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March 28, 2008 Shanghai CHINA Last Gasp in Shanghai: Ferry Ticket to Japan, Old Shanghai, and The Bund at Night I have yet to write about any of the details regarding how I will return to Tokyo from Shanghai. There exists, as some people may be aware, a significant gulf between the mass of Asia and the islands of Japan - and I am without a plane ticket. For whatever reason, (I suspect astronomical taxing), flying to, from, or within Japan is extremely costly. For example, the cheapest option I could find from Shanghai (or other adjacent cities) was over $400 for a one-way trip. This is well out of my price bracket.
Other than browsing through the shops, touring traditional gardens, and admiring the old-styled architecture (all of which are enjoyable, to be fair), there were a couple of other things I wanted to do: eat Shanghai's specialty, xiaoliang baozi, and and buy Kumagai-san a few OMIYAGE (souvenirs). (This is not good: I am now mixing Japanese and Chinese words into the same sentence.)
The picture to the left should give an idea what Shanghai's pollution is like: yes, that is the SUN behind all that smog! Sad, isn't it? There isn't a lot to write about for the rest of the afternoon: Neil and I reached Nanjing Lu, turned left, and walked another hour or so through the maze of Shanghai streets. We ended up at a small bookshop at the base of a new, ultra-chic high-rise building. We were both intent on finding reading material for the upcoming ferry ride to Japan, which might actually be the lengthiest travel yet on the journey: roughly 44 hours. I thought about buying Ender's Game, a novel that has been recommended to me by many people because I am intrigued by concepts of power struggles, but in the end the 100rmb price was too much for me. Instead, I spent 45 minutes reading through a recently published book about Barack Obama. (Who needs sci-fi when real-life power struggles are all around us?) After dinner, which was eaten at Pizza Hut of all places (it actually approaches fine dining in China), I searched out one of the many barbershops still open at night. After making sure to ask about the price, 40rmb, I sat down for a haircut. I was wearing my long-sleeved Arsenal jersey, which got a few of the Chinese excited because Premier League football is huge out here. As for the haircut, I have yet to find a better place than China to get them - you get a massage, a head rub, kneading of the neck, several washes, and they always know what they are doing. While I do have a slight advantage in that I can speak some Mandarin, the real trick to my success is always asking for a style like David Beckham - it has yet to let me down and it always brings out a few laughs. What did NOT bring out a few laughs was after my haircut when they tried to charge me for a 300rmb bottle of lotion the barber used on my hair. The shop was sneaky about it in that they held the bottle up after I finished my cut and asked me if it was OK to use, to which I shrugged and agreed, figuring, "Hell, what do I care what you use?" A 30 minute debate ensued with my basic argument being that I asked about the price when I first arrived, and anything additional should have been agreed upon by both parties. For example, they put shampoo in my hair when they were washing it, but I was not being charged for that. In the end, I left exact change for my haircut and walked out of the shop. I have friends who have had similar things happen to them - such as the 200rmb cup of tea scam - but I have never understood why they all just roll over and pay. One of my first experiences in China was dealing with serious fraud (my luggage was being held for ransom by a "handling company"), and ever since I have had zero tolerance for such nonsense. It definitely leaves a sour taste in the mouth because in China there are no "authorities" to go to - if you get screwed, you better be good at the Chinese practice of GUANGXI (relationships). With one eye looking over our shoulders, Neil and I walked out to The Bund, which is the area along the Shanghai waterfront (facing the ever-developing Pudong district). The view is fairly famous, perhaps you recognize it?
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Instead,
I found a ferry service that operates once a week from
Shanghai to Kobe (a city in southern Japan) for only
$170. I was worried I would not get tickets for the boat
- leaving me stranded for an additional week - so I have
been keeping regular contact with the ferry agents to
secure a berth for Neil and I. Anyway, this morning Neil
and I caught a taxi to
We
hailed down a taxi and headed to the Old Shanghai
district. I hesitate to describe this part of Shanghai
as such, because in truth it is becoming a New
Shanghai with all the remodeling and tourist dollars
- especially considering that a 20 minute walk in any
direction of Shanghai will yield a far more rewarding
Old Shanghai feel. My favorite thing to do in
Shanghai is to walk the city, especially at night when
the Shanghainese come out on the streets to relax, play
mah-jong, drink Tsingtao, and have a
laugh. Nevertheless, seeing Old Shanghai is one
of those "things everyone should do," as was indicated
by the scores of tour groups.
The
small streets were predictably jammed with tourists,
touts, and vendors alike. I moved my wallet to my
rucksack and moved my rucksack to my chest so that I
wouldn't become one of the pick-pocketed statistics for
the day (I am curious to know what the percentage is).
I
took Neil to a small restaurant I visited in the past
with Gary Kao
and basically ordered everything on the menu - the price
of food in China is cheap enough for this to be
affordable. Both of our stomachs have shrunk to an
unthinkable level, so we must have looked like real
a**holes leaving so much food untouched - we basically
had a bite of everything and gave the remainder to a
friendly Chinese couple sitting adjacent to us. Also, my
Asian taste buds must be improving because I once
thought the food at this restaurant was great, but now I
feel slightly disappointed...
After
eating I went in search of a bathroom. I ended up having
to walk
through the "mother restaurant" find one,
and en route I found a blown-up photograph of former-U.S. President
Bill Clinton on the wall. Apparently, he also visited
this restaurant many years ago. Judging by the picture
to the right, does anyone else think the man on the
far right of the looks oddly out of place? He looks both
like a stone-cold assassin (FBI agent, maybe) and Lurch
from the Addams Family.
With
time to kill, we decided to head back to the Nanjing Lu
area by walking the 3-4 kilometer distance. I wasn't
really sure which roads to take, but I knew the general
direction. I powered up with iced bubble tea (rich,
milk-flavored tea with spherical tapioca balls inside),
which I have been living on since reaching China.