How To Win Big In Happy Valley

Like I said before , I first learned about Hong Kong through the stellar James Clavell novel Noble House. Many key scenes took place over big dollar betting at the Happy Valley Racecourse. Alas, I was left without a private VIP room (and millions to bet with) but I had a damn good time at Happy Valley.

I could see the racetrack from my hotel window so my cousin and I rambled over after dinner one night. Lucky for us it was Oktoberfest! ( In November but I’m not complaining!)

How to Win

Step 1.

Buy large pitchers of beer. Consume said beer. ( Alcohol is a key factor in the enjoyment of the races.)

Step 2.

When you’re starting to feel pretty fine pour an indiscriminate amount of brew into a cup. Chug that beer to the best of your ability. The number of seconds it takes = your lucky horse number.

Step 3.

Bet.
I bet the minimum of 20HKD on win .

The winning ticket.

Step 4.

Profit and bask in the glory!

I discovered this foolproof technique on my first ever attempt at betting on anything.
I placed the bet and did the worst possible thing you can do on the first time you ever bet. Win.
Winning the very first time , who could just walk away?

AFter waiting in line in between hardcore gamblers wearing sunglasses at night , clenching their horse-betting newspaper with vice-like grips , we fought our way through the crowds thick with the young , beautiful , and business-suited.

Straining to see , up on our very tiptoes, the gates open and the horses are off! I can’t see anything! Dang , being on ground level at a circular track leaves at least 50% of the race to the video screens!

My beloved horse #2 (2 second chug!) was quickly behind. Nooooo! We felt dejected , let-down , cheated. Until #2 had a surge of power in the last quarter and overtook the pack to win by a body length! All those previous negative energies disappeared and we were left ecstatic , amazed by what just happened , and slighty drunk.

Waiting in line to cash in the ticket, I was saying there is no way we can win anything big ( totally not understanding the system that lets you know exactly what you win) . My 20HKD turned into 146 HKD , that’s $2.58 USD to $18.83 for those who don’t have the conversions memorized. 7 to 1 payoff on win!

AFter winning, we committed a grave error. We switched to the mathematical principles of addition , multiplication , and parity ( that’s odd or evens . Don’t feel bad , I had to look the word up.) We foolishly dismissed our winning strategy as luck or chance. It’s not. Trust the beer. Fear the math.

By the end of it we were down to our initial cash levels minus the beer but plus a Gangnam Style dance competition, so I’d say we left ahead.

Unfortunately the place in Shanghai named Happy Valley is a mere amusement park. The original horse racing track was at People’s Square prior to 1949. Communists don’t like betting or fun so they tore it down. I really wish they hadn’t. It would great to be able to go once or twice a month. Instead I’ll have to wait till the next time I’m in Hong Kong.

From my hotel. That patch of green on the right is the track!

The winning ticket.

Some pop star and Sunny , the resident announcer

Gangnam Style!

Happy Halloween!

Dongping Forest Park

The last four weekends I’ve visited the four forest parks in Shanghai : SheShan , GongQing , BinJiang , and now DongPing Forest Park. I fell in love twice and ate some BBQ in this latest journey. What better way to enjoy the tail-end of summer? Already the nights have turned chilly , and the humidity has been dispelled with crispness. Mmmm , almost hoodie weather!

DongPing forest park is the hardest to get to , the furthest away from the city center , the most expensive (by far) , but I like it the best. It just about captures the real forest vibe I’ve been searching for , the skies are blue , the air is fresh , plus the bus ride to get there is long but has some pretty cool parts to it.

The forest park is located in the center of Chongming Island. It’s easy to forget just how long the island is. From the Eastern part with the connecting bridge to the middle port town of Nanmen is about an hour. Add this time in with the metro ride to the bus , and the following connecting bus ride from the port town to the park and travel time from my house is hitting about 3 hours. Yikes. I can make it to other cities in China via bullet train in much less time. Working in the park’s favor is that for a minimal fee you can pitch a tent and sleep overnight , there is a huge central fire pit available for the highely overpriced fee of 500rmb but with enough people throwing down it would be okay.

The gamut of entertainment from the electrical boat rentals , to the water ball rolling , grass skiing , and paintball are all available here. I didn’t do any of these , and instead choose to barbecue , and take in the nature. The nature part is awesome! So not Shanghai. Tall pine trees that stretch on and on , and after 5 o’clock there was a not a soul around. 20 minutes walking around in trees without seeing a person is pretty much the antithesis of my China experience. More please!

Earlier I mentioned falling in love.

First is Stubbs

I coaxed her out of the woods to discover a missing tail! Looked like it had been somewhat recently lost and healed. I tried to give her food but she just wanted a scratch.

The next time was with Wild Goldfish

It took her a bit to get her to come out from her bamboo grove but after I started petting her she wouldn’t let me leave. AFter walking away , her cries brought me back 3 times before I could bring myself to leave.

In between meeting these two kitties , the wild BBQ cats entertained me. Immediately after people are finished and leave the grill , the cats move in. A group of 5 moved in and made off with every scrap of food possible. I spied a cat waiting in the bushes for me to finish , and I made the move to give her some food. She ran off , and I discovered she had already been devouring an uneaten fish on a skewer.

Yea , I ignored the ziplines , paintball , and rollercoasters to play with a bunch of cats.

This park is seriously great. I will be back , and next time I’m bringing a tent and “roughing” like this group.

The three-hour trip is do-able for a day trip but I would recommend staying overnight. If tents aren’t your style there are plenty of hotels in the port towns , and country-style farm stays everywhere else.

To get to the park :

1. Take the metro to line 6 JuFeng Lu

2. Just outside the metro is a bus station , hop on the NanMen 南门 bus (18 rmb each way).

3. A 9 kilometer underwater tunnel , and a nearly as long bridge ride later , plus an hour on the island travel and you will arrive by the NanMen travel bus station. Walk a bit forward from where the bus stops and you will see the 远客站 or bus station。

4. Hop on the NanDong Xian 南东线 and tell the conductor you are going to 森林公园 senlingongyuan。 Ta da you made it!

For return trips the last bus back from the park leaves at 7 , there are plenty of illegal taxi guys to negotiate a price with if you miss the bus , but expect to pay a premium , and the last bus back to Shanghai from NanMen leaves at 9.

Now that I’ve made it to all the forest parks of Shanghai , what next?

I’ve been scouting google maps and have located plenty of forest parks in nearby cities ! This will last until the winter settles in. Then it’s mad DVD time.

The True BinJiang Forest Park Experience

I finally made it back to BinJiang Forest Park. The first time I went was with 130 or so kindergarten kids. A fun time but not exactly optimal for seeing the park and finding a peaceful little patch of woods for myself.

Like the rest of Shanghai’s forest parks, it’s a long ways away from the city center. This journey requires a trip out to the northern most stop of Line 6. I’ve never had any occasion to use Line 6 until now. Somewhere along the journey the subway emerges from the underground and we are rewarded with amazing views of crappy buildings , smoke stacks , shipping containers , and a brand new shiny customs and tax building. Awesome! It all makes sense really , as we are headed to the GangCheng ( Harbor City) metro station.

The park is situated at the confluence of the Yangtze and Huangpu River. It’s on the opposite side of the Huangpu as the previous Paotaiwan Park post

On the car ride from the metro stop ( there is a bus but we weren’t quite sure where the stop was and got a good deal from an illegal taxi) the driver pointed out previous fortifications and cannon mount points to defend against attacking Japanese. Driving through the area it seemed a bit suspect there was a park nearby. BinJiang is a vast green oasis tucked inbetween shipping and industry. It’s a windy road to the park , passing big rigs , rundown restaurants, laughable laundromats, and shady accommodations. If I hadn’t have been there before , I might have gotten a little nervous the driver was taking us for a ride.

This park is a little more nature orientated than Gongqing Forest Park but still features an outdoor laser tag arena , BBQ zone , and has the standard kids rollercoaster with accompanying pirate ship ride currently under construction.

The park is split into different regions including “Ecological Forest Zone” , “Wetlands Area” “Coastal Viewing ” ,”a 7 acre Azalea Garden” , “Eastern Park Zone , and “BBQ”!. Heading out on foot will take a while to totally wander across the park , and may take more than a day’s trip to totally explore all the side paths . I really love the Ecological Forest Zone with the wooden boardwalks that meander into the Wetlands Area. It’s the most peaceful and secluded I’ve ever been to in Shanghai. Definitely more foresty than the other parks. I’ve yet to make it to the Chongming Island Dongping Forest Park , and that may be the final contender for king of Shanghai parks.

We started with a spicy squid and duck breakfast in a lovely flowered area. (Anyone sensing a pattern with my weekend breakfasts yet?).

After, we wandered through the Wetlands and Ecological Forest zone.

Shanghai?

We learned about the science that goes on in the parks to created such a blissed out experience.

And visited the not-so-pretty coastline view.

At this point the clouds were rolling in and we saught shelter in a pavilion in the woods.

The heavens rained down and we zoned out in this pavilion for an hour without seeing a single soul . We were all wasted on those previously mentioned free ions. Wheeeee!

After the rains stopped , it was time to grab some food and rent a tandem bicycle.

We explored the rest of the park , and while veering off on some stone paths that we probably shouldn’t have been riding on , we lost traction on the slippy stones and had an awesome crash.

Then the saw this monster crawling through the grass!

After the bike time was up ( don’t be a minute late or its a 50% charge on the next hour) (Whatever happened to Socialism?) we decided it was time to head back to the city. We will definitely be back. Hopefully we can drag a bunch of friends and chip in together to rent one of the popular BBQ pits. Hooo rah!

The best part is that this is the 120 hectacre stage 1 of the park. Stage 3 is expected to have 300 acres. YESSSSS! Who knows when it will be done but I’ll most likely still be here!

GongQing Forest Park

I’ve been getting city fever lately. Now matter how nice it is to stroll through the leafy former French Concession , looking at all the nice things I can’t afford to buy , dreaming of the $7USD cups of coffee I would like to have , I’ve been itching to get out. Last weekend featured a long metro ride out to SongJiang District and the awesome SheShan (“Mount She”)

This week featured a loonnng metro ride (19 stops from my house) to the northern reaches of Shanghai. GongQing Forest Park is a sprawling “forest” located in the hinterlands of Yangpu District , a bus/taxi ride onwards from the terminal station Shiguang Rd on metro line 8. Admission is a mere 15 rmb , although additional activities are extra.

We woke up early Sunday morning with the whole day ahead of us , and an intense craving for coffee. Nothing can change my love for coffee. Breakfast foods , on the other hand , are a whole another story. Maybe I’ve been in Asia too long but I skipped the bowl of cereal and went straight to the spiced lotus root and duck neck. Yes, duck neck. It is awesome.

We procured seats using advanced metro riding methodology long studied in the dog eat dog world of Shanghai rush hour, and 19 long stops later we were there!

Picture a forest park in your mind. What do you see? Trees , certainly , flowers , yes , a lake , of course! Rollercoasters , go-karts, paintball? No. The Chinese , however, do. The forest park as envisioned by them is an all-included entertainment center. I took full advantage of this.

A three-hour tour . A three-hour tour. Uh guys, I can’t see the shore anymore!

Cap’n Booze welcomes you aboard!

The park (you know the nature part!) is really great and even though there is a rollercoaster somewhere in the confines of the vast park it’s easy to forget you are in Shanghai. Thick pine groves with no people and only a dirt track , verdant woody areas with wildflowers. Reverberating blasts from the horns of cargo haulers on the adjacent Huangpu River (ok , ok , still in Shanghai :))

The entertainment in the park includes go-karts , bumper cars, a merry go-round , a log ride , rollercoaster with complete upside down loop , paintball , archery ,horse riding, a kids zone , paddle and electric boat rental for cruising the lake , a zipline over the lake ,various food and drink stands, DIY BBQ pits, two-seater bike rentals, and a few other assorted carnival rides. I was hugely let down by the sign proclaiming mini-golf when there was no mini-golf to be had. Seriously , there is no putt-putt option in the entirety of Shanghai , and most likely in the entire country. This is a travesty.

With the exception of the lack of mini-golf , this is a ROOMAOMAO certified awesome, excellent city escape. Go there while the weather lasts , before the definition of fun becomes hot tea , blankets, and meters tall stacks of DVDs. Viva la summer! (or verano if you please)

Even though it’s only Monday my thoughts are already wandering off to next weekend. Where to go? Tongchuan Fish Market? Nanxiang for some of the best Shanghai XiaoLongBao? Hmmm , choices , choices.

Shanghai’s “Mountain” – SheShan

I have been itching to travel somewhere , to get out of Shanghai for a weekend , but the double whammy of trying to making sure I have enough RMB to have fun in Vietnam and stupid weekend errands have kept me within a couple of blocks radius of my house for the blessed 2 day break. (no further West than Shanghai Brewery , no further East than XinTianDi , no further South than Zhaojiabang Rd , and no further North than HuaiHaiZhong Rd. )

The combination of frugalness and convenience led to SheShan （佘山） or She’s (not the same as English – shhuuuuhh-) Mountain. Frugalness liking the free entrance and convenience liking the appropriately named SheShan Metro Stop. Mountain is more of a misnomer really , as it stands a towering 90 (18% of Shanghai’s current tallest building -Shanghai World Financial Center-) meters over the surrounding alluvial plains. I thought it was the highest natural elevation in Shanghai until a Google search gave that to the 130 meter tall peak of the uninhabited island Dajinshan.

We visited the Eastern and Western parts of the SheShan Forest Park area. There is more to do in the surrounding environs with several high-class hotel resorts , a golf course, and the adjacent Happy Valley Amusement Park. With those things all costing the big bucks , we stuck to the park.

Waiting in a huge line for a death trap? Ehhhhhhh.

I had visited the Eastern part of the park with the Flying Dutchman , Pan, waaay back in the distant mists of 2 years ago , but it was time to head back.

The Eastern part of the park is one of the closest places to nature as you can get in Shanghai. It is a peaceful , easy, stroll through bamboo thickets to get to the peak. There are several good places for grabbing a peak at the outlying countryside. There is even Fragrant Buddha Spring brought to you by Pepsi-Cola©!

Nothing says Zen like crappy speakers blasting “relaxing” music and an ice-cold can of PEPSI©!
Wanna be a big-bellied Buddha? Two words. Sugar calories!

All jokes aside, the Eastern part of the park is really nice.

On to the West!

It starts out bizarrely enough , with a free ticket given to you at the booth which you then have to scan through the turnstiles to enter. This is where the previous post came from.

Another strange thing about this part of the park is the Roman Catholic Basilica chilling on the very peak alongside a Jesuit Astronomy Observatory. Apparently this church was one of the most important in Asia in the early 1900s with pilgrims from all across Asia visiting. The church was heavily damaged during the Cultural Revolution but has since been restored , and is now an active Church. Visitation is free.

The Observatory, on the other hand , costs a measly 12 rmb (little under $2USD) for admission. The museum is totally not worth it but the view from the top of the Observatory is. I was incredibly surprised to spot the Shanghai World Financial Center along with the JinMao Tower (current 2 tallest buildings in Shanghai) from the top! These buildings are approximately 35 kilometers away!

All-in-all it’s a great trip if you live in Shanghai and need to break the monotony of concrete with some bamboo. It’s definitely not a come to Shanghai just to see it attraction but if you spend enough time here you should see it.

Being out the burbs of Shanghai there aren’t too many foreigners and that leads to some funny things.

Funny things kids said

1. (In Chinese) Whoooaa! I see a foreigner!
2. (In English after he pretended to shotgun blast his dad off a ledge) Headshot!
3. (No Language) A shocked lingering quadruple take stare.

Back to Work

Yup just like that it’s over. Back to work , clock in clock out , grind time once again. I know I already went on a little rant before but I’m seeing all these TGIF whoa awesome plans for the weekend on slavebook (aka facebook) as I’m sitting in my office during lunch break. Waaahh! Saturday , Sunday , and then Monday thru Friday of work. Waking up on Monday I will already worked for two days so going with the normal progression of time it should already be Wednesday by that time. So then the next day should be Thursday and almost the weekend but in reality it will be the other dreaded T – Tuesday! Nooo!

But enough complaining , having 7 days off in a row (even though they really only give you three days off because 2 are already because of a weekend and then you use the next weekend to cover 7-2-2=3) is really nice. Before, I forgot to mention I went to a Dj Shadow concert on the first Friday at the Mercedes-Benz arena in Pudong. Awesome venue with a great sound system even though it’s a little far away from things and late shows equals no metro home so either a long bike ride or super expensive taxi back home. Unless you live in Pudong and then wow aren’t you just super cool?

After the video game spree I spent the next days riding around the city checking out some bars and restaurants. If you have the chance I say check out

Barbarossa – Moroccan style lounge in People’s Park is pretty cool (pricey)

Shanghai Brewery- Excellent home brews and food on Hongmei Rd

Also found one of those pirate book vendors with loads of good books each for 20rmb but  we bargained down a little bit since we bought 14 books. They look really good too some it is quite hard to tell they are pirated. The back price above the bar code is still even listed in US dollars haha. Ah I love Pirates. China has really good ones too!

Thursday night was spent at a fireworks show in Century Park. Entry to the park for the show was 70rmb but due to vast crowds we waited (along with what seemed like thousands of other people) on an outlying street by the park and watched the show for free. Seriously didn’t matter we didn’t make it inside we had a perfect view from the outside! There were also three other firework nights and each lasted over an hour. Just like the 4th of July except that we are celebrating the anniversary of the Communist Party! I have certainly been missing the 4th of July celebrations the last few years so next year go check out these fireworks if you feel a bit homesick!

The last day was spent at the Shanghai Zoo which actually is quite nice. I had heard it was a bit depressing with squalid cramped conditions for the animals but for the most partwas nice. The zoo is set in a very nice green leafy space with plenty of room for people on wide grassy spaces.You can take Metro Line 10 to the stop named (wait for it! Guess!) Shanghai Zoo.  Initially the plan was to head to Chongming Island but due to late waking up , time restraints , and going to the wrong bus station the plan was scrapped for another weekend.

I also managed to not get very much blog writing down during the downtime but will crank out the remaining summer places very soon. Weird how having a schedule ,other work, and being busy motivates me to write more, draw more, etc. Why can’t I just get it done in the huge expanse of empty space provided to me?

Ancient water towns – Zhujiajiao

Let’s take a break from the summer travel writing and catch up with some current events. Last weekend , well yesterday , I took a trip to the relaxing water town of Zhujiajiao 朱家角. Zhujiajiao is an easy day trip from Shanghai but it would be worth it to stay the night in one of the hostels there. We only had time (and money) for a mere day trip but it was all good. Will most likely head back to check out the annual October music festival held there.

This ancient water village is set waayyy out in the western Shanghai suburb of Qingpu. But it’s relatively easy to make it there. Go to People’s Square and find Pu’An Lu 普安路 by HuaiHaiZhong Lu  淮海中路 , it can be found by going to exit one of People’s Square metro station and continuing south (straight) out from the station and crossing HuaiHaiZhong Lu. After you find Pu’An Lu hop on one of the pink Hùzhū Gāosù Kuàixiàn 沪朱高速快线 buses for 12 kuai and you are on your way! The buses leave at 30 minute intervals and the last one returns to Shanghai at 10pm. After about an hour the bus pulls into the Zhujiajiao bus station and you are only a short walk away from the ancient town.

Zhujiajiao ancient town is like a trip to the past. Cobble-stone streets, two-story white stores/ residences line the streets , red lanterns adorn the walls , boats float down the canals albeit with tourists,  underneath the stone bridges, and old families crowd around in their courtyards playing mahjong. This town has a history of more than 1700 years and sometimes you can feel like you really are away from modern times , though that changes quickly when one spots a hardly inconspicuous coffee shop.

You may guess from the title that the main attraction of this town is water. Zhujiajiao lies at a natural conjunction of a few rivers and the rivers were harnessed into a series of canals which crisscross the town. The canals bring about the necessities of bridges ,which  Zhujiajiao also happens to be famous for, how about that? Around 34 stone and wooden bridges are scattered through the town and I must admit make for some excellent photos. One can also opt to buy either a 90rmb 80rmb or 30rmb ticket which grants you access to 9 . 8 . or 4 respectively little museums and attractions , including an imperial post office , various temples , and a botanical knowledge center. We choose to just go in for free and walk around the town (strapped for cash at this point in time). It would also be worthwhile to cruise in a boat but again no cash money.

What attracted me to this town also attracts many artists, musicians , and others of a slightly bohemian streak who seek to escape the pressure of living in the city. Those sick of trying to land a job as a corporate lackey , feeling suicidal from all the fluorescent lights and cramped cubicles, and tired of the cramped commute in rush hour , come to Zhujiajiao for an easier, more relaxed, more fulfilling life, selling art , playing punk rock shows , etc.Which has led to a concentration of cool bars , coffee shops, and bookshops in the center of ancient town. Cool places to check out include the Book Room , Bum Care ,Heima (a Scandinavian bar/lounge,  and my favorite Zher. Zher is a cool underground punk bar/ chill out lounge , which has a stage set up and comfy couches to watch the shows from. Also cheap beers (20RMB Beerlao!!) and a huge selection of Belgium beers.

If you like seafood this is definitely a good town for eating. Check out the mini river lobsters!. A plate just loaded with the juicy suckas. MMMMMMMM!!!

Century Park （世纪公园）

Ah yes another park review , don’t worry everyone there will be plenty more to come! If you find yourself out on the Pudong side of town consider checking out Century Park. This park is a massive green space featuring a gigantic lake in the center. Originally it was named Central Park but the big guys in Beijing decided the name wasn’t aight and it was changed to Century. There are many activities to partake in such as : renting bikes , flying kites , setting up tents , picnics ,paddle boat rental, fishing , and having a dedicated concert area. This is one of the largest urban parks in Shanghai with around 140 hectares in the park itself.If a big music festival comes to Shanghai it’s pretty much guaranteed it will be here. A fantastic sounding (I was slow on getting the info about the concert but people told me it was quite awesome) festival spanning three days with bands from all over the world just happened a few weeks ago.

I know I’ve written about a few parks before but greenery is one of the things I really miss about living in Ohio. Slowly but surely I’ve become accustomed too and have really started to love city life but let me tell you it sure is nice to hop in a car and drive anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to find yourself in a dizzying array for different lush green zones. Lush green zones with dirt trails and few to no other people. Parks here in Shanghai are usually busy and bustling (even during the days those old people are crooning out songs , ballroom dancing, and loudly play card games. The parks are definitely vastly different but still much enjoyed by myself. When I come back to Ohio to visit expect to hang out with pretty much exclusively in the wonderful parks spread out over northeast Ohio.

This is one of the parks in Shanghai where one can find a quite little spot and partially forget where they are. There are some dense patches of trees and flowers where you can’t see any of the ubiquitous skyscrapers that characterize Shanghai , some peaceful sculptured gardens , and we can find examples of Eastern and Western landscapes. One little patch of the park was designed and given as a gift by the city of Montreal. I’m only mentioning this because my roommate is from Montreal and he confirmed that in fact it does remind him a lot of Montreal , kinda cool me thinks. One can spend hours wandering around the paths and checking all the different areas in this park. Enjoy it now before the insanely hot humid summer arrives folks when it can be difficult to drag yourself away from the cemented position on front of the A/C.

I guess I should put out some of other important details about the park , maybe such as how to get there yea? Fortunetly its pretty easy everyone don’t worry. Century Park is located on metro line 2 Century Park station and if you can’t managed to find the park after leaving the metro well its hopeless for you my friend. This metro station is one stop past the Science and Technology Center I wrote about previously, and is very easily walkable from the Science Center. Just go down Century Avenue.  Admission to the park also costs 10 yuan , around a $1.55 USD at the time of writing.

I’ve been to Century Park quite a few times but don’t frequent it so often considering it’s such a long hike from my house via the metro. My pictures from it are from when I just arrived in Shanghai as a traveler with my friend Lindsay , who was visiting me from the U.S.A , at the time. I especially love the fisherman picture with the highrises in the background. Enjoy folks!

Rooftop BBQ and Bonfire!

Wow like a blast from the past! Glad I made it to this party. My main dawgs Max and Lila told me about a joint amigos birthday party located on a rooftop , equipped with a big grill, and with a dj spinning some tunes. Sounded pretty good so after my part day of work (240-420 thanks to morning classes cancelled to a childrens’ day festival!) I met up with Maxy , Lila , and Oblivs at one of my favorite hangouts. An awesome import food and beer convenient store with awesome prices and outdoor seating to people watch and soak up the nice weather. After a view import brews there we went in search of some meat and veggies to grill. Fortunately Tianzifang has an excellent wet market. I don’t often go and visit the wet markets since the giant French supermarket Carrefour is only 2 minutes walk from my house and the nearest wet market is a bit away. These markets are awesome! Every kind of vegetable and meat available , fresh and cheap! Live turtles , eels slithering around , fish , caged chickens , and some kitties (not for eating) sleeping on the vegetables. We decided not to bring the typical fares to the party. The more ordinary boring  chicken wings(absolutely delicious wings) were combined with some squid , shrimps with heads (chinese style) and frog legs. Frog legs 18 kuai for 500g , squid 24/500g , chicken 22/500g , and shrimp 28/500g. All meats were marinated in amazing sauces yyyeeeaaa. We also met up with some ears of corn. After loading up on goodies we had to make it out there. Ughhh all the way out by Hongqiao airport,  Shanghai Zoo metro line 10 western burbs. There is a big expat grouping out this way in the suburbs. Its out of the main city and one can find nice villas and a more relaxed pace. Cool area but too far out of the city for me to live. I don’t wanna take a super long metro ride everyday to get to work.

Anyways the party was really fun. Very easy to forget what country you are in. People speaking English with all kinds of accents , hanging with Brits , Aussies , Canucks , and more. The party was on a rented rooftop on top of a 6 story building. Christmas lights ringing the outside fence , a giant grill , sound system , jacuzzi , and a firepit! I’m glad memorial weekend went down with some grilling even though no one was celebrating memorial day haha. From the rooftop there was a great view of the city center sprouting up , I could find the towering blue Renaissance hotel building , and a few other landmarks I can recognize. It’s cool to see how all of a sudden the city center just pops up with its towering buildings and lights.

I loved there because I got to have a bunch of things I haven’t had since leaving the USA. Here is a list :

1. Grill !!

2. Seeing a constellation! (We found the little dipper , you can see so few stars in Shanghai its sad)

3. Campfire!

4. Mashed Potatoes!

5. Delicious Bratwurst!

6. Corn on the cobb!

Yeeess the food was amazing! I do say the meats we brought were the best. Pre-marinated , seasoned, and spicy all the way! Some of the other foods seemed kinda bland without sauces and seasonings. The frog legs were definitely my favorites. Other peeps weren’t as down as we were , some thought frog legs were weird to eat but others tried and enjoyed. I’ll eat those buggers everyday!

The campfire was also superb. Sitting and getting lost in a fire was always one of my favorite pastimes back home and it was great to bask in the warm glow of a fire. Although the location on a rooftop with a megalopolis looming on the horizon was a bit different from the typical woodsy spot enjoying the fire was the same as always. Our Chinese friend Oblivs had never sat around a fire before and she was just as enthralled as me. Said it was beautiful. We also introduced her to the art of recon missions to find fun things to burn , cardboard beer boxes are a wonderful thing to watch go up. We also cracked some pyro jokes as we entertained the thought of having the deck chairs go up in flame. (not actually done but oh so funny). Left the place at around 130 am or so and had a long 42 kuai taxi ride back to my pad. Awesome that this long taxi ride with the more expensive night fares still only ran $6.50 . Alrighty kids I’ll leave you with some photos. I hope you enjoy all the memorial day activities. Don’t take those grillings , woods , stars , or mashed potatoes for granted! Some of us don’t have those opportunities as often as we like. Oh yea and go try some grilled frog legs!