We had breakfast at the hotel, having bought food the night before. I love the [starch] potato chips which are very cheap and taste almost like pringles though these are thicker and mildly flavored. These potato chips are sold on the street near the hotel we stayed in. Aside from this, we had cakes and the dark green thingies which were made of glutinous rice which we bought near
Jade Temple. Last night we saw lots of people flocking to the stall and we got curious so we bought some for ourselves. And they're not bad, considering I used to not like Chinese pastries (except hopia and mooncake). The two instant noodles were bought by V. We all agreed that the sour fish flavor is more delicious. (And now I miss those noodles!)
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| breakfast of junk food on our last day |
Our last day in Shanghai was a Sunday. 七寶 (Qibao town) was already crowded by the time we got there in the morning and as time passes by, more and more visitors flocked to the famous ancient town which is more than a thousand years old now.
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| On the way to Qibao, one can see the town's history on the walls |
The town, which literally means "seven treasures", (and is also the kanji name of Shippo the small fox in the animé Inu Yasha for a bit of trivia) derives its name from the presence of Qibao Temple. To regress further, the temple got its name because it housed seven treasures in the form of the Iron Buddha, a bronze bell, a Lotus Sutra scripted in gold, a thousand year old Catalpa tree, a jade axe, a gold cockerel, and a pair of jade chopsticks.
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| Qibao is a water town... reminds me of Water 7 in the animé "One Piece" |
Like
豫園 (Yuyuan), Qibao is famous for many small shops selling assorted crafts and snacks. There are many things to do in this ancient town and it's very popular with tourists. I think the best part of this town aside from the cheap and delicious food is that there's a shop here that sells real swords! If only I had the resources and the means, I would have certainly bought one. My only worry is that it might just get confiscated at the airport. Sigh! If only I could pay for shipping.
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| perfect for cosplay... on second thought, they are REAL swords! |
V and I shared a bowl of goat meat ramen in this town. I was disappointed though to find it has less spices compared to the ramen houses to frequent in Manila. Still at least I got to try goat meat. It's not everyday that I get to eat goat meh heh!
Done with shopping, we headed to the subway and as we were waiting for the train, I caught a glimpse of an ad across the platform: ONE PIECE!!! I almost cried! It's true then that this animé is well-loved in this country. I should know since I used to watch random episodes on CTV when I was still a student.
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