City of lights - Shanghai, China
Shanghai, China
We awoke to a sunny and humid Shanghai and went first to the banks of the Bund - the wide boulevard on the banks of the river which slices through the middle of Shanghai. On one side - the one they call the Bund - are the most gorgeous European style buildings; charming, stately and elegant. We walked past the Peace Hotel - where we will move tomorrow. its the oldest 5-star hotel in Shanghai and looks lovely. On the other side is the commercial centre of the city- brash, sparkling high rise towers in audacious shapes; spheres, a buildings with a square cut from the top, a probe with a 'pearl' shape protruding from the middle... All awe inspiring. We walked along the banks of the Bund for about an hour in the heat before re-boarding the bus to Nanjing Road- the main shopping area of Shanghai. It is almost impossible to remember we are still in China- here sits every European brand one beside the other in a beautiful tree lined mall closed to traffic. We spent our time here in Uniclo (for Ben and then Sephora for Alex and I. Next stop, the old part of Shanghai that has now become a shopping Mecca for people wanting Traditional Chinese trinkets. There we bought Charley a pair of Chinese pyjamas, and Mitch a Chinese-style chess set. The narrow streets are lovely - although crammed with tourists. But it was nice to bargain and feel like we were somewhere unique. We ate in a Chinese style food court before heading back to the bus. Charley had a bit of an upset tummy which made for a few dramatic hours as we tried to rush to a toilet - and she won't use the squatters- in time to prevent an accident. Next stop - the underground markets where everyone spent a couple of hours shopping for counterfeit bags and watches etc. It was fun and Mitch especially enjoys the sport of bargaining. By now it was late afternoon and we were all truly shopped out. We had a quick Shanghai-style dinner of won ton soup and other sweeter dishes than we had in Beijing. And then it was out the back door of the restaurant and onto a boat for a nighttime cruise. Shanghai is truly breathtaking at night, and it behaves like a city that knows its charms. It is almost impossible to describe the decadent light display that powers up the skyline. Every building on the commercial side of the river flashes and glitters with multi color advertising the whole length of the high rise. Every boat that went last ours was also heavily decorated with lights. On the Bund side of the river, the old-worldly buildings were more moderately decorated - but still created a blaze of fiery beauty. Even the sky itself was adorned with sparkling neon kites! I've never seen anything like it, and it was at once bath taking, impressive and sickening for its gaudiness. But again, this is China telling the world it can do something bigger, brother and better than anywhere else. Las Vegas, New Years Eve - both become shadows in the face of this opulence. Needless to say we enjoyed the cruise. It was our last night with the tour as others will leave for other Chinese cites tomorrow and we plan to spend a decadent day in the tasteful and recently restored Peace Hotel.