For the long weekend in April, I decided to go visit Shanghai. I didn't really know much about it before going, but it seemed like an interesting city to visit. It was my first time traveling alone, so I was a bit nervous. Luckily, everything went smoothly.

I arrived after safe after a delay in the flight. The line up for a taxi was really really long. Right away I saw a lot of foreigners! After about a half hour waiting for a taxi, I got to the hostel. (Cab driver actually spoke English, which I have never yet seen in China) The hostel was in a prime location; 5 minutes away from "The Bund" or the older part of Shanghai. It was also walking distance to Nanjing road, a famous shopping street.

I met some friends right away and we went for dinner at "Din Tai Fung" (I think that's is what it's called) a famous dumpling place, with locations in L.A., Tokyo, and Sydney, just to name a few. It is located in Xintiandi, which translates to something like..."new city-like heaven." Xianiandi is filled with restaurants and cafes, ranging from Mexican to Italian, and is very high end. During the day, many business lunches take place at these upscale restaurants and cafes. It was my first time having dumplings in China, and they were delicious! I managed to get vegetarian dumplings which were delicious. My friends got dumplings that were filled with soup, which you had to half drink, half eat.

Afterwards we took a walk to the Bund, which really amazed me! The other side of the city (New Shanghai) across the river was all lit up, and the skyline looked beautiful! Gazing out across the river, was a modern skyline filled with highrise buildings and pretty lights. If you turn your gaze to the other side of Shanghai, what you see are old, colonial style buildings. The contrast between old and new Shanghai is indescribable, especially at night. I could have stood there staring for hours.

Nightlife in Shanghai

I was a bit dissapointed with the Shanghai night life. I thought it would be busy and exciting, but I didn't think it was nearly as good as Hong Kong, or even Guangzhou. The club we went to first was really trendy looking, with very modern, pretty decor. There was a live band, playing a range of music; they were really good. The club was not really busy, and the drinks were very expensive. I did notice that people in Shanghai are very trendy. The girls are all really well dressed and very fashionable.

Shopping

On my second day in Shanghai I went to Nanjing road, a famous shopping district. It ranges from touristy shops to very high end fashion. It is a really long road, and I walked down it for about an hour. I got some cool souvenirs at the Underground Commodity Market.

Later that night I went to Koala Bar (an all you can drink Aussie bar). We met some locals and went with them to a very odd club, playing really weird music. A lot of the clubs here charge cover, unlike Guangzhou or Hong Kong.

The next day I took the ferry across to the other side, or "new" Shanghai. This is the business center. The T.V. tower is located here, and for a steep fee, I went to the top. The view would have been great, if it wasn't hidden by all the smog!

I also visited Yu Bazaar and teahouse, which is a very pretty area with cafes, and endless souvenir shops. It was very crowded! Also very expensive, since they get a lot of tourists and tend to overcharge. It was filled with amazing trinkets and interesting gifts. Very pricey!

Overall, Shanghai was not bad. There are a lot of upscale hotels and restaurants catering to the business crowd, which I did not visit. It is a very expensive city. Compared to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, it is not my favourite, but the people I met were great, the hostel I stayed in was very nice, and I enjoyed my first experience traveling on my own. At the hostel, I met people from all over the world, who were on vacation, traveling around Asia, studying in China, or teaching. It was a very enjoyable, exciting trip. I had a great time!