China, December 2017-January 2018

For those of you who know me well or follow me on instagram, you know how often I travel to China these days. I post photos often about the places I go, but thought this time I'd give some more detail about this last trip. It'll mostly be photos of food - what's new?

I flew from LAX to PVG (Shanghai) on 18th December and landed on the evening of the 19th. When you're heading that direction, you feel like you lose 1-2 days, and it's true. I've been flying United lately, to try and amass points on one airline, and they have in-flight wifi so when I fly during the day, I can work.

This time it was a three week trip - really pushing my limits, honestly. The only way it was bearable was knowing that Alex would join me for one week towards the tail-end of the trip, to celebrate New Year's Eve.

I spend most of my time in Suzhou, which is a city about 90 mins west of Shanghai. Then, we went to Shanghai for the weekend and to bring in the new year.

One of the most difficult things about being in China is the internet speed and access. You often feel so frustrated and helpless when wherever you are has crummy wifi or your VPN isn't working. It's such a weird feeling when you decide to walk a few blocks from the hotel to go to the shops, the sun goes down before you know it, and you're trying to find your way back to the hotel, when all the buildings look the same and google maps can't pin-point your location.

Food in China is also a hot-topic. No matter where you go, the locals love to share the cuisine specific to their region. This is usually super interesting, but can often lead to you being served "river food" when you asked for "no seafood" or a pigeon on a plate with its little head looking up at you (see photos). I've also had some of the most delicious authentic Chinese cuisine there and been to some of the best international/Australian/European restaurants in Shanghai.

I was so glad on this trip to discover Din Tai Fung has a location in the mall across the road from the hotel we always stay at - this really helped towards the end of my trip, when I couldn't stand the sight of the hotel room service, nor the pain of speaking to the guy on the phone who had no idea what I was saying, even though I practically ordered the same thing every time and he always answered the phone.

China is a strange place. It has its pros and cons, like any country or city does. The main thing you need to do is focus on how to make your stay as comfortable as possible and that all comes down to what you pack, in my opinion. More on that later.

If you have any questions about the photos or places I went, feel free to comment or send me a message via the contact us link.

x Lucy