Angela and I had a productive summer. We got married! Thanks to several excellent family members, we were able to get this spectacular event planned from China. We ended up with perfect weather and were surrounded by all of the people that we love.
Author: Angela Staron
Living in Shanghai, China. I teach, cook, travel and have fun!
Shanghai Bachelor/Bachelorette Party!
As of today we have 8 days of school left. 8 days! Now before you continue reading, this post is written by me: Angela. I’m not as poetic as Jason and I tend to use a lot of exclamation points! Read at your own risk.
In April and May our wonderful friends threw us Bachelor and Bachelorette parties. We are so lucky to have amazing friends here in Shanghai! Jason’s party was at the end of April and was pretty low key. Our friend Ross designed awesome shirts for everyone to wear that included all the things Jason loved: Luther, Camp Shalom, Beer and Iowa. They turned out great!
How to buy a Christmas tree in Shanghai
Yes I know, it’s only November 15 but we couldn’t resist getting a Christmas tree this weekend. To be honest we tried to get one last weekend but they weren’t out yet. Our reasoning for getting a tree so early is the fact that we will be gone for 3 weeks between Christmas and New Years so we wanted to enjoy the tree for at least 4 weeks!
Now there are a variety of places to get a Christmas tree in Shanghai but we have always gone to the Hongqiao Flower Market located in the Minhang district on Shanghai. The easiest way to get there is to take Line 10 to Longbai Xincun stop and then walk to the market, which is about 10 min. Once there, it’s up to you to choose which shop you’ll select your tree. I mostly try to buy from nice looking little old ladies! English is limited at most shops but as always be ready to bargain! The bigger the tree the bigger the price! Most of the trees aren’t like your western pines but they get the job done! Besides the trees there are a variety of shops with decorations, reindeer, poinsettia and fake trees. It’s also need to see the shops during this time of year transform to wreath making machines!
There are other flower markets in the city; however, we always rely on this one! Happy Holidays!
Four Iowans Abroad
Angela and I recently hosted two very special guests. Angela’s mother Cindy and her grandmother Marjorie visited us for two weeks. It was awesome! They are both very laid back people, and were a pleasure to have around. It also gave Angela and I a chance to do a few things that we had not yet accomplished in and around Shanghai.
Visitors in Shanghai!
At the end of June, Jason and I had the pleasure of hosting my brother Jon and sister in-law Rachel in Shanghai. After spending a week in Beijing, Jon and Rachel flew in to Shanghai the day after our school let out. Before heading to Chengdu we fit as much in as we could as the weather was pleasant and the air quality was good.
On the day that they arrived, we took Jon and Rachel to our go-to tailor Tony and Helen at the local fake market that we frequent as they were interested in making some cheap tailored clothes. On our way home, we stopped for lunch at a delicious Muslim pulled noodles restaurant near our metro stop (S. Shaanxi) on line 10. For less than 40RMB we ate some tasty hand pulled noodles.
Sweet and Spicy Chengdu
Chendgu and Sichuan province are highly recommend in all of the China travel books, and with my family visiting we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit! After a rare on time departure from Pudong we arrived in Chengdu late afternoon on Sunday. Whenever arriving to a new place, I always try to arrange an airport pick up from the hotel. Is this more expensive? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes! As a nervous traveler it’s less stressful to know that you’ll have a ride when you arrive!
We stayed at Mrs. Panda Hostel which was located right near the Li River and semi central Chengdu. The price was decent and the rooms were more like hotel rooms than hostel! The common area was very spacious and served beer and food!
Since we had all afternoon we decided to take the bus to the Wuhou Temple and Jinli Pedestrain Street. After exploring the temple and gardens we stopped for some snacks and overpriced beers before heading back to the hostel. We had the option to get our ears cleaned by the locals but decided to pass.
Since our hotel was near a university, the staff recommended a near by street with a variety of resturants. We decided on one that had a picture menu so that we didn’t end up with something strange! We ended up with standard Sichuan foods such as Mapo Tofu, green beans, egg plant, ribs, and some random cold meat dish. All in all it was delicious!
Shanghai Weekend!
Wow what a crazy week of highs and lows! First off, we have to give a huge THANK YOU to the Shanghai Bloggers and all the companies for the amazing goodie bag! Fields (an online grocery store) was very creative and gave us product that related to our blog! Can you guess what it was? Corn! So if you’re looking for a way to keep up with all the Shanghai bloggers, download the app! 
Besides the amazing party, I had my week of concerts. It was stressful and exhausting but well worth it! This year Sean and I did 2 mini-musicals for grade 4/5 and 2/3. Both concerts went extremely well and the kids had a blast! The past 2 years have flown by, but I have to say Sean and I have done a pretty good job! Continue reading
Daily Life in Shanghai: The Not-So-Mundane
Angela recently agreed to share our blog on a website called Shanghai Bloggers. I was initially excited about the prospect of sharing our blog with a larger community, but then I felt a little bad about being a ‘seasonal blogger’. By this I mean we typically only post after we’ve taken an exotic vacation somewhere, and we have a lot of pictures that we need an excuse to share. This led me to the decision to write a post about our normal lives, which for the past few weeks have seen some interesting activities.
Christmas in Mui Ne
After a fun night in Saigon, we headed to Mui Ne with our friends John and Catherine (aka the GKs)We had arranged a car through our resort to take us on the 4hr trip! The price wasn’t bad since we split it 2 ways but if you are looking for a cheap option, the bus is always better!
For the 1st three nights we decided to stay at a fancy resort! The resort was on the edge of town and far from the main strip. It did have a nice pool and beach front. However the drinks were overpriced and service medium. I guess we can’t handle fancy things! On Wednesday, we rented a scooter and explored the area! We stopped for coffee and later met up with the GKs for lunch. Since it was Christmas Eve, we planned to have dinner together at our resort later that night. After lunch we rent to the Forester Spa for massages. This place is great! It’s right on the beach and you can hear the waves as you get a massage. Jason and I both got relaxation massages. This was Jason’s first full body massage…lets just say he didn’t like it! After the massages I was feeling good so we decided to meet the GKs for drinks at Pogo. Pogo was also right on the beach and had big beds to lounge in by the water. We had some drinks and watched the sunset before headed to our place for Xmas eve dinner.
Vietnam Day 1
We arrive to Ho Chi Min City after a full day of traveling! We knew what to do as far as visas, so we were able to cut off some time in the visa line! We arranged for our hostel to pick us up since it was only $15! Once we checked in we set out to find some food! We are staying in district 1 known as the ‘backpacker’ area! We roamed around until stopping at a random restaurant. Jason’s yellow curry was delicious! After dinner, we were pretty tired so decided to head back to the hostel. Today we spent the whole day exploring they city using the Lonely Planet walking tour! We started at the Ben Thanh Market. This market was huge with typical SE Asian goods: t-shirts, watches, designer bags, etc. I was looking for sunglasses and had no problem finding some! After roaming around we continued the tour. We stopped for lunch at a small French cafe! We had pâté and ratatouille! It was barely noon and I was feeling tired and the heat was getting to me! We continued on to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Then We decided to detour and head to the War Remnants Museum. When we arrived it was closed for lunch, but were able to pass the time by having a few beers at the cafe across the road. The museum is sobering to say the least. After the museum we walked to the Sheraton hotel for roof top drinks. Since you’re paying for the view the drinks were pricey and not worth it. By this time it was almost 5 and we had been walking all day. Both of us were tired! We headed back to sleep he hostel to call it a day! Tomorrow we will be taking by a day trip to the Mekong Delta.
Iowans Abroad 