Stay, Stray, Play and Feast: Ultra Modern Shanghai: Fast Forward to First World (Getting High in Shanghai Series 19 )

Ultra Modern Shanghai
Fast Forward to First World
Getting High in Shanghai Series 19

Day 1

While we have been to Beijing and to Hongkong

several times in the past, it was my family’s first

time in Shanghai and everyone was excited.

We arrived in Shanghai at noontime

after a three- hour flight from Manila,

....and took a taxi to Oakwood Residences Shanghai.

We were met by a friendly non- English speaking staff
at the hotel’s concierge at the ground floor, who
accompanied us to the hotel lobby at the fourth floor.

Check in was a breeze,

…the people at the front desk were friendly,

..and we were immediately on our

way to our room at the 23^rd floor.

It was a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment,

…which would be our home for a week

the first half of our Shanghai vacation,

…and we would later move to Pudong for

another three days in Shanghai Disneyland.

It was already in the after when we finished unpacking that we decided
to look for for something to eat. The Imago Mall located right next door
luckily the Oakwood Residences Shanghai, had a direct access,

…and stumbled upon Hongkong Traditional Cuisine.

the first restaurant we saw so we decided to dine there.

The restaurant didn’t have a typical fussy, overly accessorized
Chinese interior design, and had a modern take by limiting
the typical oriental design elements to a few basic pieces

and incorporated western inspired cushion seats,

…and lovely European crystal chandeliers.

The food was flawless,

…and left the restaurant satiated.

We went to the mall’s supermarket at the basement, did some grocery
shopping. While we were able to use our debit card without difficulty
at the restaurant, we were surprised. that a supermarket this big
was no accepting any type of foreign debit and credit cards.

We paid in cash.

We a little window shopping at Imago Mall,

…before returning to our hotel to rest.

Day 2

After eating our breakfast we walked to the

nearby Cao Yang Road Subway station,

…and took a train to Kerry Hotel, in Pudong.

I came to Shanghai to attend a medical convention and came to the venue
a day ahead to register. To my disappointment I learned that no credit and
debit cards are being accepted they are only accepting cash transactions.

I didn’t see this coming. While we did not have any problem

using our credit card in Oakwood, everything else, from the

mall restaurants and the supermarket did not accept foreign

credit and debit cards except for an obscure China based card.

Since we are traveling as a family and would be

staying in China for 2 weeks we wanted to save

our cash on hand. I tried to withdraw from several

ATM nearby but my card just kept on being ejected.

We realized it too late that China is still largely a cash-based economy.

Chinese I believe are typically averse to debt and this maybe the reason

for overall air of negativity regarding the use of credit and debit cards.
I decided to pay on cash and decided to dine and shop only in international
stores and restaurants to save our precious cash for our incidental expenses.

The Kerry Parkside Mall is an upscale mall

and a part of the Kerry Hotel Pudong complex.

It has a nice selection of western shops

…and traditional Chinese restaurants.

It was already almost noon time when I completed my registration

and we dined at Shanghai Dimsum at the Kerry Parkside Mall.

Luckily, they accepted our credit card.

We took a subway to Lujizui Metro station, as we wanted to tour the Pudong
city center, known all over the world for its famous towering skyscrapers.

At the Lujizui Metro station plaza,we spotted the Oriental Pearl Tower,

an we paused to take photos with the iconic tower in the background.

We also took time to admire the several beautiful

buildings at the Lujizui Metro station peripheries.

We walked towards the Lujizui Ring Road, and
used the circular overpass to cross the road,

…where we had an awesome view

of Shanghai’s iconic skyscrapers,

…the Oriental Pearl Tower,

…and the beautiful center island flower
gardens of the massive roundabout.

We descended at Fenghe Road,

…and decided to have a

snack at a 7- Eleven Store,

…beside the Shanghai Aquarium.

We strolled by Oriental Pearl Tower,

…walked all the way to

the end of Fenghe Road,

…until we reached the Riverside Prominade .

The Pudong Riverside Promenade and Park

is located at the bank of the Huangpu River.

This scenic park is popular with tourists and locals alike,

and it a one of the best places in Shanghai to go for

family entertainment, recreation activities and dining

My family came here for some peace and quiet,
while enjoying the views along the Huangpu River,

…with the park’s well manicured gardens as the backdrop.

The promenade is the showcase of some of the city’s

architectural wonders, like the Oriental Pearl TV Tower,

the Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower.

On the other side of the river is the centuries old the Bund.

...and towards the rear end of the riverside park, we spotted the
Pudong Shangri- La Hotel, with the hotel’s old building serves a
classic contrast among the modern buildings on the backdrop.

We exited the Riverside Prominade at the

Funcheng Road at the other end of the park,

…and turned Huayuanshiqiao where

we passed by the Jinmao Tower.

We ended our walk at the Douglas Road, for

a Shanghai Tower visit, the tallest building

in China and the second tallest in the world.

A visit to the Shanghai Tower, one of the tallest buildings

in the world is the highlight of my family’s Pudong visit.

The tower when seen from below stands tall and proud

that some people sees it as a fully erect phallic symbol.

Built in 2008 the Shanghai Tower is a 128-story,

is the world’s second tallest building at 2,073 ft.

We bought tickets for four and we were shuttled

by the world's second fastest elevators at a top s

peed of 20.5 metres per second or about 74 km/h-

…to the world's highest observation deck within a building.

We admired provides a breathtaking panoramic

view of Shanghai and the neighboring suburbs.

We lingered at the observation deck,and being the tallest

of the world's first triple-adjacent supertall buildings,

…Shanhai tgower dwarfs the other two

nearby skyscrapers, the Jin Mao Tower,

…and the Shanghai World Financial Centre.

It is a not to be missed attraction

for anyone visiting Shanghai.

We were starving after all the walking we have

done at the Pudong urban center that concluded

on Shanghai Tower observation deck past 8 PM.

We then went tp the Food Republic, a

food court at the base of Shanghai Tower.

Unlike a regular food courts made of nothing but a

conglomeration of small food stalls as tenants with

a common dining area, the food concessionaires

here are full restaurants located beside one another ,

…made to appear in an outdoor market street setting.

We chose to dine at A Ming’s Braised Pork Rice,

as being a Taiwanese restaurant this would the third variety

of Chinese cuisine that we tried upon arriving in Shanghai.

The first one, a Hong Kong cuisine at

the Hong Kong Traditional Cuisine,

a restaurant in Imago Mall beside our hotel,

…and the second, an authentic native Shanghai Cuisine

at Shanghai Dimsum in Kerry Lifestyle Center Mall.

We were very thirsty so we immediately ordered

Winter Melon Tea and Taiwanese Milk Tea.

We did not regret, the food was great and very affordable.

The taste of Taiwan’s delicious dishes at A Ming’s Braised Pork Rice was an

excellent conclusion of our Pudong adventure on our second day in Shanghai.

We took a subway back to Oakwood and had a really good

night sleep after almost a full day of walking in Pudong.

Day 3

I woke up early, cooked breakfast for my family, and proceeded to
Kerry Hotel for the convention. I returned to Oakwood at noontime,

and took a subway to People’s Park. We alighted at People's Square
which is referred as Shanghai’s KM 0 as it is the reference point
for measurement of distance of all highways in the Shanghai.

We were delighted to see a Starbucks Coffee

…and we took the seats facing the square.

With refreshing drinks and delicious pastries,

...the place was perfect spot for people watching

and a peace refuge from the hustle and bustle

of the perpetually frenzied People’s Square.

After finishing our snacks, we proceeded to People’s Park

whose entrance lies right bedside the Starbucks, which also

has an access to the park at the rear part of the coffee shop.

People's Park was built on the grounds of the former

Shanghai Race Club, established by the British in 1862.

When the communist People's Republic of China was founded,

it banned all forms of gambling, andthe northern half of the

racecourse was converted into what is now the People's Park,

…while the southern half to People's Square.

Shanghai’s People’s Park is probablywhat Central Park
is to New York, It is a major tourist attraction of lovely gardens,
verdant pocket forests, historic buildings, and tranquil ponds.

It was a busy weekend during our visit so we

chanced upon the Shanghai Marriage Market.

The marriage market held in the park every Saturday

and Sunday is also known as "blind date corner" .

Parents flock to the park to find a suitable partner

for unmarried adult children in which numerous

marriage advertisement listings are publicly posted.

Chinese culture’s long idealized important

tradition of continuing their family lineage,

…the standards of finding the rightmatch are written on a piece of paper,

.which is then hung upon long strings, boards, and umbrellas.

Sometimes referred as "match.com meets farmers' market"

the Shanghai Marriage Market, a parent matchmaking fair

is a way of upholding a traditional dating style modern China.
Some may find it weird but a visit to the Marriage Market
at People’s Park is an awesome cultural experience.

We intended to go explore the Nanjing Road from

the People Square all the way to the Bund, but my

son started limping and to complaining that his feet

hurt as he was not proper wearing walking shoes.

It also started to rain so we took a

refuge at the nearby Marriot Hotel,

…the took a taxi back to Oakwood.

We walked our way to the Imago Mall

and shopped for comfortable walking

shoes for my son at Pull and Bear shop,

…and decided to get him a

rain wear at the same time.

My wife and daughter also decided

to shop at the Uniqlo store where my

son decided to rest his aching feet.

On our way out, we chanced upon an

apparel store with an interesting name-

Kilikili which means Armpit in Filipino.

We decided to pose for fun photos with

our exposed armpits in front of the store.

I was also late in the afternoon so we scouted for a place
to eat. We stumbled in this restaurant with a name which
we could not read, located at the 4^th floor of Imago Mall,

We were running low on Yuan as we didn’t expect

for overall air of negativity credit and debit cards.

We still have US dollars but we didn’t have time to buy

local currency in the bank so we inquired at the cashier

if they accept credit or debit cards and the answer was yes.

We were hungry as we’ve been out all day at touring and we took
our seats as the well designed restaurant. We had a wonderful
dinner. The food was delicious and the service was good,

…but when we asked for our bill and paid with our debit

card, the waiter rejected it. We offered him other credit cards

from Visa, MasterCard, Diners, Amex JCB as we posses

almost every card in the planet- everything was rejected

We panicked since we didn’t have enough Yuan.

We offered to pay in dollars but they did not accept

foreign currency. It was during this commotion

that an American and her lady Asian companion

dining next to us came over and saved our day.

He paid our bill in Yuan, we gave him a hundred dollar bill
and gave us a change in Yuan. Our savior came from out
of the blue, as heroes often do. We were as we never
realized that we had an angel our midst, watching us.

It was amusing that we had our best dining experience in Shanghai,
and unfortunately the worst as well; We never had this kind of experience
in any of our previous travels in the Philippines and abroad.

We returned to Oakwood and retired early that night.

Day 4.

It was the last day of the convention and I returned to the
hotel by noon. We got to a bank located at the Imago Mall
to change our dollar to a local currency but that instructed
us to go the Bank Of China, located at the Caoyang Road.

We took a subway to Nanjing Road

as we intended to visit the Bund.

We alighted at the East Nanjing Road, considered the main shopping
street of Shanghai,and one of the world's busiest shopping district.

The busy East Nanjing Road is largely

pedestrianised, extends from The Bund

…to the west ending at People's Square.

East Nanjing Road is a dedicated commercial zone.

It was almost noon time and we spotted a McDonald’s

store, which my family’s favorite burger restaurant.

Seeing a McDonald’s store abroad never fails to bring

a smile in our faces as it assures of a tasty comfort food

that we have been missing being far away from home.

Despite of being an American company, it is one restaurant

that makes Filipinos feel at home and reminds them of home.

This is understandable as McDonald’s is a very popular and

one of the most endeared fast- food chains in the Philippines.

While most of our all time favorite

McDonald fares are also available here,

What caught our attention are the Jumbo Wing,

…and the Chicken Patty Rice Bowl.

.

Both dishes are delicious and crave worthy

pnd we hope that McDonald’s should consider

offering them as regular fares in their menu.

After our McDonald’s lunch, we went

to Shanghai No. 1 Department Store,

…the first and oldest state-run store

to shop for sports shoes for the kids.

We then took the mini train

…on our way to the Bund,

We were treated with the colorful

cacophony of urban Chinese life.

The roadside was lined with European-style
restaurants, cafes and upscale malls.

We walked until the end of the East Nanjing Road,

…until we reached the Bund.

Right at the entrance of the riverside

park is the bronze statue of Chen Yi,

the first mayor of Shanghai after 1949.

The Bund is a waterfront area Shanghai which runs along
the western bank of the Huangpu River. It probably is one of
the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai-.and refers
to the strip flanked on one side by the mighty Huangpu River,

… and the well preserved and impeccably restored historic
buildings on the other side of the road, that were the
grandiose symbols of Shanghai’s colorful colonial past.

We strolled at the river promenade,

…and posed at the riverside with the awesome

view of the Pudong skyline as a backdrop,

The riverside boardwalk is a great place to stroll,

and also a good place to relax, sit around

and do some shameless people watching.

We spent some time admiring. magnificent Beaux Arts
classical buildings built around the turn of the 20th century
as Shanghai become a major financial center. in Asia.

We later went to an Ice Cream Parlor,

…to snack on refreshing ice cream and cookies.

We lingered a little more.and posed for
photos at the colorful roadside garden.

…and headed back to Nanjing Road.

At the Nanjing Road we scouted for souvenir shops on the

numerous modern malls lining the famous shopping strip,

…and found none,

…until we passed buy the Central Market, a century-
old outdoor market with numerous souvenir shops.

We also feasted on the several food
stalls, that sells amusing street food,

…like the smoking ice cream balls, that literally make
your nose steam with smoke in while you eat.

We then took a subway to our hotel and had

dinner at the Hongkong Traditional Cuisine

.

This is the second time that we dined in

this wonderful restaurant in Imago Mall,

and just like the first one we enjoyed

our meal as the food was really good.

We paid with our debit card, as they accepted it when we first dined here,
but it was rejectedthis time. They rejected our credit card as well. It’s our
fourth day in China and were getting used to this card rejection thing.