Hey Hey and a Big G'Day Toya
 
After meeting up in the morning and having breakfast we decided to make this day 'Museum Day'.
 
First stop for the day had to be the beautiful Shanghai Museum which is found in the Peoples Square just down from Nanjing Road on Xizang Lu. If you're a museum person this is definatly worth spending many hours in. Cost only 20 Yuan to get in and not only is the building beautiful but all the exibitions are first class. It is full of ancient Chinese art. It has over 120,000 pieces ranging from ancient bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, sculptures, jade, furniture, coins and Minority Nationality arts and clothes.
 
The only part I really didn't like was the American Painting exhibit. Sometimes paintings just get me frustrated and I just want to take them from the wall and smash them over a chair. Things like this; there was one haighly praised painting that was just a grey canvas. That was it. Someone had painted their canvas grey, walked away and some complete tool thought it was fantastic. Another was just a few coloured squigley lines. Obviously someone famous had a baby who put paintbrush to canvas. Then there was another where someone complete stoned nutter just went mad with colours.
 
I don't get it. I really don't get it.
I don't get that type of art.
It just frustrates me.
 
Don't take me back into that room ever again!
 
Apart from the American Paintings I had such a wonderful time. I love museums and I would put this one nearly as high as the Xian Museum. But I think the Xian Museum is my favourte museum of all time. Next stop was a quick bite to eat and then it was back down Yan'An Road to visit some dinosaurs. It was time to visit the Natural History Museum and mate, what an experience this was.
 
Firstly, don't expect anything like the impressive modern Shanghai Museum. Instead, think of a museum you visited when you were young back in the 70's/80's and if your not that old think of a movie that has a very old museum in it. Keep think of this and allow the years to roll by until now. Mate I'm sure this is the only building, in the entire city of Shanghai that was forgotten when the big men were discussing modernisation.
 
Nothing in this building was purchased after 1971 I'm sure!
BUT...don't be scared, this adds character to your visit.
 
I don't remember how much it cost, maybe 10 Yuan but I had just as much fun here as what I had at the Shanghai Museum. I'm surprised they don't pay you 10 Yuan for visiting such an 'un-modern' buidling in one of the worlds most modern cities. Pay on the first floor, walk up the old stairs to the second and be greeted by huge dinosaur skeletons. How cool is that. You have;
 
Paleontology and Paleoanthropology on the 2nd Floor
Invertebrates and Fish on the 3rd Floor
And Amphibians and Reptiles and Birds and Mammals on the 4th Floor
 
Add to that impressive list some ancient sleeping museum curators and you have a receipe for an excellent afternoon.
 
From the Natural History Museum we headed across to the Yu Gardens Bazaar (Yu Yuan Shangcheng) which was only a stones throw away. Wow, another new 'Ancient Town'. These buggers are now everywhere in China. This one though has only one purpose and one purpose only, the souvenir! There are streets full of new 'ancient buildings'. The new ancient buildings are full of new ancient shops. The new ancient shops are all selling the same things. Unfreakenbelievable! It was crowded tacky yet a fun time and I even got myself a new ancient stone stamp with my name in both Chinese and English.
 
Asking price was 200 yuan and I got it for 30 or 40.
 
My main aim in Shanghai was to buy more micro-fibre clothing. I found some in the expensive department stores but no way was I going to pay nearing four hundred for a single shirt or tee-shirt when I can get four fakes for the same price. I knew I should have stocked up in Chengdu. Strangely we had found no fake stores at all. They are around as we had been told about them but we just never came across them.
 
When we left the Bazaar (all with ancient stone stamps in hand) we grabbed a cab and headed back across the city and back to Hengshan Road. As it was our last night we agreed it was time for some more long cold expensive beers (please, no one tell Judy. She'll have the greatest time lashing me for doing it twice!). I do like Chinese beer but most of them are now 2.8, 3.1 or 3.6 percent. Sometimes you can find one that's 4 percent but not often. That my friends is a real bugger and not a full tasting beer. It was time for a real beer. We got out of the cab and began walking back towards the bar district. It was also time to eat and Kevens Cafe was the first place we came across. Awesome food and cold Tiger beer. We left an hour later very happy.
 
If you ever visit this place order the salmon. I didn't and tried a bit of Daniels and nearly died. Mouth watering good!
 
After Kevens we continued walking up Hengshan Road in search of a bar with a big screen and without girls hanging out front asking that you come in a buy them a drink. At these prices love I'd rather you buy one for me! The only bar that fit our list was one called Full House. Strangely it was neither full or a house but it did have a screen, not a big one though.   After a few hours we decided to move on to a new bar.
 
Just as we past the Can Can Bar with all the lovely Can Can Girls at the door inviting you to come in and buy them a drink a huge wind storm hit us. But not only was it a wind storm but it was also a pollen storm. There were people running everywhere. It was so strange to see so many people running whilst at the same time rubbing their eyes. You could try to shield your eyes but the pollen still got through. I have no idea what type of trees lined that street but they should be removed. It was really horrible. I headed for the nearest doorway which luckily for me was Oscars Irish Bar. Ientered with tears streaming down my eyes and for the next half and hour spent my time drinking a New Castle Brown and running to the toilet to soak my eyes.
 
It was like having sand or raw brown suger under your eyelids.
 
I finally got a text from Daniel and Alexa whom I had lost during the storm They had made it to the British Bull Dog which was not far away. I had to wait as outside it was pouring with rain. I was chatting to a Dutch guy named Per (kinda like Pierre) and when the rain stopped we made the dash around the corner. Not long after we arrived Alexa began to feel ill from all the pollen so her and Daniel cabbed it back home and I continued chatting to Per. He was new here and would soon begin teaching in another province. We moved onto the Can Can Bar and fought off the 'You Buy Me A Drink' girls who would then take you upstairs and have their way with you for some huge price and then get you drunk and try to get you to sign a credit card slip.
 
A bit of info past on from traveller to traveller and also from your hostel owner if they hear your going to the bar area.
Don't get drunk enough to pay for anything one credit card in these bars!
 
A few hours later Per and I said 'catch ya next time mate' and we waved good bye to the unimpressed Can Can Girls.
Sorry love, at these beer prices you can pay me!
Another beautiful day in lovely Shanghai!
 
Beers N Noodles to you...shane
 
The soundtrack to this entry was the awesome Macy Gray
The album was 'On How Life Is'
Wonderful, just wonderful!