The awesome threesome took a one-hour-flight to Shanghai where Claudia's cousin, Carlos, and a good friend, Yang, both kindly took the time to show us around.
The city is modern and breathtaking. It has mostly developed in the last two decades. Full of sky scrapers, each one very unique in design, it is a far cry from my misperception of a city full of rickshaws and street vendors. The architectural wonder reminded me a lot of the financial city centers in Seoul, Korea. Also, the web of a subway system was easy to navigate. Toronto has a long way to go!
Unlike Qingdao, Shanghai was blistering hot but not humid.
These first set of pictures are of the Pearl Tower which distinctively marks the skyline. It is a communication tower (very much like the CN Tower). It is absolutely stunning, especially when hit by sunlight or illuminated at night. Enjoy the pictures!
Shanghai World Financial Centre
This building looks like a bottle opener. It is the tallest skyscraper and the one we selected to go up. As you can imagine, the view was spectacular. The building is 492 meters tall.
Feverish Frogs
We decided to taste some local dishes. One consisted of special dumplings. They're unique because, when you bite into them, there is soup like liquid you have to suck out. They were divine!
Next, we tried a spicy frog stir-fry which tasted like...frog! As Carlos pointed out, I've now tasted a reptile to which I can compare all future reptiles. It had the consistency and texture of chicken but a unique, and very good, frog taste. We also tried stinky tofu. It was potent but in just a couple of bites we acquired the taste. The meal was pleasantly washed down with chrysanthemum tea.
In spite of my culinary adventures, I've managed to stay gastro-intestinally healthy the entire trip. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Shanghai Nights
Yes, we went clubbing at night! I'll spare you the pictures as my travelling wardrobe is limited and you've seen all my outfits already. There are a lot more foreigners in Shanghai so the clubs were a mix of locals and foreigners. We ladies had some stiff competition as Shanghainese women are extremely beautiful and take great care in their appearance. The clubs we hit include: Muse, Mural, True Colours and an afterhours club located in an old underground bomb shelter. The music and atmosphere was great at every club. It pays to have local connections...thanks Claudia!
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