Shanghai caught us by surprise. This city is so ready to give New York a run for its money. Right from the moment the MagLev (magnetic levitation) train zoomed us from the airport into downtown in a flash, we were enthralled. Yes the train literally flies, no levitates, not quite touching the tracks because of its intense 450km/hour speed. It's like riding a seven minute roller coaster into the city!
Language also caught us by surprise. I guess we just presumed more people would talk English. Since the signs are mostly in mandarin as well, we just relied on our instincts and hoped for people to be friendly as well as experts in dumb charades. We found a bit of both. Any time we stood around looking lost someone would stop by to offer help. Language or no language, communication always takes place. Its one of those magical things that make travel so exciting and undaunting. Add to that the adventure of it all, like when we bought a bottle of something that looked like flavored milk but tasted like something else. We never found out what we drank but it was good.
Then we set foot on Nanjing Road to be wowed for life. It's a street straight out of disneyland filled with lights, color, people, shops, and restaurants buzzing into the wee hours. A bigger and brighter version of Times Square. Next, our stroll led us to the breathtaking Bund. This is the romantic waterfront strip crowned by a futuristic skyline straight out of star trek on one bank and an equally magnificent skyline composed of classical buildings of the french, victorian, and gothic styles on the other. Were we in Europe or some future city? This was certainly not the China we had imagined.
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