Today was a big day. Unfortunately the lack of phone means no alarm, so I didn't get going until around 9am, but I still didn't get back to the hostel until 8pm, so I think I still made a decent effort.
I started my day with a huge trek to try and find Yu Garden. the second downside of not having a phone is having no GPS. It ended up being pretty awesome though, because I ended up in this awesome shopping area.
The whole town is getting ready for Chinese New Year too, so everywhere there are huge displays and banners. It makes it look really bright and wonderful, but at times a little bit tacky where you can see all the glitz and glam right next to a century-old statue or something.
I took a slightly wrong turn and ended up at the City Temple of Shanghai which was a pretty standard temple.
I also ate some of the best dumplings I have ever had. They put the Aussie dim sim to absolute shame!! As much as it pains me to say it, Chinese food is possibly better in China.
I eventually found Yu Garden. It was totally worth the search too, I think because it was a garden unlike any of the others I've seen. It was mostly rocks, and it really felt like it fitted in with the concrete jungle just outside it's gates.
After the garden, I headed towards The Bund - one of the most famous river-side strips in the world.
During the day it was alright (slightly polluted and just a normal cityscape) but at night... wow! It was actually stunning. I ended up spending over an hour just wandering up and down the riverside.
Some of the building looked like giant TV screens, spelling out "I <3 SH" or showing an ad for the new Samsung phone. It was nuts, and like nothing I've ever seen before. There were a heap of boats going down the river too, so I think I might go on a river cruise one night.
Tomorrow I think I'm going to go back and see it from the other side. One side looks like it's straight from the 1800s, and the other looks like the future. Really, really cool.
I also spent some time (and money) today shopping on Nanjing Road. Such a contrast from the poverty of yesterday... there were 3 Rolex shops and a whole store dedicated to MnMs. I can't even.
A side note: being tall, white and blonde in Asia is kind of like being famous. At one point on The Bund, I had a line of people wanting a photo with me. I even got asked to hold one woman's baby for a photo. It's weird, but kind of hilarious.
Tomorrow, the People's Square xx