Reason to Celebrate

Chase and I went to Shanghai for a day trip yesterday partly because it was my birthday this week and I love Shanghai. I also had a dentist appointment. There are no western style dentists in Hangzhou that would meet my requirements for education/training, cleanliness, etc. So the report is pretty good. I've got clean teeth now. But unfortunately, in the future, I'm going to need a root canal. I've got a cavity that was filled a long time ago but it is so close to the nerve that it's inevitable. So I must wait and when I start to feel pain there again, I should come in.

After the dentist I went to a yoga class. It was really great. I worked hard, enjoyed the instruction, learned a few things, and got a couple of great adjustments and instructions. So it's nice to know that there is good yoga out there in Shanghai if I need it. I also found out that an Anusara (not Inspired, but on the way there I think) is moving to Hangzhou, so I will be going out to Binjiang district every so often to take his classes once he gets here in February.

Chase and I went to the urban planning museum of Shanghai in the afternoon and we saw some great models of what the Shanghai Expo site is going to look like. It's a whole side of the city! And Shanghai is enormous! It reminds me so much of Manhattan and life there is just like New York life. So if you are ever interested in visiting us, I'm sure a trip to Shanghai is in order.

Then in the evening we went with a little trepidation to try a new interior Mexican restaurant that was recommended in the expat magazines of Shanghai, MAYA. It blew us away! Real mexican flavors, fresh cheese, jalapenos, and ingredients. The queso fundida was a little bland we think that the cheese they were using is just a little bit milder than what we are used to in order to fit the Chinese and international palette. The tortillas were freshly made and the margaritas weren't that bad! So we will be going back but we noticed on the way out that in the reader's choice awards for the expat magazine, that this restaurant was 1st runner up. So perhaps we'll try the winner next time we are in Shanghai.

Another reason for celebration last night was that we sold Chase's truck and got our house in Austin rented earlier this week! The new tenant will be moving in on Monday. So we certainly feel that we have cut a few more strings from our life in the US and are truly living the expat life. The only connection we still have is our baby, Lola and there's no way we would ever bring her here so we are glad she's happy and healthy with my family back in Austin.