Inside the South Beauty restaurant
After we had finished the meal
The view from the restaurants terrace
Couldn't get a taxi from Lujiazui
Tiistaina kiinalainen
opettaja kysyi jos tanskalaiset haluavat mennä illalliselle toisten
tanskalaisten oppilaiden kanssa seuraavana päivänä. Opettajan kysyessä kuinka
monta tanskalaista on tulossa, yksi heistä sanoi, että kahdeksan sillä yksi
suomalainenkin kuuluu ryhmään. Seuraavana päivänä illallisesta ei puhuttu
mitään, joten ajattelin sen olleen peruttu. Kello kuudelta ovelleni koputettiin
ja pari tanskalaisista kysyi olenko valmis lähtemään 30minuutin päästä. Tässä
vaiheessa sain tietää illallisen olevan ilmainen, joten tietenkin olin valmis
lähtemään. Saimme kuljetuksen Super Brand Mallin luo. Illallinen syötiin South
Beauty nimisessä ravintolassa, joka sijaitsee kauppakeskuksen ylimmällä
kerroksella.
Tulessamme hieman myöhässä
60 tanskalaista istui jo syömässä kuudessa pöydässä. Opettajat tulivat
tervehtimään meitä ja menimme istumaan meille varatuille paikoille. Jokaisessa
pöydässä oli kaksi vapaata paikkaa, joten menin istumaan tanskalaisen tytön
kanssa samaan pöytään. Ruokaa tuotiin isommissa astioissa, eli kaikki ruoat oli
kaikkien saatavilla. Söin eri lihoja, katkarapuja, marinoituja sieniä ja
riisiä. Pöydällä oli myös kummallisen näköisiä palleroita, mutta muut
tanskalaiset varoittivat niiden olevan pahoja.
Söimme siis ravintolan
terassilla, josta oli hienot näkymät valistetulle Bundin puollelle. Jokea
pitkin kulki myös paljon erilaisia paatteja. Yhdeksältä tanskalaiset opiskelijat
lähtivät, sillä heillä oli seuraavana päivänä lento takaisin kotiin. Jos
ymmärsin oikein, he olivat olleet jonkin aikaa Pekingissä ja loput ajasta Shanghaissa.
Illallisen jälkeen tanskalaiset, joiden kanssa olin tullut, jatkoivat matkaan
baariin. Itse lähdin etsimään taxia, jotta pääsisin nukkumaan, sillä minulla
oli tunti heti aamusta. En ole koskaan joutunut etsimään taxia niin pitkään kun
sinä iltana, vaikka olinkin keskellä Pudongin keskustaa. Vaikka taxit olivatkin
vapaita ne eivät pysähtyneet tai sitten he eivät ottaneet kyytiin. Sain lopulta
taxin ja perillä taxikuski ilmoitti että hinta on kiinan rahoissa, minäkun olin
jo valmis maksamaan matkastani 75euroa...
☆★★☆★★☆★★☆★★☆
On Tuesday a Chinese teacher asked if the
Danish students would be interested in eating dinner with other Danish students
who were visiting the city. As the teacher asked how many would join one of the
Danes told her that eight people, not seven, would come since I was a part of
their group. That was really nice of them, since the teacher had not planned on
inviting me. The dinner was set for the next day, but not until six o’clock was
I told when and where it is. I had 30 minutes on me to get ready for the
dinner, which at this point I found out would be free for us. Our usual driver
drove us to Super Brand Mall, where the dinner took place. The restaurant was
on the top floor of the mall and it was called South Beauty.
As we arrived a bit late all the students
and teachers were already eating. We were greeted by the teachers who had
wanted us to come and then we sat down on the seats that were meant for us. There
were about sixty students sitting at six tables and there were two seats vacant
at every table, so I sat in the same table as the Danish girl. Some of the food
had already been placed at the table, but some dishes were carried in after we
arrived. Everybody in the same table shared the dishes, and ate some meet,
shrimps, mushrooms and rice. There was also some other dishes I thought about
tasting but the other Danish students warned me about them.
We ate outside at the terrace of the
restaurant. I’m glad I had a jacket on me since it was pretty cold at that
time, but some of the boys weren’t that lucky. Some had only put on t-shirts
and assumed that the dinner would be inside. From the terrace we had a great
view to the other side of the river. This was the first time I saw the Bund
side with all the light on, since I had only seen it during the day. There were
also lots of ships and boats passing by. At nine o’clock the students we had
eaten with had to leave, since they were getting ready to get back home to
Denmark the next day. The Danes I had come with went after dinner to eat at McDonalds
(?) and then to a club. I went to look for a taxi, since I had an accounting
lesson in the morning. This was the first time I couldn’t get a taxi, even though
taxis with green lights on drove past me. I finally got a taxi to drive me and
as we arrived at the school, the taxi driver declared that the price was in Chinese
money. I wonder how many people have paid the fee in dollars or euros, as he
had to tell me that…
