Day 81 - Spending it up at the Old Town Bazaar

After a slow start to the day we eventually set out for the Old Town of Shanghai. As soon as we stepped off the bus we stumbled across a shoe fix-it man, one of the many Chinese entrepreneurs that stake out a piece of street space to make a living. So far we have had our clothes repaired by sewers and have turned down shoe shiners, but today Adam's shoes that are currently held together by the magical zinc tape got repaired by a professional in no time at all and only cost $1!

As we headed towards the Old Town we were confronted with views of hosues being demolished to make space for more skyscrapers, that already cast shadows upon the ruins. We then stepped into a brand new Old Town, as this area has been renovated to the point that everything is sparkling and new - however the renovations have been carried out so that the character and architecture of the past still remain. Subsequently flocks of tourists (domestic and foreign) come to Old Town to see the historical China like an image directly out of a painting.

We spent the afternoon wandering the Bazaar and even did our bit for the economy by purchasing an "original" diesel shoulder bag for Adam, and some cute green shoes for Liv. Before long, our bellies were screaming at us, and so the ever present search for food began. The area was so made up for tourists that our choices were limited to McDonalds or Pizza Hut, or ridiculously overpriced Chinese noodles - we opted for the latter, and although the meal was average, we got to enjoy it in a real restaurant!

After ambling through more of the Bazaar maze, we eventually found the Yuyuan Gardens, which we had been searching for all day. The beautiful garden is full of rock formations, fish ponds bubbling with the ever present red carp, and scattered with pavillions. Along the way we found plenty of things to gaze at such as an old stage and old pavilions that have been modernised into antique stores - selling 'antiques' at 1000% percent more than in the bazaar. Something that especially caught our eyes was the stone dragon head whose tail flowed along the garden wall its scales acting as a deterrent (we think this is much more pleasant than the broken glass usually employed!).

As we attmepted to head back, we ended up coming full circle to the vegetarian restaurant next to the Temple of the Town Gods we had spotted earlier too late for lunch unfortunately, but upon our return it was perfect timing for an afternoon tea of delightful dumplings!

In similar fashion to most days, we returned home before heading out for dinner. Tonight we overfed at a local restaurant, where we tried two new dishes: one was a cold noodle dish soaked in soya sauce and sesame oil, which took a bit of getting used to, and the other was a delicious tofu and mushroom hotpot. The second dish was a refreshing change as most of our tofu choices come out much less desirable than we had hoped!

After dinner all that was left was to find Adam his beer to complete the evening ritual and head home to finish Liv's ritual of reading till the early hours ...

Adlibing the (new) Old Town of Shanghai.