China Trip Day Four - Shanghai, The Tall Buildings - 2013-01-16

Good morning to Shanghai for the second morning! Today is a day of leisure to look around and see a few sights! Yes!

My preference when I have time is to get out of the hotel for breakfast just to have a look, hungry to absorb the stimuli of the new place. Nanjing Lu has become my center for the this trip, back I go for a few hundred yards to my Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com.cn/en/) for an espresso and a nice chocolate muffin. it is funny how in the middle of the new I find myself forming habits as I go. The are flags in the sand until I stretch myself a little further in that department. Upstairs in the comfortable chairs I use Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/) to look a  little at the geography of the area and decide where to go. I think either a bus tour of the city or Pudong where the Tall Buildings are but I am not sure how to get across, probably a ferry I think and I will easily see that when I get there. I'll head back to the Hotel, get a mobile subscription and then begin my tour today.

You will know from previous days that my mobile from Ireland is not working so getting in communication here is a priority as well. Luckily across from the hotel is a China Mobile shop so over I pop. As I enter a lady comes to assist me, I tell her about my phone and that I think it could be the battery is dead. She goes to a machine, gives me a queue number and a local mobile number on two separate slips of paper from the machine. As I as waiting in the seating area, an older man started shouting at the old security guard animately, shouting and waving a finger at him and then as staff from China Mobile came closer he faked lunging at the old guard as if to fight but never looked really serious about engaging! It was quite a show that went on for 5 minutes before one of the girls lead the man into a glass walked office where he continued to be loud and curse the guard about something. :) That issue subsided and I eventually was called to the counter. Explaining a problem is always the most fun part when you do not speak the language. My proposal was that my phone was not connecting to the network and that I would like a local MicroSIM Card that I could put into my existing phone. That was dead easy. 50 Yuan (5 Euros) and a copy of my passport for a new prepaid MicroSIM and local connectivity to Internet, YES! A couple of minutes of paperwork and I am done... Back to the hotel and I will try this all out before heading out on the tour for the day.

Back in the hotel room, I take out the MicroSIM and the phone to connect locally. Everything fits together nicely and I turn on the phone. "Network Error". I know this message unfortunately. It means that my phone is locked into a network, my 3 network. So in order to get this MicroSIM to work with my phone I need to call Ireland and get the phone unlocked, it wil be easier to get another phone. The problem is progressively being solved ... :)

Tour of Shanghai Tall Buildings: Out of the hotel I go with my backpack and turning towards the Huangpu River to look across at the tall famous buildings from the photos! The Traffic Assitant supports us going across the road to the area where there appear to be city tour buses and shops. Reaching the far side of the Road, I see a huge statue of Chairman Mao. From the statue, he was born in 1901 and died 1972 when I was born. The funny thing is when I look up wikipedia and other sources, they claim that he dies on the 9th of September, 1976. The difference intrigues me!

He is has had an impressive impact on the Chinese people. I know the overview story of his life but have not had the chance to talk to Chinese people on their opinions. The Bund is full of people Chinese and foreign tourists just looking across the river taking photos

The are a group of shops beside the tourist information office and I wander along to see what offers might be available for today. Maybe the third place shows an escalator going down into what looks like a shopping area. Curious I follow my nose. At the bottom it appears to be the ticket office to somewhere, the "Bund SightSeeing Tunnel". Maybe I can get over to the Tall buildings through a tunnel. I overhear three Americans, a woman and two men, discussing the attraction. The woman seems knowledgeable as if she has been hear before and is leading the two guys. So I ask from them about the place and she includes me her explanation of the tunnel leading over to the Tall Buildings area of Pudong. The ticket price one way is 50 Yuan (5 Euros) which sounds ok. The three are very inclusive and bring me in on their conversation as we walk through the ticket barrier and on to the mini driverless train.

The train takes off and we enter a futuristic TV Movie with lights, neon, and flashes to enthrall us. I thought at one point that we may be able to look up at the river we are traveling beneath but that didn't happen. Each phase of 20 -30 meters there was a different light show of sorts until we arrived at the far side of Pudong.

The group discussed the buildings they were going to see, the Pearl and the Financial Center and asked me if I would like to join them. They were a delightful group so I tagged along.

Excuse my innocence but I didn't really know the names of the building they talked about but followed along as the lady had been here before and understood that these were the buildings to see. As we made our way back up to ground level, she pointed out the Pearl.

Yes, it is that building with the balls on it. It is actually a Radio Tower or that is how it started out in life. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pearl_Tower). We buy our tickets at 160 Yuan (16 Euros) to get up as far as we can but today we can only go up to the second highest point as the top part is closed for some reason. Fine by us an on we continue. We walk in and around the base of the building coming into a large queue of tourists, of which I would say 95% were Chinese. Shanghai is very much a Chinese attraction as much as it is a foreigner's pilgrimage. The queue moves fairly rapidly and we board the elevator. A lovely Chinese lady in uniform begins a full explanation about the building and the place I imagine in Chinese and considering that most of the guests are Chinese I think that is fair but also thought that I may wander the building in ignorance. After a some time, she begins an unexpected English version of her talk about the building, the elevator and Shanghai which both relieves and enlightens me.

Out we get of the elevator and we have a wander around the sights of the wider bottom ball. One of the american guys and myself are making funny comments and after a while a lady from California comes up to us and it appears that she is enjoying our comments more than the view. Now the view is not that much because the pollution is high. We were delighted to be of service!

We find the next elevator up to the higher section, get in and go up. As we get out now we can see that there is an external viewing platform around the ball made of glass. People are out walking on a balcony of glass. It looks like fun!

My new friend captures me sitting on glass so so far up. You get the willies when you look down! :)

That was great and we are a little peckish. Subway is sitting at the bottom of the Pearl so it is an easy win for that before we head onto the Financial Center. Again I am not sure which building it is but the group point me to our next destination!

The Financial Center (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_World_Financial_Center) is one of the tallest buildings in the world. It appears to be number 3 according to this list http://www.allaboutskyscrapers.com/database/100_tallest_buildings. This building is often known as the bottle opener. It is amazing the amount of material and work that goes into the building. When you get up to the observatory there are also glass floors so you can look down for those of you who have a strong heart!!!

And the model of Shanghai that you see before ascending to the Observatory.

Now we had the trip back to where we came from and the three Americans were taking the Metro. Great! I hadn't taken the metro yet so it will be easy beside people who have already done it! Down we go and I know that I want to get back to Nanjing Road East and there is a station there. It is dirt cheap, 3 Yuan (30 Cents), for a trip back to where I came from! 50 Yuan to get there and 3 Yuan back! It is simply 1 stop on Line 2 and I get off the Metro. I want to thank the lovely three people that I met from the west coast of America for their hospitality! We made our goodbyes and I headed upstairs to find my orientation. Now, I often think I am clever but the next thing I did, didn't make feel that. I arrive at the exit with the ticket machine. I see a sign on the top of the machine saying insert ticket. I put it in the top but the barrier doesn't move to let me pass. What's wrong? There was a passer by and I asked. He answered in perfect English, "You need to put it in the front of the machine!". I had just put it in the pace where the ticket should come out after being validated :) Doh! Instead of going through all the embarrassment I simply put my long leg over the barrier and headed on... I know, I feel a bit guilty but in the moment, that's what I did!

Shanghai First Foodhall beckoned me again with the variety of different restaurants!

Video on East Nanjing Road at night there are these different groups of people dancing to music. Maybe it is for simple enjoyment, they do seem to have fun! It is simply better to look than me to explain!
With a quick search on the Internet, I wanted to go out since I was not tired and a simple answer for an Irish man abroad is the Irish Pub, and why not? I found whether good or bad Malone's (http://www.malones.com.cn/tongren/) a short taxi ride away back in the direction of Nanjing Road West. I know the routine now. Get the address, go to the concierge and get him to write it in Chinese for the taxi driver. It is easy now!

I arrive at an ex-pat bar with quite an atmosphere both downstairs and upstairs, I thought it might be a restaurant upstairs but I go to investigate anyway. As I get up to the top, there is an American Pool table and games of doubles going on. Well, there is a simple bet. A beer a game! I am up for it! THe beer I drank before I started was the only one I paid for :) Irish pool pockets are much tighter so it makes the American tables easy :) I got called a couple of names like 'Shark' but I can live with that.... We actually were all very friendly and enjoyed the evening...

Shanghai has a few sides to it!

China Trip Day Two - Traveling to China - 2013-01-14

00.40 (GMT+2) Turkish Airlines Flight ready to take off for Shanghai! 10 hours and 8,000 kilometers to go to arrive in Shanghai! Very soon after we sit, we get a little packet form the air hostesses with blindfolds, socks, a toothbrush and a couple of other items in our long flight survival kit. The seats are comfortable and we are all equipped with a touch screen of entertainment and a USB Charger socket. I now remember that I will be getting another "Raw Meal" (plenty of fruit) on this flight too! I start thinking about my approach to this flight, will I read a book, watch movies, etc and figure out how to cope with jetlag on the other side or take the safe approach and attempt to sleep and be 'more' ready for life in China. But being the big kid I am, I was not able to simply slip off in to the world of fairytales and watched, read and played for a good 5 hours during the trip. Then tiredness sweep over me. I had not choice, just put on the blindfold and succumbed to the demon of sleep.

The food and the service were impeccable making the flight slide by. About an hour prior to landing I woke up and began a conversation with a Turkish man who had been coming to Shanghai for business for the last 10 years. He shared some observations and gave me a few tips which were very handy in those last minutes before disembarking.

10 years ago, most people on the plane were foreigners coming to sell something or work in China and more recently most of the passengers were Chinese as they have begun to go out into the world and sell their goods. There seems to be a reversal in trends of approach to travel by the Chinese. It gave me the feeling like they are preparing to play a real power in the world gradually, economically, socially and in many forms.

Tips:
- There is an ATM in the airport, use it to withdraw cash in local currency 'Yuan'.
- A taxi from the airport to the city center should cost around 200 Yuan.
- Normally there is a 2000 Yuan limit to cash withdrawals.

16.50 (GMT+8) We landed easily and I just take my time about getting my gear ready. Armed with my new awareness and armoury of tips, this could all work out well. We descend form the plane into an Ultra-Modern airport, wow! As good as it gets! My first moments were spent looking at the shops with Chinese Writing on them. I am now in Mandarin speaking land! And here as I enter into the immigration section is the ATM my turkish friend told me about, so out with the cash. I continue to immigration which is a reasonable queue but at least it is all on the Chinese side. The was no pre-immigration in either Ireland or Turkey. I come up to the desk and the is a tablet type device in front of me with my picture and after a while the details of my passport and visa displayed on the tablet. All very modern. All is in order, no questions and after a couple of minutes of checking, through I pass.
Well this should be fun, finding my baggage! No problemo, everything is in both English and Mandarin. I move along to number 7 to wait while the bag will make its way there. Fin, I pick up the bag and I begin to head towards the Customs area but there is a queue. A queue, why? It appears that they perform a matching between the bag you pick up and the baggage ticket that you have in your possession. Oh Sugar! Where did I leave my ticket. I am rarely careful about those tickets because I rarely have a problem and I have never been party to a checking process between tickets and bags. That tickets only use until now has been if my bag has been delayed! Luckily, in my back hip pocket, I find my baggage ticket and I get the clearance to proceed to Customs. Whew! I will pay attention to that ticket more from now on...

Here I come out into the "Middle Kingdom" (China) aremd with the name of my hotel in Chinese on my hotel booking from from CTrip (http://www.ctrip.com/). So I am aware of three ways to get to the city, taxi, metro and the Maglev. Uncertain as I come out which for of transport I will take a lady official from the airport says she can get me a taxi and escorts me over to the counter. I ask how much after a minute and she says 450 Yuan. Thanks to the tip from my new Turkish friend I just walk away. Now I head in the direction of the trains. Quite a walk towards the train and I debate, the Metro or the Maglev. The Maglev is a bullet train that goes over 300 km per hour on the way into the city. The only issue is that it does not appear to go to exactly where I want to go but I can find my way from there I imagine. What ticket will I buy, the standard or the VIP? For the one time that I will take it let me that the VIP. 100 Yuan please. (About 12 Euros). Bags through the scanner and on the Maglev (http://www.smtdc.com/en/) I get.

Yes, that blurry picture does say 301 km per hour as we rocket into the city of Shanghai and just under it is the divider curtain between the golden VIP section and the blue standard section. Outside flies by! Amazing beginning to the new world. I get off the train and meet a girl and her father taking pictures of each other outside the train and offer to take one of both of them. Very friendly! I imagine that they are Chinese from outside Shanghai and they are tourists just as much as I am. 

Next step is to get to my hotel from Longyang Road Station. Outside is the metro and there are taxis and I have it in my head to get a taxi as I am not sure about navigating the metro. As I descend the steps I get solicited by two taxi drivers but I do not trust them after what I have heard. I begin walking around and into the metro station trying to figure out where the authentic taxis are. I figure out that they were right on the way out of the station and begin to head that way. I walk a hundred yards or so and a taxi guy approaches me saying he has a meter taxi and I follow him to a queue of what appear to be normal taxis with meters and he is at the top of the queue. I do try saying how much will it be to the Hotel, I show him the paper with the address and he says we will do it by the meter. Eventually when we are in the car he says it will cost around 300 Yuan. I feel that I have been stung but ok. Let it ride and on we go. I watch the meter and when I get to see it after the receipt gets put up, it had started at 160 Yuan, as I got into the car. I know I have been done but I just run with it. We get to the Hotel at the meter is at 390 Yuan. I bite the bullet and think ok, I got caught, lesson learnt!

Now I was about to discover how is the Business Manhattan Hotel on Dianchi Road, just off Nanjing Road and by the Bund, as I booked it through CTrip (http://www.ctrip.com/).

The Hotel seemed lovely considering the very reasonable price. Now I go to check-in and besides the passport request which I expect there are two payments to be made.

1 - A payment for the stay at the hotel itself

2 - A payment deposit for any food, drinks or services that I may use while I stay there.

These guys are taking no chances. Into the lift and up to the room on the 5th floor. It is a very well laid out hotel and the room is a double bed room with a bathroom through a sliding door. Space isn't huge but the use of mirrors and well designed furniture give you the sensation of space. Just check the bathroom and nothing weird. Now I remember that I do need to iron a few clothes for tomorrow and better ring down for an iron. I pick up the phone, dial '0', and ask for an "iron". The answer comes, "The password for the Wi-Fi is XXXXX". "No, I am looking for an iron to smoothen my clothes". "Yes sir Sir, the password is XXXXX. What do I do? Do I have to go down and explain? "Wait", I hear. Another lady is put on the phone. "Hello". "Yes, I am looking for an iron for my clothes". "Ok, we will send it up." Whew! At least I didn't have to go all the way down again to get it.

20.00 (GMT+8) I'll go and have a stroll on the Bund and then along Nanjing Road, a famous shopping street, which are both around the corner. Out I go around the corner to have a look. One hundreds yards from the hotel is the a large road to cross and there is a boardwalk to view across the river Huangpu and look at the large lighted buildings across the river. The Pearl (A Radio Tower), the Financial Center (Tallest Building in Shanghai) and several other banks with huge buildings.

That's the Bund now let me stroll along Nanjing Road. It is bright lights, big shops, like being in Times Square in New York, the only different being that many of the signs are in Chinese writing. It seems to be full of big departments stores, the Apple store and plenty of Chinese souvenir shops for tourists. There are a few Starbucks and it is littered with western food shops like KFC and Chinese equivalents. I am actually a bit peckish, where will I go for food? I don't want western food after having come all the way here.

A couple of hundred yards west of my hotel I take a south on Nanjing Road to what appears to be a restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building. I go in and up in the elevator. It looks like an ok place. Quite large. At least more than 100 people in there and they are all Chinese :) I am in for a treat. The manager comes over and sits me down and requests that I get brought the menu with the pictures...I look through the menu and the prices look very good. I look at what I thought were starters at 39 Yuan each so I thought let me get three of them and a drink. I pick three plates, a broccoli, clams, and a tofu plate along with some white wine or that is at least how it was described in the menu. Two minutes later, another manager arrives with a half liter of brownish type liquid in a bottle and I thought, "What have I actually requested?". I open it and I might as well try a glass since it is here. It did not look like white wine, brown wine maybe. But it was drinkable. The food was taking a while so I managed a couple of glasses of brownish wine. Here comes the food, the starters turned out to be a feast. There was no way I was going to eat all of these three big plates but let's dig in. I am hungry.

Broccoli Dish. The broccoli looked lovely and as I got closer to it, it was covered in slices of bacon. I am a veggie so I thought let me eat the broccoli and just leave the bacon. It was yummy tasty! I really tucked into it.

Tofu Dish. It was lovely strips of with some lightly cooked veg. Also delicious.

Clam Dish. The clams were in a custard looking paste make of eggs. So I began taking one clam out at a time and they were very nice. The eggs make them a big heavy. 

There is no way I am going to eat all three of these plates. So I do my best finishing the broccoli and part of both of the other dishes. During the meal I notice that people are smoking everywhere and some are a little too drunk for a restaurant but all seems to be calm and good. I feel like an odd-ball with more than a hundred other people and I am the only non-Chinese person. Finally, I ask for the bill and there is not a single recognisable character on the bill except the number. Thanks for arabic numbers! Pay the bill and head back towards the hotel. Alot to take in for one day!

Shanghai is streets ahead of us in many ways!