So we have been up to a lot in our last two weeks here in Shanghai all together. Sure, Courtney Harp and I will be staying in Shanghai, but let’s be realistic… she is moving to PuDong with Leonardo and I will be staying in PuXi, so we might as well be in different countries (not to mention that she never leaves Leo’s side these days). Courtney Leedy will be leaving China for good in August to “settle down” in the US, and Shannon and her husband Brett (the other English teacher at MRA) are also heading back to the US for good at the end of this week. So we have been relishing our last moments together in Shanghai.
So last weekend we went out to ILS (I Love Shanghai Bar) – our favorite go-to bar and met up with some other friends. It was a rather interesting night. Nothing good ever happens at ILS, especially on Saturday nights when they have 100 RMB open bar from 7 to midnight. So we drank a little, played some darts and Courtney, Shannon and Brett all did absinth shots. I opted out of the absinth seeing how I nearly died the last time I touched absinth at ILS. It turned out to be a not-so-great night for Courtney and Shannon following the shots who blacked out and ended up puking in the taxi on the way home (thank goodness I opted out).
Then on Monday, after we turned in all of our portfolios and got into a fight with Morgan about the taxing and what not, we needed a girl’s night out. The four of us headed to Hung Qao and went to Golden Jaguar – the most amazing restaurant that I have been to in China. It was incredible! For 238 RMB we enjoyed an all-you-can-eat buffet of seafood, traditional Chinese dishes, sushi, pastas, veggies, soups, fresh cut meats, pizza, fresh fruit, chocolate fondue fountain, Hogan daz (sp?) ice cream, cocktails, beer, wine, coffee, soda, etc. There were rows and rows and rows and rows of food, and each time that we went to get more food, the dishes changed and there was new stuff. We stayed there for several hours. We would eat a little, then talk, then eat some more, then talk and eat and talk and eat. After we left, I felt like I had eaten a baby dinosaur, but it was worth every bit because it was that delicious.
The other night, we went to get facials. China has done quite a number on my skin, unfortunately and so I was trying to help it out a little bit before going back to the US. The facial and the massage was pretty amazing. However, for some reason, my facial lady took it upon herself to shave my eyebrows. I don’t really understand why, no one else got their eyebrows shaved and I definitely did not ask. I was pretty relaxed and out of it, and when I realized what she was doing, it was too late to stop her. Of course I had to let her finish and do the other side too. I hate it when people touch my eyebrows because I have very finicky eyebrows, and she really messed them up. Not to mention that shaving around the edges was just weird because now I have stubble. I know that from a distance they look fine, I am sure, but I am just angry about it.
Then this weekend was our finale. Shannon and Brett leave in just a couple days, so we went all out and went to the places that we always talked about going but never made it to. We got all dressed up and started with an early dinner at Lost Heaven on the Bund. It is a fancy Chinese restaurant right off the Bund. I went there one other time on my first date with Quinten. The food is really superb and the atmosphere is very relaxing and intimate. The five of us ordered a bottle of white wine and we each picked a dish from the menu and ate family style (that is how traditional Chinese meals are served). After dinner, we headed to the Grand Hyatt Café for coffee and dessert, a café on the 53rd floor of the Jin Mao building (the second tallest building of the PuDong new area skyline). The only view we saw was from a window in the bathroom, oddly enough. Although it was a rainy and cloudy day in Shanghai, we could still see straight down the side of the building, and man oh, man, was it tall! We were looking straight down to the express way, and in the distance, we could see quite a bit of PuDong.
After dessert, we went to the Piano Bar in Jin Mao but it was lame, so we went next door to the Shanghai World Financial Center (the tallest building in China and the second tallest building in the world). Standing at the bottom of SWFC, we could not even see the top because it was so cloudy – it just seemed to disappear. The building is very interesting looking because it looks like a bottle opener (which is what it is commonly referred to as). On the 91st floor was a bar called Altitude Bar. They played pretty good music, and the bar itself was really interesting. For decorations, they had white porcelain items hanging from the ceiling – anything and everything you could possibly imagine hanging from every two inches of the ceiling. It was kind of crazy and we spent a while playing the “I spy” game. Unfortunately, it was far too cloudy weather so there was no view to see from the 91st floor – it looked as though we were just in a cloud. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool to go up into both buildings.
After all of those places (that were rather pricey), we decided to head back to our usual stomping grounds in Jing’an. Our first stop as Julie’s, but it didn’t last long after they tried to get us to enter their wet t-shirt contest for the “Wild in White” night. So we ended up at The Spot down the street. I really like The Spot. They had a live Pilipino band, good drinks, and some good snacks. We hung out there for a while and listened to the Philipino girl belt her heart out! By the time we made it to The Spot, we were all beat! Pathetic, I know, but we were all home and in bed by 2:00am.
… a perfect finale to end our time together in Shanghai. I really do love Shanghai, and I love meeting all of the interesting people that come to China, but the worst part is that no one stays forever. I feel like I am always saying good bye to people. I know I am leaving for a little while for the summer, but I will be back. The sad part is that half of the friends I have made in the last 5 months will not be here when I get back. Just like that… people move on, and never hear from them again. It is just sad.
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