Soju Diaries: Shanghai: Yuanyuan Garden and the French Concession

Once again Joe has come to the last couple of blog entries to finish writing about one of our trips, and once again I was "invited" to guest author the final entries. This time I get to write about the last couple of days we spent in China which I spent sneezing, coughing, and blowing my nose. Should be an exciting couple of entries...

After enjoying our delicious dumplings we decided to check out the Yuanyuan Garden. We read that it would likely be crowded and that we should visit in the morning, but our walk around the garden was peaceful and devoid of tourists, for the most part.

They had a lot of these cave-like structures.

Unfortunately, this photo was marred by the tourist who barged through mid-picture.

As the day went on, I felt worse and worse, and my mood darkened significantly. I really wasn't very pleasant during the walk home, mainly because I wanted to take the subway, and Joe wanted to walk and take photos along the way. The walk took almost an hour, and Joe and I were in constant disagreement about whether or not to take pictures. Joe likes to take pictures of everything, which we appreciate later, but while it is going on I get a little irritable. I always worry that people won't want their photo taken by tourists, but it doesn't seem to bother Joe in the slightest. It didn't help that the few tissues I had disintegrated further with each passing minute as a result of the constant nasal drippage.

Joe is always asking (actually, there are usually no words spoken, just elaborate hand motions) if he can take a picture of people's shirts.

Drying laundry outside of your window is a common sight in Shanghai.

At least they offer some variety...

I always wonder what I would think if foreigners started snapping pictures of my kids (future kids, that is).

Once we made it back to the hotel, I am pretty sure I passed out and Joe went back out in search of food (most likely ice cream or the cruellers we both craved). After an hour or so of rest, I knew I had to rally so that we could check out the French Concession, the area of Shanghai that Lonely Planet describes as the "coolest, hippest, and most elegant."

Our first stop was the original headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party, a little known tourist attraction and museum included in Lonely Planet's Shanghai City Guide. Joe acted like I was torturing him by wanting to check it out, but what does he expect? He married a history teacher.

I didn't understand the point of making us get a ticket considering the museum was free, but whatever, when in China don't ask questions.

Joe posing with the communist flag. Why the sad face? No idea.

The outside of the CCP Headquarters.

By the time we finished viewing the headquarters/museum, it was late in the afternoon. Ironically, though I had to drag Joe to the museum, I also had to drag him out of it. I don't know if he will admit it or not, but I know he enjoyed the visit. We stopped off for afternoon tea which consisted of a beverage and an appetizer, and then moved on to the Shikumen Open House Museum. The term Shikumen refers to Chinese homes that first appeared around the 1860s, combining Chinese and western architecture. The fact that we couldn't take pictures coupled with my worsening runny nose is the reason I don't have a lot to say about this experience. When we finished our tour, nothing made me happier than arriving back at the hotel and going to bed immediately.