Shang Hai!!!! What a fun place...check out the Jia hotel!!!

Ok so a few weeks ago....not sure when Doug and I ventured back to Shanghai...the place that we have not been since we arrived in China. Honestly we didn't want to go back because we didn't like it the first time. We were so tired and it was so hot and we had no clue where we were or what we were doing. Anyway we decided it was time. And we were lucky enough to go back with to very good friends Trent and Shawn Citrano. They know where to go how to get there and what to do so we were excited. We also had gotten tickets to the Acrobatic Troupe that is famous in Shanghai.
So here we go. We made reservations at a wonderful hotel called the Jia. It is a boutique hotel that is very new age and amazing. We got upgraded to this amazing room. You could live there with the small kitchenette and the wine bar and free drinks. Yup very nice. We went to the restaurant in the hotel the first night and it was delicious food. it was Italian and we all seem to crave Italian every time we go some where that is not Beilun. The next few days were a blur but I will explain the best I can.

The four of us went to a place called Taekon Lu (or something to that nature). This was a place of just streets that was old housing or something that had been turned into shops, and it was just a maze of shops. This was a photographers dream. The first two pictures are from that area. The first one is of lunch and the other is just cool. We ate pizza and bought presents and just hung out. It was so much fun to be in a place that you could buy anything...I mean anything and there were so many foreigners. (side not: One of the TA's from school went to Shanghai for the first time in her life...she only lives three hours away...but her first comment was that there were so many different people. Funny comment huh?) Ok where were we. There were just tons of winding streets. Doug and I will be happy to go back to that place.

On this trip we also saw some of the sights. The four of us went to the tallest building in Shanghai. Where you took this crazy fake tour thing that was like a laser show on crack and then they shoved you into this elevator...but they did have nice bathroom when you got the the top. Well we went up 474 meters to walk out on this catwalk area that had glass holes that you could all the down to the ground. The third picture is of my feet over the city. It was a little freaky. There were some kids that saw the holes then screamed and cried. This was called the SWFC Observatory.

Well that night after our hiking around all day we went to the Acrobatic troupe. Yup it was like what you see on t.v jumping through hoops and standing on chairs really high in the air. We were nine rows back with no intermissions and the whole time you ohhhhed and aahhhed. I mean it was the stuff that you hear about. You would think that it was going to be cheesy but instead you sat in the audience with your mouth open as this nine to thirteen year old boy bent his body in ways that made him look like he had no skeleton and then he was like this muscle. This kids were young. And every night they do a different show!!! So if we came back we probably wouldn't see the same thing.

Well I guess that's it for Shanghai. You do need to know that moving around Shanghai is one of the easiest things to do. I mean there is so much to do. It is not a small town but the subway is great and so easy to use. I mean it is a little polluted but there are areas that you can do anything in. They also have a running club and hold a marathon every year. Are we considering it...you better believe it. We would have to start training in July but I think it would be a great experience! Ok that is all for now in the world of Kirsten and Doug. But we do love Shanghai!!!