Shanghai

Our trip to Shanghai was a whirlwind of action and adventure.  We were having our LDS District Conference there that weekend and we figured it was the perfect time to go.  Plus, the Young Single Adults were going to have a special tour of Shanghai on Saturday and we knew that would help us get the most bang for our buck. (Technically Soren and I are not Young Single Adults anymore, but we're young and we're adults so they let us tag along.)

Once teaching was over on Friday, we set out for the train station.  Phoenix had told us that bus 97 would get us there faster than the metro so we decided to give it a try.  Although it did get us there faster, it was a pretty terrifying experience.  The driver refused to stop honking his horn and loved slamming on the brakes.  We also weren't sure where we were supposed to get off.  Fortunately, the train station ended up being the last stop on the bus route and a cute Chinese girl told us where we were.  Buying the tickets wasn't too bad, but the poor ticket lady was exhausted when she finally finished with us.

It was a nice fast train, so we were in Shanghai about 2 hours after we took our seats. It was about 10:30pm, so we boarded the metro to go to our hostel.  We got off at the right stop and we went out the right exit, but after that my directions to the hostel weren't very helpful.  I had a piece of paper with the address on it in Chinese.  Occasionally, I'd flag down a Chinese person and show them the paper to make sure we were going in the right direction.  This system worked really well until we got to a dark alleyway and a sketchy hospital. I showed the paper to a guard there and his charades indicated that we'd arrived to the address shown on the paper.

What?

My brain went into panic mode.  Had I been swindled online? Did this hostel not exist? Have we been led into some sort of trap? I trained to maintain a calm exterior.  We went into the lobby of the hospital and I showed the paper to another guard.  He ushered us out of the building and pointed down the dark alley.  The other guard came up and the two of them started discussing something in Chinese.  I was terrified to lead my group down the alley, but the second guard kept waving us that way.  Walking down that alley was one of the most terrifying moments of my life.  But eventually I saw a gate marking the end of the alleyway and beyond the gate was a glowing sign that read "Koala Garden House."  We were relieved to say the least.

It was a really cute hostel in a really cute area.  Apparently the alleyway had been some kind of short cut, but we stuck to the regular roads from then on.

The front desk/restaurant

Koala Garden House Hostel

On the second floor

On Saturday we woke up nice and early to meet the Young Single Adults for the tour.  It was a super fun activity. We went to the Shanghai museum, did some Tai Chi (super hard, but fun), went to a meet market (parents advertise their unmarried children to get them a spouse), went through some shopping areas, and saw the bund.  Our tour guide also helped us get up to the top of a swanky hotel to get another view of the bund.  Apparently we weren't supposed to be there because they kicked us out. 

Following the morning adventures we went to the adult session of conference. After being spiritually fed, the YSAs had a meal for us.  Once we finished eating we were able to set off in a giant group to get a look at the pearl tower, see the bund at night, take a ferry across the river, and go to the Yuyuan garden shopping area.  It poured rain the entire evening and we all got wet feet (probably why my cough has gotten so bad). We didn't get to spend much time anywhere, but it was still a blast.

The Bund

Tai Chi

The Pearl Tower

Sunday consisted of more conference and some shopping.  All in all, it was a pretty awesome trip.  We were glad to get back to our own city, though.  It's funny how much like home Nanjing feels.