I woke up around 6:30am (here is the hotel on Google maps)to a sunny sky and some hunger. I polished off the leftover fruit from the night before, and took it easy, checking email, and Skyping back home. I went down to the fitness center around 8:30am and worked out a bit and felt great. I returned to my room, showered, and worked on blogs until 11:30, when my lunch arrived...
This time I ordered the citrus cured salmon (88RMB), and the Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice with chicken, beef stays, grilled prawns, fried egg, and prawn cracker (78RMB). Honestly, I didn't care too much for the salmon. The prawns and beef were best, but the chicken, rice and egg was ok as well. Fueled up, I was ready to head outdoors around noon...
I headed West to a familiar destination, the Parkland Mall (here it is on Google Maps)- a upscale mall, even for the US. The mall itself is quite large and new, with even a couple of familiar stores like Columbia, Haagen Daz, and a McDonalds. However, the area around the mall had many interesting places to walk with outside street vendors, and my favorite grocery stores. Alas, I did not see any of my favorite candy apples on a stick - I wonder if that is just around the Chinese New Years. After walking around the area for a bit, I decided to head back. I did venture through the underground shopping area, mostly due to the fact that you have to walk through it to cross the road - as there is no way to cross it above ground. I got back to the hotel around 3:00pm feeling a bit tired, so I did indulge in a 30 minute nap - which turned into 2.5 hours. I forced myself to get up (fearing I would be awake all night) and headed downstairs to the lobby to listen to a Philippine music group that I have heard is pleasant. I took a seat in the spacious and upscale lobby and was soon handed a drink menu. I just had a Tsing-Tao beer. It was served with a small silver tray of peanuts and what turned out to be a salty freeze-dried pile of green beans of some sort that were excellent. I think everywhere I have had a beer, it is served with peanuts. Anyway, I listened to the band for awhile - quite entertaining. A guy on the piano, someone playing a saxophone (and sometimes a flute), and another playing a cello. They were all men, I would say in their 40s-50s wearing cool white tuxedos - reminded me very much of the attire in the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (where the setting was Shanghai in 1935 in a bar called, Obi Wan's - a deliberate reference to George Lucas' other famous series - Star Wars).
I headed West to a familiar destination, the Parkland Mall (here it is on Google Maps)- a upscale mall, even for the US. The mall itself is quite large and new, with even a couple of familiar stores like Columbia, Haagen Daz, and a McDonalds. However, the area around the mall had many interesting places to walk with outside street vendors, and my favorite grocery stores. Alas, I did not see any of my favorite candy apples on a stick - I wonder if that is just around the Chinese New Years. After walking around the area for a bit, I decided to head back. I did venture through the underground shopping area, mostly due to the fact that you have to walk through it to cross the road - as there is no way to cross it above ground. I got back to the hotel around 3:00pm feeling a bit tired, so I did indulge in a 30 minute nap - which turned into 2.5 hours. I forced myself to get up (fearing I would be awake all night) and headed downstairs to the lobby to listen to a Philippine music group that I have heard is pleasant. I took a seat in the spacious and upscale lobby and was soon handed a drink menu. I just had a Tsing-Tao beer. It was served with a small silver tray of peanuts and what turned out to be a salty freeze-dried pile of green beans of some sort that were excellent. I think everywhere I have had a beer, it is served with peanuts. Anyway, I listened to the band for awhile - quite entertaining. A guy on the piano, someone playing a saxophone (and sometimes a flute), and another playing a cello. They were all men, I would say in their 40s-50s wearing cool white tuxedos - reminded me very much of the attire in the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (where the setting was Shanghai in 1935 in a bar called, Obi Wan's - a deliberate reference to George Lucas' other famous series - Star Wars).
For about half of the songs, a female singer in a fancy dress came out and sang. They were mostly Chinese songs, but pleasant and relaxing. They stopped at 10:00pm, and I heard the music from another bar - F2 - located downstairs. So, Since I wasn't tired, headed down to hear some more music. The narrow stairway let me to a modern looking, average sized bar. It had a row of tables around the outside, and a long oval bar in the center that could seat about 100 if full. However, this evening, the bar was slightly less than full, with about 10 people in there, counting myself! The band was in full swing and was a young group - 2 female singers, one male one the electric guitar, and another on a keyboard. I heard them play about 5 songs- some American, some Chinese. After polishing off my weak Bacardi and Coke (78RMB) I called it a night and went up to my room around 11:15pm.
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