Restless once again, we pick up where our Asian experience was cut short in 2011 - China baby!!
A 15 hour flight leaves us beat when we arrive late afternoon in Shanghai, but because of the time difference we're ready to explore at 2 am, after four hours of sleep!
Now for the first impressions...
After shiver inducing customs we hop on the airport shuttle which drops us off on Yan'an Road somewhere in Huangpu District. It takes us good 30 minutes to pinpoint our location, turning the map to align with our handy compass (proven life saver!) while fishing for a phrasebook. Armed with nothing but "Nihao" and stranded on a crazy busy intersection we soak it in. Shanghai feels huge already, crowded, laced with overpasses and 8 lane traffic. The air tastes of ash.
It's getting dark by now and we're crossing a river of people, but hardly anyone gives us a second look, so it's surprising when we hear "What are you looking for?" in perfect English. Our heads turn on cue and I'm ready to hug this beautiful stranger. She points us in the direction of People's Square, maybe 20 minute walk from where we are. Such a simple gesture but it overwhelms us with gratitude and causes adrenaline to drop, which just makes it harder to fight through exhaustion. We still need to find our hostel, this needle in the haystack
We researched some places online and located a general area with basic accommodations before we left but made no reservations, so we're really happy that our first choice has rooms available. Sigh of relief.
A 15 hour flight leaves us beat when we arrive late afternoon in Shanghai, but because of the time difference we're ready to explore at 2 am, after four hours of sleep!
Now for the first impressions...
After shiver inducing customs we hop on the airport shuttle which drops us off on Yan'an Road somewhere in Huangpu District. It takes us good 30 minutes to pinpoint our location, turning the map to align with our handy compass (proven life saver!) while fishing for a phrasebook. Armed with nothing but "Nihao" and stranded on a crazy busy intersection we soak it in. Shanghai feels huge already, crowded, laced with overpasses and 8 lane traffic. The air tastes of ash.
It's getting dark by now and we're crossing a river of people, but hardly anyone gives us a second look, so it's surprising when we hear "What are you looking for?" in perfect English. Our heads turn on cue and I'm ready to hug this beautiful stranger. She points us in the direction of People's Square, maybe 20 minute walk from where we are. Such a simple gesture but it overwhelms us with gratitude and causes adrenaline to drop, which just makes it harder to fight through exhaustion. We still need to find our hostel, this needle in the haystack
We researched some places online and located a general area with basic accommodations before we left but made no reservations, so we're really happy that our first choice has rooms available. Sigh of relief.
Home for the next few day - Phoenix Hostel (Shanghai bargain @ $35/private room with bath!) - comes attached to this amazing homey restaurant where we have our first feast of this trip. We can't contain full blown excitement as we're slurping this hearty bowl of noodle soup. There's no way I can recall the name of it, but it oozes heaven: flavorful broth, wide rice noodles, wild mushrooms, greens, and chili oil.
ohhhhhh soooo goooood
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