Shanghai Metro/M.O.C.A

Success! I managed to navigate the Shanghai subway system w/out looking stupid! This was a bit tricky as I descended into the underground. AS I stepped in I discovered that another civilization ha started. I was surrounded by shops and restaurants. Where's the subway again? Turns out shopping centers sprawl the underground too. I stepped into a food court/heavily Japanese themed shopping district.
Hummus? Granola? Philadelphia cream cheese? Pepperidge Farm? Yeah if you are really homesick then you shouldn't be because they have everything here. There's no wonder so many foriegners can endure Shanghai. Shanghai has always been a very westernized city. I managed to find a few places on Lonely Planet that proved to fit my taste. Sadly I didn't manage to find the "Bund train", which the ticket covers admissions into the Museum of erotica. :( Tomorrow then!

Shanghai MOCA

I visited the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art "MOCA"
The entrance looked like a back door. and I also thought it wasn't open until security opened the door.
The exhibition on display showcased "modern India"; the fusion of South Asian Art in contemporary society. Quite interesting. I was really drawn to several works. The first was an imitation (is that the right word?) of DaVinci's "Last Supper", but with headscarf ladies.The second piece of art was a pair of flip flops. it had safe practices printed on each side. Here's one side.

On the top floor aka 'the art lounge' has a rooftop patio and cafe bar. our ticket takes 10 RMB off your bill. So, I decided to gaze at the Shanghai panorama sipping an iced pear mango slushy. Beautiful way cool off. M.O.C.A is tucked inside the "People's Park" along w/ a Moroccan styled lounge/restaurant called "Barborossa's." Last night on channel ICS they showcased Barbarossa's. Everything (furniture) is handmade, there is a fusion of Roman and Arabic architecture. When you're in the park the noisy Shanghai downtown just fades away. It's very tranquil here. It's as if you got away from Shanghai and yet the funny thing is it's just a few hundred feet away.

I got misprofiled for the billionth time today. Today's count: 3 (one after another)
It was 'mistaken for Korean' marathon. Getting out of People's Park, a girl started speaking English at me. I ignored her. Then, she pulled some Japanese. Keep walking Susan. Suddenly I heard Korean "oh she must be Korean" she uttered. I turned around at this point. That's it.
"Whose Korean? Do you speak Korean?" (I said in Japanese)

"Oh!!! Sorry!!! I thought...my friend is from Singapore, though you were too then I thought noo she's gotta be Korean!"

"How???? No offense, but do I seriously look Korean?"

"Well...you give off a different vibe, from your walking and you don't look like a PRC"

"okay..." I said

"so you're from like China-Taiwan?"

My response, " uhh no I'm sino-American"

"we couldn't tell, seriously we thought you were Korean."

I kept walking towards the subway when suddenly I saw two foriegners w/two Chinese girls have a hard time communicating. I heard snippets of "no no...the museum...what's fun here"

"you guys need help?" I said.

"oh thank God" the tall one said. The girls were speaking broken English, which proved to be futile. Sorry ladies. Shorter man spoke French and was absolutely shocked when I started w/ "Qu'est ce que vous cherchez?"

Later that day I spent 80 RMB on a roundtrip ticket on the Maglev train. 400 km/hr. Takes 8 minutes from Longyang station to the International Airport. That train is fast!


Domani: I will try to find that Turkish restaurant on Huai Hai Road. Wish me luck