A Tour of "My Shanghai"

My sister Maria, the intrepid traveler, braved a few days in Shanghai en route to Thailand. Her visit prompted me to create a tour of 'my Shanghai', which mixes real Shanghai and refuge from it.

SIGHTSEEING
· The Bund Promenade - admire the dramatic skyline, witness countless vendors selling identical souvenirs, and have your photo taken covertly by Chinese tourists
· Yu Garden - marvel at the lineup for dumplings and the sheer density of tourists packed into this 'old Shanghai' area
· People's Park - enjoy the greenery and check out the weekend gathering of 'live' personals hosted by "helpful" parents
· Fuxing Park - watch tai-chi practicers of all ages, lively group card games, or a suprising show

SHOPPING

· Random alleys - get lost in the many lanes lined with tiny shops selling everything from plump pomelos to flopping fish, to chirping crickets; see residents sharing a street-side meal or hanging laundry out the window.
· Nanjing Dong Lu shopping street - soundtrack: "watch? bag?" (repeat)
· 'Copy mart' (Nanjing Xi Lu) - struggle to fend off aggressive vendors that literally drag you into their store, and test your bargaining skills
· South Bund Fabric Market - try your hand at designing your own clothing - suits, dresses, coats...you name it!
· DVDs - who can resist stocking up at 1 dollar apiece!

FOOD/DRINK
· 'Wet' Food Market - practice your Mandarin while buying super fresh (and cheap) produce.

· Wujiang Lu food street- spectate in awe or dare to sample the myriad mystery meat dumplings and kebabs

· Cloud Nine lounge - sip a drink and enjoy a rare moment of silence, while overlooking the madness from the 87th floor
· Wagas, Element Fresh, Otto's Restaurants- temporarily escape China in these oases of Western food (salads, pasta, cheese....yum!)

INDULGENCE
· Massage - treat yourself! The massage industry is thriving in Shanghai thanks to us indulgent expats ... be careful, this can be addictive! Jerel recommends the unusually quiet Dagu Lu.

Maria gave the tour thumbs up, but was more than ready for a few days at the beach by the end of the weekend. I realize now just how accustomed I've become to the incessant noise, relentless vendors, insane driving, and general chaos of this wild and crazy city!

For more photos of Maria's weekend in Shanghai click here.

Peeking at Beijing

It's silly, really. Our six months in Asia have included trips to Moscow, London, Barcelona, and the Philippines as well as to lesser know places in China like Hangzhou and Guilin….but somehow we have never made it to BEIJING! We finally ran out of excuses…




Chana decided to get a head start and *chose* to take the overnight train to Beijing on Thursday night. She is becoming a more robust traveler than I ever imagined! I had already seen the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in 2001, so it worked out well for Chana to take in these formidable sights during her solo day.

Saturday was consumed by a terrific all-day adventure along the Great Wall. We trekked 10k from Jinshanling to Simatai atop the wall on a tortuous and hilly route. Remarkably, even at km 6 there were still vendors pushing the cold beer and T-shirts that they had sherpa-ed up there…I'm still not sure who decides to buy a T-shirt 6 km into a trek!

Over the course of the weekend we also saw the Temple of Heaven and Jing Shan Park. To my delight, in the central temple of Jiang Shan, we stumbled upon an 8 foot, monolithic sculpture of Chana's namesake, Vairochana. The worshippers of the giant Buddha seemed unphased by the mob of tourists or the incessant flashing of cameras...

Beijing’s many ornate, ancient buildings and wide, sprawling plazas stand in stark contrast to the skyscrapers of Shanghai. It is the stuff of Kungfu movies. Sunday evening, we both felt a bit reluctant to leave behind what seemed to be the "real China", and return so soon to our glass and cement metropolis.

For more photos from our trip to Beijing click here.