09 Feb 4 Things I Ticked off my Bucket List
1. KTV
Myself and the other interns were lucky enough to go to karaoke on the weekend with the Absolute team in Shanghai. It was a really fun night and everyone got really into it. However, it’s been a tough week trying to convince people that I’m not sick or hungover, but that I just used up all my voice singing to Wrecking Ball.
2. The Markets
Shopping is one of my favourite things to do in the world, and I knew that coming to Shanghai there would be plenty of opportunity for it. Bargaining at the fabric markets has probably been one of the most fun things I’ve done here in Shanghai. The fabric markets are amazing, there are hundreds of little shops packed to the brim with every coat, dress or suit design you can think of. Every design can be custom made to fit you as well. We spent a couple of hours walking around and trying to get a good deal. Some of the salespeople there were very fierce – they knew how to manipulate you and they certainly took advantage of us being foreigners. We bought some sunglasses (yes, at the fabric markets!) from a lady who looked like she was going to cry because she said we were ripping her off! I had another salesman say he would only make 5 RMB if he sold me a bag for the price I wanted, but he took the money anyway and then sat back down on his stool sulking. I have never met salespeople quite like the ones in China. I ended up finding a coat by the way, bargaining the price down to 320 RMB (which is about $65 AUD). I’m yet to pick up the final product, but hopefully it looks somewhat similar to the one on display.
2. Pudong
A few of us interns went to Pudong on the weekend. It’s like the modern metropolis of China. If you are an investment banker you should probably live in Pudong because you can keep an eye on your stocks at all times by just looking up at the electronic signs on the overhead walkways. How convenient is that! There are so many shiny new buildings and fancy shops and restaurants. In fact, even with a strong Australian dollar, it was a bit too fancy for us because we had aimed to go to Yum Cha in the shopping centre in Pudong after hearing some good reviews, but when we saw the prices we quickly changed our plan. Luckily there was a cheaper restaurant nearby. It wasn’t Yum Cha, it was actually Thai, but it was still very good. I don’t think I’ve had a bad meal in Shanghai yet actually.
4. Shanghai Circus
One of the sponsored parts of our program is a trip to the Shanghai Circus. So one night after work Absolute took us there. I was expecting the show to be pretty well put together since it plays almost every night and there is a stop on the metro dedicated to it, called “Shanghai Circus World”, however the show was even better than I had imagined. I have never seen so many people fit onto one bicycle. I won’t spoil the show for you, but I will tell you they had a human catapult.
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