Shanghai: Day 8

The Singapore airport is interesting. First of all, since it's Singapore, every flight is international. OK, that wasn't that interesting but check out their gates. You might not be able to see it but each gate is enclosed in glass. Each gate has its own security detectors and bag x-ray checks. You also have your ticket scanned through that ticket eating device and then you sit and wait. I guess it's sort of a "don't go to your gate till you are really ready to go." I'm not sure if there are any in-out privileges. Oh, one sucky thing is the terminals are connected by trams which might not seem horrible but Grace sent me to search out for a place called Ya Kun to eat kaya (coconut egg jam) toast and in an hour of searching, I could not find that place!
















Oh look, lunch.
















I guess because I'm not flying across the Pacific Ocean, Cathay Pacific has deemed leg room unnecessary. I was horribly uncomfortable on this flight.
















From Shanghai's Pudong airport, you can take the Maglev train into town. Look at how fast it goes! There you get off and cross the street to the Longyang Road station which will take you downtown. The subway was sooooo crowded. When I got off of it, I literally had to put out my forearm and plow (picture your elbow as the point on the plow) my way through the crowd of people, yelling at people to make way.





















I met my cousin Lester at the Daishijie station near his apartment where he lives with his girlfriend Teresa. This guest room is totally gorgeous. The ceiling light is blown out but it is nice as well.





















and the view from the room!





















anyways, rooms are pretty, views are nice, but it's time to eat!
Lester says this place is popular with the ex-pats. I'm guessing it must be in some travel guide like Fromers or Lonely Planet.
















Jellyfish
















A dried and salted fish appetizer





















I believe this is Sweet Potato greens. Very sexy!
















So Shanghai is known for the dim sum favorite Xiao Long Bao (little dragon bun) but lesser known in the States is the San Jian Bao (3 fry bun?) which is pretty much a Xiao Long Bao but with the bottom fried hard.
















We all agreed that this Bao had a thicker than normal skin and less soup inside than expected.
















Green Bean paste. It was pretty much like eating Sweet Potatoes. Lester and Teresa were shocked that in Southern cuisine, they make Sweet Potatoes and despite (or in spite?) of their super sweetness, they feel the need to add marshmellows on top of them. But I was equally... let's say 'turn off' when I had learn the very same thing.
















This is a Wheat Glutton dish.





















So my brother has this story about Lester trying to order this tea he couldn't remember the name of. Lester ended up asking for "Buo Li Cha" or Glass Tea, which doesn't exist. While no, Buo Li Cha, this would be my version of that story. His conversation with the waitress was something like (translated) "Do you know that dish with meat? And it has tofu. The tofu is wrapped around the meat. Do you have that?" which the waitress did not know. This was followed by further attempts to describe the dish and further failures. Lester would eventually be saved when his friend's girlfriend (a Shanghainese girl - Teresa is from Taiwan) showed up.
















Shrimp thing. Shrimp hardly ever excites me.
















"Wibble Wibble" When Lester was young he didn't know the name of the Hon Shao Ro. I also don't know the name (even though I heard the name many many times during the trip and you will find out why) but Wibble Wibble (the sound of the fatty layer on the meat) is an easy to remember name.





















Afterwards we went to this party that was held for real estate agents (the industry Lester is in) to drink other people's sangria.
















And after after, we went to this club Lester labeled as a "death trap" in the event of a fire. The club was called the Shelter and it was an old hide away and possibly smuggling tunnel for the Communists during either the revolution or WW2.