Traveling in China makes me sick
And, How do you do Shanghai in just two days?
I have a cold. Again. Pretty sure it’s the same one that joins me on all my travels through China. I’ve started saving him seats on buses and trains.
But I’m back in Shanghai now … for the forseeable future … finally. Since last July, I have spent a total of 60 days in Shanghai, the city that I’m supposed to call home. First there was The Trip. Then Hawaii. Then, and most recently, there was a manic two-week, seven airplane sprint through China with friends Brian and Jill, visiting from Atlanta.
I guess I’m still recovering from that one. But it was worth it. It was a rather spectacular two weeks, beginning with a snow-covered hike over a remote five-mile stretch of the Great Wall and ending with a dusty stroll through tiny villages and pineapple fields in sub-tropical Xishuangbanna. Brian and Jill saw more of China in two weeks than many China residents see in a year. Granted, it was the Cliff’s Notes version — but hey, Cliff’s Notes got me through college.
Over the next several days, I’ll take you on the trip via the comfort of your computer. No China germs. Just photos. I plan to upload a new batch every day until they’re all gone. I took more than 700 photos on the trip. Don’t worry — I’ll edit them down.
First, before things get really exciting, we start in Shanghai. A couple dozen pics that take you to the airport, my favorite old neighborhood and the usual places tourists go when they visit Shanghai and only have a day and a half: People’s Square, The Bund, Jin Mao Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Yuan, Xiangyang Market … and a hell of a lot of shopping locales.
Speaking of the airport, I have never seen the place so busy. A freaking madhouse. The most modern transportation hub in China — typically eerily quiet in my experience — was just as crowded and uncomfortable as any podunk train station in the country. Usually, people I pick up arriving from America touch down at around 8 p.m. or so. Brian and Jill got in at 5 p.m., which I now know may very well be the worst time to arrive in Shanghai. It took them almost two hours to make it through customs and claim their baggage. Thankfully, it took them less time to spot me amongst the horde of hopefuls in the receiving area.
As Shanghai continues to attract more and more visitors from abroad, the Pudong airport — still very new — is going to need to do some major restructuring. Every single passenger from every single plane from every single country exits through the same damn door. Makes no sense. And then there is one obscenely long line for taxis. Thankfully, most foreign travelers don’t know about the rather cheap and convenient airport shuttle buses that head to center city, so we didn’t have to wait very long for one of those.
Enough about the airport. I leave you today with some photos and a question:
If your friends only had two days in Shanghai, what kind of itinerary would you plan for them?
03.09.2005, 12:35 AM · Diary, Observations, Photos
3 Comments
First day: Bund, Jinmao tower observation deck, down Nanjing Lu to Peoples’ Square. Dinner at Yang’s Kitchen.
Second day: A big ol’ wlk around my favourite bits of Shanghai. Huaihai Lu, Ju Lu Lu, all the old streets up around Hengshan Lu. It may sound vague but when I remember the place it’s those bits that I miss becasue they left such a strong impression of what the city is “like” if you know what I mean.
Pardon me for not doing the itinerary. I thought I’d just add a few suggestions.
The Shanghai Museum at People’s Square is pretty good if your guests like museums.
Century Park is not a bad park, but it’s not super special either.
The Xiangyang Market is fun to take American tourists to (although chaotic), but if your guests want to buy DVDs, you should direct them to a more reliable shop.
This isn’t a perfect itinerary, but this is what we did …
Day 1
Day 2