The Last Days in Shanghai
So this morning I got back from my whirlwind tour of Jiangsu province. We spent the last two days in Shanghai. These two days were fun, but at the same time we all pretty much thought Shanghai was too big.
Check out photos from both days in Shanghai here, the 7th and the 8th.
When we arrived in Shanghai we waited at the bus station for a few minutes to figure where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do the first night. The whole time we kept getting accosted by people handing out travelling advertisements and others trying to sell fake Rolex watches. I did not feel like showing interest in the watches there because everyone else would have tried to sell me their goods as well.
After making some decisions and asking some locals where good places to stay were we walked to a neighborhood a few blocks away and found a hotel across from the mayor's office. From there we went out for dinner. Right now I can not remember where because we ate at so many different restaurants that they are all starting to blur together. Oh yeah, now I remember. The reason I could not remember was because the place was not especially good. It was a cafeteria style restaurant. The best part of the cafeteria was the amount of ridiculously incorrect translations of menu items. Hanging over the seating area were lots of signs which said things like "Stir fry of face", "Plague of Dan da", etc. etc. We took some pics and then tried to understand how in the world most of the english translations in China are incorrect or spelled wrong even when the same store or park has the same Chinese translated correctly on another sign. They make me laugh, so I do not mind too much.
Before dinner we went to the Bund. The Bund is a pretty famous part of Shanghai and if you have seen any waterfront pictures of Shanghai they are most likely taken at the Bund. On one side on the Bund there is a lot of the older style architecure left over from when people like the French occupied a lot of Shanghai. On the opposite side of the Bund is a lot of newer architecture, including the Pearl Tower. We did the whole tourist thing and walked around the Bund and took a boat to the side with newer architecture, so we could take some photos.
That evening, after all the sight seeing, we met up with a friend of Ji Maike's at a pretty trendy bar. When we were hanging out and chatting I did not think I was in China. The place was hip and they were playing some house/dance music in the background, so it seemed like any place I could find in Pioneer Square, but more expensive. On top of all this, my Chinese friends wanted to practice English and listen to me speak English, so that made it feel like we were not in China even more.
After the bar we went back to our hotel. The bus ride was fun because they were not a lot of people on the bus, so we were able to relax and enjoy the architecture of some of the small neighborhoods. I have never been to Boston, but it seemed as though if I went to Boston, some of the neighborhoods would certainly be similar. Again, I did not feel like I was in China.
I do not have time to finish talking about the rest of my trip, but the next chance I get I will finish describing my vacation and everything I have been up to in the last couple days.
Check out photos from both days in Shanghai here, the 7th and the 8th.
When we arrived in Shanghai we waited at the bus station for a few minutes to figure where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do the first night. The whole time we kept getting accosted by people handing out travelling advertisements and others trying to sell fake Rolex watches. I did not feel like showing interest in the watches there because everyone else would have tried to sell me their goods as well.
After making some decisions and asking some locals where good places to stay were we walked to a neighborhood a few blocks away and found a hotel across from the mayor's office. From there we went out for dinner. Right now I can not remember where because we ate at so many different restaurants that they are all starting to blur together. Oh yeah, now I remember. The reason I could not remember was because the place was not especially good. It was a cafeteria style restaurant. The best part of the cafeteria was the amount of ridiculously incorrect translations of menu items. Hanging over the seating area were lots of signs which said things like "Stir fry of face", "Plague of Dan da", etc. etc. We took some pics and then tried to understand how in the world most of the english translations in China are incorrect or spelled wrong even when the same store or park has the same Chinese translated correctly on another sign. They make me laugh, so I do not mind too much.
Before dinner we went to the Bund. The Bund is a pretty famous part of Shanghai and if you have seen any waterfront pictures of Shanghai they are most likely taken at the Bund. On one side on the Bund there is a lot of the older style architecure left over from when people like the French occupied a lot of Shanghai. On the opposite side of the Bund is a lot of newer architecture, including the Pearl Tower. We did the whole tourist thing and walked around the Bund and took a boat to the side with newer architecture, so we could take some photos.
That evening, after all the sight seeing, we met up with a friend of Ji Maike's at a pretty trendy bar. When we were hanging out and chatting I did not think I was in China. The place was hip and they were playing some house/dance music in the background, so it seemed like any place I could find in Pioneer Square, but more expensive. On top of all this, my Chinese friends wanted to practice English and listen to me speak English, so that made it feel like we were not in China even more.
After the bar we went back to our hotel. The bus ride was fun because they were not a lot of people on the bus, so we were able to relax and enjoy the architecture of some of the small neighborhoods. I have never been to Boston, but it seemed as though if I went to Boston, some of the neighborhoods would certainly be similar. Again, I did not feel like I was in China.
I do not have time to finish talking about the rest of my trip, but the next chance I get I will finish describing my vacation and everything I have been up to in the last couple days.
posted by Jon Keto at
10:13 PM
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