Ningbo

Before this year I had never heard of Ningbo, China. I went there because the ship would not allow me to disembark in Shanghai. I was there for about 34 hours. What I learned was that Ningbo is a very large and very old city. It was once called Míngzhōu, and has always been an important capital city in this area. The port is the 3rd largest in the world. 
     My host's friend Robin spent the day acting as my guide and interpreter, which made it possible to see and do much more than I could have on my own.
     Our first stop was lunch. You see Robin here with our fare. It turns out Ningbo's signature dish is niu wa or frog. He took me to what he said is the best niu wa place in town. It is called zai hui shou which means You look back many times, meaning that you will regret it forever if you don't come in here. We got a bowl of frogs, a bowl of fish soup, a plate of steamed bok choy, and a bottle of orange soda. The frogs are served in a spicy broth with all those round red chilies. Delicious. These are not frog legs it's the whole thing, well ok, they cut off the heads and feet. I set one critter up for a close-up. 

They were really tasty.
     After lunch we went to the Ningbo Museum which is a very large beautiful building. There I saw Neolithic artifacts and other amazing things (bronze swords, jade Buddhas, fine porcelain) from Ningbo's long history. 
     Next, Robin drove me out to see a village, very different from the city.
     I could come back and see things I missed on this trip, but this was a good introduction.