day 65_out and about

Today I met up with a friend for lunch and some shopping / wandering in the city. First things first, I had to find the place we were meeting for lunch. I took the MRT to a different stop (new to me) and then walked for quite a bit... almost certain I was lost... before I finally arrived at the restaurant, Kao Chi. This restaurant is very famous for it's dumplings, and is better known among the locals than the tourists... definitely a good place to check out!

Yongkang Street

Lunch!
[From left: Steamed shrimp buns, Cold noodles, Steamed vegetable buns,
Steamed pork buns, Shrimp/Leek wraps]

Once we'd had our fill of some tasty traditional Chinese food, we went looking for an antique market nearby. Specifically, my friend had read about this place and was hoping to find some fun vintage items... but when we found what we think was the market... it seemed small and slightly disappointing. There were other antique shops on the same street, but they all appeared to be closed on a Saturday afternoon. So we wandered the small market and then noticed a staircase leading up. Thinking that this was an extension of the antique market, we hopped right up the stairs only to discover... a library! Yay!!! I have been looking for a library branch and had actually mentioned it to my friend as well, so when we stumbled upon this branch location, we decided to go ahead and get library cards - since we were there. Unfortunately, I still need to find the library branch nearest to my home, but no wonder I have had difficulty finding it! They are in the most random locations, typically labeled with Chinese signage only, and often located on upper floors of buildings - so that if you didn't know exactly where the library was, you would have a hard time finding it!

Library

After the library, we shopped a bit. I suddenly realized that I have about a month left to do my Christmas shopping (which could be really fun here, exploring the little shops!) and we saw some really cute stores today, but I only ended up purchasing a few postcards... for now :) We finished up our adventures with a trip to the flower market. I had passed by the flower market before, but not yet stopped there. It was really lovely. Lots of plants and flowers, as you would imagine... and all at very reasonable prices.

Jianguo Holiday Flower Market (entrance)

So many varieties and colors

Orchids everywhere you turn! Beautiful.