Time to Play Tourist!!

So I finally had 2 days off where I wasn't sick or have a silly meeting to go to.... TOURIST TIME!!!


DAY OFF #1

Well, days off rarely start early in Shanghai. Finally left the apartment about 11am and headed to the Downtown area where I went on the hunt for Central Perk. Yes, that's right. Named after the charming Bar-turned-coffee-shop from Friends where Rachel, Ross, et al. hung out on their iconic couch. Being one of maybe 3 people in the entire city with Thursdays off, I made the trek solo. Only took one wrong turn, but righted it and found the cafe on a charming little street full of other places I will have to check out sometime.

So walking down the street I see the sign hanging outside and am filled with a sense of familiarity and happiness. I enter and am overjoyed to find a large window with 'CENTRAL PERK" splashed across it. (OMG!! OMG!! OMG!!) I enter and am greeted and seated by a friendly Chinese lady. She seats me near a computer that is streaming an episode of this magical show. (Season 3, Episode 6: The One with the Flashback). I order the one coffee drink I can order in Chinese, "kafei natie". And enjoy the episode until my drink is presented with great pinache in front of me. Fortunately, the waitress was no Rachel and did get it right...

Following this hour of nostalgia, I headed back to the metro to travel a couple stops south to the Bund. I had been here before, but I wanted to walk along it a bit more and really take in the history and architecture. It offers quite the view of the Huangpi River and the Skyscrapers of Pudong across the water. Shortly after arriving at this heavily touristed spot, I ended up shoving my gingerific hair into my hat. With this slight adjustment, I cut the picture requests in half. I will be carrying a hat with me more often when touristing.

Running perpendicular to the Bund and into the heart of Shanghai is Nanjing Road. It is on this street where you will find the heavily trafficked Nanjing Pedestrian Street and all of its shopping, food, diverse architecture, and a steady flow of tourists and people watching. I recommend this place after dark as it looks a lot like Vegas with everything lit up in a magical display of capitalism and Chinese Characters you can't read. Also on this street, right up next to the Bund is the Peace Hotel (top-right) where the playwright Noel Coward stayed and penned Private Lives in 1930.

Nanjing Road by Night

It's amazing how many styles of architecture are present in Shanghai. Neo-classic, Gothic, Deco, Nouveau, Contemporary, Modern, Ultra-Modern, plus all the different styles of Asian architecture of which I know nothing about...

Pudong from the Vue Sky Bar in the Hyatt Hotel.

After this walkabout I was back on the metro to meet up with my roommate Charlotte for the next adventure: Qibao (pronounced Chee-bow; rhymes with wow), Shanghai's nearest Ancient Water Town.

Walking through the decorative archway really was like walking back in time, with the exception of the battery operated toys and high-rises in the background. This little piece of Shanghai seemed to move at a slower pace and had a great charm about it. The shopping was exciting and the food exotic. The scenery was beautiful (especially with the setting sun splashing light about), and for the most part the Chinese tourists were friendly and didn't get too weird on us coupla fairhaireds walking around. Except this one guy, but we'll let that slide...

I will be returning Qibao to walk these historic streets and perhaps do a bit of souvenir and Christmas shopping. They offer some very beautiful and authentic Chinese goods.

My only advice: be wary of pickpockets, and unless you are into exotic foods: don't look too long at anything resembling meat, or you may leave Qibao a vegetarian.

DAY OFF #2

After a struggle to find my keys (they we're in my bag... where I must have looked a billion times...), I began the day with the continuation of my attempt to try coffee from all the major coffee chains in Shanghai. Today we have, Zoo Coffee! Well known for it's Safari-inspired decor it seems like a popular spot, with adequate coffee. I wasn't able to get through the ordering process fully in Chinese this go around, and did resort to numeric hand signs and pointing while saying zhe ge ("this"). The staff was kind, patient and all smiles--though I'm not sure if that's because I was the exotic westerner or if they really do have the customer service standards one often finds lacking in China...

Coffee in hand I continued my way up the street to the Jade Buddha Temple. I had heard good things about it, so I was very excited. After nearly trying to enter at the exit, a helpful employee pointed me around to the entrance and where I could purchase my 20元 ticket (~$3.15). I enter the gate and am already astounded at the grand majesty of the building in front of me. I step off the immediate path, tuck my iphone securely into my boot--it's safer than your pocket--and pull the Nikon out of my bag. I spend several minutes in the main courtyard enjoying the blue skies above, the smell of incense, and the lilt of Chinese... German... French... voices---WAIT A MINUTE! French? My ears perk up and I nonchalantly search for the source. I find a family across the courtyard who seem to be the guilty party. I make it a clandestine goal to eavesdrop and attempt to comprehend their conversation whenever I'm in earshot. (And no, it's definitely not rude! I'm working on my listening comprehension! Okay, maybe it is a little rude...)

Having taken a picture of anything and everything in the first courtyard I continue into the first and largest building. My jaw drops to the floor. In front of me is a massive golden statue of.... someone important (I only know like... Gwan Yin.... okay?)

Wall to wall, floor to ceiling is decorated in beautiful carved pieces, grand and imposing statues of various dieties, and bright fabrics hanging from the high ceilings. Light pores in from the doors and carved Windows, incense wafts through the room and candlelight reflects off the bright gilded statues. Curious, I approach a volunteer worker and ask "ta jiao shen me mingzi?" Or "what is his name?" She replies with something I honestly don't remember but I am just thrilled she understood my Chinese. She then continued on telling me about the other statues and what they stood for--in Chinese. Not knowing how to tell her I have no idea what she is saying, I play along and try to grasp as much as I can. Thankfully she used both language to her advantage so I could tell when she moved from the warrior God to the music one... I nodded often and said the only things I knew that mildly fit the conversation, "dui" and "hen hao" or "correct" and "good". I thanked her and moved into the next courtyard. 

The path winded into another building and up the most shallow, steepest steps I have ever seen. At one point I had to duck my head to keep from hitting the ceiling. The life of a tall person in China...

At the top of the stairs there are several large solid gold ornaments that I'm sure serve a purpose, however since the plaque was in Chinese, I have no idea what that purpose was. Around a corner and down a hall is a dimly lit room. I can already smell the incense permeating the air. It does create a rather calming atmosphere. I step into the room and turn to see a beautiful cream/Jade colored Buddha adorned with flowers, candles, and all sorts of gifts perched upon his shrine. He is rather majestic, sitting there quietly. There is a sense of ease being in that room with him. It's very nonjudgmental. And while he is quiet the center of attention he isn't overbearing, terrifying, or intimidating. Rather serene actually. It's just a very peaceful experience. I almost wish there had been a bench, I may have sat there for some time just enjoying the calming ambience. 

After a while, I made my way back down the treacherous stairs and into another courtyard where I found "reclining Buddha", Gwan Yin, a gift shop, and... MONKS! The monks were sitting at a table playing various percussive instruments. After a few minutes they began to chant and the courtyard filled with their rich harmonies. I found myself once again in awe and amazement. Surely, I am dreaming, or in a movie. This just isn't real life!

I hang out in the courtyard, taking pictures and listening to the monks for a while then make my way into the gift shop to peruse the goods. I could have spent a LOT of money in here. So many beautiful things and so many things I weren't sure as to what they were. But they were definitely beautiful. I wander around the main courtyard again, snapping a few more pictures before I make my way out. By his time I was getting rather hungry and it would be rush hour now which meant for a fun ride on the metro. I just love being sandwiched between people I don't know. So fun. 

I fight my way through crowd after crowd and an hour later find myself at home. I cook some dinner, then my roommate and I settle in to watch Frozen and enjoy some good ol' microwave popcorn. I would call it a successful weekend.