Shanghai Prologue and Day 1

The Shanghai trip started off with a bombshell from Koof - not the feminine kind that one would usually associate Koof with but the news that he'd injured his eye (again) in a freak ricochet of the ball whilst playing cage.

The 3 of us (Me, Zhong & Meng) trooped to the airport knowing that we had to make the most of what was left of the initial gang - with Jing backing out after deciding on Shanghai as the trip location (in consideration of a potential rendezvous with Renee) and the freak accident with Koof.

Before the plane had even gotten off the ground, I had spent a total of 103 bucks buying some 7 cosmetic articles for HER mom. And Meng spent half that amount on a nice-ish Braun Buffel wallet going at a discount after my spree. We got on the relatively empty China Eastern flight MU546 which eventually proved to be a blessing in disguise, as my ample bulk was given sufficient space in which to maneuver.

On bored (sic) the plane, Zhong and Meng amused themselves with the Pro Evolution Soccer on Koof's PSP and mine, whilst I amused myself with my digital camera taking photos that looked like this:

Which was essentially crap.

Anyhow, our arrival in Shanghai was a reflection of our luck (or so we thought at first). Our plane was rerouted from its original destination at Pudong airport to Hongqiao Airport which was further away from the coast. However, I was convinced on the necessity of the move after seeing the fog sweep in from the coastal areas. In addition, the cab fare from Hongqiao to our hotel in Hengtong Road was a measly 60RMB, in comparison with the 160RMB fare that me and Meng would later incur on our way to Pudong Airport on the return leg.














DAY 1
Our first day in Shanghai saw us make a beeline for the tourist district of Nanjing East Road immediately after we'd dumped our belongings in the hotel room, which was very comfortable given the incredibly low price of 300RMB that we were paying per night. The entrance to the metro (Hanzhong Road) was right beside the hotel, and it took a short 15 minutes for the journey to the East (Nanjing Road). Nanjing Road is the likeness of Orchard Road, with prices to match for the similarity as well.














We found a dark alley behind Nanjing Road and ate our first meal of the trip. I had earlier rejected Zhong's suggestion that we eat at CoCo Curry in consideration of the "watery curry" and Meng not seemingly interested (he was at the next junction looking out for more eateries). We found a dingy little shophouse that served authentic Shanghainese fare (or so they claimed). We ordered a plate of unknown meat (and possibly tripe), a plate of unknown greens, a plate of mutton (which turned out to be 20% raw) and 杂浆面 for me and Zhong. After pushing about the noodles in our bowl and flipping around looking for the less-rare portions of mutton, we decided to give up on the meal and head for the Bund.

The Bund was filled with people even on a Monday evening, with peddlers, touts and ice-cream sellers having a field day selling their wares to the crowd. Even though the view from the Bund could not rival that of Hongkong back when I visited it in '05, the skyscrapers and illuminated buildings signified China's progress as a capitalistic member of the global society. And with that, our day ended with a walk back to the metro from the Bund.