Hotpot Chicken

Temple

Yesterday we had a massive hike around Shanghai. We first walked to the Jade Buddha temple, which is gorgeous! There were so many idols and holy things to look at– I felt a little bad being there when so many people were worshipping and we were just wandering around staring. We had to get some money before we got to go into the temple though, and one of the shop owners dragged us to a bank and then dragged us back to her shop, where we bought some fans to placate her. This trip will definitely be a weightloss solution– it is SO hot here. After the Jade Buddha, we made our way to the metro and got to People’s Square, which is ringed by huge modern buildings. We went to an art museum and ate lunch there, which was a… cultural experience. It was a hotpot restaurant, and no one spoke English. Fortunately, by pointing and making noises we managed to get something…. which was most of a chicken. There were chicken FEET in our hotpot. Ally ate one. After that experience, we figured out how to get to the Bund area, which is one of the technological and historical areas of the city. The tallest tower in the world is across the river. We decided we were pretty tired, and went back to the hostel for a nap before dinner. Dinner was at a cute little restaurant where the guy spoke English and was so excited about showing us the best things he had to eat. We all ordered the same thing, but he came out with six different dishes because he didn’t want us to leave without sampling everything! We also went to a pastry shop afterwards. I thought the pastries were good, but Josh described them as tasting “like someone tore open a couch cushion and poured some stale chocolate milk on it.” Oh well. I’m waiting for breakfast now, and after that we’ll go to the airport and head to Guiyang. Hope you’re all doing well!

Whitney