Impossible Is NOTHING!!!

Yes... it really is... i have have first-handedly proved that the even the most IMPOSSIBLE things can be made possible!! What can it be then?? Well i'm proud to say that... i have made it through 4 days in China alone by myself!!! YES 4 FRIGGIN' DAYS!!! Where i have to read, say and do everything in Chinese!! Ok ok i wasn't really alone per se, but judging from Stan's Mandarin (which was equivalent to my C5 in JC), i was still technically ALONE!

A scenario like this was almost as impossible as seeing Fiona Xie in town (hmmm...), but amazingly, i got this chance when my TIC volunteered me to go for a stock take there. Obviously she didn't know of my Potato (Kentang) reputation well enough seeing that she was ever so willing to pass me this opportunity... but still, i decided to grab this chance as i'd never seen Shanghai before!!!

Thus, i managed to squeeze 4 days out of Shanghai, especially since my stocktake only took an hour, but that's another story for another time... hehehe... Anyway for those of you who may want to go to Shanghai, here are some of the places i checked out:

Yuyuan / Cheng Huang Miao
Supposedly a place with the settings of Lao Shanghai with old buildings and stuff. It did look the part when i first went in but sadly, when the supposedly "old" signboards started showing McDonald's, Starbucks and even Dairy Queen, it was obvious that was badly lacking Authenticity. I must say though, this place has the BEST Xiao Long Baos!!


"A glimpse of Old Shanghai. Spot Macs if you can."

Good:
- Oldish Buildings
- Xiao Long Bao at Nanxiang Restaurant
- Local craftsmen (made a Seal with my Chinese name which i might use for future signatures)

Bad:
- Western Flavour in Oldish Buildings (Oxymoronic.)
- Touristy area... (ie jacked up prices for most stuff)
- Bad-mannered, dirty and uncouth locals.


Nan Jing Lu
The Orchard Road of Shanghai, where you see many of the big department stores selling original branded stuff. Lots of people walking along the road especially foreigners, who probably didn't have the slightest idea that similar items (i.e. PIRATED goods) were available close by at ridiculously lower prices.


"Nanjing Lu. A classier Orchard perhaps?"

Good:
- City-area feel to the place. (most other parts of Shanghai just look plain boring)
- Haven for shopping fanatics (rich ones who dun believe in piracy. Bleah.)

Bad:
- Expensive stuff. (either same price or higher than in S'pore)
- The road stretches 5km. Most people give up halfway. (heng i did the tree top walk!)
- Bad-mannered, dirty and uncouth locals.


Xiang Yang Market
Ok this place is never seen in official tourist brochures. Why? Because this is PIRATE heaven man... hahaha. This place has one of the widest collections of pirated branded stuff i've ever seen!! With all brands you can think of (LV, CD, Prada, etc), and all items you can imagine (watches, wallets, bags, shoes, etc), i can safely say that anyone who walks in will DEFINITELY come out with a purchase. However, i must stress that the people here are really bargain professionals, and you really have to be at the top of your game to get a very good price. Stan and I are naturally nice people and thus, we kenna KAH (chopped) both times we were there. Fug.


"This should read Xiang Yang Pirate Market instead. Seriously."

Good:
- Everything under the sun in this market!
- Cheapest stuff around (Mont Blanc pens and DVDs for SGD$1, Tag Heuers at $50, LV wallets at $5 and the list goes on)
- Easily accessible from the Metro (sorta like our MRT)

Bad:
- Lots of fugging conmen around.
- Agents will bring you to dark alleys to show you stuff and intimidate you to buy. We ARE victims.
- Years of experience give the sellers the upper hand in bargaining. Haiz.
- Bad-mannered, dirty and uncouth locals.


The Bund (Shanghai Tan)
The world famous bund... with Huangpu River separating the 2 riverbanks in the heart of the city. Many people taking photos there but in all honesty, Stan and I didn't really find the scenery that amazing, especially with the perpetually misty air. Did manage to go for a River Cruise and even go to the other bank to have a look at the UFO-like Pearl TV Tower and Jinmao Building (3rd tallest in the world).


"I did tell you the air was smoky didn't I?"

Good:
- Probably the only place in Shanghai with truly fresh air.
- Nice view of the river and the tall buildings on the other riverbank.

Bad:
- Tourist sightseeing tunnel was a waste of money.
- Huangpu River cruise didn't really have much to see... even fell asleep for a few minutes.
- Nice view blocked by dirty air
- Bad-mannered, dirty and uncouth locals.

========================================

Well, these are just some of the places of interest that we went to... ironic as they weren't really THAT interesting if you ask me. All i can say is that Shanghai isn't really a nice place unless you like shopping. Only things that really appealed to me there were the cheap DVDs and food. Mostly it was the weather and the people that were pissing me off... with the temperature higher than that in Singapore, and rude people that talk loudly, spit everywhere, push and shove in MRTs, practically making us Singaporeans look like angels.


Will be posting my pics on Imagestation soon so do check it out when it's done. You'll have a clearer picture of how Shanghai is through my eyes man... :)