This was my last full day in Shanghai. I had planned on getting the rest of my shopping done and participate in a few activities unique to China.
I slept okay on the floor of Mark�s room. I did have a bedspread to sleep on and a rolled up sleeping bag as a pillow. I woke up at about 6AM. Mark was still tired from going camping the past few days.
I decided to try to get on the internet while Mark slept. Mark had been using a pay per use card. But somehow his original card had stopped working when I arrived. Recently Mark had gotten another card. Success! I was able to logon to the internet. I did some emailing and some chatting via Instant Messenger. It was about 6PM at home, so some people were already online.
After a while Mark finally woke up. He said he needed to do laundry. I was anxious to get out and do some shopping. But Mark seemed to think that his laundry couldn�t wait an extra day.
We finally left at about 10:30AM. I mailed my postcards that I had written on the train to Xian. The mailbox was an ordinary green box in front of the school.
We decided to do lunch at Pizza Hut in People�s Square. We caught a bus there. Surprisingly there was not any wait when we got there. We must have gotten there just in time because by the time we left, the line stretched all the way out the door and into the street.
We got a pitcher of Pepsi and a medium sized meat lovers pizza. It was very filling.
Our waitress seemed to be hovering right behind my shoulder. I guess it was a good place to stand to watch if people need anything. I got Mark to make my picture with the waitress.
Afterwards we did some shopping in People�s Square. I also exchanged $60 at a Bank of China. Since you cannot change Yuan back to Dollars, I would need to spend all my money today.
We were trying to make our way to Yu Yuan Garden. We were meeting Ruth there at 1PM. Not being able to find the bus station, we decided to get a taxi.
Traffic was terrible! We were stuck in traffic for quite a while. We finally made it to Yu Yuan Garden. It was wall-to-wall people. At times I could not movie do to the massive amount of people around me. I held on to my wallet pretty tightly.
We waited around at the entrance to Yu Yuan Garden for Ruth. She was a few minutes late due to the crowds.
I decided I was sick of the crowds and decided we needed to leave Yu Yuan Garden. I did stop to buy a fan on the way out.
On the way out I also stopped at one of the booths to get my friend�s name written in decorative letters. The calligrapher came down quite a bit on the original asking price of 5 Yuan per letter. I think it ended up being 20 Yuan plus 20 Yuan for a frame. I tried to get a nice watercolor of a painting of People�s Square, but the sellers would not come down enough.
We decided to get away from the crowds. I suggested Nanjing Road. We took a cab over there. I did a bit of shopping there, picking up 3 more teapots for friends.
Ruth had mentioned she had tickets to a Tulip festival. It was in the PuDong part of Shanghai (on the other side of the river). We decided to make our way to the Bund. On the way, we stopped at a drink stand. Mark and Ruth got Ice Cream. I got a Fanta. The first Fanta was not cold, so I had to ask for another one.
We made some pictures on the Bund and then tried looking for a boat or underground train to the PuDong. While we were walking, I noticed a large statue. Ruth said it was a statue of the first mayor of Shanghai.
We rote a tourist underground train to PuDong. There were flashing lights in the tunnel. It appeared to be something out of Disney World.
We got out and headed toward the Tulip Show. On the way there, I got a Chinese flag for 1 Yuan.
At the entrance there was a large clock made out of Tulips. Throughout the riverside park, there were plenty of Tulips and other flowers. At the park, you could rent a 2 or 3 seater bicycle and ride with friends. At one part of the park, there was a playground area.
After a while at the park, we decided to head back to eat at the Hard Rock Caf�. We took a subway back. At one point in the ride, the subway became packed. It was wall to wall people again. At one point in the ride I asked Mark �Aren�t you glad you used Dial? Don�t you wish everyone else did?� It was our next stop we had to make our way to the door.
After we got out we headed to Nanjing Road for a bit more shopping. I decided to get my portrait drawn. The artist asked 40 Yuan for it. As he was drawing, a crowd of Chinese people gathered. Everyone seemed to be interested in a westerner getting his portrait drawn. The artists did a good job on it. The crowd didn�t leave until I had paid my money. I thought they would leave after the artist was finished drawing.
We did a bit more shopping until it got dark. We caught a cab to the Hard Rock. The HR is located next door to the most expensive hotel in Shanghai. At the resturant we were seating in the no smoking section. The table had some very comfortable chairs. I had a couch all to myself.
I got a cheeseburger. Mark got some ribs, and Ruth got a hamburger. Ruth had never eaten at HR before. She said the food was good and much better than McDonald�s.
Unfortunately this Hard Rock, like all other Chinese restaurants, did not have unlimited refills. Somehow this is an American phenomenon. The total cost of the meal was 393 Yuan (about $40).
We caught a cab back to the school. I had wanted to get a blind man massage while in China. This type of thing is very popular in China. Mark said there was a massage place near the school. He told our cab driver to keep driving around until he saw it.
We finally found it. We went inside. The massage was 50 Yuan for one hour. I paid for Mark and Ruth to get a massage too. I changed into some pajamas.
The masseuse massaged my face first, then had me lie down on my stomach so that my back could be massaged. After he got done, I was very relaxed. It was excellent.
We walked back to school. I stopped to get some cokes and magazines at a store.
We got to the school�s gate. I said goodbye to Ruth and went on our way.
I got a room at the guesthouse. I packed in Mark�s room.