China adventure starts here - Shanghai (Day 33 - 34 by Chris)

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Monday 19th October 2015

We had to wake up early to pack and leave for the airport. Being quite close to Seoul station we were able to take the express line 45 minutes directly to the airport. We checked in and boarded our China Southern Airlines flight which after 1.5 hours landed at Shanghai Pudong airport. CULTURE SHOCK! As soon as we landed in China and entered the airport we knew straight away that this place was going to be completely different to Japan and South Korea. I'd already been to China a couple of times before so knew what to expect, however this was Gemma's first visit. What Gemma saw for the first time and I had kind of forgotten, was the Chinese people and their borderline aggressive behavior in public places. From standing up on the plane to get overhead bags there was a mad scramble and you can forget about leaving your aisle to exit the plane, as those behind had no intention of letting you out. After we went through passport control and managed to buy a ticket for the metro that would take us 45 mins into central Shanghai, we sat down on the train and were stared at by almost everyone on board. It was quite an uneasy feeling of are they looking at us aggressively or inquisitively. Then there was a vile noise that came from a mans throat as he was entering the train and he spat between the platform and the carriage, but missed and his spit landed on the door frame. This we began to realise over the next few days was common practice among lots of men and women in China. Its like spitting is as involuntary as breathing and is just something you naturally do. Yes, we soon realised that there was a huge culture difference between UK and Chinese people.

We had booked into 'Rock and Wood Hostel' which was recommended quite highly on HostelWorld.com and we couldn't see any reason to fault it. Having found the place only a short 5 minute walk from the metro station we booked into our large room with en-suite bathroom and separate toilet (a big deal for us as we've become used to wetrooms). The hostel itself had a big communal area with pool table, bar and patio with a Koi carp pond.

We had arrived approx 4pm in the hostel and had no plans to go out until later in the evening so managed to grab a couple of hours sleep. We were then picked up by Bruce, one of my friends from university who I haven't seen in 10 years. He picked us up along with 2 of his work colleagues who equally had great English and took us out to a restaurant he had looked up on the Chinese version of trip advisor. We ended up in a Tibetan themed restaurant and were possibly the only ever white faces to have dined there. Bruce had also never been here and didn't expect the performance we received when the 2 waiters began signing songs in the Tibetan language which none of understood. Then there was the Tibetan rapping waiter who was an unexpected treat. The food was very different too and was served in typical Chinese style of being shared amongst everyone on the table. I'm pretty sure we ate every piece of Yak. We had tongue, jowl, tail, cheek, shoulder, stomach and random other pieces of meat which was probably better left unknown.

After dinner, Bruce wanted to drive us over the river to Pudong, which is the financial district. It was dark by now and this would allow us a night time view of the Shanghai skyline from the opposite direction from which everyone else sees it. We were looking over the river at the Bund, which was the key area for European traders in the late 19th Century, early 20th Century and as such looked very European. We then went up to the 38th floor of the Shangri-Lai hotel. this provided great views over the city and we sat down to drink the strongest version of an Old Fashioned and Gemma had a peach martini with a lemon sorbet. The guys we were with all had work the next day and couldn't stay out drinking so we finished up and Bruce drove us back to the hostel. The plan was to visit Bruce's restaurant (he owns a Korean BBQ restaurant) the following evening, so we said our goodbyes and went to bed. It was great catching up with him after all this time and being driven around Shanghai by a local.

Tuesday 20th October 2015

We had breakfast in the hostel which made a welcome change from walking around the streets trying to find something suitable to eat. We then headed out for a packed day of sightseeing as this was our only day in Shanghai. We first stopped off to buy some fruit as for most of our trip so far we'd found it difficult/expensive to find fruit. We also felt a cold coming on so wanted to nip it in the bud before it got too bad. We realised over the next few days that it was too little too late as we both had horrific colds.

We took the metro to Peoples Square which is basically a little park in the centre of the city and had a walk around. Not much to report on this to be honest, so we went down the road to our next place of interest which was Nanjing Road shopping street. We found a 'Watsons' which is similar to a Boots and stocked up on hand sanitiser as we expected China to to quite germ ridden. We took a walk down the whole street but without the urge to browse in the shops, other than a massive department store which sold the likes of Prada, Gucci etc. We actually needed the loo so popped in thinking that this place must have a nice toilet. As we entered the department store, we were shocked by how much space there was in this place. There were zero customers and hardly any staff. It was like we walked in out of hours. There was so much floor space as it seemed the couldn't find enough brands to have their products here as no Chinese people were looking to buy these very expensive products. The only locals we did spot in there were a group pensioners who had the same idea as us and seemed very pleased having as a wee in a clean toilet. We left the department store and walked down the street passed the hoards of people to the Bund. This is what we had been looking at the previous night from across the river. This time, we were looking the opposite direction to the very recogniSable Shanghai Pudong skyline. It was still light and we didn't witness it in all its glory so decided we would also return once the sun had gone down. Whilst walking down the Bund, we were approached by lots and lots of people asking for pictures with us. This happened quite a lot in Japan and S.Korea, but they were all children and teenagers, here in China its older people which we found quite odd. Nevertheless, we obliged and must now appear in so many family albums across China. As well as the people politely asking for our pictures, there was also those that discreetly (not so discreet) took our photos as we passed by.

Down the road, we came across 'Yu Yuan' which is an old part of the city and is constructed in a traditional Chinese style wooden buildings with sloping up roofs. This area has a shopping bazaar and a Chinese garden to walk through. This place is absolutely heaving with westerners and Chinese people also on holiday. We were approached by 2 Chinese people who it turns out were cousins. They were in their mid twenties and were very friendly and had great English. We discussed the obvious topics of who are you, where are you from etc. We also discussed how China is perceived in the UK, Mr Bean and also a British TV programme which I've never heard of called 'Top Gary'. Pretty sure this guy was referring to 'Top Gear'. As they too were only visiting Shanghai, they wanted us to join them for lunch, but with conversation running dry and already having a plan of the day outlined we went our separate ways. They were lovely and had we had more time, it would've been nice to have lunch with them.

We left the Yu Yuan area having walked through the gardens and had lunch at a dumpling restaurant. As per usual with us two, we also ended up walking off the beaten track and found ourselves walking down some local streets with some odd looks from the residents. It was quite an intimate stroll as most of the houses had their (thankfully washed) underpants hanging from hangers in the street. We then headed back to the Bund as the sun had gone to bed and took some pictures of the Shanghai skyline all lit up. A great spectacle to behold. After realising we had taken pics of all the possible angles we headed home and ate a box of instant noodles and a bag of cashew nuts in the hostel. We were then leaving the next morning on the super-fast 300KM per hour train to Beijing so an early-ish night was in order.

Goodbye Shanghai!

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