Rebecca: Shanghai Days

First full day in Shanghai! It probably goes down as one of the best days of my life. We met up with a friend of Jen's studying in Shanghai for the year, which was really cool. He showed us around, so we got to see a lot of stuff. I honestly don't even know where to start. We went by about six million different street stalls, selling everything from clothes to knickknacks to food. And tons of knockoff designer stuff, which is sold at inflated prices. It's expected that you barter with the seller, but it's a little scary when you don't really know how. I thought I did a good job, but maybe I still got ripped off? If you turn them down after a bit of haggling and leave the store, they will chase after you with a better price, which was only mildly terrifying. 

We ate lunch at a place called - wait for it - More Than Toilet. It's a toilet-themed restaurant in a district called Tianzifang, and the food is really good! I ate something called honey toast, which is like a big cube of sweet bread, and it comes with toppings like ice cream, fruit or chocolate. Then we wandered around the city (for a looooong time, my feet are killing me), going to parks and to a little museum, and eventually found ourselves away from the touristy parts of Shanghai and into the real city. The streets there were more like narrow alleys, with people frying food and selling it off little carts. I got over my food fears pretty quick and ate some street food, which was great! I love bao zi, which is like a steamed bun with different fillings. I like sesame paste filling, because it tastes a little bit like peanut butter. 

I also got a bottle of iced tea with Avril Lavigne on it. Little weird - apparently she's big in China. So basically a very full day with lots of adventure!