Shanghai Knights
Trip Start
Mar 27, 2012
1
7
34
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Shanghai City Central Youth Hostel
What I did
Out with the old and in with the new.
That was the case for leaving Xi’an, the old capital and entering the massive metropolis that is Shanghai.
After a decent sleep in our soft sleeper we entered the city in good spirits. First impressions? It's busy, very busy, but then we did convieniently arrive in rush hour traffic. Our optimisn soon changed when we attempted to book our train to Hong Kong. To cut a long story short we were unable to get a direct train to HK before our flight to the big BK, so we have to get one a day earlier than planned to Shenzen City and get to Hong Kong from there. To top it off, the only places they have available are hard seats. Lucky us. It's not all bad though; Shenzen is literally across the border from HK, so it's easily accessible, and by doing it this way we save a fair bit of gold coins.
So I suppose you want to know what Shanghai is actually like now. Well it's massive and very cosmopolitan, which is good if you're looking to see the bright lights. Taking the bus tour for the equivalent of £3 was a good way to get your bearings. The city's got some nice temples and tea houses to boot, but when you learn that most of the old buildings have been knocked down to make way for all this hustle and bustle, then you'll be disappointed. That is if you like your historical points.
You get the feeling like everything has been copied here. Unless you're looking at the giant Pearl Tower that looks like a 1970s Rocket, or in the City God Temple it's easy to forget that your in the biggest city in China. Walking down the Bund, you get the feeling you're back in Liverpool right near the Liver Building. (Just to clarify, that's not a rush of homesickness, just check the photos for proof)
It's nice, its big, and the dumplings are top notch, but is it our favourite place so far? No. But only time will tell. It's another day, and we'll be in search of fake markets and sight gazing so we may be swayed.
Tomorrow, we have a 19 hour journey ahead of us on a seat. Wish us luck...
That was the case for leaving Xi’an, the old capital and entering the massive metropolis that is Shanghai.
After a decent sleep in our soft sleeper we entered the city in good spirits. First impressions? It's busy, very busy, but then we did convieniently arrive in rush hour traffic. Our optimisn soon changed when we attempted to book our train to Hong Kong. To cut a long story short we were unable to get a direct train to HK before our flight to the big BK, so we have to get one a day earlier than planned to Shenzen City and get to Hong Kong from there. To top it off, the only places they have available are hard seats. Lucky us. It's not all bad though; Shenzen is literally across the border from HK, so it's easily accessible, and by doing it this way we save a fair bit of gold coins.
So I suppose you want to know what Shanghai is actually like now. Well it's massive and very cosmopolitan, which is good if you're looking to see the bright lights. Taking the bus tour for the equivalent of £3 was a good way to get your bearings. The city's got some nice temples and tea houses to boot, but when you learn that most of the old buildings have been knocked down to make way for all this hustle and bustle, then you'll be disappointed. That is if you like your historical points.
You get the feeling like everything has been copied here. Unless you're looking at the giant Pearl Tower that looks like a 1970s Rocket, or in the City God Temple it's easy to forget that your in the biggest city in China. Walking down the Bund, you get the feeling you're back in Liverpool right near the Liver Building. (Just to clarify, that's not a rush of homesickness, just check the photos for proof)
It's nice, its big, and the dumplings are top notch, but is it our favourite place so far? No. But only time will tell. It's another day, and we'll be in search of fake markets and sight gazing so we may be swayed.
Tomorrow, we have a 19 hour journey ahead of us on a seat. Wish us luck...
Comments
I will find out Dad's email and let you know, add me to your mailing list tho as well
Craig062@hotmail.com
Btw do you ever change your pose? Same pose in all the photos haha!