Hey, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that!

Unfortunately Christmas is not really a thing in China, so there's not much of a difference between this week and any other week for me. Heck, I remember in suburban Hangzhou, ten years ago, people were about as familiar with it as westerners are with Chinese New Year - not very. They'd probably say, "There's some old guy in red, there's a tree, and people exchange gifts... I dunno?" Appropriately, that's about all you get in Shanghai. To SH's credit though, it's a much more international city, and there are quite a few decorations in areas that foreigners would frequent - downtown, malls, and the like. There's even a few Christmas markets around town, and we managed to go to two of them. Ya know... they're nice I guess. Got some glühwein, saw a tree. But this is definitely the exception more than the rule. I won't say no to a free day off from work though, which is more than I was expecting. The offer on the table was for a week off, but the rest of the staff voted against it, and opted instead for double pay. Which, I get, because it's not like we have family to visit here anyway. But I will always vote for time off over pay, because I guess that's the type of person I am.

But regardless of time off, we have gotten into a few things as of late. A few months ago, work had a staff welcome dinner at a fancy mall restaurant nearby. While I was incredibly, incredibly unimpressed with that dinner (seriously, one of the worst meals of my life, don't get me started), I did pass this place that was "Upside-down World" or something like that. I was so curious about it, I kept it in my mind, and now, one quiet weekend later, Ella and I went to check it out. It's basically an apartment where everything is bolted to the ceiling, and light fixtures to the ground. It is completely unnecessary, ridiculous, and only serves to take amusing photos. In short, I loved it, so here's a bunch of photos:

The last post or two I mentioned there are some day trips in Shanghai I've been wanting to try out, and we got a chance to do just that. We took the longest metro line far north to Jiading District, an unremarkable suburb that just happened to have two things I wanted to see. One was the village of Nanxiang, which claim to have invented xiaolongbao (Chinese soup dumplings). For some crazy reason, this is not the first time I have eaten the "original" xiaolongbao. But this one is on Wikipedia, so you know it's at least somewhat legit. I have to say, they were pretty good? But with only 3 or so ingredients, it's kind of hard to really stand out among the competitors. Still, it was a unique experience that was worth the trip, at least for me. While the restaurant there claims to be "the original", there is a competing claim from a restaurant that shut down recently, which is kind of a shame. It's kind of like "Original Rays" in NYC - there's a sort of well accepted answer as to what the "original" was, but either through greed, an absence of record keeping, or both, there are several claimants. Anyway, it's as close as you can get. Which, not going to lie, that's a big reason as to why I travel. So 50 years from now, at a dumpling shop in who knows where, I can stroke my beard and tell an unnecessarily long-winded story about how I took the metro, uphill, both ways, to eat "the original".

But also up in this part of town is a museum that I rarely see discussed, The Shanghai Automobile Museum. I guess because it is so far north of the city, it's not a place people make the time to go out to. And just like the Astronomy Museum from the last entry, it's a shame, because this place is something special. Now, let me preface by saying I am not a car guy - to me, cars are like power tools: they serve a purpose, I acknowledge how they can be cool, but I would prefer not to own them or have to own them. However, this museum was incredibly impressive even to me. It the first cars ever made up to today, and they are in absolutely amazing condition. I don't know if I've ever seen a Ford Model T before (maybe at the Smithsonian?), but this thing looked like it just rolled off the assembly line. Their collection is, IMO, the most impressive in the world. Maybe there is a better one somewhere in the US (honestly, there must be), but a place like this in suburban Shanghai is the absolute last place I would expect. There's a few hundred cars there, and all of them are in mint condition. For a car enthusiast, or even someone with a passing interest, I think this is a must see.

On Christmas Day itself, it was actually very cold for Shanghai - below freezing, in fact. We even got some flurries, so I guess it was a white Christmas? Ella and I decided that staying inside watching TV would be a bit depressing, so we decided to brave going out to do some stuff. The first stop was a noodle shop that has a Michelin Star, which I've been curious to try. We've tried another noodle shop with a Michelin Star before, and those are legit, some of the best noodles I've ever had. So I had high hopes for this one. But in the end I was pretty disappointed. They weren't bad by any means, but they were...fine? Good even. Still, I've had better noodles for far less. At $5 a bowl they didn't exactly break the bank, but I just expected better. And if you ask locals to direct you to better noodles in the $2-$3 range, what's the point? I have to think that the Michelin Star people just arrived in China the night before, woke up late, and went to the closest noodle shop to their hotel. In case anyone sees this in the future, you can skip 阿娘面馆 (Mother's Noodle Shop). Just down the road is the much better, cheaper, and equally acclaimed Michelin Starred spot, 味香斋 (which means... umm... Flavorful, Fragrant, and something? Anyway, it's "Weixiangzhai").

After a perfectly okay lunch, we headed across the river to the Pearl Tower. Despite being the most famous landmark of Shanghai, this is the first time I've ever been inside, although not to the top. Actually, I don't really get the appeal of going to the top. It's nowhere near the tallest building in Shanghai. Heck, regular apartment buildings are taller than it is. Yet it's 220 yuan (~$30) to go up. I should probably take a look online to see if there's anything interesting, because if so, they certainly don't advertise it. Also, if I want to go to an observation deck, I'd rather drop 180 yuan (~$25) to go up the Shanghai Tower, which has the highest observation deck in the world (the building is shorter than the Burj, but apparently the Burj's observation deck isn't at the top?). Anyway, one day I would like to do that, because you know, "Worlds Blankiest Blank". Today wasn't that day though, because we were going to the basement of the Pearl Tower. They have a Shanghai City History Museum tucked down there, which for 35 yuan (~$5 / one overpriced bowl of noodles) is much more palatable. It is a surprisingly good museum, with lots of dioramas and scenes from how Shanghai used to be from the turn of the century up to the 70s or so. I can't believe I've never heard of this place before - while it's not going to knock your socks off, it was a very nice experience and worth the money. So yeah, if you're in Pudong, check it out after you've snapped photos of all the buildings. After, we tried to see a mosque which apparently has a good night market, but it was closed. So, off to dinner at a local pub, which was pretty busy. We ran into a bunch of old friends, which made for a pretty nice Christmas evening, all things considered.

But I'll leave it here for now. Unfortunately, Ella was sick for New Years so we stayed in. I commented that I think this is the first time I've had a chill New Years, maybe ever. I remember when I was a kid up through High School I would always have New Years sleepovers, and then through my 20s there was always a bar or house party to go to. Maybe this is a sign of getting old, not staying out drinking until 1, 2 AM, and then figuring out some way to get home. Ella woke up, coincidentally, at 11:59. So we still got to ring in the new year together, which is really all I could ask for.

But if I could be greedy and ask for one more thing, it's that travel gets back to normal in 2022. I haven't been out of the country in two years, and that's too long. While there may be some domestic travel on the table for the winter holiday in a few weeks, it's just not the same. Happy New Year, everyone!

I have something special to talk about later. But first and foremost this is a travel blog, so let's start with an outing we had recently.

You may recall (or at least, I do) a trip we made to Zhujiajiao, a water town on the edges of Shanghai. To get there, you take the metro towards the end and transfer to another suburban line, that goes quite a ways from the city. There are two more suburban lines on the metro, and we got a chance to try another to visit Lingang, a district waaaay down by the ocean. In truth, it was because they recently built the largest Astronomy Museum in the world there, and me, being a sucker for blankiest blank, was eager to check things out. In truth that was easier said than done. You can purchase tickets a week prior, but Saturday and Sunday sell out almost immediately. I had to set an alarm for the moment they went on sale to grab a spot. Out of curiosity I checked about 30 minutes later, and they'd all been snatched up.

Anyway, after two transfers and about an hour and a half of traveling, we finally got off at the last stop, Dishui Lake. This is a large circular lake at the heart of Lingang District, and I do mean large. It's hard to tell the scale on the map, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I will say that I could barely see the opposite shore. We'll say 4 kilometers wide? Anyway, despite being the north side being "downtown", this place was very odd. I mean, there are large buildings, at least 10 stories high. And narrowish city streets with traffic lights. But the place was nearly empty. It was almost like Chinese New Year, or a scene out of The Walking Dead. Yet it was Sunday. You'd see a car pass by now and then, but the only people out were people like us, walking from the metro station to the museum. It's not unusual for China to build large satellite cities in the middle of nowhere, knowing that one day, demand will come. But it still feels a bit weird to be in one. It feels like everyone got a memo to get out of town except you, so it was kind of unnerving.

Anyway, I brushed that aside, as I knew it was just my imagination. It seems all the people in this area are here for the museum, because it was pretty busy. First going downstairs to get a snack, we were greeted with the bottom of the theater, which is a giant globe suspended over the bottom floor. Pretty cool! It does seem to just sort of float there, like an asteroid about to impact the Earth. After seeing a few smaller exhibits about Mars and Ancient Chinese Astronomy, we got to the main part. And wow is it impressive. I have to think they hired folks from Disney, because it had that polished, almost "Epcot-like" sort of feel. Lots of models of planets, with a giant Earth in the middle of it, toggling back and forth between a real time satellite view, and a time lapse from its formation to the present. You could "walk" on Titan, touch a real meteorite, and ya know, lots of other things. Later you walked through a model of the space station China just put into orbit recently, which was pretty neat as well.

 

Towards the end you looped back and walked on a catwalk of sort over top all the exhibits from earlier, with models of spaceships dangling nearby. It ended with a scale model of Voyager, and Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" speech, which was really touching. I'm a bit biased, but I'm glad they just added subtitles and let him speak, because I don't think anyone else could do it justice.

So yeah, overall, great experience. I don't know if it's worth traveling so far out of town if you're in Shanghai for a few days, but for me it's absolutely a win. But we didn't come so far to only see this. There's another massive museum down here, the Maritime Museum. Sadly no sea shanties, but the building looked pretty neat from the outside.

And unfortunately that concludes the good things I can say about the Maritime Museum.

 

I kid, but it was a bit... meh? Actually a lot "meh". They did have this old wooden ship you could get on, that was cool. But it was only a small part of the deck, and then what? Well, you can see little models of navy ships that you could buy in any hobbyist shop. Or see all the porcelain recovered from a shipwreck, which when tidied up, just looks like porcelain. Or see a lots of pictures of stuff, and a little info card telling you what you are seeing. In short, I think a Google Image Search would be a better use of your time. Aside from a few somewhat interesting actual things (like the oar of a ship that's like, 1000 years old), there's not much there. So I would say take a pass for this place, unless you're an old salty dog.

Not wanting to sit on a metro for another 1.5 hours straight, we decided to break up the journey to stop off at a new fancy schmancy mall that just opened. It's pretty nice, with even a running track on the roof - one that can track your speed/distance if you want. But it was pouring rain, so that wasn't happening. Its main claim to fame I suppose, is The Cheesecake Factory, only the 3rd to open to China. The other two are bonkers busy, so this was a chance to try it without a giant queue. We got a piece of cheesecake to go, and wow. Does all cake taste this good in America? Has it been that long since I had one? Each bite feels like a billion calories, but wow, it's a nice change from the very light, airy cakes of China.

Anyway, my last update wasn't too long ago, so that's about it for travel. Of course it is Thanksgiving, so I did want to have some turkey. You can buy whole birds, or plop down at least $30 for the spread at a restaurant, but I wasn't up for that much time/money. But then Ella did some searching, and turns out, you can just order turkey on Meituan (think Uber Eats/Doordash, but reasonably priced). And that reminded me that turkey was a thing in Taiwan, and something I ate pretty frequently after I discovered that fact. So we found a Taiwanese place sells turkey with rice, as well as soy sauce and ginger turkey. Not... exactly traditional, but it was turkey, and I really dug it. Taiwanese turkey and rice usually has caramelized onions and a side of pickled radish thrown in for good measure, and it really tasted like life back in Taipei. Which btw, the caramelized onion bits are a big win, and I think we should steal that tradition. Also in true Thanksgiving fashion, I ordered way too much so there would be leftovers. Yet again, my amazing wife saves turkey day, and I get to have more for breakfast (and dinner).

But the main reason I wanted to post today, is that the time around Thanksgiving (specifically the 26th), is a very important anniversary for me. In fact, other than getting married, it's probably the most special anniversary in my life. Ten years ago today, I got on a plane and moved to Asia.

In truth, I had no idea what would come of it at the time. I knew my life was kind of in a "rut" and needed to change. Maybe I'd just do the Asia/teaching thing for a year, or maybe even a month if I couldn't handle it. Instead, it's been a decade. A decade since I completely changed my life, started down the path to a new career, marriage, and everything else. And most importantly, I'm a lot happier. I don't think it's Asia specifically, but it's more that I got to live in cities where things happen, got a chance to re-invent myself, got to meet lots of people, got to travel to several countries, got to have a rewarding career, got to have job security, got to have almost zero worries in comparison to life in the US, and most importantly, got to meet my wife. Anyway, I could talk all day about how important this decision was for me, but I think you get the idea. It's probably more fun if I post a few of my favorite photos. It's an impossible task, sorting through thousands and only picking a few. But, here's my best shot, which is still way too many.

Married!

On The Great Wall

Pura Mengening, Bali, Indonesia. One of the coolest places I've visited.

Hoi An, Vietnam

A happy Ella in Macau

India had so much delicious food and things to see.

How I miss Thailand's night markets!

Looking like video game characters in Yunnan, China

Singapore is the Disneyland of cities. Love it!

The twin towers of KL, Malaysia are really beautiful.

Bagan, Myanmar is a really special place. My favorite place I've ever traveled.

One of our first outings, to Bang Pa In.

Laos has the friendliest locals I've ever met. Really miss that place.

Angkor Wat with good folks!

The white temple in Chang Rai, Thailand is really out of this world.

I didn't love Chang Mai, but I liked these kids celebrating Songkran.

When an ice cream driver gave me a lift and his hat.

A traditional Chinese workout in Shanghai.

A lot of my time in Taipei was spent at Maokong. I love that place.

Still can't believe I went to North Korea, or I thought that beard was working.

Got in the local newspaper for teaching. Hope those kids are doing well.

The first picture I took of China (minus the airport), near my home in Hangzhou. I had no idea what was ahead.