Xintiandi and shopping

One of the restaurants our Purser, Barbara recommended was a place called 1221. Authentic Shanghainese food, and seemingly catering to Westerners, we enjoyed a great meal there.

Poured from a beautiful brass teapot with a three foot long spout, this was the cup of tea served when we arrived--I thought it was very pretty !

At one of the markets we shopped at, this young lady was playing beautiful music on this instrument. Take a listen...

We shopped a lot at the Pearl Market, and met Laura, who has a shop there. Laura makes some beautiful pieces, and welcomes airline crews in her shop. She even has an airplane picture hanging up in her shop! We were there two days in a row and the place was packed with Flight Attendants and Pilots buying, designing and just catching up with their friends in her shop.

With bottles of water, soda and Suntory beer available, Laura's place was like "Cheers"- where everybody knows your name!

Laura had this piece in her shop-made of coral and pearls, as well as one made just like it with turquoise and pearls--just beautiful. These pieces sold for, I think, around $20 each!

This was a custom piece she made.

The jewelry can be made while you wait...

We found ourselves going to Xintiandi a couple of times--a really nice upscale shopping area in the French Concession.

The next day, we met some people who were staying in our hotel. From Oklahoma and working on a solar power project, they had been living there already for the last two months, and had just found out they would be there another month. They invited us to join them for dinner, since we were all going to the same place--Xintiandi. We sat outdoors, the weather was fantastic and we all ended up having a great time, with mucho wine consumed.

Across from the restaurant is one of the torches carried for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The next afternoon, we went back to KABB, and our waitress, More, recognized us from the night before. She was so friendly and sweet and I loved talking with her! She is the kind of person you wish you had more time to get to know.

More introduced us to Richard, one of the managers there. He was great to talk with and again, a person you could have yakked with all day long!

Mmmmmmm! Lunch was dee-lish! These are beef kabobs (pronounced kababas over there!)

My last view of Xintiandi--as we were leaving, this huge dog, named John, was sitting at the table with his owners. I just loved his shoes!

I'm looking forward to an opportunity to work a trip to Shanghai--but, can't wait until Norm and I can go there! It was different, open, and accommodating, with some of the friendliest people I've ever met, and sights, sounds and smells we don't have here in the US.