Fabric Market on The Bund

Shanghai is known for many things and the Fabric market is one of them. They have a 3 story building that has about 200 shops per floor of fabric and samples of clothing that they will make for you in as little as 3 days.... I am talking about a men's wool suit that is tailored just for you. It is just fun to have someone make you clothes that fit. The first time it is just plain overwhelming. There are SO many stores and SO much to choose from.

My friend Veronica and I braved this venture one day. We had a few things in mind to have made and even brought some of our own pieces to have copied. It was quite an adventure because we do not speaking the language very well, getting measured and then praying that your item would be there and fit the next week. We spent the entire afternoon browsing, bargaining and looking at all the sights. We left the house at 11 am and did not get back until almost 4 pm and we did not even stop to eat lunch or get a snack.... She is my kind of shopper.

We purchased things at 4 different tailors to see if there was a difference and if they were any good. The following Friday we returned with our receipts to pick up our purchases. After going into the dressing room........ hehehe

Make shift "Dressing Room" all the shops have them!

Unfortunately, we only ended up with 1 successful fit. All of the others needed to be re-adjusted. So we have decided it was a fun event but there are also tailors that are about 10 mins walk from our homes and we are now giving them a try to see if they are more successful.

It was a fun adventure and if you are planning to come to Shanghai we will definitely have to take one day to go to the Fabric market on the Bund.

Chinese Massage

If you love a great massage at a great price you should come to Shanghai. EVERY street has at least one place. Some are a little scary I have to admit but for 60 minutes you can have your feet massage in a milk bath with a shoulder rub for as little as $4.00. Yes, folks I just said $4. You do have to be somewhat selective in your location. If the massage location is on the less busy parts of the area then the quality of the rooms, cleanliness etc go down hill. Luckily, with all the ex-pats in town there are some really high end places where the massage is very nice location and still only cost about $8 for a full body massage. What a deal.

Last week George and I got a Traditional Chinese massage..... OK if you like a "deep" massage hold onto your muscles because this is going to go deep. It is also called an acupressure massage for good reason! If your back, arms or some joint doesn't crack they keep at it until something gives! SO great if you have any kind of sports related tightness. Running on the pavement has been leading to lower back pain so this is the best thing for it... Right George?

This week we thought we would try something even more different. 90 minute Thai massage well... Has anyone ever had a Thai Massage? Well, if you have then you know that it is quite an experience. Just to summarize.. The massage therapist will use most of their limbs to massage you including their feet as they walk up and down your back... I was very glad that George was in there with me. I would have thought they were going to harm me in some way. It is definitely not for the faint at heart. Would I do it again, YES, George's response, NO WAY!

Just another reason to come visit us in Shanghai!

Banking in China

Somethings are just SO different. In China everyone always carries large piles of cash. It is not uncommon to go into a bank and see someone with a small grocery bag FULL of money. They also count it all at least 3-4 times. The bills are almost always in 100 RMB increments of less. I went to the bank, with the help of George's assistant, Mandy and paid our credit card bill from the October holiday. So this is what transpired...... Remove thousands of RMB bills using bank card from bank A. The stack of bills was about 2 inches high. I've never had such a large handful of bills in my life. Get this at the same ATM. I put in my credit card that has a charges from bank B. Then I deposit the stack of bills back into the same ATM. And walaa the bill is paid.

RMB

Pearl Tower

Pearl Tower

We finally made it to one of Shanghai's tourist attraction. The Pearl Tower is the third highest tower in the world. It is much like the Space Needle in Seattle but a little cooler. They have a museum in the bottom which goes on for a long time. It is a great history of Shanghai and the surrounding area. Many of the exhibits are quite realistic. It was a great day and fun to see the whole city. It was little scary looking down at the ground through the glass floor. Amazing to see how many apartments it takes to hold all the people who make Shanghai the largest city in China!

Halloween in China

When Americans move out of the country they bring their traditions with them... Even the French grocery store had Halloween supplies!