2013.08.04 Sunday - Shanghai

Feeling very hot @ Yuyuan Gardens

Sunday brought the prospect of wonderful Shanghai adventures, only to be almost wiped out by the time we had been out in the street for only a couple of minutes. The atmosphere was just so oppressive it was almost unbearable. Felt like you needed a scythe to cut through the air to make headway. Bought a pair of sunglasses and headed into Starbucks for breakfast which wasn’t too bad.  Starbucks appear to be very popular everywhere in Asia and Europe! Eventually headed off the the Yuyuan Gardens which was supposedly very pretty and which also had markets nearby in the old part of Shanghai. 
 

Jan with her re-hydration in tow.

Headed for a beer pretty quickly as the heat and crowds were just so exhausting. Had some dumplings which were rather good but you can taste the horrid fat they cook stuff in and it puts you off a bit. 

The Markets @ Yuyuan Gardens.

Soon came to the conclusion that Shanghai would be best visited in autumn or spring but certainly not in summer  .. and not winter either which is apparently pretty extreme. Maybe a bit like Melbourne on steroids. Apparently it has been the hottest year in the last ten here. Temperatures around the 37-40 degrees for quite a while now and set to continue/increase over the next week!!!
 

Hard to tell if it was spray or steam!!

Bought a few things at the markets and then walked around a bit feeling increasingly exhausted.  

Ducks @ the Yuyuan Gardens .. maybe in a dumpling next week!!

Yuyuan Gardens and lots of umbrellas to counter the heat.

Left Yuyuan gardens and traipsed around the older part of the city before deciding to catch a cab back to the hotel to ‘unmelt’ a bit. 

Jan @ Yuyuan Gardens after Beer & Dumplings

Photographed a few things like food stalls much to the annoyance of some of the locals who don’t like being “snapped”. Lots of unusual/odd fruits.

Massive Jackfruit in Old Shanghai Markets

Fruit on a stick in Old Shanghai Markets

This is McDonalds in Shanghai. Heaps of food chains like Starbucks, Subway and KFC.

Went to the Captain’s Bar later that night. So many people are begging for money etc. One woman had her child out begging for her .. very sad .. actually let the child run out in the street amongst the cars to ask. I nearly had a cow watching one little seemingly 4 year old darting through the traffic to ask!! It had started to rain so we were also running trying not to get wet. Storm ended up being quite spectacular. In thed rush to avoid the rain I slipped over on the street and banged my knee up! No one offered to help me up! Just amazing with so many people around! 

The Pearl Tower and Light Show courtesy of Nature and Shanghai Electric From the deck@ The Captain's Bar

 The meal at the Bar was pretty ordinary but the atmosphere quite pleasant AND it was air conditioned. It was still pouring as we left to catch a cab back to the hotel .. quite exhausted after such a packed, hot day.

2013.08.03 Shanghai Saturday

The outside whizzing by very fast from the Maglev Train

When we arrived at Shanghai it took quite a while to get through customs and baggage pickup.. At first we thought they weren’t going to let us in! Just this year they have changed visa requirements for China to not needing one if you’re there for less than 72 hours. Obviously our immigration officers weren’t up to speed with that one.  Eventually got through and it was an extremely long walk to the Maglev station to get the fast train in towards Shanghai. Pudong airport, where we arrived, is way out of town [over an hour by taxi] so Jan thought it would be quicker to get the Maglev [see below] than a cab from the terminal. It’s quite a speedy number. By this time we could tell it was very warm outside even though it was well into the evening. When we got off the Maglev and headed for a taxi the heat was pretty overwhelming even for 8.30 @ night!!! 

Looking down the Centre of the Maglev

Numerous groups/individuals tried to talk us into their taxi/route between the airport and the final cab we got into. Some of these people were exceptionally pushy and bossy! It was a relief to get into a cab to get away from people wanting to take our money for their service. Almost all the cabs looked pretty clapped out. Possibly saw only a couple of modern cabs all the time we were there. Most of them appear to be VWs and actually look like old Magnas from the 80s/90s at home. However cab fares are quite reasonable .. which makes up for the feeling that you’re taking your life into your hands actually getting into one. Shanghai drivers seem to be just as crazy as those of most other Asian countries. They ignore traffic lights when possible, use their car horns relentlessly and drive like there’s no tomorrow. Traffic was hellish coming into Shanghai centre.

Shanghai Street @ Night

Arrived @ hotel to find that they had given us a double bed instead of 2 singles and the room reeked of cigarettes. Australia is way ahead in the no smoking department .. even ahead of Finland! Eventually got moved to another room on 21^st floor with 2 single beds and a fabulous view of the main shopping drag.  Energy conservation is not big on the agenda in Shanghai. Must have been running enough Neon lights each night to power all of Australia for a couple of weeks.  They went on full throttle until 11pm when nearly everything was suddenly turned off! It was as if the government was saying in its friendly communist way .. “Bedtime comrades!”

Heaps of people on the streets though until then and even after. Apart from feeling like we were being squeezed to death by the hot air, it was more than a little irritating to be swamped by sellers on foot trying to flog everything from watches to slime splat. The most annoying were girls on roller skates with flashing lights in them trying to make us buy a pair or 2 of their foot adornments.

While I’m sure it would be a faster way to get around for the young and nubile … the prospect of smashing into a road or a wall and ending up in Shanghai hospital was way too frightening to be even slightly tempted to buy these flashy little wheels.

We drank beer nearly all the time we were there, perhaps because we were so dehydrated/hot .. even though neither of us normally drinks beer.

2013.08.03 Saturday Flight from Sydney to Shanghai with QANTAS.

Flight was extremely smooth and food was wonderful. Jan says it was the best Qantas flight she has ever had. Was pretty exhausted by the time we got on the plane. So much to go through with baggage check in then checking carry-on luggage then going through untold numbers of other checks- it was quite tiring. Took my toothpaste off me even though it was only 1/3 tube .. because it could hold more than 30g originally ... it had to go. Found out on the plane that one doesn’t go to an airplane toilet with stockings on and no shoes! Not only do the toilets stink after an hour or two … they also have pee on the floor! Not nice!  Had 2 meals on board and it was interesting being able to chart the progress of the flight from the seat screen. A long time since I’ve flown international .. it’s all way different now to back in the 70s.