Shanghai – March 22

By Saturday, March 22, our seventh day in China, we were in danger of beginning to stink if we were not already, so the day began at 7 a.m. with a trip to the laundromat at nearby Jiaotong University. We dropped the clothes off to be washed and picked up later in the day. I was happy to have clean clothes except for the fact that one pair of pants returned to me three inches shorter. On our way to the laundromat and back we got a tour of the university.

Even there we saw people exercising in the park.

It must have been graduation day.

After returning to the hotel, the students headed to class and Douglas and I left for the Shanghai Zoo.

I was rather hesitant to visit a zoo in China, for the same reason that I usually avoid them in most developing countries. I am afraid that the animals are going to be in poor conditions. However, Douglas wanted to go and being a good wife, I accompanied him. I figured that it would be our only opportunity to see a giant panda while in China.  I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the animals were in nice enclosures.

One of the highlights of our zoo visit were the baby tigers that were playing and fighting. They were adorable and drew quite a crowd.

The large tigers were also putting on a show. One was sleeping, but the other was walking slowly around.

I glanced down for a second, and then heard a large splash and a collective gasp/cheer from the crowd. The tiger had leaped into the water. He had a nice swim before climbing back out.

We did get a look at a giant panda, but she did not humor us with a show. It seemed to be nap time for this lazy lady.

The red panda were a lot more active, climbing trees. They were adorable and I wish that I could have joined them up there. I have a feeling that they would not have been as happy about that.

On our way out we checked out the birds.

There were some enclosures that were not the best. I was sad for the baboons that did not have any growing trees in their concrete jungle.

One thing that really bothered me was that everywhere we went people were feeding the animals human food. There were signs everywhere warning against this, but as with any sign in China, they were ignored. It upsets me terribly that people do not understand how bad this is for the animals, but the monkeys in particular were hanging out as close to the bars as possible hoping for a handout.

Besides the animals, there was a lot of beauty in the zoo. The trees were just beginning to bloom when we were there.

There was also artwork scattered throughout.

Another thing that I appreciated about the zoo was how much all the the Chinese were enjoying their time there. Being the weekend, there were a lot of families spending their day there. They came prepared to stay for a while, bringing tents and picnics.

There were also amusement park rides for the kids.

After the zoo, we met up with the group to begin our afternoon’s adventures. The first stop was lunch, where Douglas took these pictures. I covet that doorknob!!!

From there we headed to Tianzifang, where the students, and Douglas, had a lesson in kung fu. Everyone was impressed with his flexibility and agility. His triathlon training has given him incredible control of his body.

There were a couple of activities that required a partner and there was an even number of kids, so I helped him out with his stretches. This was the only picture taken of me that day.

I had actually been prepared to participate in the kung fu lesson, but on the way to Tianzifang, I developed an intense headache. I was not sure what was causing it, but Douglas reminded me that I had not had coffee that morning. I asked our guide, Frank, to take me to Starbucks. Next to Starbucks was this coffee shop. There they make the coffee from beans fed to and defecated by cats, therefore called “cat-shit coffee.” Frank asked me if I would like to try it, and I hesitated. However, a cup cost about $15, and the price alone made it easy for me to turn it down. I like trying new things, but I have a hard time paying $5 for coffee at Starbucks and there was no way that I was going to pay $15.

When the kung fu lesson ended we had some time to explore Tianzifang, which is an area of shops and cafes set up like old Shanghai. It was a difficult place to take pictures. In fact, it was difficult to do anything there. I began to feel claustrophobic just walking down the street. Douglas and I made a couple of small purchases and left as fast as we could.

That evening we had what was to be the most popular meal of the trip. We went to an Uighur restaurant. The Uighurs are a Muslim people from Xinjiang, in the far northwest of China. The kebabs were devoured in a matter of seconds.

At the restaurant there was live music and entertainment. After dinner we were invited onto the stage to dance, and few of us hesitated. The majority went up and danced for a couple of hours. Douglas hung back and took pictures. Overall, it was a  fun evening.

Here is a picture of the grill on the sidewalk where they cook the kebabs.

We walked home from the restaurant, and I snapped pictures along the way.

This keyboard is actually the side of a building.

For some reason, the Chinese hate bugles.

Despite my headache, this was one of my favorite days in China. Nothing went wrong, we enjoyed the activities and there was a lot of laughter. I will always have fond memories of March 22, 2014, day of cats and cat-shit coffee.

Happy Travels!