We experienced the Shanghai Soup Buns. The Soup Buns have a dumpling in the center and you have to drink the soup out with a straw. It was quite tasty and we even tried other local specialties. The Chinese New Year celebrations started on Chinese New Years Eve- Saturday, February 17. At noon to be precise, we started to hear the fireworks go off. Let's just say, we thought that the Fourth of July fireworks were a big thing back in the States. That's nothing compared to what the locals do here. The fireworks were going on NON-STOP from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning, February 18 at 1:30 AM. When it was quiet enough, we were finally able to fall asleep. Only to be awaken at 5:20 AM by the sounds of more fireworks that continued on and off throughout the day. I suspect the fireworks will continue at least for a few more days. The fireworks are used to scare away the evil spirits. My feeling is, the locals not only scared away the evil spirits of this year, they probably scared away all the evil spirits for the next 10 years too. It sounds like we're living in a war zone. Words can't even describe the smoke conditions on Saturday evening when it was going on full blast.
Before my cousin and her daughter had to leave to return to Hong Kong, we had a chance to take them to Suzhou. Suzhou is located about an hour outside of Shanghai and is one of China's oldest cities. It dates back to 514 B.C. when King Helu of Wu settled there and dug numerous canals and began private gardens that earned Suzhou the title the "Venice of the East." We were able to take in the sights of the Humble Administrator's Garden that was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1509 A.D. It was quite strange to be walking through a place that was built over 450 years ago. I could actually envision the ladies sauntering through the gardens in their silk wardrobes and playing music in the various pavillons located on the estate. We're now recovering from our eating and touring excursions and will rest up until our next guest arrives next month. My former colleague from International Paper, Deborah Haraldson, will be in Shanghai for business. Deborah is a fellow foodie and this will allow us to take her out and experience all the great food finds. Now, if I can just get a job as a food critic, then I would really have a great time here!
