Simply Thai

Until 3rd May, 5 dishes for 5 hours during 5 days are at 5 kuai at Simply Thai!! Really good deal! Went for lunch today at Xintiandi, eating in a terrasse, with the warming sun, it felt like being in France.
They served delicious food seasoned with adequate spices, among these 5 dishes were spring rolls, pandan leaf chicken, roast duck curry, glass noodle salad with seafood...drinks and dessert: coconut sago! Yum yum will go back to this restaurant for sure.

ERA acrobatic show

On Monday, i attended with Yann and Sandra a spectacular acrobatic show at Shanghai Circus, called ERA, impressive! We've seen a man juggling with huge jars, girls spinning 6 plates each while doing the splits... The most stunning was this metallic cage where 8 motorcyclers drove really fast at the same time.

http://www.era-shanghai.com/en/intro.asp

Tongli-river city

Last sunday, as Yann and Sandra were visiting China, we went to Tongli, a small city famous for its canals near Suzhou, which is not far from Shanghai.

We just went to the train station and bought our tickets there, anytime i go to this train station, always so crowded, maybe because you cannot buy your tickets on Internet, or maybe because you cannot buy your tickets more than 2 weeks in advance!

45 minutes later, freshly arrived at Suzhou (22RMB soft seat, 15RMB hard sleep), then again we had to queue a while to buy the return tickets, because guess why, in China you can only buy tickets leaving a city from this city.
Then, next step was to find the right bus to bring us to Tongli (across the bridge after the train station, then on the right, trip lasts 45 minutes). We had to buy the entrance ticket 80RMB (actually because we were foreigners :) though a bit expensive, it was worthy, a very nice, pleasant town with many bridges and rivers, food delicacies and souvenirs, a bit cheaper than in Shanghai.
We also visited the Sex Museum, I know, this is China and the Chinese are quite prudish! It was mostly statues, objects, paintings and some weird opinions about women. Sorry i don't dare to put picture on this blog, don't want to be censored.

'Love supermarket'

Today, by strolling in People's Square, many sheets of paper with Chinese written on them attached to a string along the trees drew my attention. By getting closer, i've seen some of them had a photo. There were many people of all ages looking at these forms. Then, by reading and asking people, there it was, kind of 'love supermarket', single people of all ages, were looking for someone to marry with!

On the ad were precised, birth year, height, studies (if any), job!! Many people born in 1979, nearly 30 years old, a key date for Chinese for getting married.

I already knew that during Chinese New Year in Malaysia, Chinese single girls of all ages write their phone number on mandarins that they are throwing to single men. Then, the men wants to catch the maximum of mandarins so they'll have many phone numbers of potential bride!On the left one, here is a 63 years old who likes music, arts, sports,and has a house!

"Silent" Concert by Eunice Martins

Today, thanks to Philippe's invitation, I attended an original artistic performance in Shanghai. Eunice Martins, a German piano concert soloist, performed during 2 black & white silent movies (films muets) 'The Kid' (1921) and 'City Lights'(1931), both written and starring Charlie Chaplin.

Actually, though it's a bit embarassing, it was the first time i have seen a (full) Charlie Chaplin movie. I found those movies funny and touching. The performance of the pianist was good! She impressed all of us when the crew decided to put on movie pictures and ask her to play on improvisation.
Apparently, during the other perfs, she also played on the silent movies 'Metropolis' and 'Nosferatu'. Today was her 6th and last concert in Shanghai (in River South Art Center, near Xinzha Road).
Eunice Martins is also famous, she played in various festivals in Hong-Kong, Berlin, Istanbul, Sao Paulo...

Ski/Snowboard in Shanghai

Today was my first time snowboarding. It's amazing to think you can ski/snowboard in Shanghai! The place is called Yinqixing Indoor Site, 银七星内滑雪场, open everyday from 9 am to 10 pm. It was created in 2005, the track is 380 metres long and 40 metres large, with 50 cm powder snow, it's considered as one of the longest indoor skiing track in the world (FYI Dubai is 400 metres long, the longest is in Bottrop, Germany). There are actually 3 slopes.

Price	Weekdays	Weekends
1 hour	98 yuan	118 yuan
2 hours	138 y	158 y
Illimited	198 y	218 y

They are currently doing promotions, everyday Tuesday until 28 April 2009, 1 hour is 49 yuan (5€) , 2 hours 69 yuan (7€) and illimited 99 yuan (10€)!! Insurance and all the equipment included.

Directions: metro line 1, last station, Xinzhuang 莘庄站 (30 minutes from People's Square), then take the free shuttle from the North of the Xinzhuang metro station (yellow bus, it's written 滑雪场班车 on it). The free shuttle runs until 10 pm.

http://www.yinqixing.com/english.htm


At the entrance, there are 2 screens where you can see what's going on the slope in live.

Qipu Lu, Shanghai biggest clothes market

Qipu Road is the biggest clothes market in Shanghai, composed of 4 buildings packed with clothes, shoes, jewels and bags, narrow corridors, don't go there during the week-end, it's like 'le parcours du combattant' (french expression): over-crowded & no air-con. Each building has at least 4 floors, easy to get lost. Many Chinese go there and buy in bulk to resell afterwards.

You can find there many many brands (fakes and Chinese brands), Tshirts are usually 25 RMB (2,5 €), but the problem, as you know Chinese people are not tall and very slim, so with the shoes: the biggest size is 39 (apparently it's actually a 38), as my size is 40-41 there is no chance that I can find a pair of shoes in China, I don't even tell you about the clothes, I"m sizing a 36 in European brands (jeans) but I do remember having bought once XL pants, so girls, better be prepared!

Directions: located 50 metres after the cross Haining Road/Henan Road 海宁路 河南路, nearest metro station is Baoshan Road 宝山路, line 1, 10 minutes walk.

Shanghai Museum

Shanghai Museum: 上海博物馆

Right in the middle of People's Square, on 4 floors, this museum has different galleries: currency, painting, calligraphy, jade, furniture, bronze, ceramics and seals. Created in 1952, it moved to People's Square in 1992, it worths a few hours to spend. There are comments in Chinese and English. Today the entrance was free. They Xray our bags before entering and we are also good for the metal detector.

Bodhistttva, Tang dynasty, sa mission est d'aider le fidèle à se soulager des souffrances du monde

Head of Kasyapa, Tang dynasty 618-907

1 000 Bouddha stel

Food vessel, 11th c BC

currency with the form of a sword, used in 770-220 BC

Paintings from the begining of the XXth century

what can you do with 1€ in China

For one euro (=10 RMB):

• my next readings, all bought new in the street for 1€ each (10 RMB), not original (nothing is original in China!) although it looks like real ones!

• 1€ this is also what I paid at the hairdresser for a shampoo + cut + blow dry (shampooing + coupe + brushing). It's interesting to see that a meal at McDo is twice more expensive than a haircut in China!
  

• 250 g of strawberries + 500 g of bananas + 500 g of mandarins + 200 g of tomatoes-cherries, all for less than 1€
  

Fabric market-le marché aux tissus de Shanghai

The fabric market is the place to go in Shanghai to make good quality clothes by a tailor for an incredible price, it's a 3-storey building
The Chinese name is 上海南外滩轻纺面料市场 and the address is 部 陆家浜 399号 (LuJiaBang Road), near the Bund. You pick the fabric you'd like your clothes on (cashmere, wool, linen, cotton, silk...), pick a model from the numerous fashion magazines, and they take your measurements. Depending on your negociation skills and your level of Chinese, you can make cashmere suits for 500RMB+/- (=50€), coats for 400RMB, shirts for 100RMB (10€)...also leather jackets, silky nighgowns... When you know that a costume for man in France costs about 200€, make the calculation!
But no worries, don't have to speak Chinese lah, they all know English (tourist place!)

Directions: From People's Square, there's a bus going there n°802 (2 yuan to the last stop).

Concert James Deano

A l'occasion de la semaine de la francophonie, le consulat de Belgique et l'Alliance française de Shanghai ont organisé pendant 2 jours, les mardi 17 & mercredi 18 Mars, un concert gratuit du rappeur belge JAMES DEANO.
Adresse: Le Melting Pot, 288 Taikang Road, Shanghai (泰康路边288号).
Pour ceux à qui le nom dit quelquechose , en 2005, il avait lancé 'Les blancs ne savent pas danser' ou encore 'Le fils du Commissaire'.

I am not a Barbie girl

A l'occasion des 50 ans de la poupée Barbie, voilà deux semaines que le Barbie Store a ouvert ses portes à Shanghai, adresse en plein dans le quartier shopping 550 Huaihai Road. Sur 6 étages, avec de quoi remettre à la mode le tube des 90's d'Aqua 'I'm a Barbie girl', en boucle dans les oreilles, on trouve des centaines, (milliers?) de poupées et accessoires, paradis pour les petites filles, bien sûr une collection de vêtements et déco à l'effigie de la demoiselle, du maquillage Barbie, le Barbie Spa, le café Barbie et summum de l'exagération, une hôtesse apprenait aux enfants sur une scène à danser comme Barbie.

Directions: 550 Huaihai Road, 淮海路 550号, nearest metro station, North Shanxi Road, line 1.

La parisienne

Transition time Malaysia-China

I left Malaysia last friday, 13th March for China. It was 30° in KL and 7° in Shanghai! What a change! I will start an internship at Shanghai University next friday for 4 and half months.
Malaysia, I will miss you and also:
- my friends in Malaysia
- the 'lah', 'can' and other Malay words
- roti canai, delicious 'pancake'
- Perhentian island, the best white sandy beach with transparent water island i've ever been to
- the weather, 30° all year long
- picnics in KLCC park
...

Bali/Lombok - Indonésie

Bali et Lombok, îles d'Indonésie: Bali à dominante hindoue et Lombok, musulmane.
Monnaie: le Ruppiah 15000 ruppiah = 1€

Vue superbe sur les rizières de Tegallalang, à 8km d'Ubud

Danses traditionnelles balinaises

Vue sur le volcan Batur, à Bali, dans la vallée se trouve le lac Batur

Le marché à Ubud

Un des moyens de transport à Bali et Lombok

L'oiseau Garuda, symbole de l'Indonésie

Pura Penataran Sasih, un temple avec un morceau de cloche en bronze

Goa Gajah ou Elephant Cave comprend une grotte et des jets d'eau, s'en mouiller le visage porte bonheur

Gunung Kawi, un ensemble d'anciens monuments et une belle vue sur les rizières, 230 marches à grimper

Pura Tirta Empul ou le Spring temple, beau temple avec des jets d'eau où les hindous viennent se laver

Bali-Lombok, trajet en 4 heures sur un ferry en mauvais état

Kuta Beach, célèbre spot de surf