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| Entertaining ourselves while Matt tries to figure out how to tell the Chinese cab driver where we need to go. |
After checking in to our nice hotel, 22nd floor rooms, we decided to find the "knockoff market" that we had heard soo much about. We had to take two taxis and each dropped us off in different places which were actually pretty close to each other but we couldn't see each other and had no way of knowing how close we were, kind of funny, kind of scary. But we figured it out and headed down into the subway station where the huge market was and found... KFC! Not exactly the same as the KFC's that we are used to but we were pretty pleased with our lunch. then we hit the market. They have little shops for clothes, toys, souvenirs, electronics, shoes, sunglasses and shop owners outside saying "Hey lady, you want a purse? Come in, I give you best price, come have a look!" And then you find what you want and say how much and offer them 10% of that (that is what our friend told us he always does, we didn't go quite that low) and haggle back and forth. Kendra and Kaleb were really needing shoes and we were happy with what we found for both of them and we got Klora and Kendra some nice headphones (for Christmas), Kyle got a laser pen, Klora got a phone case, Krista got a watch and Matt got a shirt that won't show how much he sweats in this crazy humidity. We were pretty happy with the deals we found but also anxious to get out of there if you know what I mean. We will definitely go back next time we need shoes and to get souvenirs before coming home!
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| Awesome shoe finds, now a few days worn |
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| modeling our swimcaps |
We found some good Chinese street food for dinner and swam at our hotel (in all the pools in China they require you to wear swim caps!, a new thing for us but we knew about it and had borrowed some from branch members, we had so much fun laughing at each other when we first put them on).
The next day I headed to the conference center where the Shanghai branches of our church meet for a Women's Conference, so nice and relaxing and uplifting and a nice catered lunch too. Matt took the kids to the Shanghai Science and Technology museum--not as relaxing, or uplifting, but... Thanks Matt! It is huge. They loved the animal exhibits and race car simulation the best. Then he got them all changed and over to the church place in time for us to all sit and listen to Elder and Sister Gong (Asia area authorities in the church) and President and Sister Nelson (President of the Quorum of the 12 apostles) speak. After that we found a "Noodle Bar" for a yummy dinner then caught a couple of taxis back to the hotel for another swim. Then while Matt put kids to bed, I ran out and found some food for the trip home the next day.
Sunday morning we enjoyed the amazing hotel breakfast buffet again--fruit, pastries, eggs, bacon, sushi, dumplings, salad bar, potatoes, olives, oatmeal, cereal, fried rice, sausage, yogurt, fish, muffins, toast, and other things that we didn't recognize and can't name and mostly didn't try because there was so much that we knew we liked! Then we dressed up, packed up, and loaded up in taxis and headed back to the conference center where we attended church with one of the Shanghai branches of our church. It was so different for us to be in this big conference center (like the conference room of a big fancy hotel) for church with a big group of around 150 members. We are now used to our cozy group of 40 meeting in a nice home in Hangzhou. Nice to meet more of the saints in China, Klora and Kendra visited with some of the girls they met at Young Women Camp the weekend before, and the kids all went to their classes (Matt and I did have to go with Kyle, Krista and Kaleb at first).
Then the fun was over and we put on our packs and hiked to the subway station, took our last look at the big city, really pretty impressive. Can I just add that each time we were lost or unsure on this trip, someone who knows just enough English has been there to help us find our way. And it happened more that a few times. We love these bighearted people and know we are being watched over.
Matt maneuvered us through the subway station (thanks to his Chicago mission subway experience), 40 minute subway ride, and to the train station for a few hours wait for our train. We were all pretty tired by this time and the food that I had found the night before ended up not being too substantial or impressive--wouldn't you know this two hour wait on a SUNDAY would be the one time since we have been in China that we were near a McDonalds AND a Burger King! KFC was there too but we had done that. Very tempting but we don't shop on Sunday. Anyway, you don't want any details of the long wait in the train station, the long train ride back, or the long bus ride home (wasn't really long)--just imagine 6 tired kids, 2 more tired parents and all that sitting and waiting and crowding and people staring at you--everything harder to handle when you are tired. Enough said. We made it home and want to go again sometime... but not for a while.
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| the view from our 22nd floor hotel room |
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