Shanghai, or if you prefer chinese 上海, is largest city in China and with around 20 million people in this metropolitan city, it is also one of the largest urban area in the world. If you ever visit China , there is Great Wall and the other thing is Shanghai (no pandas). Why? People say China is “poor”, but if you ever stand at the Bund and just look at the other riverside, what do you see? You’ll see the picture above. It’s a wow experience. There is more, under the river is Shanghai Bund Tourist Sightseeing Tunnel. Not mention the Jin Mao building which is a 88-story landmark. It was highest building in Shanghai at 2006 (2008 is Shanghai World Financial Center). Did you heard they build the world’s longest steel arch bridge?

I arrived to Shanghai from Suzhou at night, 30th June 2005. The station is quite big and just a few steps away is the bus station. In China, buses have TV! Speakers say next stop in English and displays clearly. This is why i love Asia, they want “the best” in every possible way.

Day 1 in Shanghai, 1st Juli

Even though i came to Shanghai late last night, i just have to wake up at 7:30, probably because i am every exciting to see what is city has to offer.Not far away from these newly created skyscrapers, the old quarter are few blocks away. Shanghai has reputations for having old western-look architecture and buildings and these old style items are still available for public. This makes me wonder if i am in China or other place in Europe.

Left the hostel at 9 o’clock and have something to eat before i am going to explore this city. Although my hostel is locate in small street (left picture), but just a few minute away from the Nanjing Road, which is a famous shopping street. It may looks not much in the morning but at night, this place is completely different.

Before i move on, just need to stop by at a book store and get a map over the city. As usual, when the sun comes higher up, it will be hot and best cure is visit shopping malls. This road is every long and both side have all kind of shops, small as big, KFC to Chinese tea shops. I walk and walk and eventually ended in Huahai Road. This road has even more shopping malls, bigger and longer too. But of course things around here aren’t cheap.

I have seen rain in China couple of time and guess what… today it rain and change the blue sky into black within minutes. No umbrella, so what to do? Just find a 7Eleven and stay there for awhile. It does rain less for a moment, just enough for me to get home, before it rains again. Time to get some food and ready get back to Nanjing Road at night. Only by night you can see how commercial signs turn their neon color light on and people is everywhere. Hopefully the rain will stop soon.

What is the best thing to see at night in if you are in Shanghai, beside walk around Nanjing Road? Of course you have to see the Bund!!! It’s a crowd place and everyone goes there to:

- If you are tourist, you can take pictures.
- If you are chinese, you will sell toys around.
- In general, it’s cooler here than in the house!

To take a good picture, i must have a tripod and try to squeeze you in the place, and pray no one is going to touch/hit the tripod :).

I haven’t seen this kind of thing in China, except here in Shanghai. That is chinese people approach to foreigners and say something like “Hello, where are you from….i am a student”, which i am quite sure the “student” is/are more than 40years old. This probably reminds you about “tea-time”-scam in China (read example here). Thank god they never asked me, though.
Second, kids hand out business cards at Nanjing Road. They are a group of 2 or 3 guys and the groups are spread out everywhere. Scam alert is what I have in my mind.

Day 2 in Shanghai, 2st Juli

I am planing to stay here for two days, so i need get a train ticket for tonight if possible. Ticket office is just right near the corner, two minutes walk from here. Although Shanghai is a big city, ticket sellers speak seldom english (if ever?). Once again i have drawn and explained for her that i need a seat, air-con of course, to Hangzhou. It works and 33RMB.

To get to the other side ,Pudong, i need to enter the Metro near Nanjing Road. It costs 2RMB and line 2 is the one and only 1 stop. Buying metro ticket is simple, you have 2 choices. You can go to ticket booth and buy it or do it your self with ticket machines. Select destination and it will display the cost, you then put the coins or note in and the ticket prints out

After 2min ride, the train has already crossed the river and i am ready to explore the Pudong. The district/area is build for business purpose, everything is much like western country AKA more green fields, wider traffic lanes.

I would visit the Shanghai tallest building, Jin Mao Tower, if it wasn’t for the smog. If you want to capture a nice picture in China, you have to wake up early. The price to go up to 88 floor will cost 80RMB.

I enter Lotus Supermarket”, a big mall near there. This supermarket has an area where they’re selling take away food and with good price you’ll think noodles cost more and hassles. At the time i stop by, construction workers are already standing there to order their “take-away”.By standing there, i study how these workers buy food and when it’s my time, i will do the same :). My chinese haven’t gone so far yet to communicate. They just point and the dishes and 1RMB per dish (small portion), when they are ok, they simply say “Hao” and point to the next dish. Often it cost around 4RMB per meal (some workers paid 3RMB for the meal! That’s dirty cheap).

I notice that in Chinese railway stations, the staffs do x-ray your luggage before you can enter the station. But the guy who supposes the monitor the luggage never look at the x-ray monitor. Does he care? I guess not!

I am looking at the info-TV, to see if the train arrives and what platform. I don’t my train, the time doesn’t match! And i look at the time and then the date, today is 2th, but ticket is for 7th. The train ticket i bought this morning to Hangzhou, the date is wrong. I don’t check the date because it has been fine all the time and not until and look at the ticket while i enter the station.

I usually write down the destination in Chinese, date and it works very well until now. I do remember while i was in the ticket office, there was a man, shouted loud and something about his ticket. I guess the seller gave him a wrong ticket. So, now she should at least give me the right ticket, right? No…She gave me too a wrong ticket.

Panic? Hell yeah! The time is now already 17:00 and there is a train to HangZhou at 17:35. I went to the ticket office nearby, they just say i need to go back to the place i bought and claim back the money.  This is the real China, and i am in deep shit right now. Why can’t they just change my ticket and put me on the next train?

A front of me, a small window says “English Help Service”, and 2 German guys managed to exchange their ticket. When it is my turn, the seller just says “Go left”, “Office”. So, i am standing in next queue, and the same “Go Left”, “Office” when it’s my turn. I am then realize that they meant i have to go out of this ticket office building, go to left and keep walking until i see another office. Wow? They have 2 ticket offices?

Ok, finally i receive a new ticket, but no seat, depart at 20:54.