Yup Icebar is on it's way to Shanghai,
It's gonna be on Huaihai Middle Road Shall be open from next month.
If you've never been before, the deal is you go in for 45 minutes, you get supplied coats and drinks.
Whole place is made of Ice, from the bar, to stool and of course the glasses.
The bar will cover 100 square meters and seat 60 people. It will cost visitors 100 yuan (US$13) to 130 yuan each for admission, a warm overcoat and a drink. The bar serves cocktails made of Absolut Vodka as well as some non-alcoholic drinks.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200705/20070523/article_316930.htm
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Icebar on it's way to Shanghai from next month
Fines to the drivers or bikers that blast that horn...
From June 1st 2007, Drivers (of Cars, Mopeds, Bikes)in Shanghai will not be allowed to blast their horns within the Outer Ring Roads,
They Will be fined 200 Yuan should they toot.
Outside of the Ring roads, the ban is still in place between the hours of 10pm -6am.
On average, about three of every 100 cars toot their horns on 70 city streets where the bureau monitors noise, while nearly one in 10 blares horns on noisy streets.
Horn-blowing moped drivers face fines ranging from five to 50 yuan, while four-wheel drivers can be penalized 200 yuan.
"Police officers caught breaking the rules by abusing sirens will also receive a fine ticket," said Zuo Tianfu, a director with the general team of traffic police yesterday.
I seriously don't see it happening just like that... but will be delighted if I can hear the birds in the sky.... The sounds of a horn I can hear from early as 5.30am from the 25th floor of where I live... doesn't really die down till around 10pm ish... each day.
quoted and sourced from.... Shanghai Daily
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200705/20070523/article_316894.htm
Living like a Local
*Originally sourced from benross.net
Came across this after browsing a few china expat Blogs...
The Deal is a White guy tries to live for a month as a local, his job is working in the barber shop, and it's not one of the up market salons, its one of the cheap 10 kuai haircut shops.
His duties will/ have included
- Sweeping Hair
- Cleaning Bathrooms
- Assisting Barbers
- Entertaining Customers
- Working 9am -8pm
- 3 days off a month
I'm kind of shocked that anyone would want to stand a month of working on minimum wage on pure choice, All expats over here can live v well, just on teaching english alone...
So in my view, he's kind of nuts to want to do it... but I do admire him for having the balls to go through with this experience and the balls to keep going.
Last note on this... he does seem to have a simple grasp of how people see him, which is good and has an ability to relate and blend in, rather then stick out like a v obvious person that doesn't want to be there.
His blog includes lots of detail, from a pep talk from the boss to many other things.... you want to check out the month of May, he appears to be doing field research as well into Chinese cuisine.
One of the original links I found this from was....
http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/articles/cw-magazine/blogger/living-local/?most_viewed=1
Paul of China... Documentary series
Those of you in the UK, may be watching a video series from Paul Merton a comic, who is travelling china. Essentially is a light hearted documentary making various notes of the strange and unusual stuff you don't see everyday...
Like for instance the guy who grows robots.
Other Highlights include...
Highlights include a visit to Mr Woo who makes amazing robots out of rubbish, much to the frustration of his long suffering wife. There is also a meal at a restaurant serving donkey’s penises and a trip to an expensive poodle parlour specialising in multi-coloured mohican
More information on this link
http://www.five.tv/paulmerton/
Tinanmen Square
Eating out...
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Tips on Living in China
Thought it was about time I put pen to paper and describe my quick tips on living abroad. But I may indicated the ones particularly for China.
- Check what Kind of Visa you may require for the country of Travel, make sure you buy a multi entry Visa, and be prepared to line up in the embassy in your country for half a day to sort this out... most embassies will process over night or charge you an express charge. So would be a good idea to go 1st thing in the morning before they open. Check with the language school /University what Type of Visa you will require.
Of course that is if your trip is for learning. - Check your Passport is current with at least 6 months to go before any renew.
- 4 Weeks before you go, you should also think hard about what vaccinations you will need or to update. In UK you can check what ones you may need on the NHS website
http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/ - Finance, should try to forecast what you may be paying for like accommodation, Tuition fees(if any) and budget for extra shock costs... upto a month or two if you can.
- Banking... be useful if you can ask your bank if they bank 1st of all out in that country, If you were to draw cash from the wall (ATM), how much extra cost it may be, query how easy or hard a International bank transfer may be,
- When you arrive into the country and got your permanent address sorted out... seek out a bank to set up an account, may prove useful later on, and another source for emergency funds.
- Bring spare phone or two if have, and get a local Sim card, ask if you can receive phone calls for free or not... was a surprise to me that not all countries allow free incoming calls, and you will be shocked how fast your credit goes.
- My china sim card, is free to receive, but only if you register the sim card, using an ID like a drivers license or passport.
- Travel light, it's best to bring things for a week change, then after that best to blend in with the locals and buy stuff from the shops, if your not sure what to wear, then browse good medium to high market shops and check out local advertisements or fashion magazines.
- Check if you need to register with the police, I think best to ask this question at the airport, or if you can ask anyone that has lived in the country your heading to. Normally this rule is in place in some places if you are going to stay longer then 2 weeks, you will go to the local police station and ask for a Temporary Residence Permit. Be aware that you may need to also photocopy things for them, as they appear not to always have photocopiers in police stations.
- Check if using hard currency is the medium for most everyday things... like eating out, buying groceries, using the subway and so on... you may not be able to depend on your plastic friend.
- When you arrive in the airport, hunt around for the tourists information, you may be able to get a local map of the central area.... very useful as they often have the roads in english and local language writing (in my case chinese). So may be useful asking a taxi driver where to go or getting directions.
- Write down important phrases you may use.... Don't try to pull out a phrase book to parrot them out of... for one you get spotted as a tourist target, and another they may spend too much time trying to understand you by flicking through the pages of your book, and not realise what your trying to ask.
- Get things written down in the local language, not everyone reads english, in china they don't all read Ping Yin either...
I got round this by writing it on PC, save or capture it to a picture and then load that picture on your mobile phone, or PDA, this then makes things easier to show people and also less bits of paper in your pocket to lose! - Keep in regular contact with friends (abroad and local), so should the worse happen, someone can help or chase you up.
- Watch local etiquette its a shocker for most people, just watch how locals behave, and try not to be offended if they spit, barge you, throw money at you, get impatient quickly, squeeze in with you on the bus /subway and so on....
- Sort out a Teaching qualification before you arrive, it may serve as a good alternative back up choice to teach, whilst your in limbo, hunting for work, studying and for what other reason. This serves as a bonus, as you will often come into people in similar circumstances that can speak your language to finding that room mate you were looking for, to a way of networking contacts to making friends. If your in UK and reading this... check out my other post on my blog.
- Haircuts... Make sure you take a picture of the hairstyle you adopt, as a picture can say a million things that words cannot... this helped me a lot in china when trying to explain what I wanted... cuz the longer you delay your haircut... the more nervous your gonna be trying to think of what to say... and your mind may just go blank.
Of Course Bare in mind, that you may be required to Pay for some of the Vaccinations with you local doctor, or Immunization clinic.
Also keep in mind even if you intend to live there, your prob gonna move around quite often till you settle, so don't buy too hastily and don't rush into the 1st flat you get, cuz not all landlords are helpful, places might be in a crappy area and the basics that you might get scammed. If you end up subletting, at least draw up a basic agreement on bills, rules, when you will leave, ref to your security deposit and mention how much notice you will receive should you ever get kicked out.
http://zmoves.blogspot.com/2006/11/tefl-prep-work-for-china.html
If your gonna teach then also consider what age groups you may end up teaching too.... I got a shocker when i was offered work to teach Kindergarten and I didn't know what to say.
I took the job, but found it hard to teach kids @ age 4-5 where there 1st language was not english, they were distracted easliey and some would cry some would talk a lot.
So make sure you know what range of people from adults, to teenagers, to older adults and finally to kids.
- Eyes- Make sure if you wear Contact lens, to bring a big supply with... You will want to use reliable solutions and lens particularly if you use disposable like myself, Although much of my stuff is made in China, it's not easy to find and to buy.... cheaper ones are always readily available but not as good quality. Also Bare in mind what time of year you may visit, as this summers are very hot, thus more Air conditioning will be on, and your eyes will dry out a lot lot quicker... So add eye drops as well to that list to bring with.
- More to come later....
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Free Wifi Cafes in Shanghai China
Quicky list on this link for free Wifi for those who need to stay in touch
http://www.gridskipper.com/travel/shanghai/shanghai-wifi-cafes-245726.php
Pirated Theme Parks
haha... never thought I would hear this one... but apparently a place called Shijingshan Amusement Park has created a fakey Disney land..
Check out the original link below for photos of Fakey Disney land
http://www.shanghaiist.com/archives/2007/05/07/forget_dvds_chi.php
No Car Day in China
I couldn't believe this one when I read it... but China has proposed September 22nd to be a no Car Free Day, this comes from the Powers that Be in Beijing.
I of course have no idea how this will be enforced or how it will be suggested to people to ditch their car for the day...
Original Link
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/41731/story.htm
Baby Boom Year... Golden Pig Year
I'm not even sure where I read this... but just recall this from some article that was mentioning about expected mothers to book early this year to the baby clinics for their treatments and delivery...
This is of course all linked in with the Idea that the Golden Pig Year is very lucky.
I wonder how much people are gonna milk for this one... of all the baby's born in
The Golden Pig Year,
Monday, May 14, 2007
Ikea Shanghai
I'm so sad... I had to go to the Ikea here in order to get my New Pad sorted out... when moved in I was missing everything in the Kitchen, so had to sort out my cookware, silverware and crockery.
Still has everything you need, things you didn't think you would need and it's bloody cheap here... I think some things are even cheaper then UK, given most of the stuff is made here after all!
Is there anything different inside?
Well asides from the chopsticks being available to eat with in the restaurant, and everything else now given a chinese flavour to the writing... not a lot else seemed much different.
Micro Machines fun!
Didn't know where else to blog this... but anyway...
Went Go Karting a couple of weekends ago... and it's cheap... 100 Kwai (approx 7 quid) gets you 20 mins approx of racing time, and it's serious fun... lots of laughs smashing your mates into the barriers and play real micro machines. Girls are mad drivers... they just have no fear!
This is near Shanghai Railway station near... Changshou Park (North Shanghai)
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Shot off to Hong Kong for Golden Week / May Holiday Week
Had a quick 4 day holiday in Hong Kong, left on Sunday and came back to
Pics link here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/livestrongjon/sets/72157600579003067/
This was more of a lazy trip more then anything else… I knew I wanted to buy a couple of things including my Organizer having only a week ago broke my Sony Clie by dashing it on the pavement as I exited the Taxi by accident.
Also I have been Hk at least 3 times previously so had no burning desire to run around crazy looking at everything... more to chill and see a few sights I had not previously.
So the 1st day… was just a lazy lie in as soon as I checked in. God I miss having a bath tub in the bathroom... so far yet to have it in my accommodation in Shanghai.
God Hong Kong can be different and the same as
- Different as you cross the streets and Taxi’s and cars and so on… obey the traffic lights.
- No one spits in the streets
- Cars drive
- Easy access to English reading newspapers and magazines
Same stuff
- Busy
- 24 hours open round the clock
- Lots of Street food available to eat
- More concentration of people that can speak English and Chinese
Had to force myself to try and speak some Cantonese on this trip… but found I was using some Mandarin words without thinking too hard about it. Guess these past 2 months have been influencing me.
It’s unfortunate that most of my friends weren’t in HK they have plans to go in September and so forth… had only one friend out there and saw him on my last night before I left.
Day 2
Well Day 2, ended up taking a walk down to Avenue of Stars. I was based out of Tsim Sha Tsai, my hotel was @ the
Great location for getting around, v central and accessible to the harbour and subway.
On the Avenue of Stars, one of the newer attractions only built last year I think, was a Life sized version of Bruce Lee. Was excellent in shape and had his trade mark over squeezed 8 pack and veins with muscles.
After this I wandered into some Street Markets,
Ones I visited on this trip were…
- Ladies Market (Mong Kok)
Day 3-5
I spent some of this time in Computer Centre desperately hunting down my PDA, Bonus part of buying in HK I guess, you get to bargain, the voltage is at 220 V or so and the manual and plug in British Standard.
So the Computer areas I went to were…
- Mongkok Computer Centre
- Golden computer arcade (Sham Shui Po)
Windsor House use to be so much bigger I recall, I remember back in 2004 it had around 5-6 floors of computer equipment, granted however most of the gear were replicated all over the floors, but were still able to bargain more.
I tend only to really bargain when its something expensive or buying a lot of things.
If you want to buy 2nd hand stuff, like phones and anything else… it’s best to head to
Apliu Street Market, around the streets it’s got shit loads of 2nd hand things, and the prices normally are pretty good. You can get anything from spare cable, to spare batteries, spare chargers and replacement parts.
Decided that I also wanted to see something different so also spent most of a day on Lantau island.
This is the island that houses Tian Tan Buddha (tallest and largest bronze seated Buddha in the world) , Po Lin Monastery and some beautiful scenery and beaches.
Amongst this as well, there is a Sutra on wooden pillars placed in a form of a figure “∞” to symbolise immeasurable splendour and infinity.
This was all viewable from the Wisdom Path, but one should budget a decent hour to take their time to explore this, they say 15 mins but they lie…. It’s much longer then that to walk around. Also bare in mind if you paid for your cable car as the last one is @ 1830 hrs, after that you will have to take a long long coach ride down to the subway… but I’m told that the sunset is unbeatable to view.
On my last day I also got round to viewing
Also got to see the Soho Mid levels, a really long escalator… built in the middle of Ally ways in Central.
Didn’t however explore much of the night life this time… like bars and clubs on this trip, perhaps I didn’t feel it… or its best enjoyed with friends.
Oh yes quick tip, they allow you to check in the airport express in Central now... So you don't have to lung your main luggage the whole stretch. Shanghai hasn't got this yet on the Maglev train... but prob will eventually... it's cool to ride on it at the 430Km/hour it gets upto.
Things to do on my next HK trip…
- To eat my way through Hung Hom… 50+ restaurants (
- Eat more Dim Sum
- See more HK Beaches
- Do some Hiking across HK
Details of my 2nd trip in Oct 2007
http://lifeinthefareast.blogspot.com/2007/11/one-and-half-weeks-in-hong-kong.html
Photos only
http://www.flickr.com/photos/livestrongjon/sets/72157602769256287/
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