I decided to go out on another Shanghai adventure today, despite an ongoing cold, reports to write and household chores galore! I am glad I did. The morning dawned beautiful, and I must say that by the time I headed out it was nowhere near as lovely, but it was still a fine day and rain is forecast for tomorrow, so I decided to go anyway. I started my afternoon at Xintiandi. This is a very upmarket, boutique street in Puxi, near the French Concession. Lots of cafes, jewellery shops, restaurants and very quaint.
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| Sculpture in Xintiandi |
Then I actually managed to read the map and find Taikang Lu. (Those of you who know me well will know that this is quite a feat. Map-reading and directions are really NOT my forte!) Taikang Lu is AMAZING! There are lots of little alleys with shops and restaurants (did I mention that the Chinese LOVE food?) I took the shot below as I do not know anywhere else in the world where you would see sophistication in the shops below, and drying underwear above!
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| Taikang Lu - juxtaposition of sophistication and underwear! |
From there I took a taxi to the South Bund Fabric Markets. Oh my! Everything in clothing you could want, from cotton, to cashmere, to tutus, to a shop that only had sparkly fabric. I am now clearly recognisable as a local (even if a "loweye") and for the most part I am not too accosted by the shopkeepers. This is definitely a place to go back to.
From there I walked via a local market to the ferry across the river. When I say "local" I MEAN local. There was fabric, buttons, elastic, plastic ware, street food and - the worst - cages of live hens, pigeons and ducks, ready to be on your table! Fish, too. The ones that get me the most are the ducks with their big eyes, somehow knowing that their days (no, hours) are numbered!
I found the South Bund and the ferry, although for a little while I thought I was going to have to find a taxi to bail me out! I took the local ferry that transports both passengers and bikes and scooters across the Huangpu River. Here you can see the approaching skyline of Pudong (Pearl Tower with the round piece at the top, on the left), Jin Mao Building (the tall one in the middle) and the Shanghai World Centre on the right.
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| View of Pudong, March 5th, 2011 |
But maybe even more fun was this photo of the scooters on the ferry. Everyone is just intent on getting off!
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| Shanghai Ferries |
So, another day gone by.....
xxx,
Shanghaisuz
