David: Shanghai

Shanghai

Ok guys back from a really relaxing weekend to tell you about the rest of my trip with my in-laws.

So on the morning of the day that we planned to leave Hangzhou I went to the ticket station with Natan. We decided that we wanted to include the China train experience in our trip, but what we learned the hard way is that if you want to properly experience a Chinese train ride than you have to buy a train ticket like the rest of the Chinese people and that is at least 2 days in advance. Trains are the #1 mode of long-distance transportation in China and therefore trains that aren't full are rare. After a 30 minute wait in line the ticket seller told us that if we like we can get tickets for the day after tomorrow, so we were forced to turn to plan B – hiring a car.

Hiring a car can be expensive but when travelling in groups over 5 people can be worthwhile, especially if you have a lot of suitcases. The driver picked us up at our hotel in Hangzhou and took us directly to the hotel in Shanghai. Had we traveled by train we would have had to take a taxi to the train station (by the way each one of our taxi trips included 2 cabs – 3 people in each) and a taxi from the Shanghai train station to the hotel, which would have cost more or less the same amount of money and would have been a lot more tiring, so I think in the long run we lucked out.
The hotel I chose for Shanghai was a combination of good value for price and more importantly walking distance from the Shanghai "Chabbad House," the main Jewish center in Shanghai. Since our company does not travel on the Sabbath and high holidays, we would have to be able to reach the center by foot. The hotel turned out to be a 10 minute walk away and very comfortable except for one thing – mosquitoes. Below our window the hotel had a garden with a small pond, and where there is sitting water – mosquitoes flourish. I was able to exterminate many of them by throwing my lonely planet and squashing them into the ceiling.

Our traveling in Shanghai was very intense, much to see and very little time. On the first day we arrived we went to see the famous Bund at night. The bund, an array of sleekly designed modern skyscrapers, is the main face of China's modernization. It was a great sight and a nice night stroll except for the persistent hawkers who tried to sell us touristy junk along the way. From there we went to a vegetarian restaurant which was good but surprisingly not as good as the one in Hangzhou.

The next day we went to see the Shanghai Museum, the best museum in China. I found the exhibits very interesting and impressive, although I've been to many exhibits in Chinese museums and many of them are similar.

After the museum we had a nice kosher for peasach picnic in Renmin Park. The park was beautifully maintained and was full of people flying kites and children with soap bubble guns. From Renmin park we went to YuYuan market for shopping. I really recommend this place for various souvenir bargains and also a great place to spend the day. You can see a picture of Shlomit and her sister Orit getting their hair done in a street demonstration.

The next day we started by going to a shoe store which ended the Shimon Arzy Shoe search saga. Natan had been searching for a special shoe that his friend had specially requested from China at any cost. These shoes called NeiLianSheng (内联升) apparently were worn by the famous Mao Zedong and other figures. I researched the Internet and found that there were 2 stores in all of Shanghai that sold these shoes. We went to one of them and finally found the desired shoes for 300-400 RMB – that's what you get for handmade name brands.

After the shoe store we went to see a Jewish Synogauge called "Ohel Moshe" in the center of the community where all the jews who escaped from Europe in world war 2 sought refuge. It was very heartwarming reading all of their experiences. From there we left for the Shanghai United Family Hospital for Shlomit's ultrasound. From the subway station we all rode taxi motorcycles for the 5 minute ride which was quite fun. Shlomit was nervous about all the things that could go wrong but in the end we discovered that we have a healthy baby boy growing in her belly which was very exciting. From the hospital we went for hot chocolate at starbucks and then straight to the ERA – Intersection of Time, acrobatic performance at Shanghai Circus World. The way there was somewhat of an adventure, we rode the subway around 6:00 exactly when everyone gets off work. At this time the stations are full of people, one can really experience the power of Shanghai as the most populated city in China – 20 Million. The circus (more like impressive acrobatic show) was even more impressive than the one in Beijing. The Chinese acrobats once again managed to leave us in awe. We had dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant on Dagu Road before returning to the hotel for the night.

The next morning we went to the famous H&M department store where my wife loves to shop. Following that we went to Shanghai's sleek modern block called Xintiandi (新天地), two adjacent blocks of refurbished European buildings from the beginning of the 20th century made into bars and western restaurants. Most of the customers at the restaurants were tall Europeans in suits and formal dress eating steak business lunches. I felt underdressed walking through this European island in the middle of Shanghai. Shlomit was not feeling so good so we returned home after a cup of Hagen Das Ice cream.

That evening was the Passover Seder at the Millenium Hotel near the Chabbad House. There was an assortment of Jews from around the world and the setting at the hotel was very elaborate. It was definitely a Passover I will never forget.

The next day we woke up early for our flight to Guilin.