Shanghai Concret Jungle

A couple weeks back I went to Shanghai, I used to think Oxford Street was crowded but if you walk (actually try to walk) in Nanjing road you will realise that you were completely wrong. The city is amazing, taking apart the smokiness atmosphere due to poor pollution control and lack of emission caps.

Nanjing Road

The food was quite good, had the chance to eat my favourite dish of Chinese cuisine “The Pecking Duck”, it was so good that we decided to ask for another whole duck. Weird stuff I had the chance to try was “Sea Cucumber”, “Duck Tongue”, and “Chicken Knuckles” which look like chicken nuggets.

Shanghai Skyline at night

The bund is a nice place to go for a drink or dinner, there are plenty bars in the roof of the buildings so you have a chance to see the city at night, the view was a little bit familiar with the Hong Kong one. Antique market is a street full of old stuff, and as everything in Shanghai you have to negotiate your price. Yuyuan Gardens were you can go and buy some replicas, surrounded by typical Chinese architecture, again negotiation is key in every purchase you make in Shanghai, in my opinion if you want to do a workshop or a training course in negotiation, go to Shanghai and you will have the practical session for free.

People square is a nice place to relax and wander around without any hassle of street vendors, and if you want to see something really peculiar go to Tibet road and look for the insect market, a street full of shops selling crickets, grasshoppers, and bugs.

Bug Market

Finally you can’t leave without going to Shanghai World Financial Centre (second tallest buildings in the world), sadly the smog reduced considerably the visibility but is definitely a place to go and have a complete view of the city. I have to say that one of the moments I enjoy most was when I found a Hooters near the SWFC, I have been dreaming for more than two years with those chicken wings, I just love them and sadly there is no Hooters in London, so I immediately got in and ask for 20 chicken wings 911 and a beer.

Hooters

SWFC

Every time that I think of China I can’t stop remember the Seinfeld episode “The Bookstore”, again as well as my Hong Kong trip no rickshaw at the streets, a few ones to take a picture and that’s it.

Rickshaw picture?

George: I can't return the book. It's been flagged in every Brentano's in town. So instead I'm going to steal it, return it, get my money back, and then everything will be even.

Jerry: You defile one book, steal another, get your money back, and that seems even to you?