We had a grand welcome when we arrived in Shanghai. Rain, a sign of good luck, greeted us when our cruise ship Mariner of the Seas docked in Baoshan Cruise Terminal. Much as I love good luck, and the rain, I wish the weather had been kinder so that we could have enjoyed much more of Shanghai. As it is, the two extra days we had booked for Shanghai after our 10-night cruise from Singapore were definitely not enough.
Five days would have been ideal. What were we thinking? All of us are retirees and have all the time in the world. Were we afraid of spending too much? Definitely not! As the old folks in Penang used to say, you have
already slaughtered the pig, why do you need to save on the turnip (used for decoration)? Well, it sounds so much nicer in Hokkien. As we had limited time to explore Shanghai on our own, we signed up for a customized tour. My former Star colleague, Teh Eng Huat, arranged for one through Angel Tours in Penang. Our most important condition was that we must have an English-speaking guide. And the agency found us an excellent guide in the person of Cherry Wong.
Our tour guide Cherry Wong meeting us at the port. Photo by TEH ENG HUAT
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China is a new experience for me. This is my first trip to the country. I am glad that another Star colleague, Leow Kim Pu, is in our group of 8. He is the only one who speaks Mandarin.
The locals here must have found us very strange.
"Why are your friends so quiet?" Leow was asked during a dinner we had near our hotel.
That was because he was the only one doing the talking.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that the Shanghainese are very friendly.
And they are not as loud and aggressive as the "ugly mainland China tourists" whom we encounter in many parts of the world.
In fact, at a small family-owned diner, they were dishing out extras and asking us to try their home-made recipes.
Our first taste of Shanghainese hospitality. I couldn't resist that.
The majestic Shanghai World Financial Center reaching out to the sky
What can we see in 2 days in Shanghai? Or to be more precise, one and a half days. The ship had docked at 7am but by the time we cleared Customs and Immigration, it was nearly noon. That is half a day gone.
Our initial schedule had us visiting the Bund, the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower and going up to the 94th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center on the first day. And on the second day, we were to visit Shikumen, Tianzifang, Chenghuang Temple Business District and Nanjing Road.
The weather changed all that.
So having a dedicated bus and guide was a blessing. We were able to make changes along the way.
To save time, we started immediately on our tour and delayed the check-in into our hotel until evening.
There was no point going up the Shanghai World Financial Centre as it will be very misty and we can't see much of the city. Hopefully, the weather will ease up the next day.
The bus ride into the city showed us the two contrasting faces of Shanghai - the old buildings of the past and the modern world of high rise apartments and offices.
Our journey would take us on elevated highways which criss-crossed on many levels all over the city. Yes, we even went into an underwater tunnel to cross from one side of the city to the other.
We did not see any tolls but our guide told us that you needed special plates if you want to drive on the elevated highways.
Guess how much the plates cost? ¥90,000 or RM57,000. The good news is that it is a one-off payment. And that is if you are lucky to be picked as every month 200,000 people bid for 6,000 plates.
The old and the new financial centres ... the Bund in Puxi and the Lujiazui in Pudong across the Huangpu River
But not everyone can afford to drive around on elevated highways, right?
The guide told us that the Metro is cheap.
"It is cheaper than the Hong Kong MTR,'' she said.
I have to check that out on my next trip.
Our first stop was the famous Bund or Waitan located in the western bank of the Huangpu River. This is the site of the former International Settlement which was leased to foreign powers after China was defeated in the Opium Wars.
The Bund represents the old Shanghai.
Across the river is Lujiazui, the modern financial hub of Shanghai with its super tall skyscrapers. Located in Pudong, it replaces the original financial district of the Bund directly opposite it. You cannot imagine that this place was just farmland in 1990.
Now it boasts the Shanghai Tower, which at 632 metres is the second tallest building in the world, the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower, which at 468 metres high was for some time the tallest structure in China until it was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2007.
It was very misty along the river and we could barely make out the shapes of these famous landmarks.
We could not stay long as we were also freezing. At least I was, with the temperature at 10 degrees Celsius.
I am told the view at night is spectacular when all the buildings light up. I was sad to have missed that sight but nothing could have dragged me out there in such an unfriendly weather.
Nike doing it their way in Nanjing Lu
Shanghai's premier shopping street Nanjing Lu
From the Bund, we made our way to another great tourist attraction, Nanjing Lu. This 5.5km stretch of Shanghai's premier shopping street is lined with all the highend branded stores.
Our guide advised us not to buy any of the branded stuff in Nanjing Lu. It is so much cheaper in Malaysia. Rightly or wrongly, the ladies took her advice.
However we did return to Nanjing Lu the next day, and everyone went on a shopping spree at a place called Shanghai First Foodhall. The place was huge and on sale were dried seafood, dates, chocolates and almost anything and everything edible.
Everything was big here. We went into a dispensary looking for cough medicine, and I found it occupied five floors. They had everything from traditional to Western medicine.
For lunch, Cherry took us to a place frequented by locals. The shop, located in a side street off Nanjing Lu, served what looked like the Shanghai version of dim sum.
The barbecued pork was cold and the noodles were prepared differently but surprisingly I enjoyed them.
On the last night, Leow took us to a local seafood restaurant for dinner. We had seven dishes and it cost us ¥370 (about RM235). Quite reasonable, I should say.
How was the food? Teh loved one of the dishes as it was very spicy. He had steam coming out of his ears and nose.
Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity: Dutch Chinese sculptor Wu Ching-ju's masterpiece at the French Quarter
For the bargain items, our guide took us to a small little shop in Fuyou Road. Here we bought T shirts, purses, fish magnets, caps and yes, even umbrellas.
Why umbrellas, you ask? Because it is raining. And it cost only ¥10 (about RM6). I bought a Shanghai cap for ¥20 (RM12).
I asked our guide Cherry where I could buy music CDs on the old Shanghai era.
She simply laughed at me.
"Those shops don't exist any more," she said. "We buy online and stream the music we want to hear."
That was my hint not to ask about old movie DVDs, right?
I used to be a fan of those old Shanghai gangster movies and I would buy such a souvenir item.
An opportunity to do something similar cropped up at a corner of Nanjing Lu.
You can have a photo taken with three guys dressed up like those gangsters and with an antique car in the background.
Sorry, I was not brave enough.
Our group at the Yu Shanghai Tea House (from left): Chuan, Teh, Michael, Ong, Helen, Leow, Geh and Ean. Photo courtesy of TEH ENG HUAT
Thank god, however, that some things will stay traditional, like China's most treasured item, TEA.
And what better place to learn about tea than in China.
We were given a demonstration on how to pick the right tea and the proper way to drink it at the Yu Shanghai Tea House.
Have you heard of a tea known as Romeo and Juliet?
Now we have.
We also learnt about teas to help lower your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol.
And there's also a tea to help you sleep better.
Who can blame us if we suddenly become avid Chinese tea drinkers. For a while anyway.
After hearing horror stories about being cheated by traders, we made sure we kept a watchful eye as they filled our orders.
I know we have to be cautious but I think we look rather silly.
Leow compared the prices with the tea sold at another shop. The tea sold at the Yu Shanghai Tea House was four times cheaper.
The Yu Shanghai Tea House is located in the Yuyuan Bazaar complex which is built around the City God Temple or Cheng Huang Miao. Nearby is the famous Yu Garden.
And all around are cafes and eating shops specializing in all kinds of local delights.
Smelly taufu anyone?
Or crabmeat soup dumplings?
The weather was just as nasty on the second day. So it is still no go for the trip up the financial tower.
Hoping that it will improve in the afternoon, we got on with visits to the other sites, first to Tianzifang, a boutique shopping and cafe alley in the old French Quarter, and then to the Shikumen residences, with their traditional Shanghainese architectural style combing Western and Chinese elements.
It was still raining when we finally arrived at the Shanghai World Financial Center. The ride up to the 94th floor was fast and smooth.
Were we able to see anything up there from 423 metres high? Absolutely nothing. A thick cloud of mist surrounded the building at that level.
That is why I have to come back and fill in the missing part of this picture.
I have also to return to the Bund and take a stroll there at night, and take in that magnificent view of the modern skyscrapers across the river.
Guess what else I have to do?
I want to visit the Fairmont Peace Hotel and enjoy the music at the legendary Jazz Bar. Shanghai's oldest jazz band has been performing there nightly since 1947. It is an experience not to be missed.
I have also to take a trip outside of Shanghai to Suzhou and Hangzhou and visit the Wuzhen Water Town.
There is a saying which goes like this: "In Heaven, there is Paradise, on earth Suzhou and Hangzhou."
How can you argue with such ancient wisdom?