Sunday, March 29, 2009

Shanghai Trip

I am back!!! You wouldn't know how glad I am to be home. I'd missed the weather here badly. It was freezing cold in Shanghai, only 6 degree celsius (it was worse on the 2nd day)! Even the locals were complaining that it shouldn't be so cold by this time of the year. The weather must have gone crazy.

This was my first visit to a cold country. I have no winter coat or any thick sweater. I wasn't well prepared at all. Can you imagine how clumsy I looked having put on ALL the clothes I had in my luggage? Yes, I meant ALL of them and it was still not enough. To make matter worse, my friend and I went around asking the locals where could we possibly find gloves and they mocked us saying they do not sell gloves in Spring! :(

Enough of my whining. Apart from the cold, I'd pretty much enjoyed the trip. Here are the pics I'd promised (There could have been more if it wasn't so cold that I refused to remove my hands from my sweater pockets).









They dry their clothes everywhere. On tree branches...



street wires... (I like this pic in particular. Interesting shadows on the wall.)



Savior on a cold day.





Perfect location for shooting horror films.



And these look even scarier.





At last, somewhere near the shopping malls.





Nanjing Road (Nan Jing Xi Lu) is known as the longest and busiest shopping street in Shanghai. I would say, there wasn't much to buy if you plan to come here to shop. Stuffs are not cheap either.









My favorite breakfast. Soya bean with fried you tiao and egg porridge.



The chair says 'bean' (soya).



Post box.





The Qi Pu Road (Qi Pu Lu). This place is a heaven for shopaholics. If you like Bangkok, you will love it here. When buying things, remember to bargain, bargain and bargain! Try to come here as early as 9am. They close at 6pm and the entire street will turn very dark with no street lights. A piece of advice, do not accept any ride from private vehicles even if you have a hard time getting a taxi. You wouldn't want to end up somewhere else. Just try to leave that place before evening and you will be safe.





I couldn't stop myself from taking this pic.



The Bund (Wai Tan) is a pedestrian promenade on the west bank of the Huang Pu river. Breathtaking views.







If you are looking for a nice place to chill out at night. Xin Tian Di is the perfect place lined with restaurants, cafes and bars. The actual place looks alot more beautiful than these pics. I should have use the flash.







Get yourself prepared if you need to take a ride in their taxi. You will be amazed at the driving skill of the cabbies. Hahaha. However I was quite surprised that most of the cabbies we came acrossed (we took over 20 taxi rides for the entire trip) were very nice and friendly unlike the negative feedbacks we usually heard about them. Even their hotel/retail staffs and waiters/waitresses were very polite and helpful. It could be because it was Shanghai and not other parts of China. All in all, I had a very pleasant trip. :)

Hope you've enjoyed my journey so far. Did you remember to take part in my giveaway (2 posts down)??? Hurry hurry, 5 more days left!

6 comments:

Adele Di Fior said...

Haha, the chair is so cute! =D

Anonymous said...

The food looks so yummy!

By the way, it's funny you said that Aunia Kahn's art would be beautiful as tarot cards - she actually has tarot cards too! You'd have to go on her main website to see them though, I don't think they're in her etsy shop.

Holly said...

Your trip looks like SO much fun!! I've always wanted to visit Shanghai, or anywhere in China actually. I've even thought about moving there someday to teach English, because I think it would be something fun to experience during my lifetime. The food looks amazing, and the sign about the fat guy cracked me up.

I've noticed that you have some pretty impressive photography skills. Have you ever thought about selling prints of your photos in your etsy shop? I'm thinking they would do well. Most etsy sellers don't have access to cities like Shanghai, so they would probably sell like crazy!

Mandizzle said...

You have some beautiful photos!

devonrose said...

Wow! amazing pics!!! looks like you had a great time even in the cold:) I love it that you shot your food too (my brother posted all his food on his blog when he went to Japan..too cute1) and it really makes you feel like you were there.

Caroline D. said...

What amazing pictures!!!