Kath Walks: I Heart Shanghai

@ Changi Airport Terminal 2
Skirt: Bugis|Shawl: Ruby | Bag: Charles and Keith

When Jori said that he was planning to go to China, particularly Shanghai, I wasn't that excited. For one, I have no idea what's in Shanghai. I was even thinking that it would be nicer if we go to Beijing instead so we can visit the Great Wall.
But this changed after reading this introduction from Lonely Planet's Shanghai Encounter.
"There's no place in China quite like Shanghai. There are no summer palaces, fog-enmeshed temples or transcendent cliff-side Buddhas here. Remnants of alluring past remain, but to dwell there would be to miss the point entirely. Shanghai has never been about what has already happened; it is about what is going to happen.
Often portrayed as a blend of East and West, Shanghai, with its voracious appetite for new
styles and trends, is above all cosmopolitan and cutting edge. It's a place to taste a future
that's just around the bend, to hang on the roller-coaster ride of change, to hunt down the
ghosts of old alleyways, the vanishing remains of debauched glory days and creations of the
next generation. For deal makers, fashion freaks, in-the-know foodies, and those who just
want to crest of China's emerging wave - this is Shanghai."

I became so excited especially after it mentioned fashion and food! :) And just as I was charmed by the above statement, that's the same way I felt about Shanghai.

MagLev Train, one of Shanghai's high speed trains. This has top commercial operational speed of 431 km/h.
Max speed we experienced was 301 km/h.

We arrived in Shanghai at around 6:30am. Singapore is 5 1/2 hours away from Shanghai by plane. We checked out, picked up our baggage, and went ahead to MagLev train station which is at the 2nd floor of Pudong International Airport. It was easy for us to locate the station since there are English direction labels in the airport.

Round trip tickets are 80 CNY. It travels from Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road Station. First trip starts at 7:02am, and runs every 15 minutes until 9:40pm.

Longyang Road Station

We stayed at FX Hotel in East Nanjing Road, six stops from Longyang Road Station via subway train.

FX Hotel Room Rate starts from 238 CNY (around 1,586 PHP)

FX Hotel is a budget hotel so don't expect something fancy. At least the bed is comfortable and toilet is clean plus it is conveniently situated in the Bund area.

Executive King Bed

One station away from the hotel is the People's Square, the city's busiest subway junction.
In People's Square are Shanghai Museum, Art Museum, Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Renmin Park, Madame Tussauds, and a lot of shopping stalls. Unfortunately, there are some scammers here - details in the next post.

Shanghai Art Museum

Shanghai Grand Theater

At People's Square

Top: Mango; Shorts: Zara TRF; Sandals: Steve Madden

Bracelets: From Bali; Ring: F21

Also in People's Square is the famous Yang Fry's Dumpling. This is one of the must-try food stalls when you visit Shanghai.

Long queue lah!

Food preparation area

Ready to serve!

Four big pork dumplings for 5CNY. And warning, the dumplings are really hot! They have a tasty soup inside the dough. The dumplings are perfect with sweet vinegar sauce. :)

After recharging, we continued walking until we reached East Nanjing Road. We actually didn't feel that is was a long walk because of the views around. You'll be seeing a number of finely designed buildings, hotels, and shops with a lot of lights!

Where is Jori?

There are a lot of international brands. I saw this big "RED SALE" sign in Zara so we decided to take a look. I found a pair of cute hot pink sandals and decided to try it when alas, my black sandals' buckle was worn out! Perfect timing? I guess so but I was not able to buy those hot pink sandals (grrr. Ask my manager!). Instead I got myself a new pair of yellow sandals! :)