Rolling, Rolling, Rolling on the River

One thing I've wanted to do before my time in China is done is to go visit a water village. There are lots of neat towns near Shanghai that are basically built around waterways (a few claim the title of "Venice of the East"). A few friends coordinated a day trip to go to Zhujiajiao, which was about 45 minutes west of town. This little village is super cool - it was built nearly 2,000 years ago. There were a few small bodies of water intersecting to form roads, with shops, restaurants and other buildings lining the sides. Here are a few photos I snapped:

We decided to start by walking around a garden at the front of the village:

Since we were in a water village, there was no way we were leaving without taking a leisurely boat ride. It was so fun! What a great way to travel. We saw some great sights along the water, and went under several beautiful bridges:

There were other buildings to check out in Zhujiajiao. We went into Buddhist and Taoist temples, art galleries and even a historical pharmacy:

One of the greatest parts of this day trip was the shopping! I picked up a few great things - stitched artwork, a great drawing of the village, a unique jewelry box and a few other trinkets that some of you may see in your Xmas stockings! It was fun exploring and seeing the crafts here. There was still chotchky shopping and junkie stuff, but there were many more stores filled with artwork, crafts, jewelry and other unique items. I'm also really regretting not purchasing either the "Congratulations for Getting Rich" or the "Propitious is Pleasant" magnets. Either would have been a lovely addition to my home:

I loved my day at Zhujiajiao! Another thing I can cross of my list.

I've mentioned in here a few times that I've enjoyed eating at a style of restaurant called hot pot. This was a big week for people coming to China from my company - we had three new faces in Shanghai on shorter-term assignments. We got the crew together and headed to dinner one night at a hot pot place. I had to laugh when one of my co-workers pointed out this option to add to our food sauces:

Yep, MSG. Sounds delicious.

It's nearly Labor Day Weekend, and I'm missing out on some fun festivities at home. I guess I got my Labour Day back in May, but it seems weird that I'll be working Monday. Have a great holiday weekend for me!