Today, Grant and I ventured across the Huangpu River to go up the Oriental Pearl Tower, which took a surprisingly long amount of time. The Tower is the tallest radio tower in Asia and the observation deck has the city’s best view of Shanghai. I really enjoyed the view; the sky was clear and the sun was shining when we were on the observation deck so we had a fabulous view. I also really liked how there was a glass floor all around the lower observation area. It’s cool to be able to look straight down and see where you are standing above in a tower as tall as the Oriental Pearl.
Our experience waiting in line to go up the tower was our orientation into the way Chinese people view waiting in line. They basically don’t believe in waiting in line and shove and cut like no one’s business. There was one point where I got sandwiched between two old men, and another where an old lady practically had her entire body pressed against Grant’s back in an effort to try and get in front of us. We soon learned we had to hold our ground and be tough or else we would never, ever get to the top of the Tower. At one point, there was a mad dash for the elevator and even though we were at the front of the line, we almost didn’t make it because of the intensity of people surging from behind. I only made it to the elevator because Grant and I held hands; he literally pulled me into the elevator! Never in my life did I think I would experience such a thing.
Once we were done with the Oriental Pearl Tower, we had a quick gelato break in the lobby area as we were starving. Then, we went to the Yuyuan Gardens. It’s a very beautiful area, and the garden itself is a sight to behold and well worth the entry fee (I can’t remember the exact fee but it couldn’t have been more than 30RMB). We had an excellent lunch at the Nanxing Dumpling Restaurant. The steamed crab meat dumplings are TO DIE FOR. I’d happily eat them for the rest of my life.
In addition to possibly the best steamed dumpling restaurant in Shanghai, there were shops of all kinds outside the Yuyuan Gardens and in the surrounding district. It was in the Yuyuan Gardens that I had my first (of many) encounters of people selling fake brand name bags and watches. These sellers come up to you and say, “Bag? Watch?” and if you are interested, you follow them. The first time this happened to me, I thought the lady was telling me to watch my bag in case of pickpockets. I grabbed my bag and anxiously looked around, asking Grant, “Wait, what am I supposed to do? Did I get pickpocketed? Or is this lady telling me watch my bag just in case?” Little did I know she wanted to sell me bags and watches, not tell me to watch my bag!
At night, my family took us out for Korean barbecue. I’m not really experienced in the world of eating Korean food, but everyone else was so I kind of watched and learned. (Or attempted to watch and learn.) The food was very good, though. After dinner, we all went out to get massages. It was very relaxing (and only the second massage I’ve ever gotten in my life). I can’t believe the massages here are so cheap when they are of such good quality! In the States, they are so expensive and not always good. I can already tell the cheap massages are going to be something I’ll miss when I return home.
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