Exploring Shanghai

God, this day was a tough day! I woke up with the worst hangover ever! And the time was 3:30 in the afternoon, so my plans to see some museums had failed already, they all close at 5.. ButI did see a bunch of great skyscrapers, and some spectacular city views!

Yesterday was a lot of fun though, I went up to the roof terrace to have a couple of beers, and sat a while talking to to a couple of the chinese people working here. Eventually a british guy called Simon came up, and he joined my table. Right after that, Jessica and Markus from Germany also sat down, and we had a bunch of beers before the bar closed. We all wanted more, so we set out to find a bar. Wandering randomly looking for an open bar in the middle of the night is of course very difficult, and we walked a few blocks until we arrived at Xintiandi, where we found a bunch of bars, even if they were quite expensive. Xintiandi is a modernized district, a couple of blocks where they transformed the old houses into a modern district full of entertainment. It’s very popular, and very tourist-friendly, hence the expensive prices! 🙂

We entered the first bar we saw, a upscale place with beautiful interior, lots of waiters and bartenders, and almost no guests. We had our drinks, and 15 minutes later they said they were closing. Funny thing is, they said “We close at three”, but held up two fingers. So we were a bit confused, but eventually marked it up to bad english skills. We continued down the street, and found another open bar. The area looked really nice, think I have to go back there another day! This bar closed rather quickly as well, but we were still thirsty.

I see now the moment causing today’s horrible hangover: We exited the bar, and decided to enter a convenience store and buy some beers, then head back to the hostel for more drinks. So we all bought a bunch of beers and once again found ourself sitting on the roof terrace. I’ve been told that we were up there until about 6 o clock, but that part of the night is a bit blurry to me.. 😛

Anyway, today I only got out of the hostel at about 5 pm, so I had a really late start. I went back to Pudong, wanting to see the skyscrapers lit up in the night. First, I went to the radio tower, and got a ticket to the observation deck. It was still a bit cloudy, but I got some spectacular sights of the city. I love the buildings here, super modern architecture.

The ambition of Shanghai really appeals to me, they build some great things here, if they keep this growth up this will be a truly amazing city. One thing that everyone is talking about is the Expo in Shanghai in 2010. They basically invited every country in the world to exhibit their wares for 5 months next year, starting in May. It’s a event to promote trade with Shanghai to foreigners, and they are transforming the city to prepare for this huge event. I think this is kind of the same mood as they had in Beijing before the Olympics.

But it really annoys me that the Bund, which is THE thing to see in Shanghai, is closed for construction! I did see a lot of it from the promenade, but it sucks that I cannot see it up close, and experience strolling down the famous street.

I walked to the river, and arrived at the promenade. The view was breathtaking, I could see the Bund across the river, and several skyscrapers in the city center. On the river I saw lots of boats with decorative lights, pulsing in the dark. I walked along the river, taking a bunch of pictures. It was a great experience, everyone should experience the river promenade at night when they visit Shanghai!

From the river I also go a nice view of the skyscrapers in Pudong. I especially liked the ones that had screens covering the entire side of the building. Nothing beats a 300 meter high tv-screen! 🙂

I have to say, the food here so far has been disappointing. I’ve eaten a lot of chinese, but I haven’t gotten a satisfying meal yet. I guess it’s incompetence on my part, not being able to order the right things. The street I’m living in (South Yunnan street) is appearantly called “Food street”, so the restaurants should probably be good here! I’ll have to do some more research on food!

Tonight is a bit more relaxing, as I hope to make the museums tomorrow 🙂

Looking forward to the urban planning exhibition and the contemporary arts museum!

More pictures:

The radio tower looks AWESOME at night! 🙂

Great view of the Shanghai buildings from the observation deck.

This was some kind of convention center, right by the river. Spectacular.

I loved the spotlights lighting up the sky from the building in the middle with what looks like a crown. 

The lights on top of the Jin Mao tower popped out of the clouds for a moment, what a beautiful sight! I want to go up there on a clear day! 🙂

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