Thursday, June 7, 2007 - Shanghai
Before I post I just want to greet my Dad a very Happy Birthday! Love you, Dad!
We began the day a little late, around 9:30 a.m. I had a difficult time sleeping last night because the bed was hard, it turns out we were sleeping on top of a tatami-like mat. Peter, as it turned out, couldn't sleep either.
Since we started late we decided to just have breakfast here at the hostel. I ordered the Swiss breakfast (muesli with fruit, toast with cheese, scrambled eggs); Peter ordered the pancakes with fruit. More people came into the dining area and ordered their breakfast. What's funny was that my order arrived first (which should be because we were there first) and Peter's order came last (the other people got their orders before he did). Peter thought that it was an easy order since they were just pancakes, I told him they probably had to make the batter first and do some kind of trial and error thing because they are really not experts in making american-style pancakes.
For today we explored the Bund area alongside the Huangpu river. From the Metro Line 2 stop at Nanjing (Dong) Lu - a pedestrian mall that begins from the People's Square to a block before the main road parallel to the river. We were awed by the buildings we saw and the amount of space given for the pedestrians. Even with the amount of people walking along the street it doesn't feel too crowded like when we were in Hong Kong. The weather is also very pleasant, no humidity.
We walked along the promenade and looked out across the river to the Pudong district with their huge skyscrapers. Behind us are the transformed buildings of the past, like the Peace Hotel, the Customs building, the HSBC building, etc. It was a good long walk from where we began (around the middle) to the southern end of the promenade.
It was around noon or later when we got to the end. Peter wanted to find a place for us to eat. Since we were near the Yu Yuan Gardens (a walled area with renovated old Chinese-style buildings with the gardens in the middle) we walked there. The walk was quite long and along the sidewalks are street vendors selling their wares and some food. Most of the time we were walking along the streets avoiding the bikes and the mopeds. We found a nice park right near the area where they grow bamboo trees and right in the middle is an old Tea house.
Walking to the YuYuan Garden you would think that the place would be filled with hawkers and street vendors. What you would see first as you entered the area are shops filled with Chinese crafts, souvenirs, etc. Looked like a tourist trap place full of (expensive looking) stores. There were so many people there. We just walked around the place which felt like a maze, the buildings kind of look alike. Then we fell into this area where a lot of Chinese were lining up to by this dumpling. Well, we decided to try it. As we lined up we were right behind a Chinese-Canadian woman who heard us speak English and helped us understand what we were buying. She said that it was a popular place and for 10 yuan we get 16 pieces (or 20 yuan for 32). The line was pretty long but the service was quick. You pay first, get a reciept and then they will serve you the dumplings on a rectangular paper bowl - you can put a soy sauce/vinegar sauce on it. We got the 16 pieces and divided it between the two of us. They were simple yet tasted good!
Next, we wanted to look for a place to have dessert, we walked around and found a bigger food court which sells a huge variety of local Chinese delicacies for cheap! (Who says tourist trap areas are expensive, not so here in Shanghai!) We got 2 kinds of desserts served on steamer baskets and one tofu-looking food which was salty. It wasn't the best but at least now we know where we can eat local food.
We left the place via a different exit and found the Honeymoon Dessert place Peter actually was hoping they'd have. Too late for dessert today but at least we can come back again tomorrow or the next day.
After walking for hours we decided to catch the train back to the hostel and take a nap. By 7 .m. we went out in search of a dinner meal and a supermarket. We were directed to the nearby Carrefour. It had some restaurants we could choose from - decided to have some japanese-style dinner before buying some toilet paper (for use in public toilets - a must have when you're out of doors) and water.
Here in Wuning Road in the Putuo District the buildings look a bit exclusive in some areas which are gated and fully landscaped. Some areas look old but not run down like our previous hostel. In the late afternoons onwards vendors lay down their mats and spread out their wares and items for sale. They occupy most of the sidewalk which makes it hard for people to walk through. (We learned that we can walk, just be on guard, on the bike/moped dedicated lane - about 1 1/3 the size of an american car lane).
~~~
Today we were approached by so many locals trying to sell shoes, watches, bags, etc. They knew we were tourists from a mile away. Another one tried to strike a conversation with us in English, but we learned to be wary of them because they will lure you to a bar or restaurant and get you to pay an enormous amount.
The Subways aren't as full when you avoid the rush hour.
All public toilets are using the squat method and no toilet paper is given unless it is a paid public toilet (they only give you a 2-ply napkin tissue).
Before I post I just want to greet my Dad a very Happy Birthday! Love you, Dad!
We began the day a little late, around 9:30 a.m. I had a difficult time sleeping last night because the bed was hard, it turns out we were sleeping on top of a tatami-like mat. Peter, as it turned out, couldn't sleep either.
Since we started late we decided to just have breakfast here at the hostel. I ordered the Swiss breakfast (muesli with fruit, toast with cheese, scrambled eggs); Peter ordered the pancakes with fruit. More people came into the dining area and ordered their breakfast. What's funny was that my order arrived first (which should be because we were there first) and Peter's order came last (the other people got their orders before he did). Peter thought that it was an easy order since they were just pancakes, I told him they probably had to make the batter first and do some kind of trial and error thing because they are really not experts in making american-style pancakes.
For today we explored the Bund area alongside the Huangpu river. From the Metro Line 2 stop at Nanjing (Dong) Lu - a pedestrian mall that begins from the People's Square to a block before the main road parallel to the river. We were awed by the buildings we saw and the amount of space given for the pedestrians. Even with the amount of people walking along the street it doesn't feel too crowded like when we were in Hong Kong. The weather is also very pleasant, no humidity.
We walked along the promenade and looked out across the river to the Pudong district with their huge skyscrapers. Behind us are the transformed buildings of the past, like the Peace Hotel, the Customs building, the HSBC building, etc. It was a good long walk from where we began (around the middle) to the southern end of the promenade.
It was around noon or later when we got to the end. Peter wanted to find a place for us to eat. Since we were near the Yu Yuan Gardens (a walled area with renovated old Chinese-style buildings with the gardens in the middle) we walked there. The walk was quite long and along the sidewalks are street vendors selling their wares and some food. Most of the time we were walking along the streets avoiding the bikes and the mopeds. We found a nice park right near the area where they grow bamboo trees and right in the middle is an old Tea house.
Walking to the YuYuan Garden you would think that the place would be filled with hawkers and street vendors. What you would see first as you entered the area are shops filled with Chinese crafts, souvenirs, etc. Looked like a tourist trap place full of (expensive looking) stores. There were so many people there. We just walked around the place which felt like a maze, the buildings kind of look alike. Then we fell into this area where a lot of Chinese were lining up to by this dumpling. Well, we decided to try it. As we lined up we were right behind a Chinese-Canadian woman who heard us speak English and helped us understand what we were buying. She said that it was a popular place and for 10 yuan we get 16 pieces (or 20 yuan for 32). The line was pretty long but the service was quick. You pay first, get a reciept and then they will serve you the dumplings on a rectangular paper bowl - you can put a soy sauce/vinegar sauce on it. We got the 16 pieces and divided it between the two of us. They were simple yet tasted good!
Next, we wanted to look for a place to have dessert, we walked around and found a bigger food court which sells a huge variety of local Chinese delicacies for cheap! (Who says tourist trap areas are expensive, not so here in Shanghai!) We got 2 kinds of desserts served on steamer baskets and one tofu-looking food which was salty. It wasn't the best but at least now we know where we can eat local food.
We left the place via a different exit and found the Honeymoon Dessert place Peter actually was hoping they'd have. Too late for dessert today but at least we can come back again tomorrow or the next day.
After walking for hours we decided to catch the train back to the hostel and take a nap. By 7 .m. we went out in search of a dinner meal and a supermarket. We were directed to the nearby Carrefour. It had some restaurants we could choose from - decided to have some japanese-style dinner before buying some toilet paper (for use in public toilets - a must have when you're out of doors) and water.
Here in Wuning Road in the Putuo District the buildings look a bit exclusive in some areas which are gated and fully landscaped. Some areas look old but not run down like our previous hostel. In the late afternoons onwards vendors lay down their mats and spread out their wares and items for sale. They occupy most of the sidewalk which makes it hard for people to walk through. (We learned that we can walk, just be on guard, on the bike/moped dedicated lane - about 1 1/3 the size of an american car lane).
~~~
Today we were approached by so many locals trying to sell shoes, watches, bags, etc. They knew we were tourists from a mile away. Another one tried to strike a conversation with us in English, but we learned to be wary of them because they will lure you to a bar or restaurant and get you to pay an enormous amount.
The Subways aren't as full when you avoid the rush hour.
All public toilets are using the squat method and no toilet paper is given unless it is a paid public toilet (they only give you a 2-ply napkin tissue).
posted by Mimi | 3:11 AM
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