Shanghai Noon on the day of Wonder

It's been a bit longer than usual since my last post because I've been preparing for, enjoying and returning from an epic weekend trip to Shanghai. The trip was planned about a month in advance, and we managed to get some great timing on our flights; Saturday, 8:00 AM departure to get there, and Monday 8:00 PM departure on the way back. Next we found a hostel for less than 100rmb a night, that was one metro stop from the heart of Shanghai. And finally, for this trip to China's shopping and food center, I budgeted 1000rmb.

Upon the day of the trip, I could hardly sleep, and only got about 2 hours before my alarm sounded at 4AM. I checked that I had everything I had packed, and then met the others outside the school at 5. A long taxi ride took us the airport, in the calm-ocean-flat outskirts of Shijizhuang. Passage through the airport was as easy as walking with a backpack, and we arrived at the gate with plenty of time. I tried sleeping, but the excitement of travel was too much, and I was restless until it was time to fly.

Tim Hawkins has a sketch about a very short domestic flight. Listen to it if you want to know what the two hours to Shanghai were like; he describes it in better detail than I can. But one thing Hawkins won't mention is the fact that the Chinese are zealous about phones on planes. The rule seems to be "Turn off everything with a screen." I generally appreciate the Chinese and the way they do things, but after learning that "the Chinese do not believe in airplane mode" from one of the attendants, I kind of lost respect for Chinese airlines. I mean, even the FAA isn't greatly concerned with this.

After that interesting flight, we touched down in Shanghai, and we checked in to the hostel before 12. I was amazed by this; I had woken up that morning bleary eyed in Shijiazhuang, and I was in Shanghai, over a thousand kilometers away, ready to explore it before lunch time.

When everyone who was staying at the hostel had checked in, we set out for a staple Shanghai tourist location; The Bund. The Bund is not much more than a bend in the river, but it's covered in tourists because you can get amazing shots of Shanghai, like this:

(David, our resident 'foreign tourist.')

And this;

After doing our tourist thing and getting some photos, we stopped at Subway and then trecked over to the hotel where David was staying. Since he arrived in China after we made our reservations, he had to stay somewhere else.

From there, it was time for our group of eleven to break down into some sub groups so that those who wanted to shop and those who wanted to sight-see could go their own ways.

I departed with Ross, Ruud, Quentin and David to explore Shanghai, with the intention of crossing the Huangpu River into the Pudong district, where the city's most famous skyscrapers pierced the clouds.

It turns out that rivers are a pain to cross if one goes it on foot. Seeing a bridge was north of us, we set out along the Huangpu, only to realize that the bridge was more distant than we thought. Undeterred by this, we continued, hoping to find a ferry or tunnel that we could use instead. After about thirty minutes in the sub-tropical Shanghai sun, we encountered a small coastal park, which we believed had a ferry landing. Instead, we found a cruise ship docked in the park. There was no grand dock, no vendors hawking wears at the base of the gangplank, just a boat parked next to some relaxing trees and flowers. On the other side of this cruise ship dock/nature reserve we found our ferry, which put us on the other side of the river within a few minutes.

That is about when I realized how grand Shanghai's skyline is up close. The Pearl of the Orient is an absolutely alien sight, suspended on great legs, each as big as my apartment. It resembles a spacecraft from the future, stranded in China. I imagine if MIB was set in China, that is exactly what it would turn out to be. The Shanghai tower was even grander, as it swept off the ground with a gentle spiral, like a furled scroll set upon the ground by a giant scholar. And its windows are more translucent than other buildings, affording people on the ground a view into the impossibly high structure. Finally, the Shanghai World Financial Center, with its singularly distinctive bottle opener shape, stood proudly above many of its neighbors.

For a short spell, we walked among these giants, I was agog as we passed below the Pearl. We visited one of the many expensive malls that populated Shanghai, picked up some exclusive foreign beverages, and headed back to the hostel to get changed for dinner. This time it was Ross, not Alex, who had made the reservations at a very high end Mexican restaurant called Maya. After Ross said he didn't plan to eat any Chinese food this weekend I realized he had an interesting point. Shanghai may be my last chance to eat a good variety of western foods, and I may be able to find it in better quality than I could find in the States.

Finding Maya was a bit interesting, as it was situated in a village, inaccessible from the street. But we did find it, after walking into the wrong restaurant and happening upon a private party.

Maya obviously served extremely authentic Mexican cuisine; one could literally smell the quality upon entering the restaurant. The warm scents of spicy dishes permeated the air. And triple digit prices permeated the menu. About when I figured out that this meal would probably cost 300 rmb, half the cash in my wallet at that point, I realized I might not have brought enough cash for the trip, at least not if I wanted to abstain from Chinese cuisine.

After that shock, I was pleased to find that the food warranted the price. My chicken enchilada was superb; warm, just a bit spicy, wonderfully textured, and exactly one serving. It was perhaps the most satisfying meal I'd had in China, and it increased my appreciation for high-end cuisine and Mexican food in general. I wish I could better describe the experience I had as I ate that enchilada, but I feel any words I produced would still fail to capture it.

By the time we returned to the hostel that evening, I couldn't help but wonder at Shanghai's wealth. It had buildings so grand they dwarfed cruise ships, multiple malls that sold Gucci, Rolex, Prada and the like, and numerous restaurants I could guess were at least as good as Maya. What a place, to wonder at the wealth.


I did capture some pictures from this trip, which have been added to this album. Tune in tomorrow to hear more about Shanghai.