Our main purpose to go to Shanghai was to visit my elder brother, Alfred who is working there. To sum up, I would say SH is not really "our kind of place" or at least to hubby and me.
These were the experiences that we encountered during our 8 days stay in SH.
- SH has narrow roads, bad and messy traffic. It is a major challenge to make an attempt to cross the roads in Shanghai. Drivers are reckless and have no road sense, They will turn into an intersection with no regards to the right of way or the fact that pedestrians are walking on it. "Green Man" doesn't mean you can cross the road safely - DO WATCH OUT!!!!!
- Cramped and dirty in most public places. You can also see laundry hanging around. It was interesting to see laundry even hanging at street level in the big city. However, we were lucky not to catch the scene of anyone spitting or clearing throats right in front of us!!!!
- High air pollution index
- Shanghainese are rude, loud and callous. They do not seem to know the concept of waiting in line for their turn. They will cut in line or so called "jump queue". Pushing and shoving seem to be essential to survival. They talk very loudly to each other even when they are in close proximity - like as if one is on North Pole while the other is on South Pole. It gave us the impression of "shouting"/ "quarrelling" with each other which are both perplexing and frustrating. Sales associates were somewhat unfriendly and rude too. My mum was trying out one of the sunglasses from a department store. Before she could place it back to the shelf, the sales associate snatched the sunglasses from her hand. Yes, It was LITERALLY SNATCHED!!!!!! It's just soooooo difficult to be civil when the other party is rude. There was also once when I asked for a direction to a cafe, the lady looked at me coldly and then "rolls" her eyes and responsed in an unfriendly high pitch tone.
- Receiving bad attitudes and crappy services from the waiters/waitresses at the restaurant are the "NORM" in Shanghai too.
- If you plan to pay a visit to SH, try to learn more Chinese. Besides the people from the hotel, the probability of others understanding English is very low. Those cab drivers whom we met do not understand even a single word. If you need to go somewhere by cab, get your hotels concierge to write it down for you in CHINESE, and don't forget a name card of the hotel (again in CHINESE).
Apart from all these "deterrence factors", we do had snippets of some merrier times in SH. So, let's switch channels!!!!
We went to Shanghai's famous Shanghai South Bund Fabric Market (上海南外滩轻纺面料市场). The old Fabric Market used to be at Dong Jia Du Road but it has now moved to this new building at Lu Jia Bang Road. Four floors of fabric are a clothing maven's heaven, with huge varieties of materials - Furs, Silks, Wools, Linens, Cashmeres, Cottons, Tweed etc. You can bring your own design and the house tailor can custom-made those designs for you. There are also clothing samples and a few ready-to-wear outfits for you to choose as your heart desires. Cashmere Long Coats with Silk Lining (approx. RMB650), Tweed Coats (approx. RMB 250), Fox Fur Shrugs (approx. RMB300), Fox Coats, Silks, Men's Cashmere Suits (RMB550) and Men's Cashmere Long Coats(RMB600). And... Cash Transactions ONLY.
Address: 399 Lu Jia Bang Road (陆家浜路399号)
Between us, there were 5 Tweed Coats, 4 Cashmere Long Coats, 2 Pairs of Cotton Pants, 2 Pairs of Cashmere Pants and 5 Cashmere Suits ordered and ready for collection in 3 days...
So who are the culprits for all these victories??????? Mwahahahaha..........
I have gotten 4 Tweed Coats, 1 Cashmere Long Coats with Silk Lining and 1 Fox Fur Shrugs
My sweetheart hubby contributed 2 Tailored Cashmere Suits and 2 Pairs of Cashmere Pants
Mum got 1 Tweed Coats and 1 Cashmere Long Coats with Silk Lining
Dad got 1 Cashmere Suits, 2 Pairs of Cotton Pants and 1 Cashmere Long Coat
Alfred got 2 Tailored Cashmere Suits and 1 Cashmere Long Coat
Presenting my Victories.........................
Next stop was the ultra luxurious and upscale shopping mall - Plaza 66 (恒隆广场). You can find dazzling array of designer brands i.e Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada, YSL, Marni, Chanel, Tod's, Van Cleef & Arpel, Marc Jacobs, just to name a few. Arguably, it's the fanciest shopping mall in Shanghai but also come with its fabulous price tag. The taxes in Shanghai makes the items expensive. Sometimes, their after sale prices are equivalent to those full price in other countries. I did however make a lil' contribution to one of my favourite brands in the mall.
Address: 1266 Nanjing Xi Lu (南京西路1266号)
My Outift: Theory Top, DVB Cropped Jeans, Sogoli Necklace, Prada Wedges, Hermes Blue Jean Birkin and the freshly purchased Hermes pousse pousse double leather bracelet
HERMES pousse pousse double leather bracelet with brown leather and silver tone hardware 
Chic accessory yah??After this spot of shopping, we stopped for lunch at TMSK (透明思考) which is perched on the fifth floor of Plaza 66. I like the décor of this restaurant - Uber fashionable and fusion!! Lighting and gleam of colored glaze is well mixed to create an elegant environment for dining. It has a creative menu of both Chinese and Italian cuisine with innovative and authentic range of dishes from Hunanese, Shanghainese and Italian. However, we felt that the food was just alright, nothing amazing.
Address: 502-503, 5/F, Plaza 66, 1266 Nanjing Xi L (上海市南京西路1266号恒隆广场5楼502、503室)
Tel: 86-21-6288-6197
We then moved on to roam along Nanjing Xi Lu (南京西路) which is Shanghai's main shopping street with shopping malls, department and small stores, restaurants, and hotels. Later in the evening, we met up with Alfred who suggested buffet dinner at the hotel.
We arranged for a car rental service (with a driver) for the next day. Having car service actually facilitates the trip and saves time if you have many places to visit in a day. The driver takes you wherever you want in Shanghai. Using this opportunity, we tried to accomplish a few of the top "Tourist Attractions".
Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠电视塔)
The Oriental Pearl Tower (468 meters high (1,536 feet)) is the world's third tallest TV tower. The tower has several observatory levels. The highest (known as the Space Module) is at 350 m (1148 ft). The lower levels are at 263 m (863 ft) (Sightseeing Floor) and at 90 m (295 ft) (Space City). You can reached them by the high-speed elevators. From the observation deck on 350 m (1148 ft) - (Space Module), we did have some great views of Shanghai's skyline and the Bund. The view might be more imposing if not for the smog.
Video taken from Oriental Pearl Tower on Shanghai's skyscrapers and The Bund
Picture taken from our hotel room - Night view of Oriental Pearl Tower with sparkling and glittering light on topOne can't leave SH without trying out Shanghai's most famous snacks from Nanxiang Mantou Dian (南翔馒头店). So, here we are!!! They are well-known for its various kinds of Xiao Long Bao (steamed dumpling) - 小笼包 with different fillings and delicious broth that spurt out the moment you bite into the wrapper. It is a 3-level restaurant reminiscent of ancient chinese architecture. Food are categorised by level. The First level is for take-away order of normal quality xiao long bao at very affordable price. Loooong looong queue of people. Some of them are willing to wait for 2 hours just to have them!!! Second level serves better quality at a slightly higher price and customers can order a set menu too. As for the Third level, they serve the best quality but at a minimum price of RMB120 per person. You can also dine in a private room at a minimum price of RMB150 per person. It is said that the thickness of the skin of the dumpling depend on the level that you are in. It gets thinner as you move up.
Address: 85 Yu Yuan Road, Old Town God's Temple (黄浦区豫园路85号(城隍庙九曲桥旁))
Tel: +86 21-63554206
We opted for the RMB120 per person package. Did we hit the quota of RMB600 (5 of us)????
Check it out!!!!!!!!!!
Never Ending Queue
Chicken Pickled in Wine . The chicken was tender and had a subtle wine taste to it. That was totally awesome!!
Deep Fried Shrimp Ball with Crab Roe Stuffings. The shrimp ball was crispy and yet not oily
Xiao Long Bao with Crab Roe filling
Xiao Long Bao with Crabmeat filling
Xiao Long Bao with Ground Pork filling
Xiao Long Bao with Shrimps filling
Xiao Long Bao with Mushroom filling
Let's us take a look at the Final Bill to see how well had we performed!!!!!!!!
Click to enlarge............We hit RMB597!!!! I think the restaurant didn't mind the small shortfall.
The overall experience at Nanxiang Mantou Dian was a satisfying one.
Yu Yuan Bazaar (豫园商城)
After our "full to the rim" lunch, we walked over to Yu Yuan Bazaar where shops and stalls were selling Chinese traditional items, ornaments etc.
The Bund (外滩)
Next, we moved on to the best-known landmark in Shanghai - The Bund (外滩), also called the Zhongshan Road. It is the waterfront area of Pu Xi that faces the newer part of Shanghai - Pudong. On the West side of Zhongshan Road, lies the city's core identity and history with 52 buildings of various architectural styles such as Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank), Shanghai Customs House (big clock tower), Peace Hotel (green 'pyramid' dome), Bank of China (huge slab-sided building next to Peace Hotel) and etc while Pudong constitute Shanghai's new skyscrapers and modern towers such as Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower and etc
Not long after we took a short stroll along the bund to enjoy the contrast view of Shanghai, it started to rain. Of course, it shortened the visit but still managed to snap some pictures and video.
An overview of The Bund in Shanghai
To continue our itinerary, we drove over to Three On The Bund where New Heights (新视角) is located for a coffee break. While we fully intended to sit at the Outdoor Terrace Patio that afternoon, it was unfortunately raining. It was a BIG BIG SPOILER, right? Blame it on the dreary weather of Shanghai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Otherwise, we should have some of the best views of Pudong, the Bund and the Huang Pu River. We did not have the time to patronize M on the Bund (located at 5 Floor, No. 5 on the Bund, 20 Guangdong Road, by Zhongshan Dong Yi Road) which I heard offers slightly more amazing views. Will definitely be there when we visit SH again!!!!!!!!!!!!
Address: 7F, Three on the Bund, 3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Lu (中山东一路3号外滩3号7楼)
Tel: +86-21-6321 0909
Afterwards we browsed around in Super Brand Mall (上海正大广场). It is a huge 10-story mall with a massive supermarket and array of shops (Zara and H&M are here), restaurants, and a movie complex. Nothing caught our eyes though. We then took Alfred's recommendation and checked out South Beauty (俏江南) for their Sichuan Cuisine which is located in the same buidling.
Entrance of Super Brand Mall(陆家嘴西路168号正大广场10楼 - 近富城路, 地铁2号线陆家嘴路站)
Tel: +86-21-5047-1917, +86-21-5047-1817
It is a nice/modern twist to the authentic sichuan cuisine in a relatively upscale and sleek setting. Don't expect the food to be mouth-numbingly spicy. They lacked the spiciness that you will find in traditional sichuan food. Overall, I wouldn't say it was exquisite but must agree that their dishes are served with distinctive flair. Appealing presentations did enhance our overall dining experience. And oh..... Surprisingly attentive services from the waiter and waitress!!! (A BIG BIG BONUS in Shanghai) I will suggest to those who are interested to make a reservation for a table on the balcony by the window. You can get a remarkable view of the Bund. But at a minimum spend of RMB300 per person.
It was time to call it a day and get some rest in preparation for our one day trip to Hangzhou the next day.
To be continued in the next post...........................
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