A week in Shanghai
Was in Shanghai for some of last week so taking a break from the Week in Tokyo series while we look at what I got up to in the Peoples Republic of China.
Those who have been to Shanghai Hongqiao airport before will know that the only way to get into the city is by taxi or bus. Most people use the taxi but waiting times can be 30 - 45 mins. The thing to do is to take any bus that gets you out of the airport - then get off after five minutes and you will see taxis everywhere.
Was over for a wedding and some meetings Have been quite a few times do I don't usually do the touristy thing.
Here are some typical dwellings in the Pudong area.
Here are some typical dwellings in the Pudong area.
Undergoing some renovation.
People gathering in a market to get their morning grub.
Some sort of pancake. Tasted good for the first few bites but got boring quickly ^^;
More at the market.
Some deep fried yummies.
A cousin of mine gets made up for her wedding.
You will see a load construction going on absolutely everywhere. Parts of Shanghai looked completely different compared to my last visit a couple of years ago.
None of the buildings on the left where there the last time I went.
Cousin and the lucky fella.
Not sure if this is worst than the fish sperm that we saw the other day - these are live prawns which are soaked in vinegar which gets them "drunk" and motionless. Folks then eat them while they are alive.
No Shanghai crabs this time round.
Passing by the Oriental Pearl TV tower. The last time I went they had a roller coaster inside this thing.
Buying some train tickets.
Train map of Shanghai. Trains do go to Pudong airport. But folks going from Haneda airport in Tokyo will land in Hongqiao.
Train platform.
On the train.
Area map at the station - some English printed but not useful.
Nice girl at the station. Forgot her name again.
Nokia posters.
Nanjing road. Come here to see a load of people, shops and restaurants. Most of the stuff in this area is legit so you are unlikely to find bootleg goods or open source DVDs.
A nice place to relax on a Sunday afternoon.
The Nanjing road area has enough to see and do to keep you occupied for most of the day.
Some mags on sale. No ero here.
More yummies for lunch.
Dont know what it is but there is something about Shanghai that I cant quite put my finger on. The roads and buildings are just so much more bigger than in Tokyo and the whole place just seems to be very "alive."
Tokyo is very much alive too but in a different way - cant explain it ^^;
Tokyo is very much alive too but in a different way - cant explain it ^^;
Getting some more grub.
One for the ladies. Forgot his name too but remember watching a lot of his films.
Have a figure of yourself made for about 100 USD.
A 20 min walk from Nanjing road brings us to another business/shopping district.
The poor are very poor and the rich are very rich. The difference is staggering at times but is not particular to China as I see this divide going on in developed countries too.
The poor are very poor and the rich are very rich. The difference is staggering at times but is not particular to China as I see this divide going on in developed countries too.
Stocking up on some Chinese tea varieties.
Another nice girlie. Anybody know her name?
Huangpu River area.
This is the only touristy thing I make sure to fit into the schedule - my wife and I spent a lot of time in this area when we first got married over ten years ago.
The illuminations turn on at about 6:30PM.
Open source DVDs - Gurren Lagann.
Seto no Hanayome. Nothing that I particularly wanted but even if there was they're not worth buying. The reason is that in order to fit an entire series on a few DVDs, the resolution is like 320 x 240px !!!
Shopping for some groceries at a supermarket. Its kinda annoying as you have to leave any large bags that you are carrying at the entrance. They make you do this because of the theft that goes on.
Some yogurt drinks.
Im a bit of a milk person and drink milk all the time. Some people say that those who like milk have a fetish for "eyes" - is this true?
Me turning around suddenly shocked at a loud clap of thunder behind.
The thunder noise being this guy throwing huge bamboo from several meters high. Unfortunately there are many who just work for money and don't care about anything else - including safety of others.
Closeup of the scariest Ronald ever that we saw earlier on in the News Items. I guess this is where Heroes season two got the idea of Maya and her death tears.
Herro Kitty?
More tea stuff - this time almond flavor.
My fave two dishes - Wonton noodles with Siew Yook.
More local publications. A few ero-ish publications here n there.
Watching some TV on a bus.
Taken at Haneda airport before going to China. Poster is asking people not to bring in aliens such as bears, lizards, crabs, scorpions etc. Erm OK...
Another poster reminding folks not to buy open source goods - or be fined up to 5000000 yen if caught with any upon entering Japan.