Christmas Travels Numero Cuatro - Suzhou --> Christmas in Shanghai!

We knew we'd have to wake up early to see as much of Suzhou as possible before we went straight on to Shanghai later that day - it was already Christmas Eve! But by this time I was feeling really really rough, and for the life of me I just couldn't get out of bed. I felt guilty for having slowed us down and eventually got up and went to a pharmacy. I bought some Chinese cold medicine which tasted lovely, though I'm not sure how effective it actually was. Liam had found a suggested walk around Suzhou, so we followed that route. I had to keep stopping to sit down because I felt like I was going to collapse. The route took us past an opera school, where I saw little kids practising their voice warm-ups in the playground. We saw some of Suzhou and it looked like a really nice place but I just couldn't wait for the walk to be over because I was struggling to walk. We found 'China Famous Shopping Street' Guanqian Jie, and had a walk down there. We were astounded at the number of foreigners we were seeing. On the street were little McDonalds golfcarts to take you from the end of the street directly to McDonalds. The height of laziness!! Even in my fatigued state I shunned them! I loved that the street was old-style preserved Chinese architcture but big shopping chains inside the buildings; the kind of juxtapositioning I like : ) There were some markets stalls selling tack and a temple just off the street, but I really wasn't up for it so we had a drink and a sit-down for ages and then went to get the train to Shanghai.


Traditional architecture, Western stores, on Suzhou's Guanqian Jie


This time we had seats and somewhere to go once we were off the train! We thought all our friends in Shanghai had gone home for Christmas but we got a happy surprise when our friend Francesca sent us a message saying she was still in Shanghai. She had just moved into a flat with an American guy and Sarah from our Chinese class in Newcastle. Sarah had gone home for the holidays, so she very kindly said we were welcome to stay with them, and share in the Christmas celebrations. We snapped up her offer immediately and she gave us directions via subway to her apartment. When we got there her Christmas Eve party was in full swing. I had intended to go straight to bed and never wake up again... but I decided to stay and meet everyone. We met her flatmate Justin from America, lots of their Chinese and Turkish friends, including Justin's student Perry, who was lovely but more than a bit tipsy, Lachlan from Australia, and Sam from Zambia. A very multi-cultural gathering! Most of the guests had to leave quite early on because they were at work the next day, Christmas being of non-importance in China. But the Westerners stayed on, and I went to bed at some point in the wee hours of the morning!
The next day was Christmas Day!!! I stayed snuggled in bed for quite a while but eventually got up and showered. Liam and I watched Justin and Francesca open their Christmas presents from home and from some of their Chinese students (they teach English on the side, shh). After that we met back up with Lachlan and all went out for Christmas Dinner. We originally wanted to go to an Irish bar but it was closed so we ended up in the British Bulldog pub. It was just like your local! And it was on Urumqi Road, which made us oh-so-happy!
One reason I had especially been looking forward to going to Shanghai was to see my tandem partner Vanessa. The year before she had spent the year in Newcastle and helped me out to no end with my Chinese homework. Technically I was supposed to help her with her English in return, but she was practically fluent, so I helped her with Beginner's French instead! Anyway she was now back in Urumqi and was in fact my friend Frankie's Chinese tandem partner at Shanghai University. Frankie had gone home for Christmas like everyone else but obviously Vanessa was still around so we called her up and invited her for dinner. It was great to see her again, though a little surreal to meet her in a British pub in China!
After our very-close-to-the-real-thing Christmas Dinner, we moved on to one of the Shanghai group's favourite watering holes, Windows Scoreboard. On the way I phoned home to say Merry Christmas! I was going to phone Chris after, but the credit ran out halfway through my call to the parents, so that couldn't happen. Apparently I sounded drunk on the phone, but that can't have been possible as I'd had no alcohol. Okay, I lie, I had a mouthful of wine before pulling a disgusted face and giving my glass to Liam to finish off. I just don't drink wine I guess. Anyway, no drunkenness, just very high spirits as a big group of us made out way down the road and passed a couple of huge polystyrene snowmen. We went first to Huaihai Lu (formerly the famous Avenue Joffre), the main thoroughfare of the French Concession, to see China's biggest Christmas Tree all lit up. It was flippin' huge as well! Liam and I were getting very excited at all the skyscrapers and lights and stuff, which sparked a rather derisive but well-meaning laugh from Vanessa who said we were acting like 'people from the country', haha! So yeah, we went to Windows Scoreboard for cocktails and were taught some great drinking games by Vanessa and her friend Sheri, who had just joined us. We finished off our Christmas Day in a huge club called Babyface. Brilliant place. I must go back : ) We danced the night away, which is not how I tend to spend Christmas but was excellent nevertheless.

Fran and Liam with the tree.

Christmas Dinner at the British Bulldog, the boys: Lachlan, Liam and Justin

And the girls: Fran, me, and Vanessa

Giant polystyrene snowman!!!

One of the beer bottle Christmas trees all over China. Stunning stuff. (l-r) Fran, Lachlan, me, Justin, Vanessa, and Liam

Biggest Christmas Tree in China, on Huaihai Lu. For true size, look at that little person standing next to it on the left of the picture. Diddy in comparison!