The adventures of a self-declared permanent student

Not What Vivaldi Had In Mind!

So I spent last night at the 4 Seasons in Shanghai. Something every student can afford (yeah, right!). Seriously, though, it was Cassie's birthday last Wednesday and her dad is in town, and as a present, set her up in a room for the evening at one of the prettiest hotels I've ever seen. The huge gold ceilings, white people everywhere (trust me, it's rare enough to notice when there are several in a contained area), shiny floors, and a beautiful waterfountain. There were staff to stand by the door and greet you, open cab doors, open the hotel doors, take your luggage, watch your luggage, just say hello, check you in, check you out, attend to every little need the people staying at the hotel had. I swear, at some moments, it seemed like there were more staff than guests. Well, after looking like a complete idiot, staring with my jaw wide open, we dropped our stuff off in the room (2 single beds, I took the floor with Elena, Cass got her own bed and Kate & Hilary spooned in the second bed) we went out for dinner across the street. I don't even know the name of the place, it could probably hold 20 people max, but it was hugely popular with celebrities from China, Hong Kong, and the surrounding area (Jackie Chan and Zhong Yamou are big fans). We had so much food, a bottle of red wine from Tianjin (where Cassie's family is originally from) and indulged ourselves in one of the best meals I've had in the city. We ate everything from duck liver, to an entire fish, a wonderful tomato soup with thick, flat rice noodles. Yum!! And the food kept coming! We then wandered downtown for a few hours, ending up in an old restored part of town that now houses a number of different establishments all inspired by different internation cultures. There were wine & cigar bars, bistros, a Moulin-Rouge inspired restaurant with entertainment, coffee houses, tea houses, lounges, Zen bars, and we ended up at an Italian Gelato dessert place (of course, no one working there was Italian), that was fantastic. After a long night of eating, we headed back to the hotel, started up a movie (first Harry Potter, but the quality sucked, then Finding Neverland, but we fell asleep) and went to bed. Hilary and Elena had to get up early for their placement, so the rest of us stuck around, went for an amazing breakfast at the hotel (which normally costs 220 RMB, or almost 40Cdn - but it was included in the room), which had omlettes, cereal, french pastries (very well done!), Chinese dumplings, crispy bacon, wow, it was fantastic. We then went for a bit of a swim and indulged in the steam room & sauna after. I could have lived in the Women's changeroom, no problems! We checked out at 1pm, and Cass' dad came by and took Cass, Kate & I shopping (the only ones left) in an underground shopping plaza (that was so big, I got completely lost). There was nothing I really wanted (or could afford) down there, so I just looked around (don't worry mom, I haven't hit the knock-off market yet, so I'll get your stuff when I get there). After a long day, I headed home with Kate on the Metro, and sadly enough, encountered yet another physically deformed child begging for money. My dad told me that in Shenzhen, it wasn't unusual for parents to mutilate their children so that they would get more money from begging. I have a feeling that this isn't a novel experience, and that I will encounter it quite frequently.

Anyways, the point is: if you ever have more money than you know what to do with, the Four Seasons is a great way to spoil yourself, and apparently it's not the best hotel in the city. The 6 star hotel is a little cheaper because it's not in as nice a location (not a bad location, just further from downtown). Oh well, the price you pay...

posted by Jenn @ 8:09 a.m.