. It was very hot to walk to Hongqiao Lu Metro that I was tempted to call a taxi but refrained.

I went to Starbucks and got myself a lemon tea and croissant before setting myself up to study. Whilst studying and this Chinese couple sat next to me (I was on a high up table) and the man gets up to sit next to the woman. They start chatting and then moments later he walks very slowly next to me to see what I'm reading and sees its a Chinese textbook for foreigners and says in surprise "ta shi laowai!" which just means "she is a foreigner" and then all I could hear was "laowai laowai" and a lot of stares. Awkward.

After 2 hours of studying I was falling asleep so I thought I'd better get out. It was so crowded too so I got a taxi to Fuzhou Lu.

Fuzhou Lu is the best place to go to get stationary and books etc. One of my favourite stores around here is Keyroad which sells very girlie cutesy things, stationary, hair things, plushies, mugs etc. They also don't always sell the same things and it changes quite a lot. Next door is a toy shop (the name escapes me now as I didn't visit today) but I'm told there is a smaller branch in Xujiahui too.

I went to the Book City to find a textbook. I'm always amazed how big this place is. I'm also amazed how busy Shanghai is on a weekday when people should actually be working and how many people aren't working. Afterwards I went to Coffee Bean to get a drink to cool off and read my new book. It was pretty busy in here too so I flagged down a taxi and left.

I noticed today that on the crossroad intersections there are giant umbrella stands for pedestrians to wait under for shade whilst waiting to cross the roads since traffic light signals are pretty long out here.

Self studying is going much better and I realise I'm not entirely useless as was my fear since arriving. I'm feeling much more settled now it's been a week and I'm finding my feet once more.

Chilling at the Shanghai Brewery

Today I went to see my friend's new flat which is so close to me on the same block! Its a lovely place too ^^ I met old friends and made a new one and we all went to the Shanghai Brewery for dinner and drinks.

We arrived about 8pm and service wasn't very good as the girl taking the order kept wandering away to ask a colleague something about our order! In the end someone else came to take our order. The atmosphere was pretty nice, more like an American style sports bar with several TV screens around showing different sports (currently most screens showing the Olympics) and a giant screen at the end of the room showing football.

I'd say 90% of people there are expats and tourists, only a few locals were there. The food is seen as a bit more expensive at around 70RMB for a burger, 30RMB for a beer, 198RMB for a steak. The food itself is pretty good as I've had many types of Western food in Shanghai and been disappointed by the quality. There is a good variety on the menu not just in food but drinks too, with many Western favourites on there (even fish and chips ^^).

It was really fun to go out and see the night life and relax with a drink and I hope to be able to do this more often now my friends are nearby.

Tomorrow I begin my summer course in Mandarin and I'm thankful to start as I've been so unmotivated lately that each time I sit down to focus on my book I become intimidated by the characters and I'm frustrated when I see a character I used to know but can't remember now. I need my focus back and I'm hoping after this week and 20 hours worth of lessons I can feel prepared for going back to Jiao Tong.

And to end - my new friend from Hong Kong arrived today ^^

Cute, no?!

Bean Knitting Event

I attended the Bean Knitting Event at Jiashan Market this afternoon. I had wanted to attend before I left in June but it was very popular and always booked up. We met up in Melange Oasis and had the back space to ourselves. There were about 10 other people there, a variety of nationalities and we were greeted by Alison who introduced us to the event and handed out some previously started pieces.

We were instructed to knit 20x20cm squares which would get sent to South Africa where they are assembled into blankets for AIDs impacted orphans.

It was a really nice atmosphere and relaxing to knit and chat with others. I would highly recommend this event ^^ I had previously attended the Bean event to look after some cats. I like this volunteer group and hope to attend more events. 

How to top up your mobile in China

I thought I'd write a quick post for anyone who wants to know how to top up their mobile phone in China because today was the first time I managed to!

This is for China Mobile which is much easier to top up than China Unicom so a tip is try to get a China Mobile simcard if possible. All convenience stores will have China Mobile vouchers to top up either 50RMB or 100RMB.

A slip of paper is given to you and it is a little misleading as usually China Mobile contacts you via a number 10086 but if you see the slip of paper you need to call the number circled in red:

There is an option to hear the service in English. You want to choose the option to make an "advance payment" and you can choose this mobile number or another one. You are asked to type in the code which you reveal on the left hand side and have to enter this long long number. You will get a confirmation if you are successful and which amount has been added.

For China Unicom I found the only place I could top it up was by going to a hotel! But it is basically the same system but I'm unsure if there is an English service as the hotel staff are kind enough to help me out.

I'm using my unlocked iPhone this time but I'm finding internet usage to be rather costly. Also I cannot get a 3G signal...

Anyway, it is pretty easy to top up although I know just before I left in June I struggled with my friend to do this and it was a kind stranger who helped us out in the end ^^

Hopefully the end of jetlag!

My jetlag has been so bad (or it could be my insomnia is back) and I find myself awake at 3am-6am and fall asleep for a few hours only this time I didn't wake until 5pm. I felt very depressed as I always do when I sleep past 12pm and was in two minds about going out. I told myself I needed to go to Carrefour and pick up a clothes horse since I was here for longer I don't think hanging my laundry across the window would be a good idea now that there is a new housemate and I used to use the balcony in that room.

So I took the Metro to Zhongshan Park and thought I'd go to Secret Recipe but there was such a big queue I decided to go to Pizza Hut.

It's taken some getting used to eating out on my own again but I'm slowly getting there. It's also quite fun to people watch whilst eating. Pizza Hut currently have a happy hour and the waiters are constantly coming over to ask me if I want an alcoholic drink instead. 28RMB for Sangria and 22RMB for caramel Baileys ^^

I still find it overwhelming sometimes being surrounded by Mandarin again I wonder how I managed before. I'm trying very hard to listen and respond but sometimes I panic.

Carrefour wasn't too busy which was a relief and I had many choices of clothes horse to pick from. It seems the ready built ones cost over 400RMB! That is insane! For convenience sake I chose one in a box with a handle for 199RMB but I would soon realise why I probably should have picked a ready made one...

I took a taxi back for only 18RMB and got to my flat. It took a good 10 minutes just to open the stupid box! And inside I'm greeted with various poles and the instructions on the back are entirely in Chinese. Now normally I don't even read the instructions but I couldn't work out how some of it attached. Then being on my own and trying to balance this it collapsed several times and I figured my laundry would be finished before I'd build this rack!

Somehow I managed to do most of it but part of it needed a screwdriver and as prepared as I usually am, I don't have a big enough one (only a tiny one for glasses!). So until I get one it'll have to do as it is but it is rather big so I wonder if I need to get a different one.... I guess it was just an amusing experience....!

I'm very excited I have bought tickets to see Jay Chou vs Kobe Bryant doing charity basketball next week! ^^ I hope it is worth the 880RMB tickets ;)

 

All in Chinese - d'oh!

 Good enough I guess!

Sherpas is my lifesaver

I really struggled to get up this morning as my jetlag kicked in around 3-6am where I lay awake and drifted in and out of sleep from 6-8am when my alarm went off. I underestimated how long it would take me to get ready and dashed out the door around 8.30am where I made a quick stop to the convenience store to buy a drink and then wave for a taxi.

I waited on one side of the road and saw many taxis on the other side (sods law!). A taxi driver saw me and circled round to pick me up and when I gave the address he circled back round the other way! I thought it was odd as normally when I go to Jing'An Temple they take the overpass. The traffic was slow and painful and I panicked I would be late. It cost me 23RMB to get to my class.

Turns out class started at 9.30am so I had a half hour to wait. Was a bit frustrating nobody gave me something to do or brought me a drink so I sat alone, in silence, for half an hour. I joined this class but they are already finishing the book so I found it super difficult. Later the teacher told me the price has changed as she suggests I do 4 hour classes every day for 4 weeks! It is rather insane just thinking about it as 3 hours today almost killed me. I so badly wanted to walk out it is very frustrating to feel at such a low level again and I wonder how I had the strength and focus like before.

I'm also very frustrated at the constant change in price and how my teacher tries to be very persuasive. So now I'm currently wondering if I should pay the extra cost of around 800RMB or look for another class but I have such little time if I intend to do a summer course. I wonder if there would be any way to convince the teacher I don't need so many hours...

After class I went to the food court with Yuki which is located in the basement of Jing'An Temple Metro. The other entrance is now open as before it was closed and quite annoying to redirect. I had some noodles with pork katsu and Yuki had some pho and dumplings. It was really good to catch up with her again and she walked me to the bus stop and helped me read it. Bus stops in Shanghai are all written in characters but inside the bus the announcements also show in pinyin. At 2RMB it was much cheaper than a taxi and takes me close enough to my flat so it will be more convenient to take this if I continue classes there.

My jetlag slowly creeps up and I find myself short-tempered so I ordered some take away from Sherpa's who were open today (they closed yesterday due to the typhoon) and ordered enough to last me tomorrow which will save on delivery prices. Tomorrow I have a free day to sleep and perhaps look for a new school as well as stock up on bits and pieces that have gone missing in the flat....

 

The scroll hanging in the classroom

Noodles in soup with pork cutlets

Typhoon Haikui

I think I arrived just in time to Shanghai as later in the evening Typhoon Haikui was heading our way. All through the night there were strong winds and so much rain. I think the last time I witnessed something like this was in Hong Kong one year and the electricity went out and we were all forced to sleep around 7pm.

I didn't get to my class today due to the weather and also due to my jetlag. I slept until about 1pm and saw the rain was still very bad I decided to stay indoors. Checking the news it seemed the typhoon had moved on and didn't directly hit Shanghai which was lucky enough. Many flights this morning were cancelled which reminded me of February when I was lucky to even fly out of England due to the snow - I seem to make some close calls!

By 5pm my housemate text and asked if I wanted to go to dinner at the local fish place we like so much. Glancing out the window at the torrential rain I was in two minds but I was also starving as I hadn't eaten a proper meal (plane doesn't count!) since Sunday lunch. She did assure me the rain would let up by the time she got back to the flat.

Around 7pm we went out and got super dressed up in waterproof gear. The alleyway around our flat was so windy our umbrella broke but we thankfully brought another with us. It reminds me to get a bigger umbrella as they have a smaller chance of turning inside out.

The food was good, a big roasted fish in a tray of spicy soup - like a hot pot and we cooked other bits and pieces inside. Came up to 62RMB each which wasn't bad for a big fish. The rain is currently still going but nowhere near as bad as before - and with a little luck I may even begin my summer course tomorrow ;)

The lady who turned up yesterday I found out was the landlady - I somehow wish I'd known and been a bit nicer to her but it was hard enough to understand what she was saying to me in my jet-lagged state of mind. In fact even in this state I'd confused the date and missed the premiere of Shanghai Calling which I'd thought was tonight, not yesterday...

It is very humid here, especially in the flat that when I leave my cool AC room and go into the kitchen my glasses are all steamed up! The evenings are a little better but with the rain and humidity you feel rather gross and just want to jump in the shower. Not much to do now except stay awake until a reasonable hour and then sleep and hope to be feeling up to class tomorrow.

Arrived back in Shanghai

I have arrived back in Shanghai and finding things to be familiar. The flight was 10.5 hours on Virgin Atlantic. The flight itself wasn't as good as previous flights - usually there would be midnight snacks handed out to those who were still awake like cookies or ice cream but this time there wasn't any and also not many drinks handed out.

I took a taxi from the airport - a good tip is to head to the arrivals instead of the designated taxi rank (which I believe is located on the ground floor so instead head to the 3rd floor). Many taxis are dropping people off and are pretty keen to drive back to Puxi. Taxi ride can take about an hour and on average costs 200RMB.

The taxi driver guessed I was from Hong Kong - something about my accent when I speak Chinese. The security guard to the flat thought I was Japanese. Its rather fun people guessing where I'm from and when I say "England" they raise their eyebrows at me. 

Being back in my flat has been comforting. Even being back in this area - when the taxi drove past the Grand Gateway shopping centre I felt happy inside thinking of all the memories I have. I feel safe in Shanghai and despite what other people have told me about other cities in China, I find people here to be friendly and helpful most of the time.

I had a random encounter with a neighbour this evening when she asked for my flatmate but I wasn't sure which one as I don't know their last names! She basically was telling me she got a call about a fruit basket for collection and she wasn't sure who it was from or if it was for my flatemate. She was kind of asking permission to eat the fruit if nobody claimed it! I'm also unsure why she wanted to exchange phone numbers and I don't even know her name as she wrote it all in Chinese!

I have such trouble sleeping on the plane - I slept about 30 minutes so when I got settled in I slept about 4 hours. My class tomorrow will begin at 9am and I'm thinking I should sleep again soon. I have been offered a ticket to the premiere of Shanghai Calling and to the after party tomorrow - I'm really hoping I can go although I'm worried how jet-lagged I'll be! But what an amazing experience to be on the red carpet with all the stars!