We didn't do too much yesterday...most of the day was spent shopping, getting a manicure, and eating lots of food!!! :) We needed a relaxing day since we'd been on road trips everyday since Mimi and her mom picked me up. Mimi's mom has two assistants in Xi'an, so we hung out with them as well. I didn't have much luck shopping...the style of clothes here are not my type! I'm hoping Hong Kong will be better, but I hear it's just as expensive as the US. Also, Mimi told me they no longer sell the fake purses in Hong Kong...it's been banned!!! We are going over to Hong Kong tomorrow and I'm meeting up with Wendy and Patrick (from the volunteer house)...I hope I find something to buy!
We flew to Shenzhen this morning and got in around lunchtime. Shenzhen is soooooo much nicer than Xi'an. It's cleaner and looks more modern (but still hard to find western toilets...thank goodness for Starbucks...I love them even though I don't drink their coffee!!!). For some reason, I had this impression that Shenzhen was run-down and dirty (Kiwi - you said it was a factory town!)...but it looks like a pretty nice city in my opinion (or maybe my standards are so low now from being in other parts of Asia??!?!). I'm staying at Mimi's house and it's a REALLY nice place. I feel like I am at a resort...the condo is in a beautiful highrise that is gated. There is a nice walking area for all the residents and someone is always around to man the gates and elevator. There are also workers who are around to pick up the doggie's poop so the residents don't have to do it...that's how you know this is a really nice place!! I've gone from rags to riches...at least till I get to the next city! :)
I'm still eating non-stop. Mimi's mother won't stop feeding me, even when I tell her I am not hungry. This is an Asian thing...always feeding other people. :) We had 8 entrees for the 3 of us today during lunch...and we finished most of it!!! We had Cantonese food and the place we went to was fabulous! At this restaurant, they have all the fresh seafood and entrees out for you to select (that way, you know what you are getting!). Once you select it, they will cook it fresh for you and bring it to your table. There were rows and rows of food...I wish I could've tried them all...but I guess 8 entrees was enough this time around! For dinner, we had Hunan food. Oh my gosh, everything was cooked with chilis!!! Now I know why they have a reputation for being spicy! My favorite dish was seasoned fried boiled eggs with chilis and onions. I'm going to have to try this at home and see if I can make something similar. Luckily, we only had 4 entrees tonight...but we did eat at a mango dessert place before dinner...so I was already full when I went to dinner!
Internet connection here is really really slow...so I'm going to stop and head to bed now...no pictures since it will take forever to upload.... :(
