Goodbye Shanghai - Here we come Hong Kong

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All I can say is: I will be HAPPY to leave this damn city!! Now, we’ve kept busy these last 3 days. Yesterday we aimed to visit the Old City – but on the way, as usual, we got lost. Luckily, we came across the Confucius (philosopher) temple and school. It was very beautiful inside, with a display of mad wooden ‘statues’, portraits of the philosopher and all sorts of Jade statues they try to sell you. The rest of our walk was a bit fruitless – there was not much to see, just older buildings with a less touristy background. From there we make our way to Huaihai, another commercial area. This road is considered the ‘Champs Elysees’ of Shangai, although I can’t see the slightest similarity!!! It was funny to walk through a park where old people where hanging around and exercising (literally): some played poker or with their grandchildren but many were using some sort of ‘gym machines’ installed in the middle of the park. It was pretty original, I’ve never seen anything like it – we thought of taking pics but abstained ourselves as it may be disrespectful. Today our objective was visiting the Jade Buddha close to Zhenping Road and later, the Aquarium. We struggle with our map – as, although in English, is completely wrong!! Streets and names are mixed and we feel pretty confused. It’s good that M has a compass and some sense of direction. I’m only good with the underground!! We finally get there and the temple is very beautiful indeed – 3 giant golden Buddhas looking down at us, marvellous wooden ceilings, the smell of incense in the background... in the midst of this peaceful moment we are approached by someone called ‘Marc’ (his English name I’m guessing) who is a volunteer and offers his knowledge of the temple. He says something about a ‘Happy Buddha’ and a ‘Lady Buddha’ upstairs. We’re really looking for the Jade Buddha, after whom the temple is named. We finally find it in a separate part of the temple – it’s carved in light green Jade, with gold and precious stones. People pray and make offerings and we admire from a distance. I reflect on how God has many faces and none is more real than the other. Once outside, Marc is offering his services again! We follow him up to find the other buddhas and we’re offered all kinds of things. Escaping as best as we can, we’re on our way to the next (and thankfully final) visit of the day! – It’s holiday week in Shanghai right now (to celebrate the birth of The Republic; it’s National Day) and that means TOTAL CHAOS. Getting to the Aquarium and trying to even access it, proves to be such a mission, that it’s ‘impossible’ – even for us! We give up and come back, not after a nice burger 😉
How can I describe what I’ve felt in this city (first contact with the Chinese, except for the little-shop owners in Spain) without sounding rude? I can’t! This city is total madness, not just because of its smells (similar to India’s Calcutta), greyish colours, innumerable buildings and constant noises (cars constantly hoot, everywhere and for no apparent reason – it’s like a language) but because of its people. Their manners are completely opposite to ours; the same way I was gob smacked at the Japanese bowing for everything and sucking at their soups, I cannot help but feel super annoyed at the Chinese habits. For instance, they constantly spit, next to you, in the street, in the tube. It’s so bad that there are signs in the underground forbidding it!! There is no respect or courtesy whatsoever towards others: they push you in the tube, they stare bluntly at you (I understand we’re foreigners but even this is too much!), they disregard zebra crossings completely – miracle we haven’t been run over (and why don’t policemen do something about it??), you ask for something and they pretend they understand but they really don’t.... and a long etc! I guess it’s impossible to adapt to such a different way of living. And funny how much one misses home when one is away!
Interesting facts about Shanghai: people sell/eat all sorts of things (live ducks and chickens lay around waiting to be bought, we even saw turtles today!) – M says it’s no wonder given the Great Famine they suffered from 1958 to 1961, a tragedy which wiped out around 65 million people (which is the whole of the UK – imagine all the UK dying of hunger!). It’s only normal they eat everything and anything.
The day before our arrival in Shanghai, an accident occurred on the underground train where 270 people were injured, 9 of those critically. According to the local papers, an investigation has taken place (within 3 days) they have put the blame on the train drivers, describing them as loutish, roguish, spoilt and hooligans. One can only laugh at the description given and that an investigation of a train crash has been undertaken in the space of only 3 days! It usually takes years to determine the full extent of an investigation of this type in Europe.
It has to be said, it’s surprising how some things are really cheap, like the underground train (20 pence) and yet accommodation is so expensive (£5100 for a 3 bedroom apartment). The cost of living is contradictory to say the least. Even so, Shanghai has come a long way. The amounts of skyscrapers are incredible, never ending as you look into the horizon. Not all are modern. Some even look like they’re about to fall down, really scary when you consider the amount of people that live in these. Shanghai is the largest city by population in China, a country that has 1.5 billion people! So it leaves food for thought. It has been an experience, but we won’t be coming back in a hurry! Goodbye Shanghai, hello Hong Kong!

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