shanghai, june 2009.
------

after 3 days of touring beijing, we flew to shanghai to see the city. i mean, how could you go to china and not see both cities right? rather than doing it separately, i decided to just see both at one go - i don't have a lot of leaves, and that is the worst part of working outside your home country. i want to see my family every quarter or 2x a year, and i want to see the world as well.. HAHAHA. plus the fact that i want to be home for their birthdays and special occasions. but it won't be my problem soon. :)


we went on a river cruise to see how the city looks like. they say it looks better in the evening with lots of lights covering the entire city, but the afternoon was worth it as well, as we were super exhausted by the evening.


AURORA gold building in shanghai - the gold shimmers that is reflected in the water is beautiful.


this is shanghai old town, it was fascinating, i really enjoyed being there and i wish i could have spent the whole afternoon hanging out in there.


i had to have a photo in shanghai old town, probably the best place that i have been in shanghai. it feels like chinatown, although yes the whole city is chinatown.


jenny, our tour guide was saying that this xiao long bao is really famous, and its located in shanghai old town which is like a tourist spot. the queue was so long it was crazy.


it was a long line, and i really made that face to show the burden of having to queue. patience is a virtue, and that is true.


my favorite thing on earth - taro milk tea, 6RMB each.


jerry is one of the famous papercutter in shanghai. he told me that he will be in the US touring for the next 2 months to showcase his products. i was so amazed by him that i went to get something for myself, for mom and dad, and for sarah.


i went to this store that sells dried pickled fruits, i know my ama (grandmother) loves them so much that i decided to get for her.


sintiandi is where the expat community of shanghai would go and have drinks after work. its a place where business meeting are held, as food is really a part of the chinese culture when closing business deals.


there is an elevator in the zara store, and the funny thing is, there are just 2 floors, unlike H&M which has 5 floors, and has escalators inside. HAHA

by the end of the trip, i was in love with the city. though, currently, i dont know if i still want to go there and work. i missed my family so much, i missed manila, and its really calling me to go back home. lets see, where my next adventure will be. :)