Dajing Ge Pavillon

With Poppy finding Shanghai too cold for comfort, we set off for local Chinese outdoor shop Bosideng to get some extra insulation. Google Maps sent us to Zhonghua Rd near Laoximen; however when we arrived, we found just an empty dilapidated building. The next nearest shop was at Nanjing E - this time we confirmed that it actually had some photos and a phone number attached to it first!

Things happen for a reason though, and we were quite happy for the chance to explore the Laoximen area. Discovered some nummy egg tarts, pork jerky, stewed meat and kao fu at a popular queued up shop. Then at Nanjing E, Davy was overjoyed to find not one, or even two, but three little tourist trains - red, blue and green! He was so keen that he literally jumped into the photo with two thumbs up! Next, over to Shanghai’s old streets around Yu Yuan. After a brief stroll, the hungry team soon found itself heading back toward Laoximen for proper sustenance.

As luck would have it, we came across a street food stand that sold not only veggie fried noodles but also fried veggie dumplings! Perfect to keep everyone on an even keel and just in time too. It was starting to rain lightly by this time, but our luck continued to hold and we found the last open veggie stand in one of the local markets near the subway station. A wonderful selection of fresh veg - first carrots we’d seen in China (we were really missing our carrot fix!) spinach, broccoli, bok choy, some funky leafy green trees that Meg decided looked pretty. We filled our bags for a whopping 3 CHF!Read more