Binary Bridge Blues

The main road I traveled in Shenzhen ran east to west along the southern coastline. On the way to the secondary campus from my apartment, I always passed over this bridge with a series of ones and zeros on the safety rails. I swore to myself that I would photograph it before leaving Shenzhen, and on October 27th, I finally did! (Incidentally, I had gotten locked out of my VPN, and I couldn't contact their online help services without the VPN, so I.......actually crossed over the border into Hong Kong, reset my password on the immigration office's wifi, and then immediately turned around.) (That's why I ended up traveling past this bridge in the first place.)

First, the northern view from the bridge!

This was while I was on my way to Hong Kong......lol

You can see all the bikes strewn along the riverbank; those are primarily property of various bike-sharing apps.

By the time I was done in HK, the sun had gone down, which was fine because what I truly wanted to capture was this:

SICK BLUE LIGHTING

Little plants grew in the space between the metal grilles

Part of the bridge wasn't lit, but this gives you a sense of how much light the central parts of Shenzhen have at night.

Don't ask me how I was positioned to get this angle....

Looking east.

Approaching the bridge on foot, you pass a lot of flowering plants!

The overpass culture is so strong.

A healthier plant growing over the lights

Looking south, the unlit side of the river.

It's a very 80's neon-chic kinda vibe.

A little foot traffic--don't mind me, folks.

Looking up at the bridge from the east, i.e. facing west.

Still facing west, standing in the middle of the road crossing.

The stairs are at a comfortably shallow angle that allows bikes and luggage to be rolled up and down fairly easily.

Listen I just love this blue color.

The view as I was walking back to the bus stop. I just BARELY made the last bus back to my house haha.

Hope this gave you a better glimpse of what daily life looked like for me!

The Hai Life

WHAT'S UP SHANGHAIIIIIII

I spent two nights in Shanghai in two different hotels. The first one was a hostel dorm in the city proper, but I had a devil of a time finding my way to it because my phone ran out of battery right as I got into the city, so I had to squat in a shopping mall with my charger for an hour wHOOPS.

Ultimately, I got there, dropped my stuff, and then set out to visit the famous Shanghai Bund.

Absolutely worth it.

It was visiting during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and so I decided I wanted to buy some mooncakes to celebrate! Unfortunately, the area around the Bund doesn't have any proper supermarkets, and all the convenience stores didn't sell mooncakes.

So then how on earth did I get this one?

As a cashier was apologetically telling me they didn't carry mooncakes, a customer with a large bag came up to us, and offered me an individually-wrapped mooncake from his supply! They were apparently a gift from a business partner, and he was willing to part with one. I was really moved, thanked him profusely, and then he was on his way. I carried the cake back to the waterfront and enjoyed it while watching the full moon.

The historic side of the river.

I think this ultimately lead to some fancy restaurant, but mostly it was just good public ambiance.

Wide view of the waterfront.

The weather was beautiful, so most of the waterfront was really crowded, but walking away from the main attractions, it was quite peaceful.

After watching the scenery and the people to my heart's content, I stopped by a silk shop on my way back to the metro (my goal was to get Christmas shopping done this trip) and then back to the hostel. I was recruited into a game of pool by two of the friendlier hostel guests, but as I am 1) bad at pool and 2) bad at befriending strangers, I retired quickly.

Day 2

The next day I headed to a historic area that was a prime tourist destination and small business market. It was time to commence Christmas shopping in earnest.

This was a store that specialized in Sichuan peppers (literally "flower pepper" in Chinese). I got my dad some dried out ones because he likes spicy food, and I also really enjoyed their displays of what I assume are some kind of cayenne peppers.

Pepper thrones

The store, unsurprisingly, smelled good.

After that I wandered around and got gifts for the rest of my family, and got my ears cleaned. If that seems like a non-sequitur, it kind of is, but ear-cleaning is a traditional health practice in China (also, I really needed it!!!).

I also bought a bunch of snacks for myself, because Chinese street food is unbeatable.

-chanting- stinky tofu Stinky Tofu STINKY TOFU

This is actually dragonfruit juice--the bag was just such a silly gimmick I had to buy it

The alleys of the market were narrow and crossed with wires like this, so the atmosphere was super charming.

A rare peaceful moment.

Everything I was hauling by the end of the trip haha

The shop in the background sold Shanghai Woman cosmetics, which is a brand that's built around Shanghai's reputation for Golden Age glamour.

CANDIED HAWTHORN, OBJECTIVELY ONE OF THE FINEST CANDIES IN THE WORLD

After that final treat, it was time for me to head out and switch to my second hostel. I decided to switch to a second one because I was flying out QUITE early the next day, and I wasn't interested in waking up any earlier than necessary to get to the airport.

The street outside the market:

I made it to the new place just fine and arranged a wake-up call for the airport shuttle. The room was shockingly large after the little hostel I had stayed at in the city, and I had a huge king-sized bed. The only fault was that there wasn't a grocery store close by, so I had to ask the traffic attendant where to go. There was a little convenience store a ways down the road--not too far, but out of view from the hotel, and it had already gotten dark by the time I got there. After blending in with the tourists in downtown Shanghai, I definitely stood out in the more rural country road, but I got my dinner regardless.

The wake-up call and shuttle ride went smoothly the next morning. The shuttle was absolutely PACKED to the gills, and some of the luggage had to be stored in the center aisle, making disembarking a challenge for the passengers who got off at the first terminal, but I, mercifully, was going to the second.

Got to the airport just as the sun was rising (again).

I'm very fond of airports now.

It was a quick and comfortable flight back to Hong Kong.

HK International is a Fancy Lady

Took a selfie in the tunnel to public transport

I always love walking through here and seeing the art displays.

That's the end of that trip! This may have been the taxi experience where I repeatedly thanked two Japanese businessmen in Chinese (force of habit) despite knowing they were Japanese, but if it wasn't, consider that a little bonus tidbit, because I definitely did do that at some point near the end of the year.

Suddenly, Zhoushan

Welcome back folks! The next major thing I did after my Thailand trip was visit the U.S. for the month of September, but I did return to China after that because my apartment lease didn't end until November 30th.

Nearly immediately after I returned to Shenzhen in early October, my friend Jessy invited me to accompany her on a visit to her friend in Zhoushan. It was totally last minute--to the point where Jessy booked our hotel after we arrived--but I figured I wouldn't get another chance like this in the future, so I went!

This trip marked my first time using the local Shenzhen airport instead of the Hong Kong one.

We had an early flight, so we got to the airport in the middle of the sunrise.

Zhoushan is an island off the coast of Shanghai, and the air is impossibly clear. Jessy couldn't stop taking these huge exaggerated breaths and making everyone laugh. We were visiting her college classmate James, and he brought his friend along, so it was a four-person party for most of the trip.

The airport closest to Zhoushan is actually not on the island, so we had to take a two-hour bus ride before truly arriving. James was very kind and picked us up from the bus stop, but we didn't know how long it would take us to get there, so he had to kill a lot of time. Sorry, and thank you James!

The drive from the bus stop to our first destination was when Jessy secured our hotel room, so we started the tour with that worry eased.

We visited a local college (it's so nice having friends to take pictures of you???)

Jessy matched the traffic cones!

I could go to college here....

After that, we went to a DIFFERENT college that was right up against the coastline.

Where the other campus was all warm-toned brick, this one was all cool Roman marble.

I dropped back to take this surreptitiously, but I was SPOTTED lol

After we explored that to our satisfaction, we went back to the coastline just to appreciate the view.

(and take selfies) (the boys didn't want any part of it b/c they're SCROOGES)

We drove a little ways to the boardwalk area.

The quest for the perfect photo.

JESSY YOU'RE GOING TO FALL

After that, we met up with some more of James' friends and had dinner, then went out to another coastal hangout where we lit paper lanterns and made wishes (think Tangled). No good pictures came out of that because it was too dark, but Jessy did steal my phone and take a bunch of burry ones.

We got back to our hotel and crashed, preparing for....

Day 2

We had an adventure finding a breakfast restaurant that culminated in Jessy needing to run back to the hotel last minute and the store owner looking at me with naked confusion as I paid for the meal.

James and two of his friends came to pick us up, and we all headed for a ferry to Taohua (Peach Blossom) Island. It's a popular tourist spot because the island featured prominently in a series of wuxia books that came out in the 60s. Wuxia is that genre of nearly fantastical martial arts stories that produce works like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Jessy channeling her Titanic vibes on the front of the boat.

We had to buy tickets into the island, so that took a minute, but when we finally got in:

LOVE IT

You better believe Jessy and I climbed to the top of that pagoda in the distance.

The sun.....wasn't out.

(I got the best picture as we were coming back down tbh)

We then climbed the whole mountain!

(and we looked good doing it)

Jessy, waiting for the boys to catch up with us.

What a VIEW

James (far left) and his two friends who came with us.

The mountain technically had two peaks. The first (and lower) one had this huge bell on it.

Thanks to Jessy for the video~

The second one offered and even better view of the surrounding islands!

Now, super unfortunately....all this climbing aggravated a chronic knee injury I have, so I limped the WHOLE. WAY. BACK. DOWN.

But we made it.

Jessy and I went out by ourselves for northern-style food, which was a wild time. First we got separated because Jessy stepped onto a bus to check that it would go to the stop we needed, but the driver pulled away before I could get on! So she texted me the correct stop, and I waited for the next one. While I waited, a woman came up behind me to ask directions, and when I turned around and she could see my face, she immediately apologized and left, haha.

After I finally got there, we still hadn't gotten a table because the place was so crowded. Jessy chatted up the wait staff until one of them pointed to one that hadn't yet be cleared, and we snatched it. Then, by some magic social charm I will never understand, Jessy ended up babysitting the owner's infant child while the whole family pitched in to keep service running smoothly. I couldn't stop laughing at how forward Jessy was, and the baby stared at me like I was an alien.

ANYWAY, the food was delicious, and we made it back to our hotel safely.

Day 3

After exhausting ourselves previously, this day was much more lowkey. Jessy somehow managed to talk the hotel staff into switching us into a nicer room, so we moved all our stuff, then met up with James again. He took us to the historic market district where we got to appreciate the old-fashioned architecture and cute locally-owned businesses!

Entering the market town!

All these bears are handmade, and can be customized based on your request.

How I want my future home to look.

Some cool painted tiles around a central square.

Spotted an entryway where passers-by are encouraged to write on the walls.

It looks so cool!

We ended up at a cat cafe for drinks and light snacks, and Jessy and I enjoyed playing with the cats. There were either no pictures allowed, or I was just so entranced by the cats that I forgot, so all I have is this photo of our tea:

(and a cream puff)

We had a pleasant conversation, nearly all in Mandarin, and I really pushed myself to keep up. I could definitely feel my comprehension level improving after listening to so much natural conversation throughout the trip, even though I didn't talk nearly as much as the others. Another interesting situation was that sometimes James and his local friends would drop into their native dialect, leaving both me and Jessy out of conversation--not to trash talk anyone, but simply because it was easier. It was gratifying to me to know that even Chinese people get stuck in these situations sometimes!

That was our last day, and Jessy and I parted ways the next morning. She headed back to Shenzhen, but I was determined to see Shanghai! James drove us to the main Zhoushan bus station, and we each caught buses to our respective destinations.

Look forward to the Shanghai trip next week!