Shanghai

Our first stop in China was March 3, in Shanghai. Weather was not the best, 10 C and windy…                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

China is huge, and the population is among 1,4 billion people, it means that more than one-fifth of mankind is Chinese (and it seems like most of them only see red light as recommandations, so crossing the streets feels like putting your life at risk everytime). Anyway, we took a shuttle to the center, and passed beautiful highrises and less good areas.

 

 

Our plan for the day was to go on the Maglev Train (Magnetic levitation). This is the first and only maglev train in revenue service in the world. It starts at Longyang Road Station and ends at Pudong International airport. The distance is 30 km, and it takes 8 minutes and it is authenticated as “the fastest ground transport tool in the present world” by Guiness Book of Records.

To get to the station we needed a taxi, and were asked to go to the Peninsula hotel across the street. Quite exclusive, and as you enter you can (among other expensive designers shops) watch some nice pieces of jewelry. Here we are looking at 23,61 carat diamond ring. Anyway, that`s not what we came for, so we got two taxi`s and headed for the train station

 

 

 

It was freezing cold, but the train comes every 15 minutes, so we did not have to wait too long.

 

 

 

The maximum speed of the train is 431 km/h but we  “only” reached 301. Still we got to see more of the differences in Shanghai. Everywhere you look, it`s cranes, cranes and more cranes.

I have been to China before, but not in this area. Around 9 years ago I was in Beijing and some areas around. At the time it was 3 ATM where we could take out cash with international Visa, and nobody sold bread.

 

Things have changed! We found a nice bakery where we had lunch, but one thing apparently remain the same. The toilets…very few places have WC as we are used to, so I think no tourist goes until they really have no choice. At some malls and hotels it is a different standard, but not in an average train station…. Anyway, we took a taxi back to the hotel, but had some challenges with the prices. To get there costed us around 40 Yuang, to get back to the same place they wanted to charge us 180…. A nice couple who spoke both Chinese and English came by, so in the end we paid the same both ways.

We walked around in the streets, looking for some shopping that was not Gucci and Chanel (the luxurious market has “exploded” in China, and I`m talking about the real shops, not the copies at the markets). The designer shops in China have customers! A year and a half ago we went to Las Vegas, and the same shops were so empty it was echoes from your shoes when you entered. That is not the case in China.

Contrasts are enormous…

As we walked to the shopping street we saw some of the contrasts of today’s China. We also witnessed a traffic accident (surprised it was ONLY one from the way they drove).

A nice woman led us to a shop where we could make deals. We had lots of fun, but back on the ship we heard about two waiters who also got guided to a shop, where they locked the door behind them, beat them up and robbed them. Anyhow, we felt safe during our stay, and found Shanghai interesting and beautiful.

 The average standard of living is getting higher by the minute in China, but so are the differences, and that pretty much sums up Shanghai for me. You just don`t know what you see around the next corner in this city with more than 20 million people.