First week back in Shanghai and what a long one it's been!

The week has been intense with jet lag and starting classes. I'm in the intermediate class (中级) which requires us to study 3 chapters a week over a 5 week period. I'm enjoying the intensity of the classes, it keeps me on my toes, but it is pretty exhausting. Classes at Jiao Tong run at 90 minutes with a 20 minute break between so it is quite challenging to stay focused for that long. On the plus, the coffee "shop" (it's a tiny room) is right next to my classroom so makes it easy to get in line quickly! They also sell snacks like "sandwish"...

You know things get serious when there is no pinyin...

I managed to take a trip to West Nanjing Road and found the cutest cake at Cafe 85.

And later at Mannings to get some mosquito repellent patches...

If these don't keep the mosquitoes away then I've lost hope in the power of the panda!

A trip to Xiantiandi on Thursday and found more changes. It still takes time to come to terms with how quick shops and restaurants can open and close. But a cute new shop opened that create "Mini Me's" where they take photos and make little dolls (much like that Big Bang Theory episode!).

On Friday I managed to finally get my temporary resident permit from the police station so afterwards I went for my favourite omelette rice at Manabe when I got a pretty major shock when a car reversed and knocked the glass so the waitress had to go out and tell the driver to move.

 I wasn't sure if soup should have so many bubbles?

Beef curry omelette rice

In the evening my friends took me to Din Tai Fung for some xiaolongbao to celebrate finally getting my permit sorted.

After dinner we tried to go to Brown Sugar in Xintiandi but it was closed but next door at Luna Bar was a Filipino band playing so we went there instead. It was a 100RMB cover charge so a minimum spend of that per person we spend on drinks. The band was called Fast Track and it was a great atmosphere with the band so close singing a mixture of English, Mandarin, Cantonese even, and during some classic songs the bar turned more into karaoke with everyone joining in. The band even took requests where the waiters were passing out tissues for you to scribble on as they handed them to the band. 

A week of food, drinks, shopping and live music

Last week had been rather busy, mostly seeing my Indonesian friend before she left back to her home country. It feels rather sad that in Shanghai people come and go so quickly but I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have met so many different people.

We went to have dim sum on Sunday after my HSK 4 exam. We went to Lynn's on Xikang Lu which is a modern Shanghainese restaurant and does an 88RMB dim sum buffet. It is quite reasonable price and food. Afterwards we slowly walked up to the indoor market on Nanjing Xi Lu which is the plaza where you can find all the fake brands.

I had been before last time I was here but I was on my own and rather scared so to be here with my confident friends was a completly different experience. We were led through one shop's hidden back door to a "cupboard" where they sell glasses and fake Ray Bans etc, then further in a "cupboard" is full of fake rolex watches and LV handbags, Prada etc. The amount of foreigners they brought into here was crazy.

After we finished shopping we went to have chicken in a clay hot pot in a very small restaurant near where I live. For 5 of us we paid only 30RMB each (£3!). The food was good and the service lovely, run by a husband and wife who are very kind.

 

I'm not sure why but the weather got really strange last week and the pollution got so bad that I'd read news online that we were being advised to not even go outside. For a while I couldn't even see outside my window! Luckily it cleared up after a day and things went back to normal.

 

On Tuesday night my friends and I went to Hai Di Lao on Beijing Lu. I didn't know but apparently you can ask for a free apron (one per group). The service is great as always and you can get your nails done, shoes polished, play cards, board games, make origami birds and stars etc as you wait. 

 

I went back to Nana's Green Tea for some lunch after class one day and thought to try something new. The Hokkaido noodles in carbonara sauce was really nice, like carbonara soup!

On Friday night my classmates invited me out to the House of Blues and Jazz located near The Bund on Fuzhou Lu. It was 50RMB cover charge to enter and was soon packed and the band started playing at 10pm. Drinks are expensive here but service isn't as bad as the reviews I'd read are. The bar felt very American/Irish and I quite enjoyed listening to jazz. I was so tired though so afterwards I didn't stay too long.