Days 7-11

Bryan left on day 7 which means our whirlwind of activities started to wind down drastically. It also means that Zion was upgraded to Business Class from Economy when we go out :)

We've also been swimming a couple of times. I looked quite lovely with those 12 massive bruises from cupping on my back. It's also impossible to take pictures when I am responsible for 2 kids at the pool so these will have to do.

I also brought the kids for some Mister Donut. The donuts were decorated very nicely but they looked like they were baked and very dry. I passed (and if you know me you know, I NEVER pass on a donut) but it didn't seem to bother Noah.

We also went to visit toy stores. Soon after this video, the ladies working there started to wrap up all the minions so that no one cold press the button anymore.

Zion also got a big bump on his forehead. I had taken off his shirt for a bath and he thought it was fun to drape it over his head and walk around blindly...

Zion also seems to be very insecure with his new surroundings. He asks to go back to his home in the US everyday. And even when he sits, a part of him needs to be touching me.

And one final picture.

 

Oh, almost forgot. I had a double fish filet from McDonald's. Bleh. Tasted weird. I think their tarter sauce had sesame oil in it...

Day 6

Today was a day of firsts. Zion was starving and the only thing that we had at the table was salmon sashimi. He loved it.

For dinner we were invited to a "fancy" restaurant. So fancy the only thing Zion could eat was a bowl of white rice. Good thing he loves white rice. The premier dish was this.

In case you can't tell, that is snake. Supposedly good for eating in the summer. We had snake 3 ways. Snake soup, the dish you see above and the snake skin. Luckily I sat far away from the person that was treating so he did not see that I did not eat any of it.

Then we decided to give Noah his first taste of red wine. I think the bottle was $250 USD so I would say it was a good starter wine for him. haha

I think it's safe to assume that he won't be going near alcohol again anytime soon.  And here is a picture of the boys getting along.

After dinner, my brother brought  me to different massage place. After a few of his favorite masseuses were not available he got me a 5 star masseuse. Since I've had so many problems with my back the lady suggested cupping. I had at least 12 huge cups that turned into bruises covering my entire back. Wish I had gotten a picture. I can not even begin to describe how good this massage felt. I am not even kidding when I say I looked like this the entire time.

You definitely should try a 5 star masseuse when you are in China!!

Day 5

Here are a few more photos and video of our stay at the resort. This one I like to call "The Boss Man".

A family picture with godfather.

And Zion totally over protected...doing his new trick!

 

After breakfast we headed back to Shanghai. But first stop is Yu Yuan Gardens for lunch at Nanxiang Dumplings. The shao long baos were ok but Noah seems to like it.

This deep fried crab thingy was soooooo good. Definitely my favorite so far in Shanghai.

Then we walked around the street stalls for trinkets. We decided to buy small "Lego" Batmans for the kids. The lady asked for $48 yuan. My brother countered with $12.....my jaw dropped in embarrassment but after the negotiations were over, we walked away with 2 Batmans for $20 (about $1.50 USD each). My brother said he could've gotten the lady to go lower but I am pretty happy with that price. If you all want any Chinese Wegos let me know before I leave!

And what do you do when you return from 105 degrees in Hang Zhou? This of course!

Days 3 & 4

Over 20 years ago, my dad, mom and I visited my godfather's retirement project in Fuyang (in Hang Zhou). He was just starting to build his golf resort in a remote mountain side. Then about 5 years ago my dad went to visit again. The completed resort was so beautiful my dad planned to bring us again. Unfortunately because Zion was so young we were never able to make that trip before he passed. Feeling like this was an unfulfilled wish I hoped to make the trip this time in Shanghai.

My dad and godfather were "best friends" though I don't think men in their 70's would call it that. My dad had told me of my godfather's declining health in the years before he passed so I was very happy to see that he has been doing well. At the resort we ate very well, slept very well, swam and golfed. I am just going to flood this post with pictures. The resort is called Fuchen Resort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Day 2

The kids woke up at 5:30AM today. Still not too bad. After the breakfast we headed out. My brother suggested to go to the Shanghai World Financial Center and pay $20 to access the observation deck but we told him that when we were in Paris we didn't pay to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower so we will not pay to see a view of Shanghai. So we ended up at the Hyatt for a free view! haha We got to see the Shanghai Tower which I think is quite beautiful the way it twists.

 

And the interior view of the Hyatt from the 85th floor (a nice man helped us sneak up) was stunning but turned my legs into jelly.

 



Here's a picture with Grandma. We got the Asian pose down already.

We then headed to another mall and got some drinks. Can anyone guess where we got our drinks?

How about now?

That's a Double Fish Filet plus Coke for about $2.50!! I would eat here everyday if they had this deal in LA. Then the kids played at the arcade and waited for the restaurant to open for lunch.

 

We had Ding Tai Fung for lunch. After lunch Zion desperately needed a nap and my brother was going to take my mom and Bryan for massages. But then my mom suggested I hold Zion for a nap and get a foot massage at the same time! So we went to the massage place and they set us up in a 5 person room. One recliner for each of us and an extra for Noah to sit and play his video games. Then after the foot massage they moved us to another room and I put Zion down on the extra massage table so that I could get a back massage. He woke up about 20 minutes into the massage and started to cry. They brought him sweets and then just let the kids play around in the room while we finished up our massages! Can you imagine going into a massage place in the US and tell them "Oh, I brought my kids. I'm just going to let them play around while I get a massage."

 

Another thing I want to mention is that this massage place only employs blind or partially blind masseuses. I think it's great to support places like these. If you're going to get a massage, why not help those who really need it? My masseuse was completely blind and he was asking about CalTech and MIT. He said he did research and knew what city they were in. It's kind of sad that there are such limited opportunities if you're born average or poor in China and being blind on top of it means that your dreams will most likely remain a dream.

 

After our massages we went home for a rest and then had a $50 per person dinner at the Shangri-La Buffet (Best buffet in Shanghai). I was too busy serving 2 kids and myself that I didn't stop to take pictures of the buffet so this will have to do.

 



 

 

Day 1

For those of you who laughed at our summer schedule of waking up at 1PM, it really paid off in Shanghai! The first day the kids woke up at 4:30am. Not too bad!! Then we had an early pre-breakfast from Paris Baguette. Yes they have one in Shanghai too and they sell Pork Sung Bao!

 

Later in the morning we got a tour of my brother's neighborhood. Apparently since most the residents are expats and super rich Chinese they are all gone for the summer which means the pools are closed for renovation! ARGH! What am I going to do with the kids for the next 5 weeks?!?! Then we went to the nearby mall and walked around waiting for the stores and restaurants to open. We had breakfast at a Cantonese restaurant (Bryan was quite happy.)

 

 

Sorry, I don't usually take pictures of my food so this was taken in the midst of us eating. From what I remember we had macaroni n soup, turnip cakes, ham n egg with bread, crispy duck, spicy beef with clear noodles, salmon sashimi from takeout place that opened early, drinks all around, some buo lo bao, spam n eggs with bread and egg tarts to take home for snack and breakfast the next day! I know I am missing a few things but you get the idea :) We all went home for a nap and when we woke up the Ah-Yee made lunch for us (not photo worthy haha).  The kids had a snack. Zion caught me taking a photo.

 

Then we went shopping for $2 DVDs. I'm sure I don't have to tell you why they are $2.

 

We finished the day at the same mall with some Taiwanese style food. I didn't take pictures. Just ate it all up!





On Our Way!

We've only been here 3 days and I already have lots of blogging to catch up on! So I guess we'll start at the airport.

Always being over prepared I bought a bunch of little toys for the plane ride. However the kids were already bored at the airport so the first toy I broke out was this Mini Lite Brite that I got at the dollar store. It entertained them for all of 10 minutes :(

 

For the flight I bought 2 air cushions for the kids but we didn't really need it because we ended up getting 2 rows to ourselves. Zion was very tired so he fell asleep during take off. Here he is stretched out on 2 seats and also a picture of the air cushion from their website.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noah was not as comfortable as Zion. He was bitten by something on the plane on both arms. The whole area was swollen, itchy and hot. Poor kid :(

After a short nap Zion was up and it was time to break out more toys. I found a Mini Connect 4 also at the dollar store that kept Zion busy. He likes to put all the pieces in the slots. And I also found a travel Battleship game on Amazon for Noah but he said the pieces were too small and didn't want to play!

 

 

We arrived safe and sound on Friday night and Zion already wanted to go home. In fact, he started asking to go home half way into our plane ride. My brother asked his "Ah-Yee" (housekeeper/nanny) to make some dinner for us but she ended up only making soup so my mom had to make dinner. So glad we brought her! haha