CHINA TRIP Day 33: Spa Day

Saturday, June 19

Today was a free day and Laura and I went to Chi Pu Lu first and then we headed to the Shanghai World Financial Center for lunch and afternoon plans. When we had gone to SWFC on Tuesday, we had gotten a small book of coupons that gave discounts at various places in the building. I remember we talked about how clever they set up the SWFC as we were exiting after our trip to the observatory. The only way to the exit was to pass all the stores and restaurants and a row of ATMs and banks, all of course, conveniently located. Laura and I had a Western-style lunch at Element Fresh, and when our food arrived we didn’t talk for a good ten minutes as we both wolfed down our lunches. We were definitely more than satisfied. We did talk about the clever marketing strategy involved in the SWFC’s summer celebration and how the coupons brought people back to the building even after they had gone to the observatory. There were so many other less expensive places to eat in Shanghai, and even if you were staying in the Park Hyatt, which was located in the same building, why would you come back to the SWFC? I had no plans on returning had we not realized that the coupons would give us discounts on our pedicures.

In the afternoon, Jasmine met Laura and I in the salon as we got our pedicures. I had done my research, and Ko’Olina Nail was actually a Japanese company. It had the Hello Kitty-like, girly vibe to the salon but the employees were very good and thorough. For less than $15US for a full pedicure, massage, and callus treatment, we were more than satisfied. We weren’t exactly hungry, so we decided to use another one of our coupons at a little chocolate shop called Leonidas. There was only one employee who was busy playing games on her phone to notice that we walked in. Our coupons gave us a free tea drink regardless of whether or not we bought anything so we sat and enjoyed our tea while she returned to her phone. We were so exhausted and ended up taking a nap until 4pm when I woke the girls up to go to Happy Hour at Blue Frog. I wouldn't have wanted to rush them but I had wanted to go to the Expo at night and make it back in time to go out so I was kind of on a schedule.

Blue Frog was relaxing and thankfully, we were seated in a No Smoking area. We ordered our drinks and just relaxed while we let the drinks wake us up a little. It was nice to have a relaxing, girls’ only day. For dinner we went to Din Tai Fung, the famous dumpling restaurant we were first treated to in Taiwan, which everyone loved. The service was great, as always, so I didn’t mind the service charge they automatically added to the bill.

After dinner, Laura and Jasmine taxi’d back to the hotel and I hopped into an Expo taxi and pointed to the Asia Square, hoping he could get me close. Instead, my taxi driver dropped me off on the opposite side, but after talking to a few Expo volunteers and realizing I would have to cross the river, it made sense that the driver got me as close as he possibly could. I eventually got on the right bus to get to the Asia Square; I really only wanted to see the South Korea Pavilion so I could tell my parents about it. However, when I saw the line I just gasped; it was longer than the line for the Japan Pavilion, which is supposedly very high-tech and a popular visit. I knew I didn’t have time to wait in line so I just took pictures of what I could see and ventured to the restaurant upstairs. I was so excited to see Korean food that even though I was full from dinner I ordered a noodle dish and kimchee. Afterward, I went inside the gift shop to see if there was anything I wanted to get my family. I realized then that one, those items were far cheaper in Korea, and two, I not only had family in Korea, but I was also there last year and would probably visit again soon, so I didn’t need to buy Korean souvenirs in China. They did have a lot of packaged Korean foods and garnishes, and I wondered how popular Korean cuisine was in China. I know there was a Koreatown in Beijing and quite a few international students from Korea attend colleges in China, but in terms of food I hadn’t seen too many Korean restaurants.

It was very muggy and crowded so I took the bus over to the Europe Pavilion to take pictures of the Pavilions at night. At that point I had given up trying to get into any Pavilions because there were way too many people. I should’ve thought about the fact that it was not only nighttime, when more people were off work and it was cooler, but it was also a Saturday. I was frustrated again with the rudeness of people on the buses. At one point I was clearly getting ready to get off by standing at the door when someone from behind kept pushing me. I stubbornly refused to move and pushed back since I didn’t want to be pushed off the bus when it stopped and the guy rudely shoved me forward. I will definitely not miss the crowds of China.

I was tired of fighting the crowds, so as soon as I took a decent amount of pictures of the pavilions I grabbed a taxi and headed back to the hotel. The taxi back from the Expo was the most expensive I’ve ever taken, plus I was by myself so I had to pay for it all. I didn’t care though; I just wanted to get back to the hotel as soon as possible. I appreciated my cab driver though; he didn’t honk obnoxiously like all the other drivers who would honk in advance and keep honking until you moved. He honked and flashed his headlights to let the car in front know that he was behind them and if the car didn’t move he just went around them. He wasn’t reckless though and I felt perfectly safe in the taxi, more so than in Taiyuan or Beijing. I had gotten a “no nonsense, all business” vibe from my cab driver and was perfectly happy with how he handled the roads.

We hit up Babyface tonight, and almost everyone came out. Our cab driver was confused when we asked about Babyface, and he dropped us off at "Richbaby," explaining that the club had been renamed. We were the first to arrive so we waited for the rest of the group and took note of the Ferraris and Lamborghinis parked in front of the club like they belonged there. Apparently there were two entrances and everyone had already arrived and were inside. The club was absolutely packed and loud. The music and atmosphere was awesome though. At one point the club's dancers took over the stage and did a weird routine to "My Humps" by Black Eyed Peas. There were three female dancers who all looked like they might be in their mid- to late-30s with one set of twins. The male dancer was probably not heterosexual as he wore extremely tight white leather pants, a white fur shawl, and had black & white feathers adorning his head. It was hilarious. Laura, Shane, and I didn't stay long since Shane wasn't feeling well and I didn't want him to take a taxi back by himself and Laura wanted to get some rest and wanted to leave the club when she was having a good time versus leaving once you stopped having fun. It's a good philosophy.