Shanghai - part 6

It's been a long, tiring day. The weather was much colder - only 12 degrees Celsius - and windy. Today John and I hit the Shanghai Museum and Nanjing Road by ourselves. The museum has interesting information and items about the history of China. It has 4 floors and we started at the top. We spent 1.5 hours on the 4th floor and by the time we saw 3/4 of the 3rd floor, many bus groups were arriving and the exhibits were getting more crowded plus I was getting tired and quite hungry (ok, admittedly quite crabby too). We made our exit and after a bit of a snack, we strolled a short ways along Nanjing Road, one of the traditional shopping streets. I am not a big fan of shopping and being approached every 5 feet by pushy hawkers was not pleasant for me (and feeling crabby didn't help). We took a different road and walked to the river and hung out there until the Younkins met us. All of us went to some area alleyways that show what life is like for most Shanghainese: small, crampy living quarters going right to the alleys which were full of people and shops displaying and cooking their goods. Quite a mix of sounds, sights, and smells. Seeing some of the Shanghai skyscrapers through the alleys gave a view of the juxtaposition. We had dinner at the Bund Brewery and then strolled along the Bund (waterfront) and admired the lights of the skyline. Below are some photos from our day.

As always, click on the photo for a larger image. Also, feel free to leave comments on the blog.

The Shanghai Museum building is based on a shape of an ancient Chinese ding vessel.

Jade

Jade "unknotters" (enlarge to read the signage)

Jade carved designed based on the colors of the jade itself.

Furniture: wood carved screen

Ancient currency

Ancient currency

Scroll painting

Official seals

Official seals (the mirror shows the seal on the bottom of the decorative "handle")

Cara, Joey, Ron, and John walking in an alleyway community

Mmm, the kids wanted watermelon

Anyone up for a cooked octupus on a stick?

Decorative pineapple

Crawly things from the sea

Pig snouts and other pieces

Ron and Molly in an alley with Pearl Tower in the background

Live fowl: ducks, chickens, and pigeons

Main ingredient for turtle soup

Fishy things

John and Amy on the Bund at night (skyline of Pudong side)

Night view of the Shanghai (Pudong) skyline

Night view of Shanghai (Puxi) skyline

Huangpu River and floating billboard

The changing neon light designs on skyscrapers

Shanghai - part 5 - Yuyuan Gardens

Besides the World Financial Center, we went to Yuyuan Gardens. The gardens were founded by the Pan family, rich Ming dynasty officials, and took 18 years to nurture into the desired design. Through war and retaliations, the gardens were damaged but have since been restored. The gardens actually have pavilions, pools with schools of carp, shaded alcoves, stony recesses, and rockeries. Below is a sample of what we saw. You can click on the picture to view a larger image.

Shanghai - part 4

Today John and I went to the Shanghai World Financial Center - the building has the world's highest observatory at 474 meters. There are observations decks on floors 94, 97, and 100 with the glass floor on the 100th floor. The building has a rectangular hole near the top so there is a view through the glass floor (the building looks a bit like a hand-held bottle opener). It was hazy today so the view wasn't very far. I have included a photo of the building from the car, John standing on the glass floor, and a couple views.

The 100th floor observation deck with the glass floors. The floor, window walls, and ceilings are all reflective material and so many photos I took included reflections of myself and those around me.

As we drove around the city, most of the residential windows had laundry hanging. Very few people have washers and dryers. Clothing and linens were hanging everywhere from the short apartment buildings to the high-rises.





Bikes are a well used mode of transportation and motorized bikes/ scooters are a quick way through the congested traffic.







We found a Mr. Donut and decided to try the Chinese version of donuts. We got chocolate and green tea. Both were very good although different from any donut I have tasted.

Shanghai - part 3

Staying with the Younkins in Shanghai has helped us transition into China. They are wonderful hosts, share lots of information (having lived here almost 2 years), and have some western niceties that we may not have when we travel to other areas of China on our own (eggs / bacon / toast for breakfast, flush seated toilets, etc.).

We are appreciative of the great food options since we are not sure what we will be eating once we leave Shanghai. We did bring over protein bars, nuts, and other snacks in preparation for supplemental meals when we travel. There seems to be plenty of American chains for a backup such as Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, and even Hooters. Starbucks are everywhere. For lunch yesterday, we ate at a river front restaurant that had a balcony with a view of the river. I had the satay beef, fried rice, and spicy prawns (served with heads still attached). It was very delicious. Last night Miss Judy, a local who helps around the house, made some tasty Szechuan dishes for dinner (I don't know the proper name for all the dishes): jiaozi (dumplings), green beans & red peppers, cabbage/greens, rice, spicy beef, and "kung pao" chicken.

The temperature has been around 23 degrees Celsius during the day and cooler at night. It is humid and hazy all the time. The weather feels warm to me (especially leaving Columbus when it was in the 40's Fahrenheit). The night cools enough to need a light jacket. We arrived in rain and it rained a bit the rest of that day. No rain since then...yet.

Last night John and I went with Ron to get massages. We had the option of a foot massage or full body (clothed). We all did the foot massage and sat next to each other. The room had a TV with the movie "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" playing - so we saw the last 30 minutes of the movie (English with Chinese subtitles). If I wasn't relaxing so much, I would have taken a photo of the John and Ron drinking beer, watching the movie, and getting foot massages. Nothing like any Girls' Night at the Spa I've experienced. : ) The great thing about the foot massages was we also got our backs, necks, head, and thighs massaged! I could get used to those massages on a regular basis!! Especially at $14 per person for 30 minutes (beer extra).

The traffic is chaotic here. The lines in the road are suggestions and there is a continuous right turn, regardless of amount of traffic. Horns are used freely and everyone merges when and where they want. No turn arrows but if a vehicle can dart across the intersection onto the street before oncoming traffic starts, it is done by as many vehicles as possible. Cars, vans, buses, motorbikes, work bikes (3-wheeled with large platform to transport items), and bicycles are "share" the streets and amazingly accidents don't happen as often as one expects with the aggressiveness.

Time to get ready for another day in Shanghai.

Shanghai - part 2 (mostly photos)

A street view in Shanghai - Puxi side.

The Huangpu River - Puxi side. Construction for the expanded subway system is visible in the lower part of the photo.

Barges on the river - coal, logs, rubble/dirt, etc.

The view and construction facing the other way.

Ferry boats crossing the river while dodging the barges.

John and I with the Huangpu River, Pearl Tower, and the Pudong skyline behind us. We had lunch on a nearby balcony - great river view.

Science and Technology Museum is a very interesting shaped building (we didn't go inside). The "Fake Market" is underneath the plaza area. The market is rows and rows and rows of booths selling cheap knock-offs: suitcases, purses, underwear & socks, jewelry, games, trinkets...

Kite flying (and selling) is popular in the plaza along with skateboarding.