Chinglish Part III (and Zhoumo kuaile!)

I thought it'd be appropriate to follow up our China-versary with the third post in my Chinglish series (Part I, Part II). The collection is growing...  

Paying our mobile phone bill:

"The Service Accepts Area;" accentuated by the random wires hanging from the ceiling.

At a small museum in Shanghai:

"This door impassibility;" "This is not an exit"?

In front of an airport's smoking section:

"Do not litter butts;" it's funny 'cause they said 'butts.'

At the entrance of a museum in Hangzhou (the exit here is also the entrance, as evidenced by the folks leaving the museum the same way they came in; yes, back through a metal detector):

"Please accept inspection consciously;" (I'm impressed that this was at least spelled correctly.)

Perhaps my favorite of the bunch, this photo was taken at the airport in Xian (these seats were nowhere near a gate, by the way):

"Only for the old and weak;" let's be blunt.

It's our China-versary!

Can you believe it's been a year since we moved to China? 

It's pretty incredible to look back on the last twelve months!  Let's see...

I went back to school. 

We got our beloved velos! 

We celebrated American holidays Chinese-style (namely, the Fourth and Turkey Day).   

We got hitched! 

And we got our passports stamped a few times...

• Beijing (once, twice, and three times)
• Bali for the 'moon
• Chongming on bikes 
• Macau
• Chengdu (pandas!)
• Hangzhou (twice)
• Dalian (for Chinese New Year)
• Korea (for snowboarding!)
• Xian
• Singapore

Although we miss home (and family and friends and nature and fresh air), it's exciting to think about the next year, what it will bring, and where it will take us. Maybe Vietnam or Malaysia; Cambodia is also on the list, as is Thailand. 

It’s been a pretty incredible experience so far, and I’m looking forward to making more memories with the husband as we try and take full advantage our time abroad.

Zhoumo kuaile!

The festivities from last weekend continue! Happy weekend, all.  

P.S. Points for those of you who can tell me what tomorrow (May 25) marks... You'll find out next week.  

Rides are back

Perhaps I need to follow up Fatty Tuesdays with Wrecked Wednesdays. I'm exhausted after a brutal (but awesome) Tuesday night ride that took us on a 50-kilometer, two-wheel tour of Shanghai. 

The rides are in full swing now that winter weather is gone and we're both in town after weeks of on-again/off-again travel. And we weren't the only ones; I'd say we were 80 to 100 strong last night, traveling in a pack that thinned out as the ride went on... for about two and a half hours.  

A fellow rider (Dirk Steffen) took some great shots last night; check them out here.  Here was the ride:

  

Five Qs for Our Friends

You may remember that we recently hosted four of our friends in China. They had begun their whirlwind tour in Beijing and ended it in our temporary hometown of Shanghai. I thought it’d be interesting to get their impressions of the trip and ask them the same questions I had asked my mom. Here are answers from Kira and David, one the most fabulous couples I know, who took the long journey to come out and visit us. 

What was your favorite experience? 

D. Too many to count. I would have to say my favorite in Beijing was the Wall, with the hole-in-the-wall dumplings a close second. My Shanghai favorite was the Bund at night, and the whole shopping experience. Besides the custom clothing [at the fabric market], I really liked the haggling and the secret compartments at the fake market. And I don't even wear a watch or carry a purse. 

K. Being outside of the comforts of the US of A and experiencing different cultures, architecture, food, smells, sights and sounds. Every photo I've ever seen of the Wall doesn't do it justice, so that was a pretty incredible experience. And the food was amazing too -- much to my surprise. [And she’s a vegetarian!] 

What was the best meal? 

D. All of them? Surprisingly, I think the lunch in Beijing was my favorite. That eggplant was off the charts. Then again, the late night (10 p.m.) pizza was really good, especially the phantom slice the next morning. [No comment.] 

K. I loved Spicy Moment and Lost Heaven. Although, I have been obsessing over those black sesame balls ever since I had them for the first time. [It’s true. Those things deserve their own Fatty Tuesday post. Coming soon!] 

What did you find most surprising? 

D. How good the food was. But I was thinking about that today, that if we took people to 10 meals in five days in SF, everything would seem amazing. But still, the food. I put on five pounds easy.

K. Doesn't that go without saying??? The potty training, of course! [I think she’s referring to this.] 

What did you find most challenging? 

D. Breathing and getting used to the time difference. My internal clock is all screwed up still. 

K. We had it pretty good, I must say. Although language was not an issue for us for the most part [thank you, husband!], it is frustrating to not understand a word that is being uttered around you or be able to read a single thing on the menu [Amen!]. I don't think I could ever master the Chinese language but definitely want to learn to speak a second language. 

What did you miss most from home? 

D. The outdoors. Even though we were outside a bunch, you don’t see people running or riding, or park chilling on the grass. I took a walk and a bike ride today just to breathe in the fresh air, and I didn't feel like that was a good idea in China. 

K. I don't think we were gone long enough to legitimately miss anything but I was thrilled to have a burrito for my first stateside meal. [Oh man, what I would do for an authentic burrito right about now.] 

Come back, friends! xo

Zhoumo kuaile!

It's the start of Beer Week here in Shanghai, and here's what we'll be participating in tomorrow:

But it's been raining non-stop for the last three days, and rain is predicted for tomorrow -- the threat of cancellation looms. Welcome to "spring" in Shanghai -- where we went from frigid cold to warm rain...  Enjoy the weather wherever you may be this weekend! 

More on Singapore

A few more tidbits about our trip to Singapore:

• The night safari was a slight disappointment. It ended up being more zoo than safari, and neither of us is a big fan of zoos. 
• The pool at our hotel (the Marina Bay Sands) was breathtaking. It's the highest infinity pool in the world, and we couldn't get enough of it. 

• We spent most of Saturday at what we called the Island O'Fun, also known as Sentosa Island. After riding a gondola over to the island, we took a luge (yes!) down to the beach where we snacked on crab cakes and drank our first beers of the day. We rented bikes and rode along the coast, taking a break to look out from the southernmost point of Continental Asia. We then ventured to the Wave House where Mike faux-surfed, after which he and I ziplined (my first time!). After a quick nature hike, we ended our day on the Island O'Fun atop Singapore's mascot, the Merlion (a lion's head with a mermaid's body).

So now that you can answer that Jeopardy question, here are some other interesting facts about the city-state:

• It's the world's fourth leading financial center, and its port is one of the five busiest in the world.
• It was settled by the British (what wasn't?) and occupied by the Japanese before uniting with other former British territories to form Malaysia, from whom it separated two years later (in 1965). (Yes, they drive on the left.)
• And yes, it's the place that canes people. You may remember the story of this guy.  

Fatty Tuesday: Singaporean Foodies

They kind of had to take me back to Shanghai kicking and screaming. We had a great mini-vacation in Singapore last weekend, complemented by fantastic food. We explored local dishes our first two nights, starting at Maxwell's, what they call a "hawker centre," an outdoor/indoor venue with food stalls and casual seating (Maxwell's is supposed to be the best, btw).

We ordered the staples: chicken rice (which is lovely, tender chicken served with rice made in its broth, dipped in ginger sauce, and sweet, black soya sauce, and chili sauce), noodles with seafood (which reminded me of pad thai; bottom of photo on the right), and fried carrot cake (which initially didn't sound appealing to me only because I took the dish's name literally; come to find out, there's no carrot in carrot cake; instead, it's radish cake (steamed rice flour, water, and shredded white daikon), stir-fried with eggs, preserved radish, and other seasonings). It became my favorite.  

The next night, I discovered Singapore chili crab, which I thoroughly enjoyed (even though I don't normally enjoy crab; it's too much work -- but when it's covered in a thick, spicy, tomato-based sauce and served with sweet buns, it's worth the effort).  

We quickly found out that Singapore is quite the foodie haven, where several celebrity chefs have opened shop: Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, Daniel Boulud, to name a few. So on Saturday night, our last night in Singapore, we decided to splurge and dine at Battali's Osteria Mozza (yes, LA, you have one too). It was extraordinary. We started with burrata over grilled asparagus and toasted almonds; for il primi, Mike got the gnocchi (what wonderfully delicious little dumplings!), and I got the best pasta dish of my life in the form of one, large ravioli covered in brown butter sauce (when cut open, the yolk of an egg oozed out onto my plate, and as I chewed slowly, savoring every bite, I tasted the perfect balance of pasta, ricotta, and egg). My secondi was lamb atop a mint yogurt sauce (yum!), and dessert was a molten chocolate cake with bourbon ice cream (to satisfy both of our cravings). An awesome meal to top off a really lovely getaway.

    

Zhoumo kuaile!

Reporting to you from Singapore! I flew in last night to meet Mike who's been here for work this week. I love this city so far (but it may be because I haven't seen lush greenery and breathed in clean air in a while). And I'm loving the tropical weather (yes, including the thunderstorms): 

We've already knocked off a few items from the to do list, having grubbed on staple Singapore dishes (stay tuned for Fatty Tuesday!) and ridden the Singapore Flyer (in an ode to my mom who has a fascination for ferris wheels; bottom, left photo). Tonight, we'll continue the local food fest with Singapore chili crab, and venture on a night safari (how cool does that sound?). 

See that three-pronged building in the photo on the right? That's our pad for the weekend. And see the top of it? That's our hangout on Saturday (complete with an infinity pool overlooking the city). More to come (including photos)!  

Playing Hosts

Mike and I helped our friends pack in as much as possible for their first trip to China. Here are some highlights from their week here:

Saturday: Met the crew at the airport in Beijing. Saw some bugs on a stick. One member may have eaten a cricket. 

Sunday: Conquered the Great Wall again, but a different part of it (less crowded, less touristy, less stinky, and still amazing). Did the required Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City visit. Ended the day with duck. 

Monday: Park chilled in Beijing (bringing a favorite pastime of ours to China) and traveled (in style) by train to Shanghai. 

Tuesday: Shopped and haggled at the Fabric Market and the Fake Market. Ended up on Yongkang Lu for fish and chips and (lots of) beers. 

Wednesday: Climbed (via elevator) to the top of one of Shanghai's tallest buildings for a drink (or two).

Thursday: Bought gifts for moms at the Pearl Market, lunched in Xintiandi ("lunched" being quite appropriate here for the Beverly Hills of Shanghai) and toured the Yuyuan Gardens. Sweated over spicy Chinese food for dinner. 

Friday: Ended the trip with a special finale dinner at Lost Heaven (since my mom approves).   

Zhoumo kuaile!

The house is strangely quiet now that the last of our guests has left. Mike and I were busy playing hosts this week, and I'll share more soon, but in the meantime, I hope you're all having a good weekend and a lovely Orthodox Easter if you're celebrating.

P.S. Here's where we were and what we were doing last weekend: 

Five Qs for Mom

My mom visited us here in Shanghai from her beautiful home in Los Angeles, and stayed for almost one month. Here's a quick interview with her about her impressions of our life here China.

What was your favorite experience? 

Tasting all kinds of different foods. There’s such a variety here. You can get whatever you want. And just walking around; it’s a great city! 

What was the best meal? 

I loved Lost Heaven where we celebrated [Mike's mom's] birthday. The ambience was tasteful and beautiful, and the food was superb. Lots of flavors and textures. [I guess I'll have to do a Fatty Tuesday on Lost Heaven soon...]

What did you find most surprising? 

The entrepreneurial spirit and youth of Europeans, Australians and Americans alike. It's as though China is the new frontier. Also, the sheer numbers of people everywhere. The crowds were everywhere and at times, daunting. [It's true; she survived the train station on a holiday weekend.] 

What did you find most challenging? 

The air pollution. The number of people everywhere. The fact that it's impossible to know real from unreal, or what is real and true from what is false or fake. Trust is an issue in China; one is cynical and unbelieving. Food issues. 

What did you miss most from home? 

Salmon. Eggs. Food you can trust! Blue skies. Cleanliness. Space. Quiet. Places outdoors where one can be alone. The ocean. [I hear you, Mom! But I'm glad you came.]