Due to some sleep deprivation, yesterday morning I enjoyed some coffee with my tasty xiaolongbao, a style of steamed bun/dumpling* famous in Shanghai.
![Starbucks coffee with xiaolongbao in Shanghai](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Fo2OoAWnLMY/UMnehKtmyHI/AAAAAAAAG2Q/n7hohJ8brp0/s640/shanghai-coffee-xiaolongbao.jpg) |
My way of doing "fusion" |
Later in the day, I departed Shanghai not
by high-speed rail, but by bus, because I hoped I would get to cross the Hangzhou Bay Bridge. However, the bus took another route, and the scenery often included the high-speed rail tracks. Oh well, at least I got to ride shotgun.
![view of road and nearby high speed rail tracks from a bus in China](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5OPvFoXpxyU/UMnd0tMln6I/AAAAAAAAG1s/1j0jFilP60I/s640/road-train-tracks.jpg) |
The bus driver was a fan of "proactive honking", a practice I have noticed more often in other regions of China. |
One obvious difference from riding the train was stopping at the Xiasha (下沙) travel service center. Unlike the service center I visited on the way to Wuzhou, it did not have
a restaurant "inspired" by McDonald's.
![Xiasha, Hanghzhou service center](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JWhkyvDK-3A/UMnd2IF6okI/AAAAAAAAG2E/-DrD-t4q_rA/s640/xia-sha-pit-stop.jpg) |
I don't think this experience justifies putting Xiasha on my list of visited places. |
After arriving at my hotel in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, I asked the manager to recommend a place for dinner. He provided one and said I should take a taxi there. But I later discovered that available taxis were not plentiful at the time. So I improvised, and based on an earlier glance at a map I figured heading east would be my best bet to find a worthy restaurant. After walking for 10-15 minutes, I was surprised to see the street mentioned by the hotel manager. And about 5 minutes later I found the recommended restaurant. Sometimes it all works out in the end.
![Zhuangyuan Lou Restaurant at night](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--jQcLSxtrjc/UMnd2Al4H-I/AAAAAAAAG2A/s4jfHLhABqg/s640/shaoxing-zhuang-yuan-lou-restaurant.jpg) |
A good recommendation -- Zhuangyuan Lou Restaurant |
In addition to my meal, I enjoyed a bottle of Shaoxing's famous huangjiu or "yellow wine". If you like Manischewitz wine, you might love this stuff.
![bottle of huangjiu in China](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x6tUUWM-2-E/UMnd0aFSo5I/AAAAAAAAG1o/hzJj46h3ZV4/s640/shaoxing-huang-jiu.jpg) |
A good way to celebrate arriving in Shaoxing |
As I walked back to my hotel, I watched a bit of night dancing at a public square.
![dancing at a square in China](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iVJs3cbEOtg/UMnd0h3IoBI/AAAAAAAAG1w/utTq4RM60_o/s640/shaoxing-dancing.jpg) |
Earlier I saw a large group of older women dancing to American hip hop music.
Unfortunately, it was too dark to record a video. |
And that's all for this light travel-bloggish post. I'm still sleep deprived but I hope to resolve that issue now. More later...
*Whether it should be described as a bun or a dumpling can be a deeply religious issue for some people. Perhaps I will touch on this debate of taxonomy and translation another day.
MMM, I want one of those buns/dumplings!!! Yum, yum, yum. And with some of that wine. Did you pee on the bus?
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