Warrior Insider

The “Warriors to Asia” tour is not just about playing basketball for the Hawaii basketball team. The Warriors need to play tourists, too.

They did just that on Wednesday, Aug. 10, when the team spent a full day visiting Shanghai, China.

“Right from the start, we said this trip had to be a learning experience for the guys,” Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold said. “And getting out in a city like Shanghai to see in person what they have to offer, and learning about some of the history and culture … that’s an experience you can’t teach in a classroom.”

The Warriors started the day in Shanghai with a visit to Zhu Jia Jiao, which is a town built near a system of canals and is also called “Water Town” or the “Venice of the East.”

The town is lined with small shops, with vendors offering everything from cold drinks to authentic Chinese food, and musical instruments, and Chinese souvenir items.

Warriors Zane Johnson and Davis Rozitis bought Chinese straw hats for 20 yuan each (or about $3); Hauns Brereton bought a Chinese flute, and vowed to learn a complete song before the end of the trip.

The team also got to ride on the canal in a Chinese-style gondola boat.

The tour guide in Shanghai then took the team to an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet at a Mongolian barbecue restaurant. It was one of those places where you select your own raw meats and vegetables, and then hand it to a cook to have it grilled.

“I got just chicken, rice and soy sauce,” said Joston Thomas, noting that he does not like to eat vegetables. “It’s pretty good.”

After lunch, the team went to an open market for shopping. Some of the bigger stores have set prices for the merchandise, but the street vendors all are willing to negotiate.

The Warriors bought most of their stuff from the street vendors, which led to some comical moments in the negotiating process. Still, the Warriors appeared to win the shopping battle, as several of them walked away with Louis Vuitton bags and wallets, Rolex watches and other upscale designer items for as low as $20 (American money).

Of course, there is no guarantee that the items are genuine, but that is a risk the Warriors were willing to take.

“For that price, who cares?” said Zane Johnson, who walked away with several bags of items.

The team capped off the night with dinner at a Chinese restaurant, followed by tickets to the Shanghai Circus acrobatic show. The Warriors walked away impressed – both with the show and the city of Shanghai.

“How do you think they do that stuff?” freshman Brandon Jawato marveled. “It was amazing … great show, great day.”