Posts in Shanghai

Beijing Bound

Friday was our last morning in Shanghai. We started off our day with a trip to McDonalds, so Daniel could get his egg McMuffin, and then took the train to the South Bund Soft Spinning Fabric Market to pick up our tailor-made goods. Daniel tried on his two shirts, which fit perfectly (thank goodness) and I tried on the jumpsuits Wu Quin made me. I love them—he did such a great job.

McDonalds Shanghai
Daniel’s last egg McMuffin breakfast at McDonalds in Shanghai.
South Bund Soft Spinning Fabric Market Shanghai
South Bund Soft Spinning Fabric Market— Wu Quin and I.

On our way out of the market Daniel decided he wanted to buy a “real Samsonite” suitcase from same man I bought one from the day before. To our delight, the man proceeded to do the same “jumping on the bag test” as he did the day before to prove how sturdy it was. [Don’t worry, we got a video of it this time and we highly encourage you to watch it now before reading the rest of the post.]

He’s so theatrical. Aren’t you glad you did that?

We got back to the Sheraton and were met with a level of unnecessary security (eight guards standing outside the building, a metal detector and x-ray machine at every entry point, and four security guards ‘wanding’ people) because of the world “water skating” aka figure skating competition occurring in Shanghai—this city is super serious with their security. We went up to the room, packed up and taxied to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (a 45 minute drive compared to a two hour subway to train ride).

It was about 11:00 AM when we arrived at the airport for a 1:30 PM flight to Beijing. But, as our travel luck in China goes, the lady at the Shanghai Airlines desk told us our tickets weren’t open and we couldn’t board or check into the flight. With no cell data or call time, paired broken wifi at the airport, we couldn’t call United Airlines. We went to the ticketing desk where they were unable to do anything so we missed our flight. Daniel managed to get the guys behind the ticketing desk to let him use their phone and called United in Asia (he waited on the phone for 45 minutes until he finally got an agent). In the meantime, I looked at the Hello Kitty food and got us Subway for lunch. By the time I walked back to the ticketing desk around 2:15 PM, Daniel was already checking in our bags. We were immediately escorted through two security points, the terminal, and up to the gate to make a 2:30 PM flight. It wasn’t until I was sitting on the plane that I realized we were flying China Eastern airlines.

Hello Kitty at Bread Talk in Shanghai Airport
Hello Kitty cakes at Bread Talk in the Shanghai Airport.

Daniel and I were seated separately on the plane so I got really bored really quickly. I amused myself by taking selfies amid the sea of passed out and snoring Chinese men surrounding me until the flight attendant told me it was illegal to have my phone on during a flight in the Republic of China. For the remainder of the flight I watched the man across the isle compete with himself to see how far he could stick his index finger up his nose. When it was finally time to get off the plane I was body checked so hard—by a man resembling Jabba the Hutt—that I fell back into my seat. Manners are very different here.

China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines flight to Beijing—amusing myself by taking selfies amid the sea of passed out and snoring Chinese men surrounding me.
China Eastern Airlines
More selfies with sleeping men.
China Eastern Airlines
View from over my head to give you context of how bored I was.

When we entered the Beijing Capital International Airport we went straight to baggage claim—we were the only one’s waiting there (so strange). My bag came off of the conveyer belt fairly quickly but there was no sign of Daniel’s. We waited for a while until eventually a distressed airline employee led us over to the oversized luggage corner where we found Daniel’s bag completely unzipped with the lock still on. Clearly we had purchased a high quality bag (thank goodness, nothing fell out)—we managed to fix the zipper so it zipped properly.

Baggage Claim at Beijing Airport
Daniel waiting in the VIP Sky Priority area at baggage claim.
Baggage Claim at Beijing Airport
We were the only one’s at the conveyer belt.
Fail Blog Chinese Signs
One of the many confusing Chinese signs (the second one) hanging on the bathroom wall with nothing to help contextualize it. Fail blog submission.

After the bag fiasco, we found an information desk and asked a woman who spoke about 3.2% English if she could write down the name and address of our hotel for us in Chinese. We boarded the Airport Express train towards our hotel and took it to the first stop where a woman in a yellow jacket, with a Madonna microphone strapped to her head, crammed us into an elevator with 12 other people. When the doors opened, we found our way to the exit and decided to film a quick “Welcome to Beijing” video when a local taxi driver approached us. He said “taxxzi?!” in very broken English and Daniel confidently answered “I’m from South Africa” (apparently he thought the man asked if he was from Australia). Daniel showed him the paper with the address of our hotel in Chinese (from the woman at the information desk in the airport) and he looked confused. It turned out that all she had translated was the word “hotel”—so that got us nowhere.

We got directions, took two subways, rolled our bags for ten minutes down the street and finally arrived at the Renaissance Hotel. We had a delicious dinner upstairs, made friends with two guys who work for SAP (one from Valencia and one from Bosnia—but they both are based in Dublin), and headed down to the hotel pool (and jacuzzi!) for a swim.

Swimming and playing with the GoPro (Daniel's favorite activities).
Swimming and playing with the GoPro (Daniel’s favorite activities).

After we got out of the pool Daniel called a local guide named Larry, who his cousin Lorin had recommended we use. Prepare for Larry because this man is my new obsession (more on him in the next post).

Sayonara Shanghai

Thursday we spent the morning working on the blog because I’ve been having schpilkas about getting so far behind with these updates… With the last week of our trip almost fully recapped, I felt a lot better (but I think Daniel was annoyed because we missed the 10:30 AM McDonald’s egg McMuffin breakfast deadline—sorrrrryyy).

Shanghai Subway
Shanghai Subway—advertising in the tunnels.

We grabbed some snacks from a convenience store to tide us over until lunch and took the train to the Jewish Refugees Museum—so crazy to think that this existed in China during World War II. The museum refers to Shanghai as a “Noah’s Ark” from 1933 to 1941, accepting around 30,000 Jewish refugees running from the Holocaust in Europe. We went through a few exhibition halls, read some individual survival stories, and saw the former site of the Ohel Moshe Synagogue—one of the only two synagogues in Shanghai built by Russian Jews. It was a great experience and it didn’t take a long time to see the whole museum.

Jewish Refugees Museum in Shanghai
“The past is in the present, but the future is still in our hands.” —Elie Wiesel
Jewish Refugees Museum in Shanghai
Art inspired on this quote by Evelyn Pike Rubin “Tomorrow we could be starting a new life in a strange city, in an unfamiliar country, with an unfamiliar language, climate, and people, where we would be safe and free.”
Jewish Refugees Museum in Shanghai
Ohel Moshe Synagogue—one of the only two synagogues in Shanghai built by Russian Jews.
Jewish Refugees Museum in Shanghai
The Jewish Refugees Museum—so crazy to think that this existed in China during World War II.

When we finished up at the museum we took a taxi to find some lunch in the area of the Jade Buddha Temple. We attempted to eat at the vegetarian restaurant—which we found on a local website—but it turned out the the restaurant was located on the temple grounds for the Monks. So, we decided to wander around the area until we finally found Tsui Wah Restaurant, aka the only place with English on the menu. All you need to know about this restaurant is that you shouldn’t go. No bueno.

Not such good food in Shanghai
This is not actually the food from Tsui Wah Restaurant, but this should give you an idea of what it tasted like and what the service was like. [This picture was taken outside of an outdoor restaurant—seems to be where people throw their leftovers #nomnom.]
Post lunch we went to the Jade Buddha Temple and checked out the amazing and ornate statues of different deities and Buddha’s. We even snuck onto the back of an English tour to hear a bit about the history of the temple. The Jade Buddha itself was magnificent, definitely worth seeing!

Jade Buddha Temple Shanghai
Jade Buddha Temple—absolutely magnificent, definitely worth seeing!
Jade Buddha Temple Shanghai
Jade Buddha Temple Shanghai wall detail.
Jade Buddha Temple Shanghai
Jumping Jaxy—in front of the Jade Buddha Temple while people were lighting offerings on fire all around us.
Jade Buddha Temple Shanghai
Jade Buddha Temple ceiling-lamp selfie.

On the way to the subway station I saw Coco, a milk tea place, and had to stop to get one. The people behind the counter spoke zero English so we decided to have some fun with them. When they handed the tea over the counter, Daniel proceeded to ask them—in some strange question arrangement—”This is Taylor Swift’s favorite drink for summer?” Obviously, their answer was “Yes Yes.” I love milk tea.

Coco Milk Tea Shanghai
I love milk tea!

Eager to go to my first fitting at the South Bund Soft Spinning Fabric Market, we took the subway to meet up with Wu Quin. I was absolutely amazed to see how quickly he was able to produce such well made clothing! After discussing a few more alterations, I told him I would return Friday to pick up the finished products. At the same time, Daniel tried on his shirts and then gave his tailor some feedback—she didn’t seem to take his request for alterations too well (rather she defended all of her work wholeheartedly until another tailor in the market finally came over to agree with Daniel). Nonetheless, everything worked out for us.

On our way out of the market, we glanced over at a suitcase. The man selling the suitcase (“this real Samsonite suitcase”) then gave us the performance of a lifetime—chasing us around the market with a calculator, and jumping on the suitcase to show us how strong it was, all while screaming out “Hoooi! Heeeyah! Hooooi!”. Absolutely HILARIOUS! We bargained with him a great deal and ended up buying it. We inquired as to if he could get us one in a color other than “electric vomit” and he pulled out a black suitcase with some strange name on it. We asked him if this was the same suitcase as a Samsonite, and he proceeded to tell us it was a Samsonite—then he pulled out a silver Samsonite luggage logo, popped out the one that was currently sitting in the suitcase, and replaced it. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than this. Just way too funny.

Back at the unnecessary Sheraton business suite we were delighted to find that many of the socks we purchased from buyers at the Sock Expo had arrived. We went through the socks, made some calls, and did some work on Say it with a Sock (very exciting).

Say it with a Sock socks
Socks from the sock show arrived at our hotel!

We went for dinner at 9:45 to a highly rated Italian restaurant on The Bund called Goodfellas (yes, like the movie). The owner of the restaurant, Marco, welcomed us with Prosecco and delicious bread. We ordered wine, delicious minestrone soup (this was the best one I’ve ever had), and pizza. The food was unreal and the service was fantastic!

Goodfellas Restaurant Shanghai
We ordered wine, delicious minestrone soup (this was the best one I’ve ever had), and pizza. The food was unreal and the service was fantastic!
Goodfellas Restaurant Shanghai
Goodfellas Restaurant—Marco welcomed us with Prosecco and delicious bread.
Goodfellas Restaurant Shanghai
Goodfellas Restaurant Shanghai. The owner Marco is incredible!

After dinner we walked down the Bund, took photos with The Bund Bull sculpture (which Daniel grabbed by the horns—get it, he grabbed the bull by the horns), watched a few local women running along the promenade in high-heeled Nike’s and matching Juicy terrycloth outfits, and even found a man running backwards in jeans (interesting). What a faboosh day!

The Bund Bull Shanghai
Photos with the Bund Bull sculpture on the Bund.
The Bund Bull Shanghai
Daniel grabbed the Bund Bull by the horns—so profound.
The Bund in Shanghai
Last night in Shanghai. Selfie with a skyline from the Bund overlooking the Huangpu River.

 

Shanghai Sock Conference (CHPE)

Wednesday morning we woke up at 8:00 AM, walked to McDonalds for another authentic Chinese breakfast, and took a cab to the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center for the Hosiery Conference for Say it with a Sock (our sock of the month club). We spent seven hours walking around the conference learning everything you could possibly imagine (and then some) about all aspects of socks (thread, needles, materials, sublimation, digital printing, manufacturing, packaging, etc.). It was both fascinating and hilarious for many reasons. There were almost no westerners at the conference, not that it mattered, but it was not what we expected.

Morning Fog in Pudong Shanghai
Morning view with a side of fog.
McDonalds Shanghai
Daniel enjoying another authentic Chinese breakfast at McDonalds.
Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center hanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center
At the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center for the Hosiery Expo Conference. So corporate.
Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center hanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center
A little negotiating with some sock manufacturers at the sock conference.
Hosiery Expo Sock Conference in Shanghai - CHPE.
Kids socks at the Hosiery Expo – CHPE

Fully socked out for the day, we headed back to our unnecessary suite at the Sheraton to work on Say it with a Sock and relax for a bit. We went to Time’s Square mall to go to a an all vegetarian Chinese restaurant for dinner. The place was awesome, however, no one spoke English. We were handed an iPad for a menu full of photos of different dishes accompanied by Chinese descriptions. A waiter from India came over to help us—he pushed a few buttons on the iPad after admitting in broken English that he also couldn’t read any of the Chinese descriptions on the iPad. We ended up with six delicious dishes (which was about four dishes too many), but the meal was amazing and this whole night was definitely an experience.

Times Square Mall Shanghai
Times Square Mall—where we found the all vegetarian Chinese restaurant.
Vegetarian Chinese food in Shanghai
We went to an all vegetarian Chinese restaurant for dinner. The place was awesome, however, no one spoke English. We were handed an iPad for a menu full of photos of different dishes accompanied by Chinese descriptions. A waiter from India came over to help us—he pushed a few buttons on the iPad after admitting in broken English that he also couldn’t read any of the Chinese descriptions on the iPad. We ended up with six delicious dishes (which was about four dishes too many), but the meal was amazing and this whole night was definitely an experience.
Vegetarian Chinese food in Shanghai
The vegetarian Chinese restaurant.

As we went to leave the mall we saw a line of people inside trying to wait out the pouring rain. We made a mad dash for the subway and navigated to a stop on the other side of town to go to a night market/bar. We weren’t quite sure which of the twenty four subway station exits to use so we guessed. Turns out we were very wrong, because we ended up walking about thirty minutes to Dada Bar (a cool dive bar with games and local artisans filled with expats). We ordered some beers, chatted with a few vendors and then left.

Dada Bar in Shanghai
Dada Bar—a cool dive bar with games and local artisans filled with expats.

It took us about twenty minutes or so,  in the pouring rain, to finally find a taxi that would take us back to the Sheraton—and when we got one, we were beyond relieved…. Shanghai is freezing!

Silly in Shanghai

Happy Saint Paddy’s Day to you!

Tuesday morning we woke up to the sound of incessant car horns. We opened the curtains to a grey sky, but we were pleased we could see more of the neighborhood we were staying in (compared to last night’s visibility). For breakfast we went to McDonald’s where Daniel had an authentic Chinese Egg McMuffin (minus the ham and mayo).

View of Pudong, Shanghai
The view from our window—hello Pudong.
McDonalds in Shanghai
Daniel’s had an authentic Shanghai breakfast—McDonald’s egg McMuffin.

We took the subway to the South Bund Soft Spinning Fabric Market to check out the market and the tailors. Thanks to Trip Advisor, we found Wu Quin, a lovely man who makes custom women’s clothes. We negotiated a price, went back and forth on a fitting schedule, and picked out fabrics together for something I wanted to get made. Then he measured me every which way, while we communicated—mostly though hand signals—about how things would work. In the meantime, Daniel had two custom shirts made at the stall next door. Satisfied with our sessions we decided to leave after being told to come back Thursday for a fitting.

Shanghai South Bund Soft Spinning Fabric Market
Wu Quin’s stall at Shanghai South Bund Soft Spinning Fabric Market.

We took a cab ride to the center of Shanghai to The Bund (a waterfront area). We walked down the promenade overlooking the Hugangpu River and saw the city’s spectacular modern architecture. We also saw over twelve couples taking weddings photos (not sure if Saint Patrick’s Day luck of the Irish means much to them here, but I honestly can’t fathom that a Monday in the middle of winter equates to a perfect day for photos, but then again, who knows…).

The Bund  in Shanghai
Us at the Bund overlooking the Hugangpu River and Shanghai city’s architecture.
The Bund Wedding Photos in Shanghai
One of the many new couples we saw taking wedding photos at the Bund.
The Bund Wedding Photos in Shanghai
Posing with the bouquet for a wedding shot at the Bund.
The Bund Wedding Photos in Shanghai
Teaching another bride how to pose with her hands up in the air—this was fun to watch cause it took her a while to figure it out.
The Bund Wedding Photos in Shanghai
Another couple taking wedding shots at the Bund—how original.
The Bund Wedding Photos in Shanghai
Here comes another bride and groom for some Bund wedding photos.

Wedding photos at the Bund, Shanghai

We took a quick tour of The Bund History Museum—I say quick because there really isn’t much to see. The architecture of the building itself was awesome, but the contents of the museum were nothing special. You can tell that they used translation app on the computer to write out the English descriptions of everything, because they made very little sense.

The Bund History Museum Shanghai
The Bund History Museum—the architecture of the building itself was awesome, but the contents of the museum were nothing special.
The Bund History Museum Shanghai
The Bund History Museum in Shanghai.

We decided to take a hop on hop off bus to check out the city, but decided to go for a quick authentic lunch at Subway. We got onto the hop on, hop off bus starting at the Peace Hotel. Once thing we noticed after just being on the bus for just a moment is that everyone honks their car horns …all the time! It doesn’t matter if there is a red light ahead, a person in the street, or a complete lack of traffic ahead—people simply love to hear their horns make noise. So we drove down the streets at a clip pace, listening to the bus tour amid the ongoing not-so-melodic car horns, and got off in the old city at Yu Garden. From the moment we stepped off the bus, a woman wearing light up, clip-on roller skates approached us trying to pedal her goods. We looked at what she was selling out of interest and then continued on walking, while she shouted 180 Yuen from behind us. She continued to discount her price (without us saying a word or turning around) until she dropped the price to 50 Yuen. At such a ridiculous price, we decided, why not, lets do this—so we bought them.

Subway Shanghai
An authentic Shanghai lunch at Subway—we’re really branching out. Daniel enjoying a local soda called Coke.
City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus in Shanghai
Us just trying to blend in and be local on the hop on hop off bus in Shanghai.

The old city streets were awesome and Yu Garden was absolutely magnificent. We saw rock structures (which they refer to as “rockery”), bonsais, 1800’s teak structures, and ponds full of more koi fish than we knew existed. After walking around for quite a bit we decided to hop back on the bus and head to the next destination.

Shanghai Old City
Exploring the streets of the old city in Shanghai.
Jumping Jaxy
Jumping Jaxy—in the walking streets of the old city in Shanghai near Yu Garden.
Yu Garden Shanghai
Welcome to Yu Garden Shanghai. This rock is older than all of your ancestors.
Tea Garden at Yu Gardens in Shanghai
The Tea Garden at Yu Gardens in Shanghai
Tea Garden at Yu Gardens in Shanghai
A small pool of koi fish among the many at Yu Garden.
Koi Fish Yu Garden
More Koi Fish at Yu Garden.

We got off the bus near the Shanghai Museum, but had to figure out how to get across the street, since all of the sidewalks are above street level. We asked two elderly Chinese women (who spoke no English whatsoever) how to get across and they basically laughed at us until they gave us some kind of directions in a Chinese dialect. Realizing they couldn’t understand us, Daniel said “Thank you, you smell beautiful” and we walked towards the museum. At the museum we checked out a few Chinese historical exhibits including: (the Chinese seal exhibit, the ancient Chinese ceramics gallery, the Chinese minority Nationalities’ art gallery, the ancient Chinese jade gallery, and the Chinese Ming and Qing furniture gallery). When we left the museum we put on our roller sakes and went pretty much nowhere (the skates didn’t work that well—aka they didn’t work). We had a silly time attempting to skate around the front of the museum for a bit, all while gaining a few spectators. Eventually we gave up and decided to leave them for people who might know something we didn’t about them.

Shanghai Museum
Who knew a place like the Shanghai Museum could be so wildly entertaining?
Shanghai Museum Interior
The Shanghai Museum. You’ve never seen so many security guards in your life as in this museum.
Shanghai Museum
How we entertained ourselves with our new selfie stick in the Shanghai Museum.
Locals enjoying the art at the Shanghai Museum
Locals enjoying the art at the Shanghai Museum.
Shanghai Museum
The Chinese minority nationalities’ art gallery—including costumes and masks that we wanted to ask Wu Quin if he could replicate for us in all of their glory.
Shanghai Museum
Today we took our relationship to the next level and bought attachable roller skates from a woman who bargained herself down from 180 Yuan to 50 Yuan without us saying a word. Needless to say, we’ve had the silliest day in Shanghai.
Roller Skates in Shanghai
Eventually we gave up and decided to leave our roller skates for people who might know something we didn’t about them.

We walked around the city for a while until we found a milk tea stand. Stupidly, I ordered a large size only to discover that a large here is basically a bucket. So we walked around enjoying a bucket of milk tea until we happened to stumble into The French Concession (which is where we wanted to go anyway). The French Concession is amazing! It kind of reminded us of a more European version of the hipster parts of San Francisco. We walked up and down the streets checking out the shops and restaurants until we found Dr. Wine (a restaurant and wine bar). We ordered wine and food and headed back to the Sheraton.

Tea Time Milk Tea in Shanghai
Stupidly, I ordered a large size milk tea only to discover that a large here is basically a bucket. Not mad.
Dr. Wine in the French Concession of Shanghai
Enjoying a bottle of wine at Dr. Wine in the French Concession of Shanghai.

At midnight we woke up because our room was boiling. We tried to turn on the air conditioning but had no luck. A hotel technician came up to the room to clarify for us that cold air does not in fact come out of the vent and told us a fan could be delivered to our room. Thirty minutes later and after two phone calls to reception there was still no fan. Daniel called down to speak to the night manager and the next thing we knew we were told to move to the room next door which happens to be a suit. Half-asleep we didn’t quite understand why we were moving, especially since all we wanted was a fan, which they brought to the second room anyway. #ThisIsChina.

 

Sheraton Four Points Suite Room in Shanghai
Our totally unnecessary business suite at the Sheraton.

All else aside, we had an amazing day here!

Shalom Shanghai

We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore, because we are most certainly in Mainland China. Shanghai is freezing (low forties Fahrenheit), and it’s kind of creepy because you can’t see anything due to the intense grey fog.

The moment we stepped off of the plane we got onto a bus to take us to the terminal. For reasons unknown, the driver seemed to be doing donuts on the tarmac before eventually dropping us off. The Shanghai Pudong Airport pales in comparison to the one in Hong Kong. After going through customs, we tried to acquire SIM cards, but felt strange when a man with a printed sign of a telephone company told us he could give us one for a random price that he entered into a calculator. He didn’t speak great English, and there was no plan booklet to look at, so we decided to skip out on his offer. We went to an ATM to withdraw money (they use Yuan, no more Hong Kong dollars) only to find the ATM was out of money. We missioned around the airport until we eventually found another ATM on the third floor.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

We had the option of a taxi or a train, and we decided to take the train, which connected us to a second train, and then eventually to a third train. We bought our first train tickets, put our bags through security (even though the station was in the airport) and boarded a 6-minute train to another station. At the second station, we bought another ticket, put our bags through security again and arrived at the third station—it was around here that I started to get over schlepping my backpack and going in circles with directions.

At this point, we had one massive issue—we had no cell phone data and the screen shots we had taken of our transit plans from Google Maps, didn’t extend this far. Thus, we couldn’t take a third train because we didn’t know which stop to get off at. All we had was a print out Daniel made, which included the name and address of the Sheraton Four Points hotel (in both English and a Chinese dialect). We decided to forget the third train and just find a cab. But, for some reason all seven cabs in the taxi line refused to take us even after looking at the paper (and unfolding it which only reveled information about our dietary restrictions). Extremely confused we found a guy at a food stand down the street and asked if he could help direct us., surprisingly, he spoke some English. While he was trying to help us a guy passing by stopped to ask where we were trying to go. As he and the food stand owner were working it out, a third guy stopped and took out his phone to help us look up where we were going. The short version of the story is we eventually got in a cab that took us to the hotel, but both of us were so touched that people took time to help us. Truly, it was a kind of culture shock I hadn’t expected.

Chinese Translation Print Outs
Our English translation print out which included the name and address of the Sheraton Four Points hotel (in both English and a Chinese dialect), the Convention center address, and our dietary preferences. [Everything below the fold really confused the taxi drivers.]
The Sheraton Four Points is a very old-school corporate hotel. I’m sure in it’s time it was quite fancy, but now it just seems a little tired and full of smoke (everyone secretly smokes in the bathrooms off of the lobby). Starving, we went up to the hotel restaurant called Panache for dinner. All I can say is the meal represented whatever the stark opposite of the word Panache is. I got a very cold soup , which they took back to the microwave to warm up, with french fries and Daniel got a very interesting interpretation of a penne arrabbiata, which he ended up wearing all over his shirt. I think we’ll have to find some vegetarian Chinese food, cause Western clearly isn’t working. After dinner, we walked across the street to the local convenience store, got some milk tea and decided to call it a night.

Panache Restaurant in Shanghai
The meal that represented whatever the stark opposite of the word Panache is—cold soup, “penne arrabbiata” and fries.
Sheraton Four Points Shanghai
Lobby of the Sheraton Four Points Shanghai.
Panache Restaurant at the Sheraton
Daniel’s very interesting interpretation of a penne arrabbiata, which he ended up wearing all over his shirt at Panache Restaurant.
Panache Restaurant at the Sheraton
This is how our waitress poured our beers at the lovely Panache Restaurant.