M-whY

My aunt accompanied me out, and we headed straight for Yuyuan Bazaar. Supposedly this is considered part of the Old Town, though it had more of a modern day theme park feel. In the middle of it all was the classical Chinese garden, and despite being walled off from the bazaar, wasn't much of a sanctuary. We'll chalk that up to the suffocating weekend crowds. Sauntering through the walkways, pools, rockeries, and residential edifices, I envied the family that once made it their home.

"[See the buildings surrounded by water? That's where the maidens used to live. The moat served two purposes: To prevent outsiders from getting in and to prevent the person inside from leaving without permission," said Aunt Josephine.

"[Is that really how it was?]"

"[Well, at least in the Chinese soap operas...]"

I can't say it was the most impressive sight of Shanghai, but it wasn't a waste of time either. The undulating dragons across the walls. The traditional round doorways. Antique furniture carved out of tree roots, which looked nice but probably weren't very comfortable, an example of good execution of a poor plan if there ever was one. This was a place best enjoyed with one's significant other.

Near the exit was a 'theatre', and I watched a 'movie' that consisted of still frame pictures and someone singing a story in the background. Afterwards, Aunt Josephine suggested trying some of the eats which Yuyuan Bazaar is famous for. A look at the selections available at the food court made me (temporarily) forget my gastronomic problems, and I picked out a couple that looked particularly appetizing.

"[Take more!]" encouraged my aunt.

"[But I can't eat that much.]" I have this thing about not wasting food. As long as its edible and I have room for it, it's going down.

"[We're just going to take a couple bites and throw it out. We're just tasting anyways.]"

"[That's such a waste!]" I said as I put a couple more dishes on my tray. I ended up bringing a feast back to the table. A sample of each dish though eased my guilt about wasting food though. The crab was too oily, the squid was too dry, and none of it had any flavor. It deserved to go in the trash.

"[First time your uncle and I came, we did the same thing. It all looked so good, so we bought a table full. We ended up throwing it all away,]" laughed Aunt Josephine. It's a good thing that it was all relatively cheap.

The other snacks around the bazaar weren't as offensive, except they were a bit tricky to eat, crumbling in my hand before I got them to my mouth. My aunt then took me to the pedestrian walkway of Nanjing Donglu, where locals and tourists alike did their shopping. It wasn't a 100% pedestrian walkway, as sightseeing trolleys shuttled the lazier people from one end to the other. Taking one might've been a good idea though, as I began feeling a bit queasy. Damn bazaar food. Getting sick for stuff that didn't even taste good.

That evening, I met up with Uncle Naron and some of his expat friends for dinner. Listening to their stories and relating them to things I've seen myself, it's easy to see why some consider Shanghai a man's world. Following the 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' rule though, you'll have to come and see for yourself what I'm talking about. Later, some of them, my uncle included, were going out to a bar or something, but my dinner was really beginning to disagree with me.

"[I think I'm going to head home first,]" I told them, and caught a cab home with my cousin. There's not much worse than having a vacation ruined by 'emergencies'.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!