China V - Shanghai

Shanghai is not quite as vast and monumental as I expected. The buildings are undoubtedly grand and modern and the skyline looks great. Yet I did not feel it had quite the impact on me that Nanning did. Shanghai still retains some of its historic districts such as the Bund and the French concession. These historic districts are undoubtedly the most interesting parts of Shanghai to wander through.

Ordering food in China is always an experience. A and I went in to a small restaurant up the road from the hostel. They produced an English menu with one particular dish that looked particularly interesting, 'Noodle with Double Happiness' . There were four waiting staff and a number of cooks, while there were only three tables. There was a great deal of difficulty ordering, I wanted steamed rice with dumplings but the steamed rice really confused them. We put this down to us being outsiders. A Chinese guy sat down at a table and began ordering he had a similar problem to us because he said "I hear but I don't understand" to the waitresses. A understood his comment because he can speak a little bit of Chinese.

Shanghai is a city of excess and poverty living side by side. There were quite a lot of homeless people living on the streets. At the same time there were boutique shops and bars. I visited the Cloud 9 bar at the top of the Jinmao Tower. The bar is part of the Grand Hyatt Hotel. To reach the bar you have to pass through the opulent hotel, and if you are like me get lost as you change lifts to get to the 87th floor. I had a cocktail that cost 90Y plus a 15% surcharge. The biggest rip-off in Shanghai is the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. They charge you 40Y for the privilege of riding in an underground tunnel to cross the river. The carriages are glass so they have filled the tunnel with lights. The metro charges 3Y without the lights.

Shanghai has a few tourist spots that have acquired the harassment disease. Out of nowhere guys and girls appear with a handful of watches or a sheet full of things you can purchase. As you walk along East Nanjing Road you are constantly asked "Hello you want watch, bags, t-shirt". If you walk along the busy promenade to enjoy the view then a variety of people selling an assortment of different things will attempt to grab your attention.

I was waiting for a train in Shanghai to Xi'an when I heard a loud commotion I thought there was a fight instead it turned out to be a woman talking on her phone. Everyone in China appears to have a mobile phone. The Chinese like to show everyone else that they have a mobile phone. When talking on the phone it is amazing how loudly they will shout. The Dom Jolly sketch would not draw laughs here because everyone would think it was standard practice. I was sitting have a coffee in a posh bar in Wuyuan. I was the only customer when a group of three men men arrived. They sat down on the opposite side of the room. At which point one of the three decided to make a phone call and began shouting down the phone like his life depended on it. While his friends sat nonchalantly by treating this all as normal.

I arrived in Shanghai from Tunxi (Huangshan City) a 6 hour bus journey. I bought my ticket from the hostel for 132Y and the bus came to the hostel to pick us up. It was quite comfortable with some decent legroom. I stayed at Mingham Hostel (aka Hiker's Hostel) in a 4 bed dorm for 45Y a night. The room was small, but the hostel was very nice and the facilities were very good. The location is very central, close to the Bund. I left Shanghai by overnight train to Xi'an which cost 312Y. I bought it from the Chinese ticket office just round the corner from the hostel. The ticket office wasn't busy and they didn't charge a commission.