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My final Hangzhou post is a cracker. It was our last night there and we got tickets to see Impression West Lake, an outdoor extravaganza everybody told us we must see [...]
July 31, 2011 in China, Travel
Four months after visiting the place, my posts on China are finally at an end. As with my other travel writings, I have set up a page with all my China posts, which can be found by hovering the cursor over the ‘travel hq’ tab in the header.
I’ll leave you with some photos of the iconic Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Shanghai skyline from the area known as the Bund.
The haziness is apparently permanent in Shanghai…
July 28, 2011 in China, Food, Reviews, Travel
We’re almost at the end of my China series and I’ve saved one of the best for last. For our final meal in Shanghai we went to a stylish Spanish/Peruvian tapas joint called Azul in the Xuhui district in southwest Shanghai.
Azul is very popular with expats who enjoy a lazy brunch on the weekend. The bottom floor looks more like a tapas bar and the upper floor (where we ate) resembles more of a restaurant. They have one of these big enticing menus that offer an assortment of delightful Spanish fusion dishes and beverages which you can order as part of a three-course brunch set + drink.
If you zoom in real close you can read what's on the menu!
The prices are not considered cheap for locals but they are affordable compared to overseas prices (120RMB for 2 courses and 160RMB for 3).
Here’s what we ordered (with pics!)
(click on ‘more…’ to see!)
July 25, 2011 in China, Travel
It was our last day in Shanghai and we decided to check out the so-called ‘hippest part of town’, known as Xin Tian Di (or Xintiandi). It’s a pedestrian-only area filled with stone houses, narrow alleys and plenty of chic restaurants, shops and cafes. Reminds me a little of a substantially more upmarket Ximending (from Taiwan).
At night, Xin Tian Di supposedly comes to life and it’s where all the youngsters go to hang out. However, with no more evenings in Shanghai, we visited on this rainy morning, where it was relatively serene and filled with mostly tourists.
We walked around a little, took some happy snaps and bought a couple of souvenirs in the gift stores. Even though we didn’t spend much time there it was interesting to see how rapidly Shanghai was developing. With all the bars and restaurants there (some of them looked absolutely sensational) I imagine it would be crazy there after dusk.
For more information visit the official website, which contains just about everything you would need, including maps and directions and lists of available stores (split into restaurant, culture, fashion, lifestyle and service).
Here are some random photos (I’ve always wanted to try the ‘gallery’ format).
July 17, 2011 in Blogging, Misc, Novel, On Writing, Study
A quick one. I just got back from our nation’s capital (Canberra) as part of a surprisingly good short vacation. Contrary to popular belief, there is actually a lot to do there! So some exciting posts will be coming shortly. But I’ve still got a few China posts left, which I might try and finish off first.
I also watched the final Harry Potter movie today, so I have to give my two cents on that too. In short, a fitting finale for a wonderful franchise, and a pretty good film in the grand scheme of things.
Lastly, some great news. Got a great grade for my masters project (the best possible grade), which gives me a load of confidence moving forward. I still have to finish the darn thing though, amongst other things. A lot of big changes coming up in my life. Not sure if I am ready to tackle them all head on just yet but I don’t really have much of a choice! I do perform my best under extreme pressure, so maybe it will do me some good.
Stay tuned.
June 20, 2011 in Best Of, China, Entertainment, Misc, Travel
My final Hangzhou post is a cracker. It was our last night there and we got tickets to see Impression West Lake, an outdoor extravaganza everybody told us we must see if we were even within a hundred miles of Hangzhou.
It’s hard to put the show into words. Brought to life by Zhang Yimou, director of the films Hero and House of Flying Daggers and the guy behind the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Impression West Lake is one of several ‘folk musicals’ (according to Wikipedia) set across various parts China (the others being Liu Sanjie, Lijiang, Hainan and Dahingpao).
There’s lights, there’s dancing and there’s marvellous music — and I think there is a love story in there somewhere. Hundreds of actors in beautiful traditional dress, running and dancing across the freezing water of the massive lake, colourful lights illuminating the river surface and the night sky, giant mechanical boats and structures floating on and appearing out of the water — it really was a splendid spectacle, the likes of which I had never seen before.
The only complaint was that the show had to be set outdoors, and since it was in March and at night, it was absolutely freezing. Even with gloves, I honestly couldn’t feel my hands by the time the show began. I couldn’t imagine what the poor actors splashing in the water were feeling.
Anyway, I will let the magic of the photos speak for themselves. We actually weren’t allowed to take them but everybody was snapping away so I joined in. Unfortunately I didn’t have the best camera, though I did try do make it slightly clearer through some primitive editing.
Enjoy.
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