shanghai adventure: day four

shanghai is totally kicking my butt. although i suppose it could also be the remains of jet lag combined with an injection of unusual amounts of daily walking (approx 4 hours daily)...here's how the last few days have been: wake up at 5/6am, can't fall back asleep, get off the bed, get out of the house, explore/have adventures, tired by early evening (we're talkin 6/7pm), bed before 10...

but, not to leave you without anything, find below a photo of the shanghai sculpture park. it's tucked away behind all of the busyness of the city and is a lovely serene, peaceful place. i stayed there for almost two hours this morning..! surrounding the park are a multitude of galleries and other art institutions. though modern, it has a similar feel to that of the distillery district in toronto. it's a great space and shanghai continues to amaze me with their ability to create such serenity amidst the hustle and bustle of the city...

shanghai adventure: day one.

it's 5:58am and i can't sleep anymore...i will probably regret this later on this afternoon. the weather is warm, but also humid and a bit sticky. the city is amazing -- the roads are extremely well organized, bikes, cars, taxis all have their place. they've got tons of elevated roads, and are constantly building more. (people who hate on the gardiner won't know what to do over here) the food is delicious and inexpensive -- so far i've had shanghaiese dumplings and hot pot, both scrumptious. to give a point of reference, 24 dumplings and a dumpling soup costs about $5 and it was enough for 3 people to eat and be full. people do stare, but depending on the situation i smile or pretend i don't notice them.

the shanghai subway at its non-peak hours is like the ttc at rush hour -- i don't want to know what rush hour is like! i've been advised by many to keep close watch of my purse, especially on the trains as those are the playgrounds of pickpockets. pudong is incredible -- the streets are wide boulevards with trees and shrubs all around. the sidewalks are massive - it's hard to feel crowded in a space like this. the shanghai train station is busy -- all the time. the building is enormous. just outside the train station is a huge square, it's just open space where people mill about, catch the bus, grab a bite to eat...what's even better is that underneath the square is where you can get a taxi! instead of standing on the road trying to flag one down, just head down the escalator under the square, and there, neatly organized you will find taxis waiting on their next passengers.

last night i went to the french concession -- we walked along huai hi road. along this street were all the names i recognized from home: adidas, zara, sephora, h&m, rolex, essentially any store that you would imagine to be a 'global' brand. this street is quite swanky with its lights in the trees, well manicured shrubs, and old but well maintained buildings. there are so many things to write about, so many things to say, and while it's hard to describe everything i see, i will attempt to record this adventure as best i can. stay tuned.