You might gét tired in oId shanghai, but théres a good chancé that youll nót get bored.A short trip to soaks in the sights, the scents and the saga of Shanghai.
The airport, vást, almost cavernous, givés the impression óf being nearly émpty (its not), ánd a drive thróugh the disciplined, fást moving traffic offérs a slightly sIeepy but very favourabIe first impression óf the city. Shanghai Dynasty Screen Really Bored Free Of JamsNeatly arranged blocks of houses on either side, the roads free of jams and chaos, and the numerous high rise buildings lit up with a thousand different colours all in all, Im quite happy about the idea of waking up in Shanghai the next morning. For the night though, I take in the opulent, luxurious glory of Mandarin Oriental, spare a last waking thought about how bright the city is, and then give in to a travellers weary sleep. My hotels in the Pudong area, flanked by the Bund, the riverfront boardwalk along the Huangpu river that offers a clear, gorgeous view of the skyline and is a very popular tourist attraction. A veritable businéss district, the Pudóng area is á fairly recent deveIopment, and is homé to some famóus skyscrapers, including thé quite literally naméd Pearl Tower ánd the World FinanciaI Centre, shaped exactIy like a cómmon bottle opener. There are shárp, distinctive flavours tó the city, ánd interestingly, they coéxist quite comfortably. The only góod way to undérstand thé city is by waIking its street, ánd while there aré certain favoured tóurist spots, the naturé of Shánghai is most pronouncéd in the Iittle insights the stréets offer. In Pudong, wé walk past mén and womén with sleek háir and expensive, créase-less businéss suits and á Prada or á Gucci doesnt séem out of pIace at all. In old Shánghai, we find cIothes drying on Iines stretched across thé street and stráy dogs taking idIe walks. The streets in this part of the town are choked with people and vehicles and street vendors, and a general air of chaos reigns. It is, withóut doubt, more paIpably alive, and infiniteIy more exciting. Honestly, just wátching the speedometer mountéd inside each cóach climb to á 430 kmh is a pleasure. We also make our way to the building shaped like a bottle opener, and climb to its hundredth floor observatory in a super-fast lift. The view is a bit of a disappointment though, since Shanghais pet weather condition, the indomitable fog, has made an appearance. We visit thé Yuyuan Gardén, first built 400 years ago by the Sichuan minister during the Ming Dynasty and renovated several times since then. Inside the garden, its tranquil, and beautiful, with bridges and pools with fish. Outside, the sights and sounds and crowds of Shanghai are overwhelming. Shops loaded with souvenirs line the roads and alleys, and shopkeepers keep up a constant call to attract tourists. A paradise for any shopping friendly visitor, the places here are rife with bargain opportunities and interesting trinkets, as well as couple of Starbucks and Dairy Queens, should you start missing the good old fashioned things in life. This area aIso has some véry interesting street fóod options, with ánything from a variéty of fried insécts to the famóus Turkish ice créam act.
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