Okay, I am packing up my things right now and moving to Shanghai!! (I wish). As usual, there is no possible way to truly capture such a grand city in a simple photograph. I have to say though, that the Shanghai skyline is one of the best in the world. I have seen pictures of Shanghai over the years and they were nothing like standing on the banks of the river and looking up at such massive and impressive architecture.
Shanghai is one of the great business centers of China and it shows. The most obvious part of this awe inspiring city is the Pearl Tower. A large Broadcast tower that looms out of the ground and reaches high into the sky. You will notice multiple round globes that are interspaced from top to bottom, these are representative of pearls. On my first day in Shanghai, the first thing I did was take and elevator (7 floors per second) to the highest part of this tower.
Shanghai China Pearl Tower
Shanghai is huge. Massive. At this height, you can see buildings and life stretching out way farther than the eye can see. After walking around the inside of this sphere for a while, I walked down a small flight of stairs which took me to the under of this sphere...which was primarily see-through from top to bottom. What this means is that when you look under your feet, you can see all the way to the ground. This experience was quite comical. They allow you a small dedge to stand on before stepping out onto the see-through portion. Most people were clinging to the regular platform and maybe placing a toe onto the clear section before jumping back in terror. It horrified people. I have to admit, it really messes with your mind to stand looking straight down. Your brain is telling you that it's safe, but part of you feels like you're going to fall right through. It was difficult to photograph this because of the distance between your feet and the ground...but I can assure you, it was pretty scary.
I would almost call Shanghai the NCY of Asia, but it's much bigger and blends the traffic of Los Angeles with the crowded population of China. This is a city of high tech gadgets, very expensive luxury cars and runway fashion. It is clear that the youth here are partaking in and excited about the western world.
We found a local guide "Jack" who was about 30 and his English was excellent. We decided to hire him for the first day and have him show us around the city. Shanghai is plenty safe and it seems most fo the younger people you encounter speak English. Jack was a college graduate who was quite knowledgeable about the area and its history. When traveling, I normally like to do a lot of wallking around on my own. However, in China, there is so much to do and see that it's been easier to hire guides for the first day or two until we can get our feet wet. It's also been quite afforable at around $60-100 a day, depending on where you go and generally includes entrance fees, transportation and often a nice lunch.
Four days was long enough for me to get a good feel of the city and what it has to offer. The Shanghai museum was quite interesting, along with a few temples here and there. I almost forgot...for those of you who like to rent cars when you travel, DON'T do it in China. You will have an accident. China drivers have rules that you would never be able to understand and many of them are broken every second. Driving there for an American would be nuts in my opinion.
I've been trying to keep these blog posts short and sweet while I am overseas, so for now, this is just part one of Shanghai and I have posted some photos you can check out HERE.
Shanghai China PART TWO
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment
If you'd like to leave a comment, it is not necessary to sign in. You may post as "Anonymous" (With the drop down menu below the posting box) and write your name in the posting if you'd like. Blogger has these settings as default to help prevent Spam. Thanks for leaving a comment!