The Secrets of Xiaolongbao

       The past two weeks have been a lot of fun!  I've done so much stuff!  I went to a modern art museum on a field trip with one of my classes. It was pretty interesting.  A lot of the stuff was kind of weird, but really cool.  My favorite was this huge print thing on the wall that had tonsss of different pictures in it so you could look at it for a really long time.  I also went to a propaganda museum that was one of my favorites! Thank goodness I went with a class or I never would have found it. It was in the basement of a building in this apartment complex or something. Veryyy tricky to find. All of the posters were really interesting though. A lot were really negative toward Americans and pictured us as gross old men with big, red noses.

       The past couple of Wednesday nights, M1NT has become the new place to be.  It's one of the nicer clubs and usually on the weekends you can only get in if you're on the list.  They have a shark tank! And  a really cool bar that you can (and I did) dance on!  Also, one of the bathrooms has a completely glass wall that looks out over the city.  That's pretty awesome.  Last weekend, we tried several new bars that were fun, my favorite was Abbey Road.  We also tried an all you can eat Indian restaurant called Punjabi!  It was super fun! It was also all you can drink beer, but since the beers here are liters and I can only drink max 2 in one night, I turned mine from a Qingdao to a QingWOW! All you do is add Smirnoff!  We also took our last trip to the fabric market to pick up our linen pants.  My pants don't really look that good because the legs are reallyyyyy wide, like an elephants. Not sure what I'm going to do about that. 

       This past week has been lots of fun! Tuesday night we went to I Love Shanghai for ladies night.  It was really fun, but then they refused to serve us anymore drinks because we were sharing them with the guys. Lameee. After that, we went to the bar in the Radisson Hotel.  It was really high up and the view was amazinggg.    It was set a little further back from the Bund so you could see the Bund and across to Pudong and the river going in between. Wednesday night, I was back at M1NT of course, which was pretty fun, but not as good as the Wednesday before. 

       Thursday was the best!  My Chinese class along with another Chinese class were doing Karaoke together.  We were going from 5-8 and also got food! It was one of the best parts of my weekend! I think I sang every single song.  I warned people beforehand that they would have to pry the microphone out my hands, but no one did. Guess I'm just that good!  We had a nice mix of Chinese songs, American pop music, and some classics, so it was pretty much perfect.  After that we just chilled at the dorms.

Singing "Beijing Huanying Ni" at Karaoke! Favorite!

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" duet with Chocolate

      Friday we had a class learning how to make xiaolongbao! Soup dumplings! They are a Shanghai specialty and sooooo good!  We basically just rolled out the dough and put the filling in, but we got to wear really cool chefs hats and aprons! And of course, we got to eat the dumplings. Mine were really ugly, but they tasted delicious! We also got a goody bag with a xiaolongbao refrigerator magnet!!! One of the best things I have gotten in China and it was free!  When we got back, we went to the CIEE building because they had cake for everyone with a December birthday! The cake was hugeee and covered in fruit! I think it's the first time I've had cake since I've been in China and it was like heaven!  That night, we went out to Bar Rouge and Glamour Bar, where I ate lots and lots and lots of food! But I had an amazing prosciutto and Brie sandwich at Bar Rouge. 

       Saturday night I had to go to a concert for a class. I think his name was Asaka or something. He was kind of like an Asian Dave Matthews, really chill. The concert wasn't great, but Blair and I bought light up pink bows so that made everything better.  A Chinese man also gave us free Chinese flags! Afterwards, we went to Windows Too and I continued to indulge myself in my late night eating. I had Mozzarella sticks and a bacon cheeseburger.  We went back to campus and I got street food too. I have made friends with this man and woman that sell skewers. They love me. I went to Bulldog, another bar, for a little while, but came back pretty early. 

Excited about light up bows and free China flags!

       I spent all day Sunday working on a paper.  Unfortunately, it's finals week and I have lots and lots to do. I have one paper and one presentation out of the way, but I still have two more presentations, a paper, and my oral and written Chinese test.  I just can't wait for the weekend! I am really sad that I only have 5 days left and I am stressing over finals. Thank goodness they will be over Thursday and I can just enjoy spending the last weekend with my friends! I will miss Shanghai, but I am excited to come home and see everyone too!

       

I'm Thankful for...Shanghai Being Awesome!

      It's been awhile since I've updated, and I have soooo much to write about! The past couple of weeks have been even more fun-filled than usual! I helped out a friend and taught English at a local elementary school with Drew one afternoon. The kids were so cute and their English was amazingly good! We taught them head, shoulders, knees and toes and they loved it! The other weekend we had lots of fun again! We finally went back out to a club at G+ and it was fun, but I have made a vow not to go back there. We also went back to the fabric market and are getting linen pants made. And of course a weekend wouldn't be complete without a brunch at Mr. Pancakes.
   Last week I didn't have a lot of work, and I definitely took advantage of that. Tuesday I had plans to meet Wallace, a government official whose job is to look after Americans in Shanghai, for dinner. We ate at a buffet in a hotel and it was by far the best buffet I have ever had! Laura came with me and Wallace also ordered us hairy crab, which is a specialty in Shanghai. It was pretty good, but it was a lot of work for not much food. Tuesday night we went to Rummery, which is a rum bar, and had some rum and then went to House of Jazz and Blues. James and I sneaked our own wine in (Dynasty, China's finest), but we got caught while we were trying to uncork it. Wednesday night we went to Brown Sugar again for ladies night and then somehow ended up at G+ again (so much for that vow..).
   Thursday was Thanksgiving and CIEE planned a great buffet dinner for us at a hotel. I completely stuffed myself and then for the first time ever, went out on Thanksgiving. First we went to Kaiba and chilled and had a beer. Then to C's, a sketchy little dive bar where things started to get crazy! Then we went to Bar Rouge on the Bund and enjoyed the great view! And of course danced our little feet off.
    I was supposed to go to Nanjing This past weekend, but I woke up feeling rather terrible on Friday morning. No it was not due to the previous 3 nights. I have been a little under the weather since Beijing, and finally decided it was time to see a doctor.  It turns out I have an ulcer. Painful, but I'll live and it won't (WON'T) ruin my last few weeks in Shanghai.  After the doctors, Mike and I went to Bubba's, a sports bar, to meet up with a couple of other people. I got to eat BBQ and it was almost like being in the south again! After Bubba's we went to Dragonfly, a really posh spa, and got massages. The next morning we went to M on the Bund for brunch, which was one of the most delicious meals I have had in China. I had blueberry pancakes and eggs benedict. And yes, I ate all of it! The view was really nice and the weather was gorgeous! Afterwards, Mike and I walked around the Bund and then walked to an IMAX movie theater near by to see Harry Potter. Unfortunately in China, you choose your seats in movie theaters beforehand and it was too full for Mike and I to get seats next to each other. Too bad we couldn't cry on each others shoulders.
   Sunday I just chilled out and took much needed rest and Lucy came back from Nanjing! Yay! I haven't been too busy this week, but I have a test. Thank goodness I got my studying done early so I can go out to Ladies Night! We're going to Brown Sugar again, so it should be a good time! 18 more days in Shanghai!! And till I'm 21!!!

Paradise and Hell, Meteor Shower

      So this past weekend was pretty exciting! On Thursday night, I was invited to go to karaoke with a government official! His name is Wallace and it is his job to make sure Americans in Shanghai love it! Karaoke was a blast! We had a great group and we got lots of food and whiskey and sang our little hearts out, or in my case, sang my voice out. And it was all paid for by the Chinese government! I got Wallace's number and I hope to get coffee with him so he can help me get an internship here next summer.
     After Karaoke, we went to a club called Fame. A guy in CIEE has an internship with them and they were having a free open bar until 11. Obviously we cashed in on that! After Fame, we went to a Blues and Jazz bar. It was my first time going and it was absolutely amazing!! The performers were really talented and we even hung out with them some! After that I went to Bar Rouge, which is a super nice bar on the Bund. The bouncer almost didn't let me in because I was wearing "flip flops". They were actually sandals. I didn't bother trying to explain the difference. Bar Rouge was super cool though. They have an outdoor patio with a view that looks over the Huangpu River and into Putong. It was pretty empty by the time I got there so I could really enjoy the view.
        Friday we had a field trip to the Pearl Tower.  The Pearl Tower is in Putong and it very interesting looking.  We went up to the observation deck and the view was pretty cool, but a bit hazy. On the upper observation deck the outside of the floor was glass. Walking on it really freaked me out. Especially when I noticed how there was a lot of tape where the glass connected to the floor.  There was a museum on the first floor that showed the progression of Shanghai modernizing. There were a lot of wax type figures and models of the city. It was really cool. That night we went to a nice dinner at Coconut Paradise, an Indian restaurant. Then we went to New Heights, which is a pretty upscale bar. It is also on the Bund and has a pretty good view. After New Heights, we went to Glamour, which is right across the street. It was super posh and they had amazing breadstick type things that I ate about 20 of.

The Pearl Tower

Ah! I'm falling!

      Saturday we went a had a dim-sun brunch at a nice restaurant. It was pretty good, but one of the custard filled buns exploded when I bit into it and burnt my hand.  Since it's China, there weren't any napkins and Laura had to pour water on my hand and then I just wiped it off on the table cloth. 对不起 (Duibuqi, Sorry) It was one of the funniest and most painful experiences of my life. After brunch we went to the Fabric Market.  It was my first time there and I had a ball. I am getting custom paid cords and a custom made coat. I have big plans for that place. That night we went to a bar near school called OZNZ and played Truth or Dare Jenga. Then we went to a club called the Apartment. It was not very fun. It was all Westerners and weirdly cold inside. However, we did go get late night Hot Pot right down the street, which was amazing and delicious!
       On Sunday, we got up and went to brunch at Malone's. That was an experience. The food was pretty bad. Lucy ordered a Salmon and asparagus omelet and they brought her the completely wrong omelet. When she told them it was the wrong thing, they took it away, but then bought back the same omelet with Salmon put in it. One of the waiters tried to convince her that it was what she ordered, even though it clearly wasn't. Finally they took the wrong one away and made the right thing for her. It was so ridiculous that we just had to laugh about it! After that we went back to the Bund to do the Bund sightseeing tunnel. It was one of the most Chinese things I have done here. The tunnel goes under the Huangpu River. We got into a glass cart that kind of looked like the elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  It took us through this tunnel that had all these weird bright lights and odd narration that said things like "Paradise and Hell" and "Meteor Shower". Randomly, about halfway through the tunnel, there were 3 blow up people things. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever done in my life.

Our Glass Elevator 

Oracle Bones, Forbidden Cities and Great Walls

      A little over a week ago, I set out on my week long field trip with the China in a Global Context group.  The night before leaving was Alex's 21st birthday and most of us pulled an all nighter. Getting ready to get on the plane the next morning was a definite struggle. I forgot to put my liquids in my checked bag, so I had to go through security twice. When our plane landed, Drew was nice enough to push me through the airport on a luggage cart while I pulled my rolling suitcase along beside me.

Drew pushing me on the luggage cart

       Our first stop was Anyang, where the Oracle Bones were found. Our first night in Anyang we visited a Chinese high school. It was really awesome. The students were really friendly and we made dumplings (my fave!) with them!  The next day we went to the site of the Oracle Bones. It was pretty cool. We also saw the evolution of some of the characters from ancient Chinese to modern Chinese.  That afternoon we went to a Oracle Bones museum. It was pretty awful. It was basically plaster replicas of all of the real things we had seen earlier that day. The next day was our last day in Anyang (thank God!). We visited an old prison. It is the only place in China were fortune telling is legal. I don't know why this place was a prison because it was gorgeous and seemed very relaxing.  There was even a maze to go through for fun. I got my fortune told, but we were running out of time so I didn't get to do all of it. I did find out that I am special (which I kind of already knew) and that I will make a lot of money (which I am kind of expecting).

James, Lucy and I in front of the maze

        We took a train to Beijing and had Peking Duke for dinner when we arrived. It was Halloween so when we got back to the hotel we all got dressed up. I was a black sheep.  We went out to a club called Propaganda. I got a free t-shirt and VIP card! I didn't really like it though because it was wayyy to crowded and hot, so I left pretty early.
         The next day, we went to visit the Huhai Hutong district in Beijing. It is one of the few traditional Chinese neighborhoods that has been preserved. We rode rickshaws through the area and then one of the women, Wu Ayi (Ayi sort of means auntie) made lunch for us! It was amazing and she was really interesting! That afternoon we went on a boat cruise down the river to see the summer palace. There was a lot of weeping willows and trees with their leaves changing colors. It was some of the prettiest scenery I have seen in China so far.  That night Lucy and I met up with a friend of hers from San Fransisco and got burgers, which were delicious. Then we went to bar called Smugglers that was pretty awesome. We met up with some other CIEE people to go out to a club. I bought a balloon animal for 5 kuai from a little Chinese boy that hugged me. I tied it around my neck and wore it. Lucy and I got separated from everyone else and ended up at a club  called Latte. It was fun, but they wouldn't let us check our coats. And they made me take my balloon off before I ordered drinks :(  All in all, it was a good night.

Lucy and I in the rickshaw

With my 5 kuai balloon

         The next day we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I had been to both of those before so it was kind of boring to do again, but I had fun being silly with friends! We also had a really awesome dumpling lunch that day! That night we went to a night market. It was so cool! They had so many weird foods. Drew ate a fried scorpion. They also had tarantulas, some type of rodent thing, seahorses, bugs, pretty much everything you can imagine. Drew, Lucy, and I all got I <3 BJ shirts to wear on the Great Wall the next day!

M-A-O 

      

Drew eating scorpion. Yum!

        Even though I had been to the Great Wall before, this time was so much more amazing!! It was an unrestored, un-touristy part of the wall that was mostly deserted.  You could see the wall stretching on forever. I was absolutely terrified the whole time I was walking it because it was really high up and sometimes there weren't stairs. And even when there were stairs, they were pretty sketch. I bought an "I Climbed the Great Wall shirt. It was red. When I washed it, it turned my white towel pink! It made me happy.  That night we went out again to Smugglers. We also discovered a bar called Shooters that had 10 kuai shooters. It was awesome! After that we went to a club called Vix. There was a cover charge to get in, but we found the bracelets on the ground that people had torn off and stuck them on our wrists with gum! Then we danced the night away! So fun!

Drew, Lucy and I on the Great Wall in I <3 BJ shirts

        The next day was Rob's birthday so we went out to lunch for his birthday. Then Drew, Lucy, Rob and I went to see the Bird's Nest and Watercube. Sadly, we got there too late to actually get into the Bird's Nest, but it was still cool to see. Especially since it all started to light up at night! We went out again to Smugglers that night for Rob's birthday/last night in Beijing. It was a lot of fun! The next day was pretty rough for some people though! Myself not included! Beijing was fun, but I was definitely stoked to get back home to Shanghai!

Lucy, Rob, Drew and I in front of the Bird's Nest

 
        

House of Gaga and Baijiu Meltdown

   After a really long week last week, I was super ready to for the weekend! Thank goodness we only have classes Monday through Thursday!! Thursday night was amazing. I went to Muse 2 (there are 3 Muses in Shanghai, Muse, Muse2, and Muse Underground) for House of Gaga.  Around 11 or so the most legit Gaga impersonator on the planet performed for about 20 minutes.  Everything about her, from her costume and hair to her singing, was so on point that I was almost fooled into believing it was Gaga herself!! Muse 2 was still fun after she left. They had huge light up Styrofoam glow sticks. I ended up staying there until 3:30!!
   Friday we had a field trip to Tianzifang and the Shanghai Antique market.  Tianzifang was really cool. It is a bunch of little alleyways filled with shops and stores. Unfortunately, we only had an hour to spend there so we are definitely going to go back.  After Tianzifang, we went to the Shanghai Antique Market.  Of course since this is China, most of the "antiques" there are fake. It was still really fun to look around at everything though. I didn't buy anything because most of it was dirty to make it look older.  Friday night the NYU students that live on the other side of our dorm were hosting a party at a club called Not Me. It was called Baijiu Meltdown, but I stayed far away from the Baijiu.  It was pretty lame. The NYU kids were DJing and they were not very good.  Guess there is a reason we haven't hung out with them at all this semester.
   Saturday was really gross and rainy, but we decided that we needed to be more adventurous and go explore Shanghai some more so we decided to go to the Fake Market.  The Fake Market is a bunch of shops that is actually in a subway station in Pudong. It was super cool!! A lot of the fakes were really good. Lucy and I both got Marc Jacobs wrist-lets for 100RMB. Not too bad!! Laura and I also ended up finding a place that sold DVDs. I got all 6 season of Sex and the City, 4 seasons of Dexter, and 12 movies for 470RMB. We were all really tired and the weather was super gross, so instead of going out we stayed in and had a double feature movie night.  It was really nice, relaxing night!! The first one I have had on a weekend here!!
   On Sunday, Lucy and I went to meet a Chinese woman, Jeuce, that Lucy knows through her uncle. We ate at a place called Osteria and it was delicious!! They had a 2 courses for 88RMB special for brunch, so first I had eggs for breakfast, and then I had a pizza for lunch!! Talking to Jeuce was a lot of fun. She actually lives in Tianzifang, where we were on Friday. She works for a Chinese App company. She also writes a blog on "wine and spirits" and is getting flown to France this week by a Cognac company because of it!! Lucy and I talked to her about the cost of apartments because we really want to get an apartment together here next summer. We had a great time, but we couldn't stay too long because we had to get  back to school and do homework.
   Tonight, Lucy and I ordered from Shanghai Sherpa, a restaurant delivery service. We got sandwiches from a really good deli. I was super excited because mine had avocado on it!! I have a mid-term tomorrow unfortunately and I should probably be studying for that instead of doing this. Who knew my blog would become my new source of procrastination?

Saki BOMB

      This past week has been pretty busy since I had been gone from Shanghai and school work for an entire 10 days, but it was still great!  On Wednesday, I helped teach English at a migrant school in Shanghai. I had 1st graders so they were absolutely the most adorable things I have ever seen before in my life. They don't really speak much English so we taught them the alphabet and how to say things like "I like bananas".  Actually I didn't really do much teaching because my partner is practically fluent in Chinese. So I let him be Pat Sajack and I am Vanna White, aka I smile and point a lot. Some are concerned that if I speak English to them no other English speakers will be able to understand them because of my more southern pronunciations of words. I just think that everyone would think they were cooler.
      When Thursday finally rolled around, I was super excited to go out. We had a nice turn table (aka Lazy Susan) dinner and then went to G+, yet again, for the 5 drinks for 50RMB deal. It was pretty fun, but I think we are not going to go back again for awhile.
      Friday we went shopping. It was pretty successful for me. I got a new skirt (hot pink!), 2 dresses, and a belt. I also found a really great dress for my Halloween costume (a sexy clown), but it was 300RMB so I didn't end up getting it. I was super bummed because you don't find obnoxiously bright hot pink and yellow dresses everyday, but I guess it's just on to Plan B (which is a surprise) now. Friday night was all you can eat and drink sushi for 160RMB. We went with a group of 19 people, so it was pretty wild. I tried Saki for the first time!! As well as doing several Saki Bombs, which were my favorite because you put the shot of Saki on chop sticks on top of your glass of beer and then bang on the table until it drops into the beer. It was a little messy, but that always makes things more interesting. Unfortunately, the large amounts of sushi and beer were not so good for me, so I didn't stay out long before heading back home.
     Saturday night was more chill. I went with Laura, Mike, and Lucy to get American food.  I ate a chili cheese dog, which I pretty much never even eat in the US, but it was really great at the time.  We got done eating really early so we went to a nearby bar, Windows Too, that we know has super cheap drinks and hung out.  A random Canadian man ended up buying us a round of B52s that were pretty delicious. That night was also the kick off night of Pride Week in Shanghai and so we went to the kick off party at Lounge 18.  It was really crowded and expensive, we paid 234RMB for 4 tequila shots, so we didn't stay for long. Just long enough to hear a drag queen sing "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera, which we obviously sang along with.  After leaving there, we met up with a few more CIEE kids at Windows Scoreboard. It was pretty chill we just played some beer pong and flip cup while singing along to the 90s music they were playing.
      I was pretty exhausted Sunday and mostly just did homework and caught up on TV shows.  Today I was still craving some American food, so we once again had Meiguo Mondays at Malones where I had a delicious Hamburger with potato wedges.  I think tonight we are going out to hear live jazz music. I am pretty excited because I have never really been to any jazz places before. This one should be a good time!

Golden Week Part III: Sanya

      We arrived in Sanya in the afternoon and someone from our hostel, yet again, met us at the airport.  However, instead of getting private transportation, he just hailed a cab for us. It was kind of a waste of money, but we did not know that at the time. The taxi stopped at a kind of sketchy side street and told us we were there. We walked down the sides street that was muddy and wet (it was drizzling) and finally found our hostel, the Thornbird. It was on the second floor of a rather shaky looking building. We climbed very steep, not sturdy stairs to the second floor and checked in. This was the first hostel where we had a six person room instead of a four person room; however, we lucked out because we were the only four people staying in the room. In fact, it seemed as though we were the only four people staying at the hostel.

The Thornbird Hostel

     Our room consisted of three sets of bunk beds and a set of small lockers. The beds were two pieces of plywood with a sheet over them.  There was also another sheet for us to use for covers.  It was definitely a let down after our previous hostels. Also, the bathroom was a toilet, a shower, and a sink all in one.  There was no separation between any of them, it was just one big open room.  Thankfully, there were two sinks for us to use in the hallway because the bathroom was rather disgusting.
     We needed a pick me up, so we decided to go to dinner at a restaurant called Fat Daddy's that some other girls in the program who had been in Sanya earlier in the week recommended.  I had the most amazing burger that had sugared pineapple and avocado on it. We also ordered a pitcher of Mojitos that were the best mojitos I have ever had. Our glasses even came with a cane of sugar in them to bite on.  Our waiter actually ended up being a former CIEE student from North Carolina that moved to Sanya, so that was pretty cool. We chatted with him for awhile and made plans to meet back up with him the next night so he could take us out to some clubs.  We went back to the hostel and went straight to bed.
    Although I was exhausted and had been looking forward to bed, I slept horribly.  I was 100% sure my bed was going to break and I was freezing without a blanket. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Sarah's alarm went off.  We got up and had breakfast at the hostel. Thornbird had a more traditional Chinese breakfast, which was not bad, but it seemed like our food had been sitting out for awhile and would continue to sit out.
     After breakfast, we went in search of an ATM yet again.  We got money and then decided to buy a coconut because that is what Sanya is known for.  The coconut we got was a red coconut, which was actually green.  The guy we bought it from cut it so we could drink the milk out of it and gave us straws.  We walked down toward the beach and drank the milk, which was not bad. We did not actually go on the beach because the beaches where we were staying were covered in trash and the water looked brown and polluted.  When we finished drinking the milk we tried to get our coconut open so we could eat the meat, but no one would help us get it open! We headed back to the hostel because we were supposed to meet a driver who was going to take us to a hot springs resort at 12:00. However, when we got there, the girl working the front desk told us he actually would not be there till around 1 so we went around the corner and grabbed some lunch.  Finally we got in the van to go to the hot springs!
      Our ride to the hot springs was a little sketchy and we offroaded it some as well as taking some roads that were in much need of repair.  Once we got there, we were given little electronic wristbands and then shown to a ladies locker room. We each had lockers that our electronic wristbands opened.  Inside was a towel for us to use and shoes for us to wear.  We changed in to our bathing suits and then went out to hit up some hot springs! It was an overcast day which was lucky because not too many people were there. There were tons of different springs, some man made and some natural, as well as an infinity pool and huge play area with water slides. Some of my favorite and most unique springs were the coffee spring, the milk spring, the fragrant liquor spring, and the fish spring.  The fish spring was my absolute favorite! In this spring there were tons of small fish that would come up and eat the dead skin off of your body. It sounds kind of weird and gross, but it was actually amazing!  At first the sensation was really weird and kind of tickely, but once you got used to it, it was awesome! Sarah and I were really the only ones into it though. When it was almost time to go, we went back to the locker room and showered and then grabbed a snack at one of the restaurants.

Sarah and I in the fish spring

      When it was finally time to leave, we discovered there was a small problem. Something apparently had happened to the bus we had taken up to the hot springs and so we had to take a different one back. Which would have been fine, only it meant that we had to squeeze 15 people into a car roughly the size of a minivan. Lucy, Sarah and I were put into the back seat, which was extremely wobbly.  The entire ride home we were terrified that our seat would fall back into the back door and some how make it open and we would all go flying out of the back. Thankfully that never happened. However, not too long after our first stop letting people off, our seat completely broke! There were some free seats in the front so we moved up to those, but it was still quite the experience!
     Finally we made it back to the hostel alive and in one piece and got ready to go out to dinner. Lauren was not feeling well so she stayed in.  Lucy, Sarah, and I went to Dolphin's Bar and Grill for dinner, which was amazing! We had spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer and then I had fettuccine alfredo for my meal. We tried lots of different cocktails and they were all pretty great! After dinner, we went back to Fat Daddy's to meet up with our waiter from the night before.  He had to close that night, so we had to wait for a bit. He gave us a free round of mojitos and we sat and talked to some other Americans.  Next, Lucy and I ordered Pina Coladas that were served in an actual pineapple! It was one of the best drinks I have ever had!! By the time our friend was done closing, we were too exhausted to go out so we just walked back to our hostel and went to bed.

Lucy and I with our Pina Coladas in pineapples

      After another night of not very great sleep, we woke up and decided to have brunch at the Dolphin, which is where we had eaten dinner the night before. By this time we were all extremely Shanghai sick!! Brunch took awhile and after eating we took about a 15 or 20 minute cab ride to Yalong Bay.  We bought tickets to go out on the beach there. First we had to walk through a seashell museum, which was pretty cool. Sarah and I bought sun hats in the gift shop! Once we left the museum, there were several vendors selling all kinds of goods.  We bought a coconut, not a red one, a normal one, and drank it pretty quickly. We hung out looking around at different things and Sarah tried to find the perfect set of pearls to buy! Finally we finished our coconut and we took it back to the guy who sold it to us and he cut it open for us. It was the best coconut I have ever had!! While we were wandering around we saw an entire group of Chinese tourists in matching Hawaiian outfits.  It was pretty fantastic.

Drinking out of the coconut in front of the beach

Sarah and I in our hats

      We went down to the beach and changed into our bathing suits and paid for a set of two chairs and an umbrella.  Lucy, Sarah and I got into the water for awhile, but it was overcast and we got chilly pretty quickly.  We laid out for a little while on the beach, but we were salty and soggy so we decided to change and head back.  We showered at the hostel and then went in search of Dongbei Jiaozi Chang restaurant.  It was not as good as we expected, but it was not too bad.  We walked back to the hostel and packed up our stuff and then had an early bedtime.

Part of the beach in Yalong Bay

     The next morning we eagerly sprang out of bed, happy to be going back to Shanghai! We went to Fat Daddy's to get their clay pot breakfast, which was eggs, potatoes and other things cooked in a clay pot. It was phenomenal! We grabbed a cab to the airport, breezed through security and got on our flight.  When we landed in Shanghai we grabbed our bags and then headed for the Maglev.  Then we caught the subway the rest of the way back.  On the subway, a Chinese boy was facing Lucy and I.  He kept looking at us and finally shouted ""外国人" (foreigner). Then his mom smacked him in the face. It was pretty funny.  We spoke to him some in Chinese and told him we were "美国人" (meiguoren).  After that he kept looking at us and 
saying "美国人".  It was a great way to end our trip! We got back to the dorm and went to dinner at one of our
favorite restaurants 学友 (xue you, study friend), with some friends and it was great! Then I had a lot of work to
catch up on because today I had a test and oral presentation. I managed to do pretty well on all of it though!