Sunday morning in China! Our first full day to explore. We were so wiped out that we slept in and, by the time we ate breakfast in the hotel (totally Western selections -- felt like comfort food from home!), it was 10:15am when we got in a taxi. The mission for the better part of the day? To battle the crowds and visit Shanghai's iconic answer to the CN Tower: the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. "The Pearl", as it's affectionately known, is 468m tall. 
We waited for 30 minutes in the boiling sun to buy tickets, then proceeded through a series of other elevator lineups for a total of two hours to get up to the highest "space deck". The views of Shanghai were worth it. (The tallest tower below is the soon-to-be-completed "Shanghai Tower", which will top out at 632m!)
By the time we left, it was 2pm. We found the splashy Metro (13-lines in total), which was majorly expanded for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and made our way to People's Square. This is Shanghai's answer to Beijing's Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Peoples Square is a huge area encompassing museums, parkland, malls, hotels, etc. We entered through the park and saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of people with umbrellas set up, each sporting Chinese text.
There were also banners all over. We surmised that these were posted by people who have loved ones that have either gone missing or are imprisoned.
We walked the park, up and down, all around, until we felt like we were about to roast.
Suddenly, on the horizon, a Starbucks appeared! We succumbed to its cool air conditioning and iced coffees. ahhhh. After that, we took in the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art. The beauty of moden art museums is that you don't have to take them too seriously because alot of the content is -- in our humble opinions -- flippant and silly. Some pieces did make us think, others just made us laugh.
From there, we took in the Raffles Mall, where we felt like the only relics over 25 years old. Where these Shanghai kids get the money for the high end goods being sold everywhere, we have no idea!
Next, it was on to East Nanjing Road - a retail and brand-name powerhouse of the city. From the massive Apple Store to the Gap, it could have been "anywhere USA". We walked the street towards the Bund, and stopped into the newly renovated Fairmont Peace Hotel,
which used to be the place where the who's who stayed, from heads of state to George Bernard Shaw. A beautiful restored gem. By the way, there was a photo in the lobby showing that Canada's Governor General had visited last October.
Onwards to take in The Bund and its views of the Pudong Financial District again. Then we hopped the ferry across the Huang River and back, for more sunset photo opps over one of the world's new great architectural landscapes.
Dinner was at a Huanese restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet, which didn't disappoint. We were back at the hotel by 8pm. And there you have it: how to spend 10 hours in China's boiling summer heat and live to tell the tale!
By the time we left, it was 2pm. We found the splashy Metro (13-lines in total), which was majorly expanded for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and made our way to People's Square. This is Shanghai's answer to Beijing's Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Peoples Square is a huge area encompassing museums, parkland, malls, hotels, etc. We entered through the park and saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of people with umbrellas set up, each sporting Chinese text.
We walked the park, up and down, all around, until we felt like we were about to roast.
From there, we took in the Raffles Mall, where we felt like the only relics over 25 years old. Where these Shanghai kids get the money for the high end goods being sold everywhere, we have no idea!
Next, it was on to East Nanjing Road - a retail and brand-name powerhouse of the city. From the massive Apple Store to the Gap, it could have been "anywhere USA". We walked the street towards the Bund, and stopped into the newly renovated Fairmont Peace Hotel,
Onwards to take in The Bund and its views of the Pudong Financial District again. Then we hopped the ferry across the Huang River and back, for more sunset photo opps over one of the world's new great architectural landscapes.
Dinner was at a Huanese restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet, which didn't disappoint. We were back at the hotel by 8pm. And there you have it: how to spend 10 hours in China's boiling summer heat and live to tell the tale!
G'night from Shanghai.
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