Sharing our week in Shanghai

Okay people... I know I haven't written in a super long time, but I am back!  I have so much to share with everyone, I barely know where to begin.  We just returned from our holiday vacation where we spent one week in Shanghai and one week in Hong Kong/ Macau.  Today, I am going to focus on the Shanghai portion.  Now let me first explain the reason we chose to go to Asia is because my brother, Jason, happens to be working in Shanghai for a few years as a teacher.  We didn't want to miss such a great opportunity to see a part of the world we might never otherwise visit.   


Lets just cut to the chase, and I will give you an overview of what we did:

We admired the skyline

Shanghai Nights

Shanghai Days

Visited the famous Pearl Tower

The base of the Pearl Tower

Goofing around with a hologram inside the Pearl Tower

Ildi and Laszo

Laszo and I in the Pearl Tower

Walked around the City

In the center of the Pedestrian bridge

Took a bus tour

Rode on a psychedelic tram under the bund

This is the tram that goes under the water

imagine crazy music and disco lights

Walked on pedestrian streets

typical street

Shopped at the "fake" markets

The Pearl Market... where everything is negotiable

Rolex anyone??

Visited my brother's apartment

Jason and Ildi's Apartment...notice how lowthe counters are

The outside of the apt

Saw fireworks on the street

Yeah this is completely normal and completely dangerous.  Cars, bikes, and people just walk by

Walked through a "bad neighborhood" :(

The less fortunate areaa

This area is soon to be bulldozed

Saw some interesting food

ovary glands??

worms and maggots for over $1000 USD

Durian "stinky" fruit

completely normal to see random meat in the street

Wine tasting in the street

Free Wine

Cheers

Hung out with the family!

Mom and I on our last night in Shanghai- this was a bar in Xintiandi (car-free entertainment area)

Mom striking a pose

The crew

mom and I shopping

Happy Hour

Bence and mom at Big Bamboo

Ildi and Laszo at Big Bamboo

Jason and Mom

So that is basically what we did, now here are just a few things I observed:

*I want to start by talking about THE MALLS.  This is probably the one thing that surprised me the most about Shanghai.  There is literally a huge, fancy mall on every street corner.  You peek inside a doorway and  it opens up to a luxurious mall.  I mean like 7 stories tall with every "high end" store you can imagine.  I am not joking.  I am still confused why there are so many malls everywhere. Who is shopping? What are they buying? I don't have the answers, I am just presenting what I saw.

Bling Bling ?

Mall entrance

*Crossing the street . Lets discuss this for a minute. Crossing the street is something we dont think much about in the USA, right? I mean we wait for the light to turn and we look both ways just to be safe, then we cross. No big deal. In Shanghai.... fogeddabbboudddit. Its a big deal. It might be the biggest thing you do all day. This is how it goes: Wait for the light, then look, then wait for few scooters, bikes, cars, people, busses, wagons, whatever- then zig-zag your way across the street while dodging more scooters, bikes, and cars.  Basically a green light in Shanghai just means "good luck", you have a better chance of making it across.  

Thats a bike carrying boxes, another common site to see

The smog:  it really is as bad as the rumors. Surgical masks may look strange, but they certainly serve a purpose.  If I lived there, I would probably wear a mask as well. 

view from hotel room on a particularly smoggy day

Food:There is no difference between Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner.  Fried rice is acceptable for any meal, just as noodles or tripe can be bought on most corners all day long. 

this was a typical breakfast for me

The people:  So Shanghai is huge.  Lets face it- 23 million people is a big ass city.  Just as I had been warned, I did observe a few people spitting and hacking in the streets.  I also noticed them staring at the white people.  A few even asked to take our photos.  Yes they can be a bit pushy in the streets or subways (metro), but none of this was nearly as bad as I had expected!



After all this...what do I think of Shanghai? 

I can honestly say I don't know. What I do know is that Shanghai is a city of severe contrasts.  There is a strange but wonderful mix of old versus new.  The people are pleasant and the streets are insanely safe.  The beautiful skyline with all the brand new buildings and bright lights only tower over a land of ancient buildings that house the people living their daily lives. 

There is so much more to share.... but I will leave it at that for now with a smile on my face from all the great memories :)

Stay tuned for the Hong Kong/ Macau report!