st basil's cathedral at night.

Never ceases to amaze me.

i want to go overseas again!

My ex boyfriend is currently overseas and I'm completely jealous. I have the travel bug and hate being in Melbourne for too long (despite loving the place to bits). I am so glad I have a DSLR to provide me with some wonderful memories.

Here are a few from Japan.

Geisha in Arashiyama

Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle

Wild deer in Miyajima Island.

x delilah

Splash

Just got my photos back taken by my 1988 Lomo LCA that I bought it St. Petersburg, Russia

From Left to Right:
- London
- Helsinki
- Finding home...

Travel Story

This so happens to be my favourite memory of my 157 day travel around half the world.
It takes place in Mongolia, in a national park where me and five others are staying in a yurt or ger. A ger is a felt tent that can be upheaved and moved as the Mongolian nomads please. The Gorkhi-Terelj national park was amazing, it was completely freezing, the coldest it was expected to be during our stay in Mongolia but it was completely worth it.

[Herdsman and his sheep on the mountain]

(During the day it got down to -35 degrees, amazing. At night the "real feel" time was meant to be around -55 degrees celcius)

Anyway, so during the day we were going for a lovely horse ride, it was slow, the horses were tired but it was a calm trod around the park with our hairy hairy horsies... and we come across this scene. Possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life, maybe there just wasn't that much in the national park to do but laugh, but it was amazing:

In short, Man with a plastic bag on a stick chasing the camel
who has his front legs tied up who is chasing a
bird that is flying away. This is magic.
And boy did that camel run fast after that bird!

[Left: One of the hairy horsies
Right: Our ger/accomodation]

In and Out
x. Delilah

magic

Where to Shop: Shanghai (wholesale)

This is completely dedicated to wholesale items!
Luckily in China wholesale actually means open to public unlike Hong Kong who prefer to deal with business clientele.

Destination 1:
Commodities Market - near Yu Yuan Gardens (think Fangbang Rd and surroundings - will get proper addresses on Thursday :) - ETA on Fuyou Rd)

Around this area you can find dirt dirt cheap stuff. Mainly arts and crafts goods, some toys, just random stuff you might want for around the house. Kitchen supplies, jewerlly bits and bobs and also underwear... there seems to be heaps of underwear around there. There's around 3 main buldings. Two of which are at least 3 levels tall. One of the markets has arts and crafty things on the ground floor (or level 1 as the Chinese call it) and the 2nd level has Chinese medicine. Walk around the area a bit more and you'll find a 4 level building chocablock full of people and also a mixture of the above mentioned things. Prices are dirty cheap, to the point where you don't even feel the need to haggle (though still possible if you want it cheaper). From what I've seen cross-stitch goods are the cheapest here compared to all the other places I've shopped at :)

Destination 2:
Qipu Rd - corner of Qipu Rd and Central Henan Rd

If you like clothes, boys girls alike, please head to Qipu Road. Most of the stock from the Yi Mei and Di Mei are picked up from here (if they're not, they're from overseas). The prices are dirt dirt cheap. Expect to pay around 40 yuan for a tee you'd normal pay around 100-150 yuan for, dresses for 50-100 yuan you'd pay up to 250-500 for. Unfortunately the stockings didn't seem that cheap. There is also a floor just dedicated to children wear. The higher you go the better quality the stock (or so it seems). Bring a big canvas shopping bag, they'll probably give you a better deal if they think you're a stockist. Haggle. Whatever price they give you, half it. Divide by 3 or 4 if you have to. Don't forget to check level B1... the things there/prices there surprised me.

It's refreshing to find these places as it reminds me that China is still a land of (bargains) oppurtunities!

TGIF #2

Yay!
Third Friday in Shanghai...
Another week another set of dramas.
Today I realised not everyone is out to get me. I'm actually not hating on China this week which is a first since I spend the first two complaining heaps to T. Poor boy, having to put up with an extra dose of my whinging.

Third Friday in China actually means I'm one week closer to home. Yes.. as of tomorrow I only have 6 more days in Shanghai and I'll be heading back home to Melbourne. Yay English! It will be so strange to speak the language all the time with everyone after a hiatus of a month. Once I get back home I'll give you all the low down of my travels and even show you some photos :-). Oh and there are thousands... sadly.

BIG SHOUT OUT TO A!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY (for next week *blush*)!

This week I've been shopping, shopping and shopping. Hence the long HLWIBH post... What I haven't shown you yet is the small accessories and stuff I picked up at the computer/camera markets. I have a big big obsession with electronics; I used to think htmling was fun. I used my myspace only as an avenue to redo my page and learn more codes. NERD ALERT!

So in light of my Nerd Herdness, this TGIF entry will be on the electronic haunts of Shanghai:

1. Luban Rd (metro line 4.)
Photography mall. Lower floor for
cameras and as you go up more film and accessories available. Lomo isn't cheap
here but is definitely more affordable than at the Lomography store on Jinxian
Rd. Film can be cheap if you bargain and buy in bulk :-)
2. Xu Jia Hui (metro line 1.)
This shopping area contains around 3 building with
computer goods. Bargain hard. They double/triple the prices for foreigners. Also
be wary to legit/fake goods. If the price sounds too good tell them you want the
"zenban"/real product/non-fake goods.
3. Xiangyang Rd + Fuxing Rd intersection
Fake fake fake goods galore. Random electronic goods
downstairs and as you go up mobile phones. Don't expect real things, they even
have fake mobiles; stick a N0KIA label on and ur good to go.
4. Shanghai Railway Station
I've been told that there is another photography mall
and another fake electronic goods store here as well.

Where to Shop: Shanghai

If you're into the whole no brand thing, this blog entry is for you.
I'm getting very sick of shopping in Shanghai where the clothes are expensive and from brands where you can find anywhere in the world. ie. Ralph Lauren, Lacoste etc etc.

Lately (since discovering them) I've been shopping at Di Mei and Yi Mei located near People's Square and Jing An Metro stations respectively.

If anyone has been to Hong Kong the types of clothes are very similar to the little boutiquey stores in Mong Kok and Prince Edward; my cousin has 3 shops in Prince Edward selling Japanese style clothes, can hand out addresses if anyone is interested.

The stores consist of hosiery stalls, small boutiques selling clothing from either Chinese factories or Korean imports, shoe boutiques and lots and lots of young girls.

Other fabulous random brand stores can be found along Xinle Rd, Changle Rd and Jinxian Rd all within walking distance from the infamous Huaihai Rd. (Closer to the South ShaanXi metro station; Xinle Rd is parallel to Huaihai Rd and it's all walking distance from there)

For wholesale shopping, Nathan Rd in Hong Kong and Qi Pu Rd here in Shanghai are the places to go. Qi Pu Rd is more accomodating to buying single pieces... where in Hong Kong they expect you to buy several pieces. Don't bother bargaining in Hong Kong, it's more like a proper business place in the wholesale stores. Bargain like hell for the right price in Qi Pu Rd.

THANK YOU!

After all the places I have been to only one country has been completely awful.
Being in this country gave me the biggest culture shock and continues to baffle me...

On a happier note I'd like to mention all the things I appreciate about a country, the things they do to make people feel more welcome or make us feel like "this is where I want to retire" haha.
- being proud of one's country and WILLING to show it off to the rest of the world
- having amazing people who might not speak the same language as you but are still willing to help
- having great food (especially for me as a fatty!)
- having people who aren't always trying to rip you off... of course every tourist city has financial gain to think about but when they blantantly try and rip you off... big grrr
- places that are accepting of different nationalities and people.


Chipchop tees and tote bags - Alice Euphemia

From the wise words of an American friend...
"Say konichiwa again and I'll slap you"

Chinese Charms...

Well being Chinese-born doesn't necessarily make me immune to some of things the Chinese do. I've been pretty good so far at letting things slide (okay that's a lie T has been putting up with my constant bitching and moaning about the state of this country) but in all honesty there are some things that SHOULD be social no-nos.

Let me explain:

1. Open bottom baby onesies
Well in China (only country so far where I've observed this, well and HK and Macau but we won't get into the politics of that...) it is quite the popular to don your baby girl or boy in a onesie that has a giant slit at the bum... It's as if the baby sat down and immediately split their pants. Why oh why do they have this ingenius slit? So the baby and pee and poop easily of course. That's right my readers... they don't wear nappies.
While I am mature... I did mention my mental age of being only 15. For this reason it still makes me uneasy seeing nudity... maybe it's because I know why only that region is nude but it really grosses me out. After finding out I, delilah, donned this (definitely the hard way... bitching to my parents with a boy present at dinner, sadly my parents thought it would be appropriate to tell the boy and me that I wore that kind of thing) I quickily accepted this as the norm. That is until TODAY.... was at Walmart, a giantmarket and someone had placed their open bottomed baby on the baby-seat bit of the shopping trolley. My groceries/bags/whatever/food sit in that compartment... and now fresh baby bottom. :-S (Shuddered on the spot)
(In some people's defence they put their kids in nappies with the slit... I find that completely acceptable ha.)

2. Blowing your nose... on the ground
Don't get me wrong tissues or toilet paper ARE abundant. Head to your any local supermarket there will definitely be an aisle with this kind of product... toilet paper, tissues, toilet tissue etc, you get my drift. Nevertheless you could just as easily achieve the same thing by holding one nostril closed and BLOW! Who cares who you splatter your snot on or how far the projectile sprays... REPEAT WITH OTHER NOSTRIL UNTIL ALL IS EXPELLED FROM NOSE.

3. Fingernails
I used to wonder why there was always at least ONE long nail on every man and woman in China. Usually the pinkie... though more recently I've found that the thumb is the finger of chose. Not sure what to do with the long nail. Stick it up your nose. Yeah like a 2 year old. This goes in with the catergory of: "don't they know that tissues are easy to come by". Argh. Pick your nose somewhere other than public please. And then when they flick their goodies... argh. Don't flick... gross.. mmm

.

Pictures will be inserted later when I gain the courage to photograph these things