When I thought about arriving in Shanghai Images of tea houses, serene bamboo walks and historical architecture sprang to mind, I expected to experience 'real' China here, a taste of old cultural habits....boy was I wrong!
Shanghai is the largest Chinese City by population boasting an impressive 24 million!! I only actually spent 3 days here but it was less Chinese than your bog standard China Town (for me anyway)
Its was a very modern city, I have never seen so many huge department stores and Haagen Dazs shops (not sure what the ice-cream obsession was?) From forever 21 to Prada there was retail heaven for everyone.
Crossing the streets in these built up shopping areas was pretty overwhelming, it reminded me of a game we would play at school called bulldog, which consisted of two teams standing opposite each other with linked arms basically running full speed at one another trying to break the chain. They even have people employed to hold back the pedestrians after the green man has gone because people refuse to stop walking, even blindly into the path of cars.
Shanghai is the largest Chinese City by population boasting an impressive 24 million!! I only actually spent 3 days here but it was less Chinese than your bog standard China Town (for me anyway)
Its was a very modern city, I have never seen so many huge department stores and Haagen Dazs shops (not sure what the ice-cream obsession was?) From forever 21 to Prada there was retail heaven for everyone.
Crossing the streets in these built up shopping areas was pretty overwhelming, it reminded me of a game we would play at school called bulldog, which consisted of two teams standing opposite each other with linked arms basically running full speed at one another trying to break the chain. They even have people employed to hold back the pedestrians after the green man has gone because people refuse to stop walking, even blindly into the path of cars.
Crossing the street Shanghai.
Busy hopping Street, Shanghai Centre
In fact I found Shanghai very beautiful, walking in the warm breeze along the famous bund, by day a stretch of impressive silver wall street type office sky scrapers reflecting of the calm water, by night a futuristic skyline full of dazzling lights.
One of my best times was sitting on the river at night in a roof top bar sipping over-priced jazzed up melon cocktails watching the lights of the bund twinkle whilst listening to some truly horrific Karaoke rendition of Celine Dion! I know...best nights ever!
The Bund, by night
I decided to test out some Shanghai night life action, I was looking for something a bit different, I love electro and Drum'n'Bass so wanted to find somewhere I could dance and discover some Chinese talent. This is where I found Shelter, a nightclub housed in an actual World War 2-era bomb shelter, the interior is entirely carved out of stone. I felt like I was walking into a movie set! I highly recommend everybody going to this place, if you're looking for a subterranean circus experience, this is it!
Sadly whist outside I met a group of somewhat dodgy guys trying to sell me drugs, nothing unusual about that outside any club anywhere in the world, but 2 minutes later they took off...and with my Iphone, yes pick pocketed, not a great way to end my night, as travellers may be aware, I didn't just lose a phone, I lost my pictures, my music, my messages and all forms of contact with home, bastards!
On a positive side I was in China! Apple products are half the price so the next morning I went to apple and got a brand new iPod touch for the cool price of $250, all smiles again!
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