...and then we ended in Shanghai

The last stop on my China tour was in Shanghai.  This is truly an amazing city and I could have stayed here for days.  We did many things, including some shopping in the markets.  I even had to buy an extra suitcase so I could get everything I bought home with me.  I shopped for myself, family and friends and as long as you didn't mind haggling over prices, you could get things at a decent price.  I will say prices were lower if you were Chinese, always...but I didn't mind the prices I paid.

This is outside of a museum.  I loved the architecture in Shanghai.  It is (or maybe was) known as the Paris of the East, and it shows.  I saw major ritzy boutiques, even Loius Vuitton stores.  Fashion galore.  You can even find dress shops to make clothes for you, I just didn't have enough time.

This is at one of the markets.

This was a meat vendor at the market.

Frogs, really?

This is a tapestry, and I love dragons.

This is at the Sea Palace restaurant.

Going to another market.

Street food vendor.

Yes, that is a Starbucks.  They only had 2 there at the time and I went to both and bought t-shirts at both.  Another one I liked in Shanghai was the Hagen Daas, but it wasn't ice cream since they don't do ice cream here, it was ice milk.  But it was still a tasty treat and walking distance from our hotel.

We visited the Children's Palace.  This is a place for children to learn extracirricular activities, like art and dance and even music.  They go to school and then come here for after school lessons.  This was during the summer so I think they had summer programs too for learning and advancing the skills of children.

This is in a classroom.

Ok, here are some of my favorite pictures.  This is in a pharmacy at a hospital in Shanghai.  This is the mixing of herbs to make prescriptions for patients.

Not food...these are prescriptions of herbs to be taken home and most likely boiled for a tea of some sort.

Storage of the herbs.

There's me.  I think I am wondering what the heck, and how can they just toss some things together and have that be medicine.  Definitely not what I am used to.

Here is the meal service in the hospital.  All of us dietitians were dying to snap pictures of this.

Here they are checking off that they are feeding the right patient and I am guessing checking on the right meal too.  Gina asked me yesterday (I think, these days are running together) about sodium and potassium restrictions on dialysis patients, and from what I saw in the dialysis center, no.  They were eating veggies we would not allow in the states due to potassium content.  Hey, at least they were eating rice, right?  I also noticed people on dialysis drinking fluids (no restriction) and eating soup which I imagine was high in sodium, so that was my shock there.  Now in this unit at the hospital, I believe it was a general med/surg floor and I think they may have watched for people who were diabetics, maybe?  Since we had the language barrier, we asked, but I am not sure I may have always fully understood.  So I left a lot up to observations, knowing I may misinterpret something.

Lastly, we went to a tea, a real official tea, before we left the country.  These were our samples.

This is one of my favorites.  I personally do not drink tea, but I bought these for my sister.  These are handbound jasmine buds that bloom when boiled in hot water.  The glass pot gives this unreal effect.

The last thing I did in Shanghai was ride the Maglev (bullet) train.  I do not have a picture, but I got to the airport early, so I got on the train from the airport, rode out of town, and then back to the airport. 

The Shanghai Maglev Train or Shanghai Transrapid (simplified Chinese: 上海磁浮示范运营线; traditional Chinese: 上海磁浮示范運營線; pinyin: Shànghǎi Cífú Shìfàn Yùnyíng Xiàn; literally "Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Demonstration Operation Line") is a magnetic levitation train (maglev) line near Shanghai, China. It is notable for being the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world—during a test run on November 12, 2003, a Maglev vehicle achieved a Chinese record speed of 501 km/h (311 mph). The journey was designed to connect Shanghai Pudong International Airport quickly to the outskirts of central Shanghai where passengers could interchange or their final desinations in the city centre. Construction of the line began in March 2001 and public service commenced on January 1, 2004.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Maglev_Train

It was a cool ride.  I know it is actual transportation, but I felt like I was at an amusement park.

Well, that is it for my trip to China, touring as an RD and food professional in their country.  It was an awesome experience and if you ever get the chance to go, I do recommend it.  Thanks so much for taking the time to read along all week about my journeys.  Next week I'll get back to life here in the Azores.

QUESTION:  What is your favorite kind of tea?

GIVEAWAY ALERT:  How about a great giveaway for Larabars from Prevention RD, CLICK HERE!

Have a happy Friday!!!