I'm rushing these posts alot because I've got so behind I just want them out the
way so I can go enjoy this new destination I'm in now, so I may not do Shanghai justice and give it the write up it deserves! I really liked it here, the favourie of all the cities I've been to on this trip. Many I have considered worth another a visit sometime, but Shanghai I could make a point of coming back to sooner rather than later.
One of the most noticable things first of all was the improvement in temperature, I was even able to pack away my big down coat for Siberia and down grade to two jumpers and lighter coat. Even on two occasions I went without gloves for half a day! There were trees and grass here too and the sudden reapperance of green in the streets made me realise how much I'd missed it. At one point the grass was being cut, and never before understanding why people say they love the smell of fresh cut grass, I developed a real appreciation for it. I've not seen real greenary for a long time, on this trip it's always been snow, dessert, concrete or smog.
Having a lot of time for New York, I liked the areas of Shanghai that they have tried to make reminisant of such a city. Although it's not quite there yet, as I discovered when I decided to walk down to the main square one night to get a shot of the lights, I arrive at 11.30pm to find they'd switched them all off and were hosing down the streets. It was still nice though. Everyone is really friendly too, even those that try to catch you out with the classic Tea Scam.
Three Chinese students, Tetra, Tiger and Sunshun, stopped me to get me to take a picture of them and very quickly befriended me thereafter. It was no time at all until I was being invited to a traditional tea ceremony, which is my que to run away! The tea scam is when you are befriended by a student wanting to spend some time with you to practice their English. They'll could stay with you for as long as a couple of hours before inviting you to experiance Chinese culture and sample many different teas, maybe up to 10 miniture cups or more all made and served by your own tea maid. At the end you'll get stung for a bill for up to a couple of hundred pounds. It happened to a couple from my VodkaTrain group so I was ready for it.
Anyway, I attempted to make my excuses, I was heading to a Propoganda Poster Museum, but they still seemed to not let me get away. They were being so friendly and polite that I had no choice but to do the same (I've been approached several times before by others, but always managed to make a smoother getaway). Every few steps I made my excuses again but was just met with 'You like tea' and 'You should just come for one'. I was physically lead (in a friendly way) across a busy road and up to a tea house that Tiger apparently knew. I ended up going along with it until I was sat within our own private room with the tea maid standing before us. Happy it'd gone far enough with me still being as nice as I could, and not wanting a single drop of tea to be poured in my direction, I muttered a few more excuses as I ran away!
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