Travel

Travel
Travel

San Francisco

San Francisco
San Francisco

Laugh With Me

Laugh With Me
Laugh With Me

On Shanghai's Le Royal Meridien

Fifty percent of the reason why I tagged along on this trip to Shanghai, was because my sister had booked a suite at the Le Royal Meridien, and I wasn't about to let her indulge in that by her lonesome. The other eighty percent of the reason was just because I knew I'd miss her like crazy in the month that I wouldn't be able to see her. And I'm 100% clear on the fact that I cannot do simple math.

Although she hasn't done one in a while, I've always loved reading Ree aka the Pioneer Woman's "Hotel Tours" - I've always said that my dream job would be a major hotel mogul bringing in the dolla dolla bills, so I wasn't about to stay in a fabulous hotel and not blog about it to my heart's content. Indulge me, guys.


Hi, I'm Caroline, and I'll be your tour guide through my (ex) hotel room today. Because that isn't a weird notion at all. But let's just go with it.


Someone (but not your tour guide, because she's obviously smarter than that) was a doofus and forgot to take pictures of many critical parts of the tour, including but not limited to: the main entrance, the lobby, the insane maze-like elevators that almost smelled like a blooming garden in the summer, and more.

But that's okay, we'll enter through the back entrance because that's what the cool kids do. And this back entrance is conveniently located right on the Nanjing Road pedestrian street, which is mere minutes away from a huge F21, Gap, and Zara. Nothing says "China vacation!" than a jaunt into some very Western stores for a shopping spree!

We'll go straight to our room up on the 38th floor. I've already taken the liberty of moving us on right inside. As soon as we enter the doorway, there's a cute little entryway. If we turn left, we'll enter the bedroom:


Excuse the mess. I may have taken a quick snooze. Don't let this picture fool you - there is also a flatscreen TV, a fridge, some amazing views, a huge desk, and some very spacious closets in this room. Oh, and this:


The master bathroom, complete with a rain shower and a huge tub to soak in (with it's own little rubber duck!), and get this - a sound system that connects to the TV in the bedroom. So you can shower while listening to Jimmy Fallon's late night show. Cool, right?

Back to the entryway. Let's go straight ahead, now:


To the left (to the left) is a massive sitting area. To the right is a BOSE iPod dock, and this:



There's also a half bathroom next to this lovely kitchen. AND, one of my favorite perks - there was the closest thing to a Keurig I could find right in this little kitchen. I didn't get around to using it, but it was nice knowing that I could if I really wanted to.

Oh, and there was this view:


I think I may have found China's Central Park!

Back to the sitting room we go. If you need to take a little breather from this tour, take a nibble from the welcome fruit trays and/or these amaaazing butter cookies:



And just slooooowly turn your head to the left, and you'll see this breathtaking sight from the floor-to-ceiling windows:



As if all of this wasn't enough to have me happy bawling like Kristen Bell with her sloths, we also had access to the members-only lounge on the 44th floor. There was free breakfast up there, with a nice lady who made me the egg white omelette that I've been craving since school ended; there was also afternoon tea, which delighted the four-months-until-I'm-blissfully-in-the-UK me {with lots of cheesecake and macarons too}; there was also happy hour that delighted the future drunkard in me. You didn't read that.


But, alas, I settled for a frothy cup of cappucino as I settled in a corner and watched the rain gently drizzle down into the city:


Bliss.

Thanks for sticking around, ladies and gents.
27

On Shanghai, Soup Dumplings, and Frilly Drinks

Shanghai, Le Royal Meridien
Welcome to Shanghai!

T- 1 month until I am back at college; for most other university dwellers, it's more like ... T- -2 days, suckers. While all those non-quarter system folks were busy moving into new dorms and apartments this weekend, I was busy gallivanting around Shanghai for a day with my sister and cousin before my sister's flight back to the States. 

We traveled via train - China has this amazing train system and it's the most efficient method of transportation by a long shot. The trains are super speedy (1.5 hours to Shanghai from Nanjing, versus 4+ hours by car), cheap, punctual, and clean. I really wanted to document the entire journey for you guys, but then I remembered the only (but major) downside of train travel in China - the stations. They are crazy crowded and a bit sketchy. People push, shove, and pickpocket to their heart's content, so I let my camera and phone rest in my bag, away from them hoodlums. Because a zipper will deter any good thief.

My original Shanghai plan was to veg out in the big, heavenly bed and simply refuse to move until check out, except to maybe pop downstairs for a swim in the saltwater pool, and maybe, just maybe go upstairs to the lounge to grab some hor d'oeurvesaskdf. Alas, my sister and cousin had more sense than me and dragged me out of my cocoon for some fun.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai First Foodhall

Our swanky hotel (more on that tomorrow) was located right on Nanjing Road, the famed pedestrian street full of good food and great shopping. The absolute highlight, is located in the building boasting that red sign you see in the picture above - the one called "Shanghai First Foodhall."

You walk into this department store-sized mecca of all things food - you can buy local specialties, little treats, seasonings, spices, and of course buckets of Snickers and M&Ms if that's what you're into.


I'm about to let you in on a huge secret, one that's known only by me, and CCTV, and maybe a Food Network show or two. And all of the Shanghainese locals. So, not very many people at all.

Go along inside, and don't be alarmed by the massive crowds. Once you brave your way through them, you are about to experience one of my very favorite treats in all of China. Take the escalator to the third floor, and among the tiny row of restaurants, you will find "Xiao Yang Sheng Jian" {Mr. Yang's Fried Soup Dumplings} on the very left side.

Xiao Yang Sheng Jian, fried soup dumplings


These fried soup dumplings rank in my top three favorite edible treats in all of China, and I've eaten my way through many a city in this huge country, so you know this has gotta be good. The little pockets of delicate dough encase a tiny spoonful of fatty pork, but the very best part is the slightly burnt bottom, which offers a delightful crunch and a burst of flavor.

If you eat one thing in Shanghai, make it this.


We ate sixteen between the three of us. Whoops. And if you're still hungry after this goodness, go get some more. But if you're wanting to expand your horizons or whatever, visit any one of the other vendors located next to this tiny restaurant. Common favorites are the vermicelli and/or noodle soups.


Beard Papa's, cream puff

I was more than overly stuffed, but I'll always make room for a cream puff from Beard Papa's. Vacation calories don't count.

Yu Garden, ChengHuangMiao, Ding Tai Fung

We had dinner over by Yu Garden / ChengHuangMiao with one of my sister's friends - I think the theme for this day might have been "soup dumplings" because we went to the esteemed Din Tai Fung for their award-winning steamed soup dumplings. And like the awful blogger I am, I ate everything without taking a single picture.

Afterwards, we stepped outside and there was the sweetest little breeze, so welcomed after weeks on weeks of humidity and heat, so we decided to make the most of it and walk over to the Bund district and find a bar.

Bund, Shanghai Bund

Glamour Bar



A frilly pink drink called the "Dragon Pearl," some goooorgeous views of the Shanghai skyline and boats passing by, and a medley of classic tunes such as Moon River and Fergie's Glamorous later, it was finally time to call it a day and go back to the hotel for a long, hot soak in the shower and of course, my huge heavenly bed.

That is what I call one good day.



20

On Duck Parts, Football, and Belonging

Fresh off of watching a 44-minute highlights video from Stanford's 2012-2013 football season, which in my opinion is 43-minutes too many dedicated to anything sports-related with the notable exception of Tarheels basketball in the championship game... I can just say that I've never felt so American than after getting so many darn goosebumps after merely watching a few boys compete in mercilessly tackling each other for a teeny tiny ball.

As much as I sometimes pretend like I don't love sports (see the first half of the above statement), I admit that I'm giddier about the fact that Stanford's ranked #2 in Sport's Illustrated's preseason preview and #4 in the USA Today something-or-other football poll, than I am about having finally found the perfect, black maxi-skirt after months of searching. And if you know me, that was certainly a big deal.

The Chinese Normal, #1: eating animal parts freely || more ethical {using all parts of an animal,
rather than being wasteful and throwing most of it away}, flavorful, and nutritious in the Chinese opinion

I was kind of stunned by a few moments of clarity today as I sat in the corner of our little place in Nanjing, Googling every statistic I could about our upcoming football season stats, when just yesterday I sat in the basement level of a new mall in town, feasting on vermicelli soup with ... duck parts. Duck parts, like, duck tongue, duck stomach, duck neck, and cubes of duck blood. {Tastes like tofu.} And this was so normal to all the people surrounding me, so much more normal than the concept that thousands of miles away, people are giving even two hoots about a college football team.

In that instant, I felt so far away from home. Home, with cars in which to drive to the next block, with social media that's available without a pricey VPN, with a hearty bowl of mac and cheese, and with avocados that aren't only found at an import store for 68RMB (a little more than 10 dollars). But sometimes when I'm over there in the good old USA, I crave a certain familiarity, as well - of walking in a sea of a hundred other people that resemble me so, of lively family-style dinners with the rotating glass disk in the middle of the table, of not needing to calculate how much to give in tips to the taxi driver and the waiter, of knowing the exact bus routes to get home or to my aunt's house, or to my favorite dessert place. I've often asked myself, where is home to me? And the obvious, cheesy answer would be "where the heart is." But my heart is in many places, and so here's what I've come up with.

The Chinese Normal, #2: delivery bikes for food from almost any Western-imported restaurant,
especially fast food such as Pizza Hut, McDonald's, KFC, etc. & you don't give a tip to the delivery boy

The Chinese Normal, #3: having raw meat on the table, all up close and personal
{exclusive to cook-it-yourself cuisines such as hotpot, Korean bbq, etc.}

The USA is home to me. I belong there, fit in there, and know how society works over there - something that is so important after spending so much time frustratedly trying to figure out how society works over here. But, China. Oh, China. Or maybe, I should say, Nanjing, to be more specific - It'll never be home to me, exactly, but I'll never think of myself as just a tourist or a visitor here. It's a place of history for me, for sure, but even more than that - it's a place that offers me comfort and reprieve when I need it the most, and a place that's just as familiar to me as it is foreign. 

The Chinese Normal, #4: {this one I'm loving} no minimum drinking age.
OK fine, it's actually 18, but only by a law introduced in 2006, that no one, not even the popo, takes seriously.
Like someone joked at dinner last night, "the minimum drinking age in China is (less than) 18 years old."

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you have the merriest of weekends. On another note, I'm feeling the itch to revamp the looks and goals of this blog, so don't be surprised if you notice some changes sooner or later 'round these parts!
10

Hot As Hades // A Secret Garden

So, it looks like I took another unintended week off from blogging. I've just been stuck in a little bit of a rut from, you know, things like visiting my grandparents on the daily and sleeping in until naptime, and busily cross-checking my weather apps, because something's gotta be wrong with this picture:


But nope, because then I saw this picture, and then proceeded to laugh, until I realized it wasn't all a joke, and then I started to cry a little:


Not okay. I don't do literal ovens, no thank you.

On a much cooler day {blazing hot rather than sizzling hot}, my mom and I visited a cute little garden across the street from the hospital in which my grandparents reside.






This pretty little garden is at most one hundred steps away from the biggest and most chaotic hospital in this big city - a hospital very much full of pain and suffering, and a loss of hope for many. {Although, as my sister was born in this very hospital, I must say that it's full of new life and light, as well.} And acting as a bridge in between these two extremes is one of the busiest and most dangerous crosswalks in the city, as well. I'm not allowed to cross this street without holding someone's hand ... truth.

But here, here hidden just past all of that, is quiet and peace and beauty. It's so blissfully silent here, and I see quite a few elderly people ambling along merrily - they're a little bit curious, a little bit bashful, a little bit tired, but perfectly friendly and willing to share their beautiful space. There aren't many other people here, and I can't help but think sometimes that I've stumbled upon a secret little reprieve. It's slightly ... melodic. Poetic. Cheesy. {But nice.}
20

Cousins' Day Out

As the youngest of the cousins on my mom's side,
and by a good six years at least,
I suffered through my fair share of good-natured torture getting set straight,
when I was a little girl.

But even then, and especially now,
I have certainly reaped in the benefits.
Most of my cousins are only children in their families,
and so when I come to visit China,
I get so spoiled, I'm practically a rotten egg.
Although two of them have their own kids now, one's in Shanghai, one's in the US,
and one's busy with medical school and her residency,
they all find the time to come save me from my boredom and take me out to
do all sorts of fun things - and I swear they probably work out a Caroline schedule
between the few of them, and mathematically space out individual fun days with them,
so that I'm never at risk of a major hissy fit for long. (Because, cough, why would that happen?)


Of course the kiddy kid kid comes along all the time - she's our family mascot.





Last week, my smarty of a future doctor cousin took us out for some
truly outrageous Korean BBQ. We overindulged with fatty beef and fatty pork
(for fatty humans, it's only fitting), mushrooms, seafood soup, seaweed soup,
vegetable vermicelli, seafood pancake, various kimchis, the most bomb sauces ever,
and a few leaves to make us feel like our arteries wouldn't completely clog.

And as if that wasn't enough to make me want to lay in a fetal position 
until dinner for a few days, my cousin really extended her lunch break,
and took us out for my very, very, very favorite treat in all of China (I was
about to say the world, but then I remembered french fries, and cupcakes,
and BiRite, and ten million other things):




Mango ice!

We slurped these up at Guoran HK, but the queen of mango ice is found
at Hui Lau Shan - they're mostly in Hong Kong, but I heard from a little birdy
(Yelp) that there is a sister store in San Francisco. Come September,
I'll be all over that bugger. Anyway, mango ice is a delicious combination
of shaved ice, mangoes, mango ice cream, mango syrup, tapioca balls
of various sizes and textures, and sometimes other special additions such
as lychee shavings, coconut milk, various jellies, or anything to your liking really!

I'm off to do a crunch or maybe three if I'm feeling crazy.
Happy Monday!

--

Follow me on Instagram @caroline_lu09 for more Chinese adventures!
Follow on Bloglovin'
13

Culture Shock, Part 1

A good, healthy dose of culture shock is something that I feel is entirely too necessary;
it's kind of like when your heart starts to stop, and the nice people at Seattle Grace
use the defillibrators defribillators defibrillators to start it up again -
it's something that your system needs, even though it may seem quite different and
not so pleasant at the present moment.

{#1 - am I even using the correct medical term for the correct medical situation?
#2 - my doctor dad is shaking his head right now
#3 - and my Grey's-loving roommate is shaking her head at me as well,
sorry I can't deal with blood and guts, not even when it's ketchup or whatever they use on TV...}

I have a running inner commentary working in overtime,
about all of these novel things I'm experiencing.
Here are a few:



1. People, people everywhere || there is practically a mob everywhere you turn -
bus stations, restaurants, hospitals, sidewalks, bathrooms, seriously everywhere. These
pictures were taken after dinner at a supermarket - on a very normal day, in a single
supermarket that is close to about eight other supermarkets with just as many people. 
I think if Black Friday was a thing in China, they'd have to call in the national troops.

2. A blatant disregard for rules || the Chinese honestly just think that as individuals, 
they are the exception to every rule. Here, we drive in oncoming traffic lanes, 
we smoke where there are "No Smoking" signs, we bring outside food and drinks 
into the restaurant when the policy clearly states not to. 
But you know what, it's slightly admirable, isn't it? 
Don't let other people tell you what to do - yolo!

3. {A lack of} Dairy products || no (or at least, very expensive) cheese, butter, etc. 
Milk tastes very different - it's sweeter and creamier. 
Yoghurt is the drinkable variety. Ice cream - unless you get a cone at 
McDonald's - is usually in flavors such as red bean, lychee, or taro.

4. Public transportation || is simply magical here. You can't walk three steps 
without hitting a bus station or a subway station or taxi station, 
and they take you anywhere you want to go. And this stuff is so cheap, 
they're practically paying you to take you to places - public buses are 1.60 yuan 
(less than 30 cents), taxis usually don't go above 12 yuan (2 big buckaroos). 
The only con is that during rush hours, you are literally sardines in a can, 
or you cannot for the life of you flag down a taxi. Refer to #1.

5. Everyone is family || Anyone older than you is a "brother/sister, aunt/uncle,
grandma/grandpa" - relatives and strangers alike. Any baby or child is "baobao" 
or "precious jewel." It's cute, it's really cute.

My sweet baby second-cousin (who, yes, calls me "auntie") just asked - 
do people in America smile like we do here in China? 
Yes, baobao, that much we have in common.

Until next time!
11