SHANGHAI CARREFOUR HYPERMARKET

On the last day of the tour, we spent our morning "free at leisure". Hubby and I decided to go for shopping at Carrefour Hypermarket which is just a few blocks away from the hotel.


Carrefour (which means "crossroads"), is the world's second largest ratailer after Wal-Mart. Carrefour operates more than 12, 500 stores in Europe, Latin America, North Africa and Asia.

Oh my goodness! I sooo love the store. This well-known French grocery chain offers a large choice of both Chinese and Western products. I never thought I'd use the word "magnificent" to describe a supermarket, but it definitely fits here. Name brands, great selection, major savings... what else can you ask for! It was the best shopping ever!

I love the fact that everything is really affordable and I could find all that I needed from clothing & accessories, health & beauty, home & garden, household appliances, sports and accessories, electronics and a lot more.



And the most fascinating part are the wide selections of food that are outrageously bounteous which are like manna from heaven. And there's a section where you can even ask them to cook it for you.

When we went to the bread section, I was exceedingly gaga over their plenteous breads, cakes, cookies and pastries. It was really a tempting site that I wanted to buy all of it. I could probably kill more than an hour here just browsing and tasting their various food samples. mwehehe...



And there are restaurants in front of the hypermarket where you can relax and enjoy good food after shopping.



It's easy to shop here because all the information are both in Chinese and English. As for now, I would probably say, Carrefour Hypermarket in Shanghai is my absolute favorite grocery store. Going there is an experience in itself...

After shopping, we went back to our hotel to drop off our grocery bags and to freshen up a little bit. We went downstairs to the hotel lobby and we met all our traveling companions who had checked out already. After a few minutes we boarded on bus and headed to Purple Mountain Hotel for lunch..

YUYUAN BAZAAR

After shopping at Nanjing Road, we went to YuYuan Bazaar located in the downtown area of Shanghai. The bazaar has lots of souvenir shops specialize in traditional Chinese arts, crafts and jewelries, crammed together in small and large alleys.

There's a Starbucks Coffee right in front of the lake just in case you want a uniquely blended coffee beverage while relaxing.



The Yuyuan Bazaar is located next to the Yuyuan Garden. But sad to say, I didn't even get to the garden as I was burned out already from all the walking particularly in Nanjing Road. I chose to relax and had a good meal in a large food court with variety of dishes from traditional Chinese fare to more adventurous Shanghai offerings. After we had our snacks, hubby went out to explore more, while I just spent virtually my time watching and observing a handful of tourists and locals strolling along the promenade, buying mementos and keepsakes to bring home and snapping photos everywhere.

After more than an hour, hubby came to pick me up and we went back to our meeting point (Starbucks) with the rest of our tour mates. Along the way, we happened to see a fine Chinese dramatic presentation in which a short retelling story was performed with puppetry production using marionette puppets, photos and slides.

NANJING ROAD

After lunch we were given time to mosey through the stores on Nanjing Road. In the early century Nanjing Road in Shanghai was the first commercial road. And now, it's a shopper's paradise known as the "Oriental Paris". This extensive commercial shopping district has loads of modern shopping malls, specialty stores, theatres and international hotels lining up the streets.

This place is often jam-packed of locals and foreign visitors because of comparatively reasonable prices and good bargains for the wide selection of items.



I really don't enjoy shopping for clothes when I'm out of the country. But when hubby and I caught sight of a chic boutique named Meters/Bonwe (the largest casualwear retail brand in China), I had a wonderful time and enjoyed my shopping there. We came out with shopping bags full of amazing stuff like t-shirts, blouses and body bags. Being the cheapskate that I am, I was super elated that they were on sale. When we went back to the bus, some of our tour mates asked us where we had our shopping spree. They were impressed and envious of all our purchases. They wished that they, too, had been there. Lucky us! mwehehe...

One of my best buy in Meters/Bonwe bought at 60% off RMB25.



If you're tired walking, you can also enjoy a quick and comfortable tour ride on a tramcar .



One of the Auto Banking Machine stationed along Nanjing Road.



Public restrooms are found generally in the department stores and restaurants. But if you want a more hygienic restrooms look for big hotels and new shopping malls.

Strikingly Unfamiliar:
We were strolling down the alley when suddenly I felt the call of nature. So I looked for restroom in a busy regular shopping mall. I went towards the women's restroom area. As I walked in, I noticed most of the doors were slightly opened. So, I presumed all were vacant. Then I proceeded to one of the cubicles. But to my surprise, there was someone inside. I said sorry and I thought maybe she forgot to close it.

Again, I tried to peek several doors, but to no avail. What was more shocking and strange thing... they were seated in BACKWARD position on squat toilets (a trough in the ground). Obviously I saw their BARE BUTTS on display! Eeew!!! hahaha... I can't believe what I just saw. I found myself toungue-tied and I felt totally embarassed for them.

DONGWU SILK FACTORY AND STORE

Early in the morning, we reached our first destination - the Dongwu Silk factory and store. Upon our arrival, a lady guide gave us a brief overview about the silk in China and information on silk production.

She told us that the secret to silk production is the tiny creature known as the silkworm, which is the caterpillar of the silk moth Bombyx mori.



We witnessed the process of the first stage of silk process which was the hatching of the silkworm eggs in a controlled environment.



Then we were brought to the next room - the Reeling Workshop, where the cocoons were sorted out for reeling.

The next room, some of us were able to to take part in the process.

After the presentation, we were given the opportunity to browse around and purchase the items such as bed linens, bedroom and bathroom accessories, towels and more. Being amongst the raging cheapskate :), hubby and I opted not to buy anything here.



Then we were led into another large section of the shop with a huge variety of silk dresses, blouses, polos, trousers, coats, jackets, nightclothes, lingerie, hosiery, traditional Chinese gifts and a lot more.


Being a confessed shopaholic, I wasn't able to resist the urge to buy. So I end up grabbing some of the gift items right there and then. tsk, tsk... Oh, If you visit here and want to fill your wish list, please remember to get your wallet and credit cards ready. Prices here are expected to be quite expensive.

Silk is such a beautiful fabric but I had no idea before that silk yarn is produced from silkworms and I never thought that the process is such a delicate piece of work. This tour was a learning experience for me.