Good start… so far.
I was pleasantly surprised with my flight
to Shanghai. Delta did a wonderful job
easing the unavoidable strain these long transpacific flights sometimes inflict
on weary travelers. 13 hours over the
Pacific was accompanied by endless movies, 4 meals, free alcohol, and thank
goodness…a lovely seat neighbor that was very accommodating on well timed idle chit
chat….just enough for me to be
enlightened when needed, but not too
much to be overbearing. Also, my kudos
to the serving crew…the entire 13 hours was served with a smile on their face,
never revealing the overwhelmed look we Canadians are so accustomed to seeing. BTW…my upgrade to economy plus…worth every
penny…the 4 extra inches of leg room was much needed.
After a silky smooth landing, the gauntlet
of getting through the airport was quite painless. A short line at customs to review my visa, a
short wait for luggage, and before I knew it…exhausted and red eyed to boot…I
was officially in Shanghai.
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| Fastest train in the world! |
I headed straight to the Maglev train …a particular goal of mine, as it is known for being one of the worlds fastest trains…. a max
speed of 430km/hr! As I made my way to
the train entrance, I was approached twice by 2 men claiming they worked for my
hotel and had a ride waiting for me. Good
thing I’m not that gullible. $10 later,
I boarded the relatively empty train (maybe 50% full), eager to experience the high-speed
magnetic levitating joyride…but to my disappointment, this never came to
fruition. We maxed out at 310km/hr. Maybe it was due to the unenviable darkness,
or some other unforeseen reason I can not comprehend, but all I know is, seeing
I was not able to ride the advertised speed, I think I would of saved myself $6
and taken the subway.
After the 8-minute ride, the next step was
to disembark the Maglev, and transfer over to subway line #2, which would take
me within 3 blocks of my accommodations near Nanjing Road, the Grand Central
Hotel. The train was packed…shoulder-to-shoulder,
full of commuters glaring at me without any worry of me catching their
stare. My suitcase and backpack added to
my glaring personal anguish, but overall, the trip was painless, and before I
knew it…I had reached my destination.
Luckily in my jet lag state, I took the right exit (choice of 4), and was
surprised to find myself still oriented in the proper direction as I walked
directly to my hotel….a nice added bonus to my start.
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| French press in my hotel room was much appreciated |
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| Nice little ceiling feature in my room |
I checked in. I was fully aware the price quoted to me did
not include the 15% service charge…I just was not ready on how much it would equate
too lol. Still a bit sticker shocked on
the final price, I stumbled to my room on the 12th floor, passing
out at 8pm local time.
Day 2
I was wide-awake at 4am. This gave me the chance to type up some quick
notes, take a much needed shower (a lovely rain fall shower faucet I might add),
and to confirm the internet issues I hoped would be avoided…no Google or
Facebook…oh the humanity! My deluxe
King room was quite refreshing with a zen like feel to it. Included was a beautiful ceiling feature, a
well appointed office area, and a large bathroom, fully trimmed with as much
gold fixtures you could imagine lol. The
bed was large and firm, just the way I liked it. I had 4 pillows with different firmness to
choose from…all of which were still too firm.
I enjoyed a makeshift french press coffee at 5am which helped propel
myself out of my room to experience my first day in Shanghai.
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| Subway at 6am |
Today was going to be a walking day. 6am, I embarked onto subway line #2, and from
there, transferred to line #1, and began my French concession assault. Starting this early was wonderful as I was
able to learn the subway ins and outs at a leisurely pace. Most places were still closed, but I didn't
mind, I wasn't here to shop (though I was a bit disappointed the foot massage
store I planned to visit was still closed for several more hours). The quiet streets and walkways added to the tranquil
pristine feel one would usually not find in a city with over 24 million
inhabitants!
I immediately got lost by going in the
opposite direction that I had previously planned, but it led me past a quaint little egg
wrap vendor in an alley that cost me 7 yuen…that’s 1.50 CAD! I quite enjoyed it as I got myself back on
track. I passed many “Plane Tree” lined
streets with very affluent communities exhibiting a unique French feel…European
buildings blended with the assumed Chinese culture feel. It wasn't mind blowing by any means…just
enough of a carefree vibe which was thoroughly enjoyed. I passed several small parks full of older
men and women executing the full rendition of tai chi, with a hint of badminton
mixed within. One path was littered full
of hanging birdcages, all chirping in a barrage of tones. I guess folks would hang these cages each
morning to create some sort of soothing atmosphere? I will later research this in more detail, as
it seemed a bit odd.
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| 7 yuen wrap at 6:30am |
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| One of the many parks within the French Concession |
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| French Concession District |
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| Birds in cages hung throughout the park |
I then turned down another quiet street and
saw a line up of locals waiting to purchase steamed pastry meet buns. I joined the line, feeling a bit like a fish
out of the water. I wanted to try as
many popular local cuisines as possible.
I watched as the customers in front of me asked for quantities anywhere
in the range of 5-10 buns…but I only wanted a snack….so I asked for 2. I apparently had many choices but I didn't
know how I could convey this, so I left it for him to choose. I was handed these big raw looking steamed dough
buns. They were each 1 yuen!! That’s 20 cents each. I’ll tell you one thing…if I don’t start
eating fruit here soon, your going to have to roll me out of this country,
because man, the food here is addictive, and probably not the healthiest, and
all quite tasty!
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| steamed meat bun |
I walked a few more kilometers, grabbing a
Starbucks coffee along the way (which will be my last one btw as it was 25
yuen….basically twice the cost of Canada).
After stopping myself from buying
several more pastry options, I was about to enter the subway #10 line when
something caught my eye that resembled fruit.
On the back of some guys bike, was a large glass case containing many
different fruit shish kabobs. The caramelized
sugar Strawberries on a stick were too tempting to pass up, so I bought
one. The guy took a long time to hand
gesture me the price, but when all was said and done, I paid 8 yuen; a bit more
then expected…ah well…still a nice snack under $2. It was tasty, but more in a candy kind of way. Now if I can only force myself to eat healthier
in this country lol. Tomorrow morning I
will hit up a fruit stand.
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| Sugared strawberries…quite good |
I was able to finish the 15+km walk before
10am, which allowed to me to take a quick dip in the hotel pool before starting
my afternoon Bund walk.
Only a block away from my hotel was the
ever-famous Nanjing road. For me, it had
that Las Vegas atmosphere full of high priced retail stores. It was noon, and the crowds were just
beginning to build. I had no interest in
shopping, so I bee-lined it towards the Bund.
I was approached approximately 10 times by men trying to sell me fake
watches, and twice by local women asking me if I could help them take a
picture. I had read that this was one of
the many scams drawing you in, only to be asked if you want a lady
massage. I didn't bite.
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| Nanjing Road…of course Apple has the premium spot |
An efficient 10 minutes later, I arrived at
the Bund. For me, this was what I had
envisioned Shanghai to look like. I
personally have a fascination in skyscrapers, so Shanghai did not
disappoint. The smog was a slight issue
(very common), but I was still happy I was able to witness the towering
infernos free from any clouds obstructing my views.
I headed south on the sprawling walkway
lining the Huangpu River, taking in the extensive views. To the right of me were impressively grand
old 1940’s banks and Hotels…once owned by the British settlement. To the left were the massive towers Shanghai
was so well known for…. including 3 of the top 20 tallest towers in the world,
which notably includes the second largest in the world, just completed this
year. The smog diminished a bit of their
grandiose feel, but all in all, it was still enjoyed.
I took a right off the Bund once the crowds
subsided, and meandered through the small Gucheng Park. The goal was simple… walk directly to the
Yuyuan Gardens to experience the tea ceremony.
Lets just say I took the non-conventional multi-circular route through
the Huaihai Rd/Fuxing Park region. How
can I describe this region…old world Chinese architecture amidst very narrow
alleys, jammed packed full of Chinese tourists.
Stores upon stores selling everything from a variety of green tees, to jade
stones, to paintings. It felt like an
ongoing maze. My navigation would go
like the following…make a right, then a left, thinking I was close to the tea
house, when to my surprise, would arrive back to where I started. This lasted for at least an hour, which built
up a hunger, so I decided to look for some food.
I tend to eat where the locals eat, so when
I saw a mall like food court lined with locals, I thought this would be a great
way to sample some local cuisine. The
portions looked large, but everyone was loading up, so like they say, do as the
Romans do. I loaded up 3 interesting
bowls and sat down unsure on how I would eat all this food. The total came to 61 yuen…a bit more then I
hoped for. Everyone stared at me, which
made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I tried to ignore them. Much to my surprise, all those full trays
everyone loaded up…were for full families lol.
I felt a bit like a gluten sitting there with all that food in front of
me. I was only able to eat half, and got
the heck out of there before I felt any sillier.
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| Food court |
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| 61 yuen…way too much food for me |
With a full belly, I decided to follow the
crowd; maybe everyone else knew where they were going. Sure enough, they led me to the pond I was so
desperately trying to find. I squeezed
my way along the crooked walkway (built this way based on the premises that
evil spirits could only travel in a straight line…a bit odd don’t you think?) I entered the temple in the middle of all the
chaos. I felt a bit nervous as the
majority of customers were white Caucasians…but seeing I needed the break to
slow my pace down, I took a seat upstairs and ordered a flowering tea for 60
yuen. When it arrived, 3 quail eggs and
2 gummy candies accompanied it. I
pealed a bit of the shell back on the first egg only to see grey veins running
through it…that was enough for me to push the other two away. I sat back and sipped on my tea, relieved I
could finally force myself to slow down and take it in. It was nice to relax in a quiet atmosphere
while surrounded by the chaotic hustle and bustle outside.
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| Yuyuan Gardens…the crooked walkway |
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| my flower tea |
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| after a minute or so, the heat blooms the flower |
After 25 minutes or so, I was done
physically, and exhaustion (or jet lag) began to set in. I decided to forgo the subway and walked to
People’s Square before heading back to the hotel for a nap. When I got there, I was VERY
underwhelmed. I stayed for maybe 5
minutes, looking for anything that would offer a reason for coming here. I found none, so I headed back to the hotel
where I immediately passed out.
Turn down service woke me up at 5pm. She gave me 2 chocolates and disappeared. My blood shot eyes and bags under my eyes
probably expedited her flight. I jumped
into the shower for a quick wake up…there was no way I was going to miss the
chance to sit on a roof top terrace on the Bund with a beer in my hand…unfortunately
this would later be the case.
The sun was setting, and now was the time
the skyscrapers shinned…literally.
Elaborate light features on every tower danced in the night sky. My camera naturally couldn't capture the
full extent of the lights, but it was good enough I guess. I hunted for a lounge to take in the views,
but was extremely disappointed when it was brought to my attention that ALL
terraces were closed for another 3 weeks.
Noo!
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| dusk on the Bund |
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| Shanghai's famous downtown skyline |
I
decided to hit a brewery for a quick beer.
If I could at least stay up past 9pm, I would be beating my jet
lag. I ordered a pint and a bowl of
mushroom something something lol. Again
the bowl came out in a family sized portion (a trend I would be all to familiar
with). I ate half of it and did the
international sign for check…or so I thought.
The waitress was confused when I pretended to scribble on my hand. A few moments passed when she finally decided
it meant I wanted to write something on my hand. She handed me a pen eager to see what I was
about to do. It dawned on me what just
happened as I chuckled…then said “pay bill”.
We both laughed as I paid and left for my hotel for the night.
I barely made it to 9pm before passing out
again for the night.
Day 3
I was again wide-awake at 4am. I took this chance to check the hockey scores
and attempted to send emails with no avail.
It was early, and I was way to alert to wait for everything to open, so I
decided to take the subway downtown.
This ended up being a great decision.
There was no one out at all. I
had the entire downtown catwalk to take pictures of all the world-class towers
to myself. The sun had just risen, and I
started to get a hankering for a coffee.
I went to McD’s…the only place open before 8am. I relaxed for 30+ minutes before heading back
to my hotel region to hunt for that elusive banana I needed before my next
flight to Tunxi. After I found one (2
yuen), I skimmed through the alleys for another egg based panini style sandwich,
and after I found one, headed back to my hotel to pack up for the subway for
the 45 minute journey to Hongquia Airport.
Check out was easy, and before I knew it, I was looking at Shanghai in
the rear view mirror.
Shanghai was a breeze. Onward to Tunxi and Hongcun. This would be the beginning of the real test (Part 2)
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| Far right tower is currently the second largest in the world. |
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