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Published: January 5th 2009
It was a shame that I didn't get to spend Christmas time with my family this year. However, Shanghai had plenty of the Season's spirit. Everywhere one turned Santa's big smile was there to greet you, or drawn "Merry Christmas" signs on windows were at every other store. Even street vendors set up shop to sell all types of Christmas merchandise. The shame was that even with all this spirit, Felipe and I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in an empty bar in Suzhou because there were no trains to Xian--though Ivy, the bartender, did provide good conversation with her knowledge of the NBA. Three days in Suzhou, instead of traveling to Xian, was regretful. But, since I did get sick, the days of rest were alright.
Shanghai
Shanghai is like any other metropolis of the world: sky-scrapers; people from all over the world; numerous consumer options everywhere; development at every corner. The city reminds me of New York, Chicago, London, and, yes, even a bit like Bogota.
We arrived from Beijing late morning. The fog outside made us think twice about visiting the city; "was it fog or smog three times as bad as Beijing?" was
our thought as we walked the airport terminal. Inclement weather was the culprit. The Maglev--the speed train from the airport to the city subway--takes only 8 minutes. It travels at a speed of 430 km per hour--pretty damn fast. The scenery from the train is completely blurred at this speed.
Our first day in the city was spent settling into our hostel--Utels on Wuning Road near to the Caoyang Metro stop. The hostel is very nice. The area is extremely busy with shops, markets, and restaurants. That afternoon we took a stroll around the area, ate at KFC (by far the most popular fast-food chain in China), and rested in our room.
We had met Eric two and a half years earlier in Budapest. He is living and working in Hong Kong now, and decided to come up to Shanghai to visit us while we were in the country. The times we hung out with him while in Europe we got completely trashed (see blogs from Budapest and Prague). The two nights we joined him for fun were no different.
The first evening in Shanghai he came to our hostel to meet up. After getting ready we
headed to the French Concession area of the city. Dinner was Mexican food. The restaurant was Zapata's (on the corner of Dong Ping Rd and Heng Shan Rd), and the food was delicious. Felipe was very happy to have some nachos. He had been craving them for over a week. The plates were big, and though the margarita's were on the expensive side, we kept ordering them. Running a large tab in the place, we moved onto an Irish bar down the road. We had a pint of Guiness and moved on to the Blue Frog. We drank beer the rest of the night, and capped it off back at our hostel's bar.
Late morning the following day we left for a walk around Nanjing Road, headed towards the Bund area. Again, more bad weather accompanied us that day, but we enjoyed the long stroll. While in front of the People's Square we met four students that wanted to practice their English. We walked around the park. In the park, they told us about the postings parents place for their children in an attempt to find them a partner. We enjoyed tea and they took us back to Nanjing
Road in the direction of the Bund. They suggested places to see, to visit the Bund area at night, and they even taught us some pick up lines in Chinese. Really cool.
We walked to the Bund, and decided to head to other side of the river to Pudong. There is a tunnel that goes from one side to the other. It is 40yuan one way. I highly recommend that you do not take it. The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. Again, do not pay for it. It is a ride in a tunnel, with lights around you, with very bad sound effects, and horrible voice overs in English and Chinese. A complete waste of money. The only thing we could do when we got out was laugh because we couldn't believe we had paid money for that ride. Not worth it. A ferry or the subway are cheaper and better options.
The other bank of the river was empty. Not many people were walking around. It might have been the weather that kept many visitors away. A quick bite to eat, a short stroll around the area, and back to the other side as the evening approached.
We
The Maglev
Hitting the top speed, Shanghaitook the subway back to the other side, and headed to the Bund to see the night skyline. It is beautiful. The lights of the skyscrapers are dazzling. The river makes the city really jump out, with boats going up and down the river. After taking a stroll for about an hour, and Alex buying two "Mont Blanc" pens on the street, we headed back to the hostel to meet up with Eric for his birthday celebration.
For a while we couldn't get in touch with Eric, so drinking beers at the hostel bar was the only option. After a while, Eric decides to come and see if were in the hostel, and knowing us as he does, the first place he checks is the bar. The night was complete debauchery after that. We drank ourselves silly with beer and 151, and Alex and I didn't get back to our room until 8:30am. How we made it back, speaking to the taxi driver in Chinese, must have been a sight to see and hear. We lost Eric early in the morning hours, but he made it to the airport to catch his flight back to Hong Kong just fine
without his jacket and scarf.
When we woke up, we had a bit of an incident with Alex's passport and spent all day trying to find it. It was an all day adventure, ending with us having three pints of beer with a pair of Brits at the Blue Frog and somehow finding Alex's passport and camera at one of the bars we had visited the night before. He was flying out the next morning, so he was quite relieved to have it in his hands once again.
Early morning Alex leaves, and my brother Felipe and I meet up with Erik and Malin--the two Swedes we had met in Beijing. They had recommended we stay at the hostel in Shanghai. We spent the first half of the day walking the old Chinese City. With mostly markets in the area, the stroll was a change of pace from the rest of Shanghai.
We made our way back to the Bund area, and finished the walk at People's Square. Malin was feeling sick, so both she and Erik headed back to hostel and my brother and I went to lunch. We made plans to watch a movie later
Hotel
Shanghai that night. For lunch we found a restaurant on the street, which was not that good.
Our walk that afternoon led us to the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party in China. The building is very nice. Inside, history is told from a different perspective, and is a must visit if in Shanghai. The entrance is free, and photographs are only allowed in the lobby area.
After exiting, we walked the rest of the late afternoon and early evening. The Propaganda Poster Museum closed on us, so we headed back to the hostel for dinner, beer, and a movie. We said our goodbyes to the Swedes, and the next morning it was off to Suzhou.
Suzhou
The city is less than an hour train ride from Shanghai. When arriving, expect everybody trying to sell you tours or hotel rooms. When we arrived, we were planning on only staying one night, leaving early for Hangzhou, and then traveling to Xian to see the historical city and the famous Terracotta Warriors. Visiting Hangzhou soon fell apart as we learned that the ferry service had been discontinued, the person who had told us would give
us accommodation was never heard from, and we did not want to risk being stuck in the city. We ended up being stuck in Suzhou instead--no Xian, no warriors.
We walked all over the city the first night. Just taking in the sights and sounds of the quaint city. Almost all the buildings are painted white, and there are several retail shopping centers in the city. We spent the night at our hotel's bar, the Jolly Good Time at the Bamboo Grove Hotel. The bartender was nice, and my brother and I played pool.
The next day, I visited the North Temple, Confucius Temple, and the UNESCO World Heritage City Gardens. They were all beautiful, and if you find yourself in Suzhou, these, along with other spots, should be visited. The North Temple provides a view from the top, nine levels above ground. The views are great on a clear day. There is also a tea house that I wanted to try out within the complex, but it was closed.
Throughout the day I felt sick, and began to get a very bad fever. I wanted to get on the train to Xian.
Since our plans
Tea
Shanghai to Hangzhou had fallen through, we had decided to take the night train to Xian from Suzhou. However, as the bellboys at the hotel found out for us, all the trains were booked. They told us that since celebrations for the New Year started a month a early, no tickets were available. The next ones were for the 29th. My brother left Beijing on the 30th. No go. Had I had my head clear, and we would have planned better, a plane from either Shanghai or Hangzhou to Xian would have been perfect. Instead, three nights in Suzhou was what we ended up doing.
The sights in the city are nice, but the city itself can be visited for a day trip from Shanghai. That is what we had planned, then go to Xian, but it was a lost opportunity. (That means that we have to go back to China to see Xian...)
We headed back to Shanghai (even these tickets were hard to get).
Back to Shanghai
Feeling down, we made the best of our one-night stay in Shanghai. We went back to the same hostel, and found the bar staff happy to see us
again.
We visited the Propaganda Poster Museum. The exhibition is awesome, and their souvenir shop is even better. However, the entrance is a bit expensive for what it provides. The souvenirs are reasonably priced.
The next morning we headed for the Jade Buddha Temple. It is a must visit if in the city. The smells are amazing, the Jade Buddha itself is beautiful, and the grounds are nice to walk through. That night we were off to Beijing once again.
Shanghai was a good time spent overall.
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