While I was teaching at & attending the workshops, Allan had done a bit of exploring around the areas near where we lived. He visited IKEA which was just down the street and round a corner. He also located some small shops (the kind we like) behind IKEA. So this morning, he was going to take us (with the Kinsers) there for one last bit of shopping.
We took a stroll down to the end of the street & crossed the main road. This requires some skill & focus as there will be one or two vehicles that do not stop even though the light is red & the pedestrian light is green! To top that, we're confused as to the direction of the oncoming vehicles as they drive on the right while we hail from a country that drives on the left of the road. We each grabbed our spouses & charged across the road when it was clear to go. :)
Across the street was a pharmacy & we dropped in there for a while as the Kinsers needed to get some 'headache pills' & I needed cough syrup (I was coughing terribly through the night).
Everything in the pharmacy was in Chinese! Fortunately we had Allan with us. He spoke with the pharmacist & assistants there, told them what we needed & then we made our selection from their recommendations (quite a variety they have). I bought some lozenges made from 'sai kua siong'.... watermelon powder....which is good for the throat. We only have them in powder form back home but here they have it made into lozenges to suck and soothe the throat. Cool!
We made a few other side purchases.....I bought some honey to go with tea later on....again to soothe the throat. Jo came across a set of suction cups...the ones that chinese doctors use on the back of a patient to release 'heat' or 'wind' build up. She & I bought a set each. My mom goes to a chinese sinseh for this kind of treatment. Now she can DIY. :)
Only RMB20
We moved on & finally came to the little shops Allan discovered a few days earlier. The guys paired up to go shopping for men's stuff while Jo & I headed for the ladies' section.
The shops are really small, just like the ones we went to with Judy to get the 'branded' bags. The ones that sell clothes do not have space for even one proper changing room. We would go to a small corner (just standing room space) where they had put up a curtain and try on the top or pants. Most of the shop assistants were pretty friendly. Although there was one that got really mad & vocal at some local shoppers who had messed up her neatly stacked t-shirts, bargained for lower prices & ended up deciding not to make any purchase. Can't blame her. I would be fuming too.
After having been in Shanghai for a week now, I seem to have picked up a workable vocabulary of mandarin (I rarely speak the language back home & was never schooled in it) and managed to carry a decent enough exchange with the shop assistants to get what we wanted (giving myself a pat on the back...lol) :D.
I bought a nice tee for RMB25, Jo got a couple of tops & a nice pair of casual 3/4 pants. They only had one piece per item or I would've bought a set myself. When we finally met up with the guys at the appointed time, they'd each bought a pair of khakis & Allan purchased an electronic gadget (a teaching aid) for Ethan, my 3 year old. A similar gadget would cost around RM700-900 in Malaysia. Allan bought it for RMB600.
The final purchase was a duffel bag on rollers by the Kinsers....as carry-on luggage to use for the remainder of their stay in China (they would be going to Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xi'an & Beijing with the rest of those who signed up for the tour). Would have loved to be able to join them, especially to dance on the Great Wall of China, but I'd already taken too many days away from the kids & work.
For lunch, we went to Ikea to have our first non-chinese meal since our arrival in Shanghai. The Ikea cafeteria was packed! We managed to get ourselves seats after a short wait. The guys had eaten a little earlier so they sat while Jo & I went to order our lunch. She had chicken & I ordered the steak. Wrong decision for me.....it was tough & not very tasty. I gave up on it after a while. But the fruit juices were deliciously fresh & the dessert I had..umm...yummy!
Walking back to the apartment after lunch at IKEA
The high-rise in the background is about where our serviced apartment is located.
Signboard at the entrance to our accommodations
As the day was still early, Jo wanted to visit the spa located just outside the apartment, for a massage & facial. So we headed there & after having looked at their list of services, Jo decided on a full body massage (no facial I think). She insisted I got one too.....her treat. Thanks Jo! That was so sweet of you.
By this time the men had gone downstairs to the massage parlour for a little pampering of their own.
The spa assistant recommended that I take a special treatment (lasting 45 mins) to clear away the congestion in my chest. My massage started off well. I got a treat because the 'master' herself (who is also a chinese sinseh) decided to give me the massage & she was good! But it was during the heat treatment that I started feeling dizzy. They quickly called the lady doctor & she came in to check on me and massaged my head. Then she asked me to stick out my tongue and immediately told Amy (the translator) that my body was weakened by the cough & slight cold I've been nursing since day one in Shanghai.
Since I would be leaving the next morning, there wasn't much treatment she could give me. The only thing she could provide was to place tiny seeds on the acu-points on my left ear for me to massage everyday for the next 7 days. This would activate the various organs & areas in my body for better circulation & detoxification. After placing the seeds on the acu-points, she applied pressure to each....several times. I did feel better after a time.
She told me which point was for which part of the body, but there were too many, so that by the time she got to the last point, I'd forgotten the ones before .... :(
The lady doctor said she wouldn't charge me for it but Allan decided to pay the RMB50 when he came to meet us. After that, whenever anyone would ask me what's that I had on my ear, I'd jokingly say..."oh this? It's the latest ear fashion accessory from Shanghai!" ...hahahahaha! After savouring their incredulous look, I would then tell them the actual story. :)
After a shower & rest, we got ready for the final dinner with Judy & WOW participants who had stayed back till now, for a duck dinner at Nan Ling Restaurant.
(Note: Will have to wait for photos from the others, then will post here).
Another day comes to a close. Tomorrow, Allan & I together with Soo M Wong will be heading to Hangzhou. A new adventure...& more shopping! :)
1 comment:
Nice write-ups. I wished I had spent more time with you in Shanghai. During the last few months, Carmen was going to an acupuncturist. He put "tacks" on every day. Little sticky pads with sharp points inside. Seeds sound less obtrusive.
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