Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh September 2018
sept 10-19 2018
It was a very busy trip to visit the furniture shows and factories, but i was able to squeeze in some time to see some old friends in shanghai.
Sept 10 2018
Shanghai
well it was very difficult when we arrived in shanghai as we had left paris at around 12 noon on the 9th and arrived in shanghai at 6am on the 10th. Although i was able to sleep quite a bit on the plane, arriving that early in the morning is not easy. so once upon arriving at the apartment we freshened up then heading for a simple breakfast around the corner, after that was a short nap and then off to a much needed chinese foot and body massage. this has to be one the thing that i miss the most about living in china, the traditional chinese massages are so good and so much more affordable than what you would get in america or europe. and after a long flight it really does help the body relax and release some of that tiredness. after that we had a chinese dinner with one of our vietnamese supplies and then a bit of ktv, a typical way of entertaining. what a busy but somewhat relaxing first day.
Sept 11-14 2018
Shanghai
The next few days would be quite exhausting with visits to the furniture shows. there were some interesting furniture there but after a couple stalls all the furniture began to look the same. the atmosphere this time around was different as they were really trying to control the people and SEPARATE the two markets, domestic versus for export. before i disliked going to these shows in china as there were always large groups of people swarming each and every both and AGGRESSIVELY taking pictures of everything. they have now controlled it so you are only allowed to take pictures if you are an interested buyer, so that really has helped with lessing the crowds and MANAGING the chaos.
Sept 15 2018
Shanghai
I made my trip so that I could stay over the weekend in shanghai, which would allow me some time to see some old friends. i was jammed packed friday night and all day and night on saturday. it was so good to see and spend time with friends, i think living in shanghai or china you end up having certain bonds and very special relationships with the friends you meet, your friends do become your family there. even though that time has passed and most of them i had not seen in over a year, and yes there were many life changes in between but it felt like time had not passed and we just picked up where we last left off. that is truly special when you have friends that you can do this with.
It was a busy trip so here are some food pictures that i was able to capture.
Simple Dumplings (饺子）
Braised Pork Belly (红烧肉）
Beef Tartare Bowl at Bird
Japanese Rice Cake, Uni and Teriyaki at Bird
Senator Salon (an old frequent hang out spot)
Sept 16-19 2018
Ho Chi Minh
Well the days were filled with factory visits which is also quite exhausting as it is a lot of time in the car traveling to the factories. So it was only at night that i could explore a bit and try some local vietnamese food, i had not been to ho chi minh city before so it was a really quick intro to the city. i only had a few hours on the last day in the morning to walk around the city center before flying back home. a really busy city with lots of people and many scooters.
Different kinds of snacks with rice paper at Dong Pho Restaurant
Fried Fish '“Ho Doan” Style at Mandarine Restaurant
Vietnamese Coffee with Condensed Milk
Beef Stew Pho
BBQ pork w/rice noodles, bean sprouts & fried spring rolls at Propaganda Bistro
Vietnamese Escargot at Dong Pho Restaurant
Fresh Coconut!!
Green Papaya Salad at Mandarine Restaurant
City Hall
Grilled Pork Ribs with Cinnamon at Mandarine Restaurant
Tropical fruit in the Hotel
More Vietnamese Coffee at Propaganda Bistro
Tallest Building in the city
Opera House