DID: Did a bit of shopping/wandering in the Luwan District in an artsy but pretty touristy section of Shanghai, Tai Kang Road Art Street. Best find was the Liuli China Museum (www.liulichinamuseum.com) - see Ate, Snack 2. Poppy water, museum-grade bathrooms and a gorgeous gift shop all in one. Lunches looked beautiful too but not the home-made dumplings we were after.
After lunch, headed over to the Bund area to check out the city skyline. Day was as gorgeous as it gets at this time of year, sky was visible and even blue-ish. Hopped the ferry over to Pudong and saw the sunset from the 100th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center. I’ve never been particularly nervous about being in a tall building before but have to admit my stomach was doing some flip-flops, especially when looking through the glass viewing portals in the floor. GnR had no issues of course and were up to their usual antics of running around, swinging from railings etc. My annoyance at their behavior actually got me over the nerves so I suppose I should have thanked rather than isolated them! Had a lot of fun at the highest playground in the world on the 94th floor. And wouldn’t you know it, the Chinese paparazzi were on hand to record every move.
Was shocked that the gift shop did not have keychain bottle openers shaped like the building. Come on!!
Tried to take another sky-high peek from the Hyatt Hotel in the Jin Mao Tower but they are on to that trick. You can’t get anywhere close to seeing anything without registering as a guest. Even the hotel bar is in the center core of the building without any views. There is a view from the lobby itself but it’s not in the ‘good’ direction.
Boat back to the Bund, got yelled at by the Chinese police for standing on a bench while trying to take a photo of the skyline. Taxi back to hotel. Incidentally, taxis in Shanghai are fantastic. Cheap, never takes long to find one, and none have refused to take us.
ATE: Breakfast in bed. Food still so-so but can’t complain too much when I only have to move as far as the wheelie tray at the end of the bed to fill my plate.
Snack 1: bubble tea at Kiss in Luwan. First time I’ve ever tried one. Tapioca pearls are weird but strangely addictive.
Snack 2: Liuli China Museum (www.liulichinamuseum.com). Poppy water, museum-grade bathrooms and a gorgeous gift shop all in one. Lunches looked beautiful too but not the home-made dumplings we were craving.
Lunch: Soup dumplings from reputedly the best dumpling house in the city. We ordered three kinds – pork, pork + chicken and shrimp. Pork ones were the best, but all were little pouches of heaven. We stopped at 40 dumplings only because we could not stuff another one in.
Dinner: More dumplings. This time at Din Tai Fung, who claim to have the best dumplings in the world. These were much more delicate/elegant than the ones at lunch, not sure I have a preference. Also had the drunken chicken, green beans, and a sliced beef dish. All excellent. Chinese food is good.
Side note: I think I am getting an RSI from using chopsticks. I thought my shoulder/neck were sore from sleeping in weird beds/using pillows that aren’t the same firmness at home. However I’m noticing that my shoulder hurts most when I’m using chopsticks. Probably from holding them too tightly.
SLEPT: Construction noise still an issue but less so than last night. Still annoyed but not enough to switch hotels.
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